Dry Point
Existence Dry Point 15cm x 20cm October 2019 Existence is a dry point illustration of the journey one takes to try to find the meaning of life and how one made struggle trying to find it. It is inspired by Auguste Rodin's, The Thinker, the sculpture represents deep thought. Plus, Francis Bacon's, Lying Figure, depicts an existential crisis. |
Inspiration
My inspiration started in my after school club. The topic we were discussing was Existentialism and how it affects us. The philosophical theory sparked my interest. My current beliefs fit the ideas of essentialism.
Rodin's The Thinker is a sculpture of reflection. The body language used shows deep thought, and concentration. A healthy body filled with tension from thought. His left-hand open, hoping to get an answer. Bacon's Lying Figure is a painting that shows a figure-ground relationship. That the figure represents how one can disconnect from our physical reality. The graphic figure looks as if it were distressed, perhaps contemplating. The distorted body language depicts the struggles of having an existential crisis. |
Planning Sketches
In the first sketch, I made I wanted to show how one may look to another source or higher power when trying to find a purpose in life. The figure shown is looking up towards a strong light while a hand guides them in what is considered, the right direction. I couldn't see myself in this ideology so I scraped it.
In the second one, I wanted to create a self-portrait, a representation of my journey of trying to find an answer. Existentialism is something that's always on my mind and I don't see that changing. I followed through with this sketch because it represents a big part of my personality. How I'm always reflecting on my experiences. The third sketch depicts a figure struggling with the endless possibilities of what could be the meaning of life. This sketch cuts off from the face and focuses on my hands, my hands are holding the possibilities. I scrapped the idea because I like the idea of a self-portrait more. |
Process
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Experimentation
My first print was originally my 1st sketch but I decided to scrap it because I felt that the self-portrait sketch had more of a personal connection.
Instead I made my 2nd sketch into a print and followed through with that design. The idea of having a self portrait represent my feelings towards existentialism had a better connection than having a random figure. I made five prints from my second sketch with varying amounts of ink. When I made prints with a smaller amount of ink, the line-work was very light and thin. Then for my next set of prints I used a heavier amount of ink. My lines were now bold and thick. Out of all my prints the second print I made while having a greater amount of ink had the best outcome. With my new prints I played with watercolors. I have never worked with watercolors before. Rather than going all in I practiced some techniques before painting my prints. After that I picked two prints and colored them in. The first one I used watered down blacks and used a variety of grays to give my piece shadows. For my second one I mixed a color that matched my skin tone and made the background a dark gloomy blue. Blue to me depicts a sense of intelligence, it represents my thoughts spiraling. |
Reflection
I am very pleased with my final product. At first I was very frustrated on this project simply because of how difficult it was to physically make the print. I struggled to make a genuine connection with my inspirations and I couldn't find any motivation to actually follow through with this project. Until I went to my after school club, The Good Place club, my inspiration sparked and I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I wanted my piece to show how I'm always thinking about my purpose. My purpose right now is to be a student, a sister, a daughter and a friend. In the long run, I might have a completely different outlook on the meaning of life. That's the whole point of my journey, to find myself and a meaning.
Compare and Contrast
Similarities
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ACT Responses
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork.
What sparked my inspiration was the discussion I had between my peers in club, the idea of existentialism. The artists' works helped complete my thoughts and I was able to create my print.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author from the video on existentialism wants to teach the audience on how the idea was born and how it has been altered. It talks about different viewpoints and introduces the fathers of philosophy.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
When I would describe my piece to my peers and elders they would give me insight on their beliefs too. Some agreed with my beliefs while others introduced me into a different perspective. I was exposed to a lot of different outlooks on life.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The main theme is how one may go through the process of finding one's purpose and how it's not easy finding one.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I found that there are an infinite amount of possibilities that could truly be the meaning. That one's meaning could be completely different than yours because of that person's perspective. That it alters based on what someone has gone through, and that their environment also plays a factor.
What sparked my inspiration was the discussion I had between my peers in club, the idea of existentialism. The artists' works helped complete my thoughts and I was able to create my print.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author from the video on existentialism wants to teach the audience on how the idea was born and how it has been altered. It talks about different viewpoints and introduces the fathers of philosophy.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
When I would describe my piece to my peers and elders they would give me insight on their beliefs too. Some agreed with my beliefs while others introduced me into a different perspective. I was exposed to a lot of different outlooks on life.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The main theme is how one may go through the process of finding one's purpose and how it's not easy finding one.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I found that there are an infinite amount of possibilities that could truly be the meaning. That one's meaning could be completely different than yours because of that person's perspective. That it alters based on what someone has gone through, and that their environment also plays a factor.
Bibliography
Afzal, Cameron. “Francis Bacon: The Visual Existentialist.” In Perspective, 29 Mar. 2013, https://cameronafzal.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/francis-bacon-the-visual-existentialist/.
Green, Hank "Existentialism: Crash Course Philosophy #16." Youtube, 6 Jun. 2016,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaDvRdLMkHs
Racoma, Bernadine B. “The Thinker – A Symbol of Reflection and Deep Thought.” The Language Journal, 9 Dec. 2012, http://www.thelanguagejournal.com/2012/12/the-thinker-symbol-of-reflection-and.html.