" u n n u "Size: 18 inches by 24 inches
Medium: Crayola On Plain Paper Completion Date: Midsummer of 2019 |
Exhibition Text:
Inspired by the sights in my everyday life and a Toulouse piece, "unnu" evokes a provocative scene of a half human fille de joie. The seated dancer has inspired the approach in which I display of the half nude as it is drawn by hand and colored with one of the most primitives and accessible media of all time...crayolas on plain paper. |
Artistic
I n s p i r a t i o n
(A Critical Investigation)
Seated Dancer in Pink Ties By Henri Toulouse Lautrec (1890)
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The simplicity of this piece captured my attention.
I realized that it was the color and organized chaos that gives movement to the piece while also capturing a still life was something I wanted to mimic.
From past years in this art program I've dissected multiple pieces to rearrange thier portions into my own work. However in this case, I would only attempt to use a similar texture in my own "illustration".
The piece uses oil and ink on cardboard.
I wanted to make something that everybody could potentially replicate (I'm referring to the media used) by using more accessible tools of mass creation. If you first look at the piece (or at least when I first saw it) I thought Henri T. had used crayola in the piece.
He did not, but that's not the point.
I wanted to make a piece alluding a much more ombre and open image of a similar pose like the one shown above.
In addition to Toulouse's work, for my adaptation of the piece I decided to portray from the the still lives in my own life. Prostitutes. I know it sounds off putting and not at all family friendly, but that's the reality of things.
I see a lot of these women casually walking around the neighborhood. So I thought of what it may be like them. Thus I combined it with a mythical creature, a faun.
I realized that it was the color and organized chaos that gives movement to the piece while also capturing a still life was something I wanted to mimic.
From past years in this art program I've dissected multiple pieces to rearrange thier portions into my own work. However in this case, I would only attempt to use a similar texture in my own "illustration".
The piece uses oil and ink on cardboard.
I wanted to make something that everybody could potentially replicate (I'm referring to the media used) by using more accessible tools of mass creation. If you first look at the piece (or at least when I first saw it) I thought Henri T. had used crayola in the piece.
He did not, but that's not the point.
I wanted to make a piece alluding a much more ombre and open image of a similar pose like the one shown above.
In addition to Toulouse's work, for my adaptation of the piece I decided to portray from the the still lives in my own life. Prostitutes. I know it sounds off putting and not at all family friendly, but that's the reality of things.
I see a lot of these women casually walking around the neighborhood. So I thought of what it may be like them. Thus I combined it with a mythical creature, a faun.
Guillermo Del Toro - 7" Scale Action Figure- Faun (Pan's Labyrinth)
Retrieved from, http://necaonline.com/2018/11/gdt-signature-collection-7-scale-action-figure-faun-pans-labyrinth/
Retrieved from, http://necaonline.com/2018/11/gdt-signature-collection-7-scale-action-figure-faun-pans-labyrinth/
The idea of the Faun itself came by surprise if I speak with full truth. As I sketched and built the outline to "unnu", the horns and hooves simply came to mind and slowly translated onto the paper.
The process ended up being in reverse. I built my vision first... and afterwards my curiosity carried the piece with a heavier meaning. I decided to apply the meaning of a faun to my piece. It was what they call "a happy accident". It all aligned. THE FEMALE FAUN : This mythical creature was a breed that's half human. The essence of the faun emits "wildness and sexuality" as they try to charm passer by's in forests. The ideology is the same when it comes to that of the women in the streets working as sex workers. Most of the time it's clear that it's to continue with their addictions to an unhealthy life style. |
PROCESS
&
I N T E N T I O N S
Some sort of sketch. Also the only sketch for the piece...
This summer my ideas flew with a lot more ease than it did junior year. It took one sketch to get my vision captured and rolling.
In this sketch I depict a woman picking up a snake and placing it to her neck. She's looking for some sort of feeling.
The prominent ribs suggesting a malnourished being. Her eyes are empty, not a peculiar feeling can be obtained from her face.
This summer my ideas flew with a lot more ease than it did junior year. It took one sketch to get my vision captured and rolling.
In this sketch I depict a woman picking up a snake and placing it to her neck. She's looking for some sort of feeling.
The prominent ribs suggesting a malnourished being. Her eyes are empty, not a peculiar feeling can be obtained from her face.
Above are the colors with which I experimented and built "unnu".
Most of the swatches are from Crayola & Playskool Crayons. Nothing else. I illustrated this half nude with pure pencil, crayons and pastel chalk for the hair and snake here and there.
Most of the swatches are from Crayola & Playskool Crayons. Nothing else. I illustrated this half nude with pure pencil, crayons and pastel chalk for the hair and snake here and there.
a. Sketch out the idea, quite raw and on the fly. I was trying to vomit the idea out before it left.
b. Add a little more detail to the sketch to help clear the vision
c. Test out the colors on a sheet, decided which hues to settle on.
d. Blow up the sketch, outlined it on four different pieces of paper to form "unnu"
e. Contemplated the piece...neglected the piece and then found the motivation to come back to it, I began with the top portion of the illustration and added color to it.
f. Tried crayola and chalk pastels on the outline of the nude. Chalk was taking too long to apply with a brush and the colors didn't give the desired saturation to the skin.
g. Experimented with layering and contouring with crayola, began adding shadows to the lower jaw. Crayola it is.
h. Moved down to the chest, one of the biggest portions of the overall illustration. I've realized crayola loses it's sharp tip and I remembered how fragile they are. Joy.
i. I cut out the head and planned to cut out the rest of the body to paste on a solid foam board.
j. Finished coloring the rest of the body and aligned the lines formatting the overall body.
k. Pasted to the foam board and then thought again about adding a piece of glass with paint to half of her face for dramatic effect but opted not to. Called it a day and rested on the idea.
Sections of the nude have pigments from pastel chalks which I had to apply using brushed. I like the diffused effect it had on the hair so I brought them back on the snake. I added a tint of orange and pink here and there besides the different greeens.
I believe most of the process for this project is self explanatory.
I experimented here and there with the layering of the crayons and shading after asking a fellow classmate for their opinion on my piece. I'm glad I took their advice and added detail to the left side of the piece with the shadows. Because the half nude is composed of multiple pieces of paper, dome of the lines don't line up but that's my fault for not aligning them well.
Besides that I left half of the face blank because I might cut it out to add to it later. I am unsure at the moment of what I wish to do with the portion but I'll see.
I experimented here and there with the layering of the crayons and shading after asking a fellow classmate for their opinion on my piece. I'm glad I took their advice and added detail to the left side of the piece with the shadows. Because the half nude is composed of multiple pieces of paper, dome of the lines don't line up but that's my fault for not aligning them well.
Besides that I left half of the face blank because I might cut it out to add to it later. I am unsure at the moment of what I wish to do with the portion but I'll see.
R E F L E C T I O N
Coming up with the idea was the easiest thing through out the whole project.
Bringing it onto paper was also fairly simple.
However finding the motivation to finish coloring and matching the tones the the rest of the body was a headache.
There was always a part on the body to which I came back day after day to add another layer of crayola...
It's so simple to color that it became difficult.
At the end of it all, I'm fairly happy with the outcome. The whole story and the impact of my neighborhood on my piece fitted well together proving that crayola can be used with a craftsmanship above that of just scribbles on a wall.
Bringing it onto paper was also fairly simple.
However finding the motivation to finish coloring and matching the tones the the rest of the body was a headache.
There was always a part on the body to which I came back day after day to add another layer of crayola...
It's so simple to color that it became difficult.
At the end of it all, I'm fairly happy with the outcome. The whole story and the impact of my neighborhood on my piece fitted well together proving that crayola can be used with a craftsmanship above that of just scribbles on a wall.
C R I T I Q U E
Similarities
- My illustration spreads in the pose of the seated dancer, assimilating to the tired and pondering figure shown by French artist Lautrec.
- Warm hues of the background in the "Seated Dancer" make a showing in my piece in the tonality of the skin tone.
- The overall shape and fictional character of the faun is rather clear for both the sculpture and my illustration.
- All three pieces show a rather slim character and with an organic flow of their corporal structure.
- My illustration spreads in the pose of the seated dancer, assimilating to the tired and pondering figure shown by French artist Lautrec.
- Warm hues of the background in the "Seated Dancer" make a showing in my piece in the tonality of the skin tone.
- The overall shape and fictional character of the faun is rather clear for both the sculpture and my illustration.
- All three pieces show a rather slim character and with an organic flow of their corporal structure.
Differences
- In comparison to the dancer, my piece does not have the raw lines and bright cold hues
- The sculpture of the faun lays among an alluded setting, there's a back story to it but my piece simply holds the character and their actions to their a narrative.
- Oil pastels have a softer and smoother texture than Crayola affecting the presentation, giving my piece a duller and more solid coloration
- My piece is composed of four different parts (illustrative paper) assembled together into one big piece rather than a single piece of paper or a sculpture
- In comparison to the dancer, my piece does not have the raw lines and bright cold hues
- The sculpture of the faun lays among an alluded setting, there's a back story to it but my piece simply holds the character and their actions to their a narrative.
- Oil pastels have a softer and smoother texture than Crayola affecting the presentation, giving my piece a duller and more solid coloration
- My piece is composed of four different parts (illustrative paper) assembled together into one big piece rather than a single piece of paper or a sculpture
ACT
R E S P O N S E S
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
The oil markings on the seated dancer inspired me to use of the material that I did which is often forgotten once we rise up in our skills with the fine arts. The employment of the faun in work also submerged my piece into a different light as it gave it a meaning that evoked exactly what I was aiming for.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The overall approach was explicit but also kept a level of modesty when referring to the metaphor of a faun which is the way on which my piece could be interpreted.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
was That the image of the goat will some way carry a "negative connotation" or "essence of human greed and needs" across different cultures. Whether that was Greek, Roman or some Contemporary articles, the goat is shown to be a "piece of meat" as it signifies lust and the sexuality given to a body by said cultures.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
It comes back to the human condition and studying organic and raw portrayals of our kind while still keeping that sense of magical beings within my work according to the chosen inspiration, whether that was Medusa or a faun.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I thought that the simplest way to put the meaning of the faun was with a carnivorous appetite. Added the idea of how women are similar to the goat because when they walk up and down those streets they are showing casing themselves as "a piece of meat".
The oil markings on the seated dancer inspired me to use of the material that I did which is often forgotten once we rise up in our skills with the fine arts. The employment of the faun in work also submerged my piece into a different light as it gave it a meaning that evoked exactly what I was aiming for.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The overall approach was explicit but also kept a level of modesty when referring to the metaphor of a faun which is the way on which my piece could be interpreted.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
was That the image of the goat will some way carry a "negative connotation" or "essence of human greed and needs" across different cultures. Whether that was Greek, Roman or some Contemporary articles, the goat is shown to be a "piece of meat" as it signifies lust and the sexuality given to a body by said cultures.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
It comes back to the human condition and studying organic and raw portrayals of our kind while still keeping that sense of magical beings within my work according to the chosen inspiration, whether that was Medusa or a faun.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I thought that the simplest way to put the meaning of the faun was with a carnivorous appetite. Added the idea of how women are similar to the goat because when they walk up and down those streets they are showing casing themselves as "a piece of meat".
Bibliography
Guillermo Del Toro - 7" Scale Action Figure- Faun (Pan's Labyrinth)
Retrieved from, http://necaonline.com/2018/11/gdt-signature-collection-7-scale-action-figure-faun-pans-labyrinth/
Lautrec - The Complete Works - Seated Dancer In Pink Tights. (n.d.). Retrieved May 20, 2019, from https://www.toulouse-lautrec-foundation.org/Seated-Dancer-In-Pink-Tights.html
Geller, Prof. “Faun - Roman Mythological Half Human Half Goat.” Mythology.net, 26 Mar. 2018, Retrieved July 31, 2019, from mythology.net/roman/roman-creatures/faun/.
Retrieved from, http://necaonline.com/2018/11/gdt-signature-collection-7-scale-action-figure-faun-pans-labyrinth/
Lautrec - The Complete Works - Seated Dancer In Pink Tights. (n.d.). Retrieved May 20, 2019, from https://www.toulouse-lautrec-foundation.org/Seated-Dancer-In-Pink-Tights.html
Geller, Prof. “Faun - Roman Mythological Half Human Half Goat.” Mythology.net, 26 Mar. 2018, Retrieved July 31, 2019, from mythology.net/roman/roman-creatures/faun/.