Title: Cushioned Size: 36 x 36 in. Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas Completion: May 2022 Exhibition text:
The intention of this piece was to create a self portrait while depicting the comforitality of doing something you enjoy in a serene environment away from the clamor of society. You can see this by the way I am lounging on the armchair.This piece was inspired by Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. To make the piece I used acrylic paint on a gessoed canvas. |
Inspiration
For this piece, I was inspired by ¨Girl Reading¨ by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The piece depicts a girl sitting on an armchair reading a book and what looks to be like in front of a wall with yellow,orange,green,curtains. I was inspired by the warm hues in the overall piece. It gave off a comforting ambiance that I wanted to incorporate in future pieces and thought this one would be perfect. In my piece, I plan to use comments from the ¨Girl Reading such as the chair and seating position. Instead of the girl, I will replace myself into a similar sitting position as her and with clothing that I would usually wear.
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Planning
For this piece, I sketch different variations of the same piece to get the ideas in my head down. This helped me see what I was imagining and helped me decide where I wanted to put components. In my sketch, I have myself sitting on a chair holding a book with curtains in the back. Before beginning the process of painting the piece,I needed to complete a task in order to prepare myself to paint and have an easy transition without worrying over something. This preparation included mixing and experimenting with different colors and trying to match some of the colors in the inspiration. I also need to take reference pictures of myself in the seating position so that I can paint my features to the best of my ability using references instead of from the top of my head.
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Process
To begin the process of making this piece I first drew a grid of 18 x 18 in. squares so that I would be able to efficiently transfer the image. I then decided that starting with the background might be easier than starting with the foreground first. I took masking tape and taped off the area that starts with the armchair, leading all the way to the other side over my head to my dress. Next I did an acrylic wash for the background color so that it would become opaque with another layer and also covering the grid lines. After I did that, I applied another layer of paint in different gradations so that it would look like there was lighting on certain areas of the piece.
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After I finished the background, I decided to work on the chair first and make my way up. To do this I mixed different variations of reddish orange to get the color similar to the one in the inspiration. From there I applied the paint and used brown to darken areas and added white to the mixed paint to make highlights. I added the gold detailing on the side of the chair and made sure to blend it out so that it doesn't seem like a stark contrast. After I finished the chair I moved onto the sweater.
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The first thing I did was apply the paint in the areas that were designated for the sweater, I then used brown to make dark highlights so that you could see the different areas of the sweater such as the arm that's leaning against the chair, the folds in the sweater and the drawstrings. After I was satisfied with the way the sweater looked, I moved onto the dress or abaya. For this piece, I wanted to have an outfit that I would feel comfortable in and wear casually. I accomplished it with the sweater over the abaya look. Since the abaya is black, there isn't any trouble applying the paint. After I painted the abaya and added curves to make it look like I had my knees folded back behind me. I decided that adding highlights would be appropriate to make it easier to decipher the movement of the abaya.
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After completing the dress, I moved on to my head. I first began to outline the shape of my hijab and face by making a light sketch using black paint. After that, I filled in the area using black paint and two different hues of gray paint to add highlights. I started to work on my face next, using three different gradations of brown. I really wanted to emphasize the direction or position the head was facing and by using darker colors to contrast the lighter one will allow the viewer to see that the head is pointed slightly down. After I was satisfied with the head, I used blcak to clean around the and touch up the areas where the hijab meets the face. I did this for all the other areas as well, using gray to cover where my brush may have unintentionally overlapped.Lastly, I painted the book using a darker shade of the color I used for the chair.. I used brown to highlight it and make it look like the book was open, and gold to give it more depth and emphasis.
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After I completed the background,chair, and myself. I began the details of my face. This part for me was very tricky because I didn't have prior knowledge on how to complete it. The first thing I did was fix the edges of my hijab and the face, after I did that. I began to paint my mouth, this was the waist part for me because I have a relatively small shaped mouth and the shading was also easy. I then began to paint my nose, using different colors of brown to add value to it. After this, I began to work on my eyes. This was the hardest part for me because I am inexperienced in areas such as this. However, I tried my best and used different colors to add depth and emphasis so that the eyes would look as real as possible.Lastly I added my glasses at an area that would be normal for me, not too close to my face and not too far off my nose. I added gold accents on the side because my personal glasses have them.
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Experimentation
When planning for the piece, I took reference pictures of myself so that I would be able to efficiently transfer the image I wanted. When taking the reference photos, I tried on different sweaters with different functions and colors. I tried on an emerald/dark green zip-up hoodie and an olive green sweater. I chose the olive green one because I thought that color would best fit. I also experimented with different skin color tones, I thought this part was extremely important because it would identify me in the painting. I had some trouble trying to get a color as close to my skin color so I used different gradations of brown and when I applied them to the canvas, I blended them together to formulate a cooler color.
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When searching for inspiration, I came across ¨Young Girl Reading¨ by Jean-Honoré Fragonard. My idea was to replace the girl with my, however instead of sitting pin straight as she is. I would have a much more relaxed seating position with my knees hugged to my chest and I leaned more into the pillow. I also planned on having a phone in my hand and having the light reflect onto my face. I didn't want to do this idea because you wouldn't really be able to see my face from the position.
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When making the piece, I attempted to mimic the inspiration with the background. However, after completing it halfway I realized that it wouldn't look great with the way I had the chair positioned and my body. Instead I decided to make the background one color with a graduation to highlight the body.
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Critique
Similarities
A similarity between my piece and the inspiration is the movement of the seating position of both people. Both people in the pieces are causally seated on an armchair with their knees flowing out backwards. They are also both holding books and the position of my face and the girls are both similar because they are angled downwards. Another similarity is the hues used, my piece does not have the exact same coloring as the inspiration. However, there is a connection between the two because they are alike.
A similarity between my piece and the inspiration is the movement of the seating position of both people. Both people in the pieces are causally seated on an armchair with their knees flowing out backwards. They are also both holding books and the position of my face and the girls are both similar because they are angled downwards. Another similarity is the hues used, my piece does not have the exact same coloring as the inspiration. However, there is a connection between the two because they are alike.
Differences
A difference between the inspiration and my piece is the balance and overall warm tones used in the inspiration isn't in mine. I have contrast and emphasis which can be seen in the dark background and how you can differentiate the chair and me from it. Another difference between insertion and my piece is that the inspiration has a more deep background, meaning that there are curtains and what looks like to be a part of a wall uncovering in the top left corner. While my piece only has a single colored background with movement from the brush strokes and gradations of light and dark around me and the top half.
A difference between the inspiration and my piece is the balance and overall warm tones used in the inspiration isn't in mine. I have contrast and emphasis which can be seen in the dark background and how you can differentiate the chair and me from it. Another difference between insertion and my piece is that the inspiration has a more deep background, meaning that there are curtains and what looks like to be a part of a wall uncovering in the top left corner. While my piece only has a single colored background with movement from the brush strokes and gradations of light and dark around me and the top half.
Reflection
Overall, I am content with how this piece turned out. This piece was a first for me in many, being the fact that it's one of the largest I've ever done. Also this was the first time I ever made a self portrait, because this piece was significant in the amount of firsts. I tried my best to really use some of the skills and techniques I've adapted from previous projects into this one so that I could complete it with the vision I had in mind. When someone looks at this piece, I would want them to see, at least, that there's persisting on a couch which looks comfortable doing something that they would associate someone might do in a quiet environment. This piece has allowed me to develop knowledge on the area that I have weakness and strengths when it comes to completing a piece this large. I now know that I struggle with painting facial features, but decent in adding highlights to areas.
Connecting to the ACT
- Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
- What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
- What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
- What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
- What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Bibliography
“Girl Reading - Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Google Arts & Culture.” Google, Google, artsandculture.google.com/asset/girl-reading-pierre-auguste-renoir/ZgEkdK6V-__Dsg.