Triptych
*Click to enlarge*
|
Road to Oblivion
Size: 60.96 cm x 91.44 cm Medium: Oil on Canvas Date: April, 2018 “Road to Oblivion” is a Triptych inspired by Brian Donnelly and Claude Monet. The center canvas symbolizes who I am currently, in which I am seen deteriorating and expressing my lament for the environment. To the right of me shows society’s effect on the environment and explains why I am deteriorating as a result of pollution. To the left of me shows a healthy environment, which shows how I want to give back by helping to improve the environment rather than letting it reach oblivion. |
Critical Investigation
For this triptych, it was required that one canvas would be about who I am, how my culture or society affects me, and how I plan to give back. I knew I wanted to incorporate my environmental theme since I knew it would be easy to combine the prompt along with my theme. I was at a loss for any ideas, so I began by researching triptych art to help with inspiration. I came across a triptych of an impressionist landscape. This gave me the idea to create a triptych with a healthy landscape that slowly deteriorated into a polluted landscape across the canvases. On the healthy side and polluted side would be me sitting, where they would be staring at each other. I decided to ditch this idea after I stumbled upon Heavy Lies the Crown by Brian Donnelly. Donnelly uses turpentine and hand sanitizer to create a colorful melting effect on faces, which is inspired by his interest in human identity and vulnerability. Donnelly paints realistically to depict features flawlessly and then distorts the faces by melting them. When Donnelly uses turpentine to create this effect, he describes it as “some days cathartic, other days deeply regretful. It’s a range of emotion, but that is part of the whole thing: my ability to let go allows the work to speak to its limitations.” Seeing this melting effect and painting style inspired the middle canvas. It inspired me to paint realistically with having my face “melting” or disintegrating to show who I am right now and society’s effect on me due to pollution in the environment. I decided to then have a healthy and polluted landscape on either side of this canvas. The healthy environment would symbolize how I want to give back to our environment because I want our environment to heal and become healthy again. The polluted environment would symbolize and emphasize the effect pollution has on the environment. I knew I wanted to paint these landscapes in a somewhat impressionist style. I knew how I’d paint the healthy landscape, as I have painted beautiful impressionist landscapes before. For inspiration and technique guidance on how to paint the polluted landscape, I researched impressionist cityscapes. This is when I came across Waterloo Bridge, Gray Weather by Claude Monet. Monet painted this as a part of his London series, where he painted the Waterloo Bridge every morning. He observed the motifs and beauty of the scene as he stood from his fifth-floor window at the Savoy Hotel. Monet commented on the fog in London and said,“London wouldn’t be a beautiful city. It’s the fog that gives it its magnificent breadth.” This inspired the idea to paint smoke stacks along a body of water. I planned on using a similar brushstroke technique but with more vibrant and varied colors. I really like Monet’s subtle use of orange throughout the painting, so I decided I would do this but not in such a subtle way.
Process
1. Research/Planning
|
I began by researching triptych art to help with inspiration. I came across a triptych of an impressionist landscape. This gave me the idea to create a triptych with a healthy landscape that slowly deteriorated into a polluted landscape across the canvases. On the healthy side and polluted side would be me sitting, where they would be staring at each other. I decided to ditch this idea after I stumbled upon Heavy Lies the Crown by Brian Donnelly. Donnelly uses turpentine and hand sanitizer to create a colorful melting effect on faces, which is inspired by his interest in human identity and vulnerability. This inspired the idea to have my face “melting” or disintegrating to show who I am right now and society’s effect on me due to pollution in the environment. I decided to then have a healthy and polluted landscape on either side of this canvas.
|
The healthy environment would symbolize how I want to give back to our environment because I want our environment to heal and become healthy again. The polluted environment would symbolize and emphasize the effect pollution has on the environment. For inspiration and technique guidance on how to paint the polluted landscape, I researched impressionist cityscapes. This is when I came across Waterloo Bridge, Gray Weather by Claude Monet. This inspired the idea to paint smoke stacks along a body of water. I planned on using a similar brushstroke technique but with more vibrant and varied colors. I really like Monet’s subtle use of orange throughout the painting, so I decided I would do this but not in such a subtle way.
2. Build Canvas and Gesso
Next, I had to build my canvases. For each canvas I first put the frame together and stapled where they meet together with a staple gun to ensure that it would stay and keep its shape. Then, I took a roll of canvas and spread it onto the floor. For each canvas, I placed the frame on top and cut out canvas with about 6 inches away from the frame. I then folded over the canvas over each side of the frame one at a time, and making sure never to pull the canvas tight. On each side, I stapled the canvas about 8 times to the frame. I then had to prime my canvas by applying gesso. This is a very important step as it helps preserve the paint, and it must be done right otherwise it can warp the canvas. Therefore, when I applied gesso I made sure to apply it evenly in one session. I also had to make sure to gesso the sides of the canvas, and to let it dry in a safe place where nothing would poke it or anything.
|
3. Painting
|
For each canvas, I began by quickly sketching out idea onto the canvas. I did a rough sketch for each landscape. But for my face, I took a picture of myself with the appropriate facial expression. I then printed out this picture as large as I could and created a carbon copy. I did this by coloring in the back of it with pencil tracing over the picture with pencil while it lied on the canvas. This allowed for the image to transfer, leaving me with a perfect sketch of my face. After I sketched out my idea onto each canvas, I began to paint. This of course was the longest part of the process, and also the most challenging. For each canvas, I began a pink wash in the background to help with the painting process so no white would show through. I then started to paint not exactly knowing where my painting would go. I sort of just had fun with the process and made decisions along the way.
|
I began painting the middle canvas, then the last, and ended with painting the first. A quick strategy I learned for my melting technique, the sky, and water was to squirt lines of various desired paint colors directly onto the canvas. I took a large flat brush and dipped it into some mineral spirits and just swiped across the canvas. This created the impressionist look of long brushstrokes. The less I swiped the brush, the more impressionist and unblended it looked. Which was good for some areas. But for the sky, I swiped the brush more to blend the colors a little more.
4. Varnish
Experimentation
I began with painting my face melting. I was very unsure about using this concept or being able to pull it off. This ended up creating a very rough and experimental painting of my face melting. I experimented with too many different textures, colors, and techniques. This lead to a painting I wasn’t satisfied with and I then ended up ditching this canvas to start over on a blank one. However, with this first trial of painting my face I was able to discover a useful technique that I used for each of the three paintings. This is where I discovered the quick strategy for my melting technique, the sky, and water. I learned to squirt lines of various desired paint colors directly onto the canvas and swipe across the canvas with a large flat brush dipped in some mineral spirits. This created the impressionist look of long brushstrokes. The less I swiped the brush, the more impressionist and unblended it looked. Which was good for some areas. But for the sky, I swiped the brush more to blend the colors a little more.
|
Reflection
Overall, I quite satisfied with my final piece. I think I effectively communicate my message while having a piece that find visually aesthetic. My “melting” or disintegrating face shows who I am right now and society’s effect on me due to pollution in the environment. The healthy environment to the left symbolizes how I want to give back to our environment because I want our environment to heal and become healthy again. The polluted environment to the left symbolizes and emphasizes the effect pollution has on the environment. I like how my facial expression and melting face symbolize my despondent emotions about the deterioration of our society and environment while also showing the physical effects pollution has on humans. I feel like due to my choice of hues and my facial expression effectively evokes a melancholic and grotesque mood to communicate a personal message of my own but one that viewers can interpret. I think the similar hues I used in my melting face and in the polluted water help unify the piece while also showing why I'm disintegrating to emphasize the effect of pollution to hopefully encourage action. Furthermore, I'm very proud and satisfied with my blending throughout the piece. I like how I create movement and unity by the use of certain hues.
My final piece connects to my inspirations because of how I painted realistically with having my face “melting” or disintegrating, which is similar to Heavy Lies the Crown by Brian Donnelly. Because of this, my use of line and color are quite similar since
I decided to melt a face. Waterloo Bridge, Gray Weather by Claude Monet is similar to my piece as I used a similar brushstroke technique which creates a sense of unity. However, I used more vibrant and varied colors. I really liked Monet’s subtle use of orange throughout the painting, so I decided I would do this but not in such a subtle way.
My final piece connects to my inspirations because of how I painted realistically with having my face “melting” or disintegrating, which is similar to Heavy Lies the Crown by Brian Donnelly. Because of this, my use of line and color are quite similar since
I decided to melt a face. Waterloo Bridge, Gray Weather by Claude Monet is similar to my piece as I used a similar brushstroke technique which creates a sense of unity. However, I used more vibrant and varied colors. I really liked Monet’s subtle use of orange throughout the painting, so I decided I would do this but not in such a subtle way.
Connecting to the ACT
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
Donnelly painted realistically with having the contrast of a face "melting," which is inspired similar aspects within my piece. Waterloo Bridge, Gray Weather by Claude Monet inspired a similar brushstroke technique which creates a sense of unity. In addition, I really liked Monet’s subtle use of orange throughout the painting which inspired my use of orange within the polluted landscape.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Donnelly paints with his interest in human identity and vulnerability and describes it as “some days cathartic, other days deeply regretful. It’s a range of emotion, but that is part of the whole thing: my ability to let go allows the work to speak to its limitations.” Claude Monet paints to capture the emotions, motifs, and beauty hidden within a landscape.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I discovered that artists use their surroundings, inner feelings, and interest as inspirations for their work. Art can be an expression of an artists emotions, perspectives, or ideas about something which is what I really appreciate.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
“Road to Oblivion” symbolizes who I am currently, in which I am seen deteriorating and expressing my lament for the environment. To the right of me shows society’s effect on the environment and explains why I am deteriorating as a result of pollution. To the left of me shows a healthy environment, which shows how I want to give back by helping to improve the environment rather than letting it reach oblivion.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
I concluded that artists create art for many different reasons, whether it's to express beauty or macabre to communicate an emotion or idea.
Bibliography
“Brian Donnelly.” Brian Donnelly, www.briandonnelly.org/#21.
Donnelly, Brian. Heavy Lies the Crown. 2015. Oil, Turpentine, Hand Sanitizer on Canvas. Private Collection.
“Liquified Rainbow Portraits By Brian Donnelly.” IGNANTcom, www.ignant.com/2015/12/10/liquified-rainbow-portraits-by-brian-donnelly/.
Monet, Claude.Waterloo Bridge, Gray Weather. 1900. Oil on Canvas. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago.
"Waterloo Bridge, Gray Weather, 1900."The Art Institute of Chicago, www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/103139.
Donnelly, Brian. Heavy Lies the Crown. 2015. Oil, Turpentine, Hand Sanitizer on Canvas. Private Collection.
“Liquified Rainbow Portraits By Brian Donnelly.” IGNANTcom, www.ignant.com/2015/12/10/liquified-rainbow-portraits-by-brian-donnelly/.
Monet, Claude.Waterloo Bridge, Gray Weather. 1900. Oil on Canvas. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago.
"Waterloo Bridge, Gray Weather, 1900."The Art Institute of Chicago, www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/103139.