My Main Piece For The Project ‘A Distance Forms Around Our Bodies. Inspired By Hasegawa Tohaku’s

My work for the Addams family brief. I did some character designs, a pencil portrait of the whole family and then a poster design too :).

My poster of Wednesday Addams is inspired by the painting by George De la Tour ‘Magdalen with smoking flame’. I was inspired by the under lighting in this painting and the darkness with the only source of light visible is the candle. I took some of my own photos of my sister (bottom right of mount board) holding a candle to light up her face in different ways. This gave an eerie and gothic effect. Inspired by George De la Tour and my experimental photos, I created my own poster design for the Addams family show, of Wednesday holding a candle, under-lighting her face. (Oil on Paper). I also created an underlighting effect on the writing too.

My small illustrative piece was inspired by a quote from Morticia from the 1964 Addams family series. She says ‘Life is not all lovely thorns and singing vultures you know’. In my illustration Wednesday is cutting rose heads off of their stems which is something that Morticia does as part of her gardening routine in the Addams family movie.

I enjoyed experimenting with different character designs and creating a board based on the famous and gothic Addams family.

Inspired by one of my favourite illustrators Katarina Kerekesova for the graphics workshop :)

Kathe Kollwitz and her presentation of conflict.

Kathe Kollwitz, ‘Das Volk’ (The People) Woodcut on paper - 1921-22

Kathe Kollwitz is renowned for her dark and expressive woodcuts influenced by the Second and First World War. The figures in her woodcuts have intense emotional expressions which show the pain and suffering of the German people during the times of conflict. 

Kollwitz’s woodcut ‘Das Volk’ (The people) is part of her ‘Krieg’ series, (War). This series of seven woodcuts present the sorrows of those left behind - mothers, widows, and children in a vivid and powerful way. It was likely that Kollwitz was influenced by her own experience of loss during the war. She lost her son Peter in World War 1 which deeply affected her. Kollwitz’s childhood also influenced her dramatic work. She was the 5th of seven children and prior to her birth, three of her siblings had already died which exposed her to the grief of her parents while growing up. Kollwitz was particularly awed by the emotional strength in her mother's face which influenced the distressing expressions in her woodcuts. 

In Kollwitz’s woodcut ‘The People’, crying figures can be seen in the foreground as well as a mother in the centre hiding a scared child in her cloak. There is an overwhelming darkness which envelops the figures. The lines in the woodcuts are sharp and angular, these angles make the faces look expressive and as if there was a harsh light shining down upon them. All of the figures seem to be in very close proximity with each other which gives a sense of community. Although all of the faces are visibly distressed, they are all leaning on each other. The mother figure in the centre of the woodcut, seems solemn and mournful. Her eyes are closed and she is clad in black, her hand comes down to shield and hide a child enveloped in her cloak. The child’s eyes look wide open and full of fear. It is interesting that many faces surround the mother however due to the child’s small size it is surrounded by the darkness only protected by a single hand of its mother. This could reveal the vulnerability of children during the war and Kollwitz may have intended to highlight the importance of the role of mothers as protectors.

Kollwitz’s work was not only influenced by her tragic past but also by the working class people of Germany during the war. Their starvation, suffering and loss gave her a hunger for change, many German expressionist woodcuts were all about highlighting problems in society and aiming to bring about change. Kathe created many posters, one of which was ‘Brot!’ demanding change and creating awareness of the poverty of working class Berlin. This activism was spotted by the Nazis who threatened to take her to a concentration camp. Luckily her fame saved her and stopped this from happening.

Woodcuts highlight the stark contrast between light and dark. Kollwitz effectively uses woodcuts in her work to reflect the dramatic nature of war which lacks colour, it feels dark and cold and never ending. The black ink and white reserved areas of her woodcuts mirror Kollwitz’s feelings toward these hard times where she experienced loss like many other people. Not only was there physical conflict during the first and second world war, but also emotional conflict inside of people. German expressionist woodcuts sought to convey messages through raw and simplified designs. An example of this stark simplicity can be seen in Kollwitz’s woodcut ‘The widow’ which is also part of her ‘war series’. This print presents a simple femenine figure with her arms on her chest on a plain background. This emptiness gives a sense of loneliness and allows the viewer to connect with the figure in a raw and personal way. Instead of complicating the surroundings and settings in her prints, Kollwitz focused on creating distinct emotions in the figures.

Kollwitz presents war as a dark place full of grief and mourning. She shows the effect of war and loss on people through her use of expressions which are exaggerated and full of emotion. These expressions show the emotional pain and inner conflict of the people of Germany and the whole of Europe during world war one and two, a time of suffering and desperation.

References:

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/kollwitz-the-people-p82465

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/69688

https://www.moma.org/s/ge/collection_ge/artist/artist_id-3201_role-1_sov_page-22.html

https://www.moma.org/s/ge/curated_ge/techniques/woodcut.html

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/kollwitz-kathe/life-and-legacy/

https://lib.guides.umd.edu/c.php?g=326833&p=2194181

Resist dyeing. I decided to try resist dyeing again but this time with some different ingredients. These included, glutinous rice flour, rice bran, salt, water, glycerine and calcium hydroxide. First I mixed together the rice flour and bran and water together to make a dough and I then steamed the dough in dumpling sized balls for about an hour. While these were steaming, I put two table spoons of calcium hydroxide into one cup of water. I had to be careful with this as calcium hydroxide can be very dangerous if it come in contact with skin. I wore goggle, gloves and a mask. Once the balls had steamed I mixed them with glycerine, salt and the water from the calcium hydroxide. The chemical had settled at the bottom leaving me with just the infused water, I mixed it in. This created a smooth paste with which I printed my designs . This paste was a lot stickier than the last one I made so I was hopeful it was going to stay on during the dyeing process. Once it had all dried, I dyed the fabric. After leaving the printed fabric in the dye for an hour, I took it out to find that all of the resist paste had unfortunately dissolved. Even though it didn’t work, I learnt a lot from this process, it was interesting to experiment with all of the new ingredients.

Social comment and Anish Kappor.

Anish Kapoor , ‘A Brexit, A Broxit, We All Fall Down.’, Photoshop, 2019

This photoshop piece by Anish Kapoor is as curious as it is controversial. It depicts a huge open wound running through the middle of the UK splitting it in two. The bright scarlet of the fresh blood of the wound and the green of the countryside starkly contrast each other. The huge black space in the centre, looks like an emptiness that may expand. The piece is striking full of juxtaposition and I think that it also mirrors xenophobic attitudes. It is without a doubt controversial which echoes much of Anish Kapoor’s  work. He studied at Hornsey College of Art and later at the Chelsea School of Art and Design and was born in Mumbai in India.

The piece was specially commissioned by the guardian newspaper. Anish Kapoor has called the piece “A Brexit, A Broxit, We All Fall Down.” The Irish Times stated that it looks like a  ‘photoshop project by a sullen teenager phoning it in’, people on social media have also commented that the artwork looks like a vulva. However there is more to the work than meets the eye despite the fact it may look simple. Kapoor is known for his anti-Brexit views which are mirrored in this piece and has let the piece speak for itself by not revealing any information about its possible meaning.

The deep hole seems to have no end, alluding to the political situation with Brexit which has been going on for 4 years straight with almost no solutions. The wait for some sort of deal has felt endless which I think is possibly what Kapoor wishes to convey in the work. The wound is also running through the centre of the UK, which is maybe representing the Brexit vote with almost half of voters wanting to remain and half voting to leave, I think it means that this artwork is  showing political divisions. Kapoor is known for his use of the ‘blackest black’, one of his most famous pieces “Descent into Limbo (1992)”, a 2.5 metre hole was dug and coated with a deep black for an exhibition in Portugal and a man actually fell into it. This idea of an uncertain void is prevalent in his photoshop artwork. A profound blackness which looks terrifying and precarious. Anish Kapoor has often commented on Brexit and has said “We’ve allowed ourselves as a nation to enter a space of unknowing” referencing the great unknown which is the political situation.

In my opinion, this artwork by Kapoor challenges society in a unique way. The wound could represent the impact that Brexit has had on the lives of British citizens abroad and EU citizens in Britain, complicating their livelihoods unnecessarily. British citizens living in the EU are now feeling alienated from their home country. Travel restrictions may be put in place and it is becoming more apparent that certain freedoms may be taken away from each individual. This has deeply wounded relationships between Great Britain and the EU and these wounds can not be healed easily or will bleed forever.

References:

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art-and-design/visual-art/anish-kapoor-s-brexit-art-it-looks-like-a-transition-year-photoshop-project-1.3848177

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/apr/03/anish-kapoor-brexit-artwork-britain-edge-abyss

https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/41032/1/man-fallen-into-anish-kapoor-artwork-hospitalised-descent-into-limbo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anish_Kapoor

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/brexit-prejudice-scientists-link-foreigners-immigrants-racism-xenophobia-leave-eu-a8078586.html

Some lino cuts for the book i’m working on...

Female identity and Frida Kahlo.

Frida Kahlo , ‘Las Dos Fridas’ (The Two Fridas) , Oil on Canvas, 1939 (1.73 m x 1.73 m)

Frida Kahlo is seen as a feminist icon and great artist all over the world. Her painting ‘The Two Fridas’, is one of many paintings that explores her identity as a female. Kahlo often includes the notion of gender in her work, exploring her femininity as well as masculinity and her Mexican and European genetics, with her Father being European and Mother Mexican. These factors shaped her work in a unique way which she expressed through the medium of painting. 

‘The Two Frida’s’ depicts two versions of Frida sitting and holding hands. They both have the same facial expressions and are identical twins however are wearing different things. One Frida wears a modern white wedding dress, which would have been worn in Europe in the 1930’s-40’s with embroidered flowers and delicate lace work around the neck, reflecting her Father’s side. The second Frida wears a traditional Tehuana Zapotec costume from the Oaxaca area of Mexico with vibrant colours which reflects her Mother’s side. There is a stormy sky in the background similar to the stormy skies of El Greco’s work and both Frida’s have an exposed heart connected by an open artery.

‘The Two Fridas’ was painted the year of her divorce with Diego Riviera, with whom she shared a tumultuous relationship. In the same year, in 1939, Frida was also gaining popularity all over the world, exhibiting in New York and Paris. The painting portrays the difficult time of Frida’s divorce but also reveals her identity as a Mexican and European woman at the same time. Kahlo aimed to show her two sides in the painting, the side of her that Diego loved and the one he didn’t.

Traditional Mexican attire became Kahlo’s trademark. She dressed this way to reflect her involvement with the post-revolutionary Mexicanidad movement which fought to redefine Mexican identity and to also reflect her identity as a Mexican Woman. It portrays Frida’s heartbreak and vulnerability, which can be seen through her exposed hearts. Frida said, “(the painting, ‘The Two Fridas’ is a) representation of my loneliness. What I meant to say is I resorted to myself; I sought my own help”. In a time where patriarchy still played a huge role in society, the dependence of women on men was expected and women in art were not taken seriously, Frida did not depend on her husband Diego to become famous. Although her divorce left her feeling broken it is evident that it also led Frida to discovering independence and uncovering more about her female identity. The artery runs from the left hand of the Mexican Frida to the left hand of the European Frida where she tried to stem the flow of blood from the artery. However, with little success as the blood proceeds to flow out and create red flower like shapes mimicking the embroidery on her dress which I think shows how she grew from her experience of divorce. The use of blood is a recurring theme in Frida Kahlo’s paintings, representing family ties, religion and fertility.

Frida had constructed her own identity from her ethnicity, political beliefs and female experience. The painting showed women of the 1940’s that independence was possible, success without a husband was possible. Her traditional outfits in the painting reflect ‘typical’ feminine beauty but with a message of independence, self-discovery as a woman and a fight for social change. Not only does Frida explore her own identity but also the identity of Mexican and European women combined. The artery connects the two continents together like a bridge showing a shared female experience. This can also be seen through the holding of hands between both of the Fridas. The stronger Frida supports the weaker one in her time of need which symbolises solidarity between all women, resilience and empowerment.

References

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/modernity-ap/a/kahlo-the-two-fridas-las-dos-fridas

https://www.openculture.com/2020/03/what-the-iconic-painting-the-two-fridas-actually-tells-us-about-frida-kahlo.html

https://www.fridakahlo.org/the-two-fridas.jsp

https://blog.singulart.com/en/2019/07/23/the-two-fridas-1939-duality-and-surrealism-in-kahlos-famous-portrait/#:~:text=The%20Frida%20to%20the%20right,are%20visible%20over%20their%20clothes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxKR2cHmlPY

https://www.artsandcollections.com/article/frida-kahlo-resilience-pain-and-empowerment/

https://artuk.org/discover/stories/frida-kahlo-embracing-her-masculinity

Van Gough and the quality of paint

Van Gough ‘Olive Trees’ -  Oil on canvas, 1889,  51 x 65.2 cm

Van Gogh, born in 1853 in the Netherlands, despite only selling one painting in his lifetime, he is one of the most well-known post-impressionist artists in the entire world today. His particular painting style and unique use of paint have made his work instantly recognisable. His early works, like ‘The Potato Eaters’ are dark and sombre and reflect the paintings of Dutch masters. However, his style began to evolve after he purchased Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, which were delicate and full of colour and extremely popular with impressionists at the time. He also went to Paris in 1886 to join his brother and there met the great impressionist artists, Monet and Gaugin. After this he gradually developed his bold style.

The work of Van Gogh is intense in colour and his strong brush-strokes give his work an emotional quality. The technique that he used for most of his paintings, and which he became well known for, was Impasto, which is the thick application of paint onto a canvas so that the brush and palette knife strokes can be visible. This not only gives the painting a rich texture but also gives the illusion that the paint is coming out of the canvas.

‘Olive Trees’, 1889, by Van Gogh is a painting of huge significance in Van Gogh’s life. Gaugin visited Van Gogh in 1888, they argued and disagreed during this visit. The tensions between them caused Van Gogh to cut off his own ear. He was taken to an asylum at Saint-Remy-de-Provence, and despite the fact his mental health was deteriorating, he produced a range of diverse and stylistic paintings that depicted the hospital and the grounds around it. One of these paintings is ‘Olive Trees’ which is exhibited at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. This painting is oil on canvas and uses the impasto method heavily. The brush strokes are extremely distinct and the trees are twisted and contorted perhaps reflecting Van Gogh’s own state of mind at the time. Furthermore, he was fully aware of the connection of olive trees to the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus prayed before his betrayal and ultimately his crucifixion. It is likely that this painting represents Van Gogh giving up his suffering to God amongst the olive trees as Jesus Christ, making the ancient trees a symbol of surrender and repentance. Van Gogh was religious and even had the position as a missionary in Belgium earlier in his life. He believed that we encounter God in nature, which inspired his En Plein Air paintings.

‘Olive Trees’ is just one of the many examples of how Van Gogh connected religion with nature in his own style. His use of the Impasto method gives his work a particular sensitivity and striking quality which, without a doubt, influenced the art of the twentieth century and his legacy will surely live on.

Sources 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8IinPk5PqI

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/4971/olive-trees

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vincent_van_Gogh_-_Olive_Trees_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

https://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/biography.html

Embroidery for my ‘Then and Now project’ which is my own design inspired by Slovak folk patterns. It is embroidered onto a blouse which will go with a skirt (that I am currently working on) :)

painting work in progress.......