Illustration: Positive and Negative
25 cm * 38 cm
Gouache Watercolor paint and ink marker on Illustration Board
February 2019
|
Exhibition Text:
|
My pieces represent real-life based events that are ironic to Roy Lichtenstein's piece. From issues like police brutality to the #Metoo Movement, my piece, Don't Shoot, protrays how black people (or other people of color) are subjected to police brutality. My other piece, Crying Girl was abused is a protest against the belief that women showing "excessive" emotions are being melodramatic, rather than genuinely grieving. Made from two illustrations boards, ink markers and Gouache Watercolor Paint, these pieces mockingly mimic the art style of Roy Lichtenstein.
|
Don't Shoot!
Inspiration
Critical Investigation
Lichtenstein, Roy, "Drowning Girl," 1963, oil on canvas painting.
Lichtenstein, Roy, "Girl with Ball," 1961, oil on canvas painting.
|
My inspiration for these pieces are from the art movement Pop Art. According Pop Art (2019), "the Pop art movement was largely a British and American cultural phenomenon of the late 1950s and ’60s." The art movement followed time in which Britain and the U.S. faced economical development after the war. Rations ended, people got to work, and thus the countries became most industrial than ever before. Television became the new reality and thus entertainment changed.
The artist I researched was Roy Lichtenstein. Based in New York City, he along with other pop artists wanted to make their mark in a world that stopped fighting. According to Stamberg (2012) "Lichtenstein's 1960s works were comic-inspired — they're angsty frames, often featuring ladies in distress. " He drew art enthusiasts in with the bright colors and the not so subtle references to pop culture of that time. In his pieces, Drowning Girl and Girl with Ball, Lichtenstein references melodrama in both pieces. (Through the Drowning Girl, exaggeration of heartache and through the Girl with Ball, lack of characterization.) In his piece, Drowning Girl, he utilizes the contrast colors, further exaggerating the emotions of the girl. Along with the the smooth lines in the water, promotes elements like movement. The Girl's position represents the woman who everyone assumes to be dramatic. In my piece, I want to include information that explains that the Girl was in fact abused. In the Girl with Ball, it should be noted that the space is mainly taken up by the eye, a important factor implemented in my Positive piece. She is portrayed as a girl having nothing to worry about, especially in her society. In my piece, I want the opposite to occur. A black woman afraid of Police Brutality. Her figure would be kept the same but the background would change to fit the brutality background. |
Planning
Negative
At this point, I did not have a particular idea for a color scheme yet. What I knew what I wanted was having a black woman shout "Don't Shoot!" with her hands up in the position of The Girl with Ball. This idea severely contrasts the happy-go-lucky girl seen in Lichtenstein's piece.
Process/Techniques and Experimentation
Experimentation with Gouache Watercolor Paint
Before I started using the paint, I thought that it was best that knew the consistency of the paint against my sketchbook paper. I also experimented with mixing paints together and I made swatches.
Process
Positive
To begin, I print out an image of the Girl Drowning Girl and covered the back with pencil graphite. I then flipped back over and trace her figure (with print on top of the Illustration Board), onto the board. After that, I modified it so that the piece it would look like sketch #2, but would look more formal. After that, I traced over the face with black marker.
From there, I began mixing the dark Prussian blue with the lighter colored Cerulean Blue. I used that paint and painted the Girl's hair blue. I also started mixing the Cerulean Blue with Titanium White to make a lighter blue used for the water around her along with the speech bubble.
Negative
To begin, I print out an image of the Girl with Ball and covered the back with pencil graphite. I then flipped back over and trace her figure (with print on top of the Illustration Board), onto the board.
From there, I put traced the face of the girl with a black marker, while somewhat matching the color scheme. From there, I mixed up some Yellow Ochre (yellow brownish) with a little bit of Burnt Sienna (brown). The mixture was too light for a skin tone, which consider adding more Burnt Sienna in order to come up with a more realistic piece. I also added a red background to portray a bloody world behind her.
Final Products
Don't Shoot!
Reflection & Critique
Compare
|
Contrast
Lichtenstein, Roy, "Girl with Ball," 1961, oil on canvas painting.
Lichtenstein, Roy, "Drowning Girl," 1963, oil on canvas painting.
|
Reflection
When creating this piece, I was primarily inspired by Lichtenstein. My use of experimentation with paint mixing helped my piece look more well-done. In general, I am content on how my piece turned out but, I wish I could do some more retouching onto my piece. My colors on my pieces are not complete solid, and I would mostly likely fill in the gaps in the piece. Covering the back of the piece with pencil graphite and transferring it onto the board made it really easy for me to paint the pieces onto the boards. Some successes I had with this project is that I manage to improve on my ability to print. Upon further reflection, I can visibly see how borrowing elements like contrasting colors, compositions and the portrait of a woman from Lichtenstein had brought my piece to life. Overall, I believe this piece was a piece well-done.
ACT Response Questions
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
Roy Lichtenstein's idea of melodrama inspired me to rebuke the idea against him from the prospective of my piece.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Stamberg focuses on the specific art style of Lichtenstein, which aid me in my research.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
During Lichtenstein's time, art was based on the industrialization of America around him, which resulted from the end of World War II.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The idea behind my research was to find a piece that I could make ironic copy compared to original.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Throughout my research, I inferred that Lichtenstein composed pieces based on the America's booming economy and culture as the national effects of the war ended
Roy Lichtenstein's idea of melodrama inspired me to rebuke the idea against him from the prospective of my piece.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Stamberg focuses on the specific art style of Lichtenstein, which aid me in my research.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
During Lichtenstein's time, art was based on the industrialization of America around him, which resulted from the end of World War II.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The idea behind my research was to find a piece that I could make ironic copy compared to original.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Throughout my research, I inferred that Lichtenstein composed pieces based on the America's booming economy and culture as the national effects of the war ended
Bibliography
Lotha, Gloria. “Pop Art.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 24 Jan. 2019, www.britannica.com/art/Pop-art.
Stamberg, Susan. “One Dot At A Time, Lichtenstein Made Art Pop.” NPR, NPR, 15 Oct. 2012, www.npr.org/2012/10/15/162807890/one-dot-at-a-time-lichtenstein-made-art-pop.
Stamberg, Susan. “One Dot At A Time, Lichtenstein Made Art Pop.” NPR, NPR, 15 Oct. 2012, www.npr.org/2012/10/15/162807890/one-dot-at-a-time-lichtenstein-made-art-pop.