Hands. |
Title: Hands.
Size: 43cm x 66cm Medium: Photography Date: 11/12/17 This piece, inspired by Neoclassicism, is meant to capture the small details of a big emotion. The simplicity of this scene is able to convey broad feelings of anxiousness and anxiety as generalizable human experiences. Sometimes forgotten, details like the movement/position of the hands can show much more than our faces. |
Artistic Inspiration
The inspiration for this piece is neoclassic art. This work is characterized as being serious and often without emotion. It is also known as being restrained, in contrast with more frivolous movements such as baroque or indulgent than that of Rocco. This is captured in dulled colors and highlights. The movement in heavily inspired by Classicism ("neo"-Classicism). With this: this piece is most heavily inspired by the subtlety of the movement and the emphasis of detail in the process/brushwork, found in my piece in the focus and placement of the hands/body/face. There's also a reserved quality in the piece, as there are complicated emotions pushed down and to the side in it's expression. Adding to this, the nature of the piece (in being that it's not as extravagant, which neoclassic art wished) is humble and real with the surroundings and dress of the subject. Lastly the colors are downplayed in the piece in a neoclassic fashion, with high contrast and an emphasis on highlights.
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Jacques-Louis David, The Oath of Horatii. 1784. Oil Paint. The Louvre
Jacques-Louis David, The Death Of Marat. 1793. Oil on Canvas. Royal Museums of fine Arts of Belgium.
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Process
The planning process involved combining three themes: those of neoclassicism, that having to do with emotions expressed through hands, and the overall theme for my work having to do with changing traditional narrative. The traditional narrative of anxiety is expressed through a full body, consuming panic; a subtle reserved or internally kept anxiety, with the subtly of neoclassicism and the detail of hands, is what I came up with in the brainstorming/planning phase.
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Taking photos for this piece, a spot and position was chosen so that the background was visible but set far back and would appear darker and farther away, so as to not distract from the subject. Multiple photos were taken as the model ran through nervous motions with their hands. The shot with the face was done in an almost neutral matter from the same position as the others, just titled up.
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Importing each possible photo, each was modified in an identical way for the same exposure, highlights, shadows, etc. Then the five images were narrowed down to three and those three were cropped on a 4:2 ratio. the bottom image was cropped so that enough space for the other two was allowed and that background space was filled with white using the paint bucket tool. Next the middle image was copied and pasted onto the image. The top image was also copied and pasted, but
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this image needed to be moved around more so that the gap between the top and middle as well as the gap between the middle and bottom were of equal distance; at least as far as the naked eye could tell. Next the imaged were edited as a whole so that exposure was created as well as offset and gamma reduction.
Experimentation
Shown to the right are photos taken that weren't even edited: These experimentation with placement of hands and composition, while seeking the photos that more strongly conveyed the emotion the piece needed. While decent attempts, these pictures came off flat or wrong somehow, and helped to see what the final pictures needed. In terms of photography they also taught about composition and technical features like recognizing being just out of focus.
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Reflection
In my opinion, this project was a fair success. It conveyed the themes involved with neoclassicism as well as the formal qualities involved. It differed greatly in the fact that neoclassic art did not convey the intense emotions that were imperative to this piece. There is also a lack of intensity in the piece; the emotions are more reserved. Also, neoclassic art largely had to do with biblical stories depicting heroism: this piece is very much not that; while sequential, this piece doesn't have to do with any specific experience, so it can be generalizable to anyone as a human experience. It also is arguably the opposite of a heroic tale, depicting a weak moment or an uncertain moment that doesn't fit in with the heroic profile, but perhaps accepting this emotion as human is part of being a hero. Otherwise, going back, there's not much else different I would do; perhaps the middle photo should have been hands, and so more pictures of hands should have been taken for more options. This would have increased the focus on details of the hands and how they expressed emotion.
ACT Questions
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
The themes, the composition, the subject, detail, etc. are all influenced by that of neoclassicism; since research on neoclassicism was done prior to the art, this research was able to be expressed in the art (explained earlier in the page).
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
To mainly explain the origins of neoclassicism and it's place in history. The context was imperative to understanding the artistic choices, yet these choices took very much of a backseat, overall.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I discovered how different art movements influence each other in different ways than I had considered before. Baroque had a sizable influence on neoclassicism, but not as inspiration, but as example for what not to be.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
To explain and demonstrate an understanding of the cultural context of neoclassicism and the artistic choices that neoclassic artists made.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
The themes, the composition, the subject, detail, etc. are all influenced by that of neoclassicism; since research on neoclassicism was done prior to the art, this research was able to be expressed in the art (explained earlier in the page).
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
To mainly explain the origins of neoclassicism and it's place in history. The context was imperative to understanding the artistic choices, yet these choices took very much of a backseat, overall.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I discovered how different art movements influence each other in different ways than I had considered before. Baroque had a sizable influence on neoclassicism, but not as inspiration, but as example for what not to be.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
To explain and demonstrate an understanding of the cultural context of neoclassicism and the artistic choices that neoclassic artists made.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
Bibliography
Encyclopedia of Art History, Neoclassical Art (Flourished 1770-1830). (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2017, from http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/neo-classical.htm
Dr. Gersh-Nesic, B., "Neoclassicism, an introduction." (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2017, from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/neo-classicism/a/neoclassicism-an-introduction.
Dr. Gersh-Nesic, B., "Neoclassicism, an introduction." (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2017, from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/neo-classicism/a/neoclassicism-an-introduction.