Title: Away From Home
Size: 60.96 cm X 91.44 cm
Medium: Digital
Completion Date: March, 2018
Size: 60.96 cm X 91.44 cm
Medium: Digital
Completion Date: March, 2018
Away From Home is a digital Collage made on Adobe photoshop which depicts home, more so the importance of having a place of belonging. The general narrative depicts the struggle of having to grow up fast in society and use my solo travels as an example of this struggle. The piece is inspired by Odilon Redon's Portrait of Violette Heymann and Ophelia and utilized photographs of my solo travels around the United States and use of images from "Loteria" cards, a Mexican bingo-like game.
INVESTIGATION
Redon, Odilon. Portrait of Violette Heymann. 1910. Redon, Odilon. Ophelia . 1903.
Odilon Redon
Odilon Redon had a distinctive style that evolved around nature and all other aspects molded into it. Truly Redon had an emphasis on nature most likely due to the tone of art during his time. It was a point in humanity that industrialization was taking form and many artist like Redon felt they needed an escape from reality. Although Redon initially conveyed his dream-like and many times dark toned works in charcoal- known as his noir era- it was when he worked in color that he becomes a distinctive voice in symbolism. The contradicting element in his work also comes in his motif of nature, although he was looking for an escape in a dreamlike realm his source of inspiration came from scientific interest.
"With pastel I have recovered the hope of giving my dreams greater plasticity Colors contain a joy which relaxes me; besides, they sway me toward something different and new" - Redon
There are a couple of aspects that I would like to use that Redon employs. The first is I would like to use myself as a main subject, my positioning will replicate Redon's Portrait of Violette Heymann. This was something that I will have to do very specifically and would like to build off of my self portrait to do. According to Nancy Davenport Redon," the bodies of his women are affectless, confined between gently curved con- tour lines". In essence women tend to hold an expressionless quality, most of Redon's full human forms hold little interest as they are part of reality and his interest was in the dream realm. Another thing I would like to heavily employ is color. It is when Redon started to work in color that his work really took off and more importantly when his work became distinctive. Redon felt there was power in color and a lot of meaning could be taken for it, he stated "vivid color and spatial ambiguity result in a strangeness as fantastic as any work of the imagination". Moreover it is his pastel color palette that added a level of uniqueness, as it gave a hazy layer to all his work making for the impact needed to create a hallucinatory world. I would like to employ this by using multiple picture of sunsets I have taken around the country and figuring out a way to give them flowery form as he does in Portrait of Violette Heymann. The final thing I would like to add is his use flowers, which of course is central imagery as it builds in the nature motif. I myself employ the use of flowers very heavily in my work and it is one of the main features of my own work, I will most likely take pictures of flowers I have already used in other works plus photographs I have taken around the country to do so.
Narrative
For me it is really important to tell my story as a first generation American, more importantly it is important for me to understand what that means and I like to explore that through my work. As immigrants in this country, my parents had to assimilate in order to be accepted but my relationship with my American identity is one I get a more in-depth look at. I feel like I can explore and be open about being Mexican because I grew up around the notion that this country is a melting pot one which is built on immigrants and their cultures. Still there is a downside to everything and that is far more profound to explore my identity on a spectrum rather than either/or. That is where this piece comes in, a downside to what it means to be the child of immigrants, more importantly undocumented immigrants. My whole life I have wanted to travel but because of the legal status that my parent's were once declared as I couldn't. Still when I reached about the age of 13/14 I couldn't take it anymore and decided that I needed to travel for my own sake. This meant that although I would be going to San Francisco or Phoenix and meeting my cousins when I got there, many times I would be traveling by myself. That feeling of being a child and not having anyone to comfort you or ask for help is an odd feeling because at the same time it was quite exciting as a teenager getting that feeling of independence. It's a feeling of uncertainty that my whole life I had to deal with because although I always knew my parents were there to help, there are so many things that I can't be supported by them because of what was their legal status. In this piece I really want to show this because with a conversation around illegal immigration and chain migration, I think it is important to understand not just the immigrant narrative of " we came here for an opportunity for a better life" but understand the first generation American (the children of these people)n narratives of " we are here because of our parent's but we feel there absence every day of our lives".
PLANNING
For this first sketch I decided to take more inspiration from Redon's Ophelia particular with the idea of a floating head. My goal was I wanted to make a plant/human hybrid. Still I felt like this lacked any indication of the narrative I wanted, which was flying on a plane alone. Overall I also felt that this wasn't necessarily there best medium to create this product but it definitely something I would look back to if I wanted ideas for a painting,
|
In this second sketch I wanted to continue working with the idea of the floating head but place it as a reflection image on a window. The general idea would be the reflection looking back at me in the airplane window. Although it got me closer to my final concept I didn't necessarily feel this was doable as in all my travels I had never taken a picture of a full window,
|
This third sketch is the one that most aligns with my final product. It encompassed not only my concept of using an airplane window but also my desire to include nature, a popular motif in Redon's work. I decided to incorporate my culture by using a Calla Lily, which in my work has become a reoccurring motif as well. I thought the best way to show how even when I'm traveling I want to be home is by having there nature be inside the window and the sky be the "airplane" cabin, showing I wished to be grounded. In the end the only aspect of the design I changed was including the cut out of myself seated in a similar fashion as the subject in Portrait of Violette Heymann.
|
The fourth sketch that I did although it was not used helped influence my final piece. It was the sketch where I decided to use a profile positioning of myself in order to create a more direction conception to Redon's Portrait of Violette Heymann. It help further my idea and create a stronger concept that related with my inspiration.
|
PROCESSS
1. Collecting images
To begin I had to rummage through old photos of my travels. This was fairly simple as most of them are saved on my phone. Still for some of them, especially the ones I took on my trip to San Francisco, I had to scan in as I took them on a disposable camera. It was important that these pictures only came from my travels because that was my central concept, traveling.
|
|
2. Setting Up the Background
After I had a selection of photos to work with I decided that I would use the picture with the most hazy and pastel color scheme. I wanted to omit the airplane wing and make the haziness of the picture more clear, this is why I used the transform tool to manipulate the picture. Then I wanted to input my window aspect right away, still I didn't have a picture of a full airplane window. I decided to utilize one picture and use two layers in order to make a full window by again using the transform tools.
3. Adding Nature Elements
After I had a background that I was satisfied with, I decided to move on to making an emphasis on the window. The best way I thought of achieving this was adding the nature elements on the window. Originally I thought about having the window being overwhelmed by the foliage but in the end realized that the view from the window, the airplane wing, was too much of an important image to lose. In the end I decided to frame the window with the foliage of a palm tree image from a loteria card set I had around my house. I manipulated the hue and saturation and duplicated many times to full frame the window. Then to add a finishing touch I used the quick select tool to cut out an image of Calla Lilies I took in San Francisco.
4. Finishing touches
After I had finished framing the window I realized that the entire left side of my piece seemed empty. At first I thought that it was fine but then I realized I would also be adding a picture of myself to the right, which would mostly likely make the left looked unbalanced. To combat this I decided to try to create a flowery image similar to the one in Portrait of Violette Heymann. I did this by using a butterfly image I took and using the quick select tool and saturation tool to change the hue and brightness to get a pastel like color. Then I pasted this onto my background and duplicated and rotated to get a flower like look. I have to recreate this in different places around my piece, which took many layers, in the end I was able to balance out the piece and get a closer connection to my inspiration Redon. Finally I took a picture of my profile and used the quick select tool and shift tool to place my self in a similar fashion to my inspiration. To finish off I added another layer of my original sunset background and reduce the opacity to get a hazy effect.
EXPERIMENTATION
|
For the most part I experimented a lot with the hue/saturation tool, especially when working with what to add to the left hand side of the piece to get flowery shapes. Many times I would get too much of a variant color and usually they came out too realistic for the concept and aesthetic I wanted. In the end I realized that I couldn't just use reality flowers to get the dreamy forms that Redon would create and would have to think more abstract.
Another thing I experimented with was repetition more specifically how many of the flower elements were too much or too little in the background. In the end I realized that less really is more because when I took the time to create various layers, I ended up deleting most of them. In the end I stuck to only about 5 flowery elements and even then I felt like they were a bit overwhelming. |
REFLECTION
Click to Enlarge Image
Reflection: CompareOverall I would say there are some clear indicators of my connection to Redon's work. For the most part I stuck to a pastel color scheme and worked with purple and pink hues. This was something that is very common in most of Redon's work and especially in the Portrait of Violette Heymann. Of course there is a lot of room for improvement here since in Redon's work there was a haziness that gave his pieces a dream-like quality. Still on photoshop, it was difficult to achieve a hazy quality even after I used different layers and opacities to achieve this. Another direct connection to Redon was thew layout or commotion of my piece compared to him. For the most part my subject is situated to the right side, where everything revolves around her and is seated in a profile position. This is very similar to the layout of the Portrait of Violette Heymann which emphasizes the female subjects and balance is heavily weighted on her. The final way a connection was established was my use of a nature motif much like Redon's. For me it was very important to get foliage and the Calla Lilies to shine since they expressed my culture. Although they were in a different style then how Redon would create his nature piece they still evoke a certain sense of appreciation for our natural world.
|
Reflection: ContrastThere were various ways my piece differed to Redon's piece, still I believe these aspects helped make my culture and its significance to my narrative more apparent. To begin I used a Calla Lily primarily for my nature motif. This is something that Redon never did, moreover I used a very realistic version which was highly uncommon of him. Still the Calla Lily is a reoccurring image in Mexican culture and many times symbolizes purity. With this in mind it helped not only showcase my culture but also show the loss of innocence that comes from becoming independent early on in life. In addition to this I made a pattern out of a butterfly photograph. This was in order to have some of the unique flowery elements that Redon has. Still I feel as if it lacks the hazy and imaginative qualities of Redon's work. As well as I think some times they seem a little out of place, overall they help make the female subject (me) be the emphasis but I feel as if its too realistic. Another thing that was different was adding a window to the composition something never apparent in Redon's work. This was mostly to make it understood that this whole narrative revolved around a plane ride, without the widows and the view of the plane wing it gives this is not apparent. Basically it was important in order to provided necessary context.
|
ACT RESPONSES
1) Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your work?
The effect of my inspiration to my work is clear in the overall composition and color scheme of my piece. Redon was known for using pastels which is why I scoured through all my traveling pictures to find sunsets. The way I laid out my piece was also influenced by Redon as I made sure to take a profile picture of myself and center the rest of the aspects around me.
2) What is the overall approach(point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors within my research was usually very objective in describing Redon's work and his intention regarding his work. Still my research done through the MOMA web page offered a more expert analysis on his work, not only on principles of art but also his many motifs.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Through my research of Redon I have come to understand how powerful storytelling is in inspiration of art. Redon's whole basis in exploring his imaginative works in pastels is Edgar Allen Poe's work, which influenced many symbolist alike.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea in my work is home, more so the importance of having a place of belonging. I wanted to convey how belonging to me represents my parents and many times because of certain circumstances I've felt like I've had to grow up faster and become more independent but I still long for belonging with them.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
An inference I was able to draw was mostly regarding Redon's use of a pastel color scheme, especially after working with black and white for so long. The black and white color scheme seemed to make a lot of sense for the many times haunting images he would create. Still in working in pastels he was able to elevate his work and express a different, dreamy imaginative world.
The effect of my inspiration to my work is clear in the overall composition and color scheme of my piece. Redon was known for using pastels which is why I scoured through all my traveling pictures to find sunsets. The way I laid out my piece was also influenced by Redon as I made sure to take a profile picture of myself and center the rest of the aspects around me.
2) What is the overall approach(point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors within my research was usually very objective in describing Redon's work and his intention regarding his work. Still my research done through the MOMA web page offered a more expert analysis on his work, not only on principles of art but also his many motifs.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Through my research of Redon I have come to understand how powerful storytelling is in inspiration of art. Redon's whole basis in exploring his imaginative works in pastels is Edgar Allen Poe's work, which influenced many symbolist alike.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea in my work is home, more so the importance of having a place of belonging. I wanted to convey how belonging to me represents my parents and many times because of certain circumstances I've felt like I've had to grow up faster and become more independent but I still long for belonging with them.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
An inference I was able to draw was mostly regarding Redon's use of a pastel color scheme, especially after working with black and white for so long. The black and white color scheme seemed to make a lot of sense for the many times haunting images he would create. Still in working in pastels he was able to elevate his work and express a different, dreamy imaginative world.
Bibliography
Davenport, Nancy. "Odilon Redon, Armand Clavaud, and Benedict Spinoza: Nature as God." Religion & the Arts, vol. 10, no. 1, Mar. 2006, pp. 1-38. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1163/156852906776520245.
MOMA . Beyond the visible : [Brochure] the art of Odilon Redon : the Museum of Modern Art, October 30, 2005-January 25, 2006. The Museum Of Modern Art , www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/92.
“Odilon Redon Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-redon-odilon.htm.
MOMA . Beyond the visible : [Brochure] the art of Odilon Redon : the Museum of Modern Art, October 30, 2005-January 25, 2006. The Museum Of Modern Art , www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/92.
“Odilon Redon Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-redon-odilon.htm.