Title: Baby Boy
Size: 91.5 cm x 91.5 cm Medium: Acrylic on canvas Date: 12/08/16 This piece was inspired by "Crying Girl" by Roy Lichtenstein. It's opening up a conversation about the effects society has on boys in imposing this idealized masculinity on them, encouraging a lack of emotion. These standards apply more heavily to trans individuals, such as myself. I do suffer from mental illness, I do cry, I do feel small, and those things don't make me less of a man. |
Process
Planning Sketches
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Quickly coming up with the idea that I wanted to do Pop Art for my piece, I thought of Lichtenstein and the pieces I resonated the most with. I posed in pictures like the figures in the original art did and drew from there. I had an idea which one I would pick right away; that's the one that became more developed, even colored, and became my reference for the art later on. |
Painting
After putting Gesso on my canvas I roughly outlines where the background would be in blue and measured out the grid so that it was split into 20 x 20 smaller squares, like my reference picture was. Upon that I drew myself on the canvas, according to my reference. I did clothes and hair first after that, then started the blue lines for my facial features and hand. I did the color of the lips before I outlined them, experimenting with the color. Many of the lines I had to go over multiple times, to make them more even and solid. I drew over the hair to divide it into locks and painted blue lines over that, then going and putting lines dividing every different color.
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Along the way I had to layer the paint over an over again: the white over the grid, the blue over the background, and any other large area where paint started to chip. Once I was done covering my skin with a white base I projected dots onto the canvas (using a picture I made in Photoshop copying the dots from Crying Girl onto the entire picture so they would stay the right size but still overlap in exactly the right places) and painted straight from the projection. After the few few times using the projection it became to difficult and time consuming to line up all of the dots on the projection to my canvas once again, so I took reference to the size of the dots already there and proceeded to free-hand the dots.
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At times I would follow a line, or I would focus on making ever-growing pyramids. Whenever a section became too askew I would have to cover it in white over again and restart the dots there. The dots started frlom the side of my head, moved across the top, down the hand, and finished at the neck.
Experimentation
I did a lot of experimenting with the color of my lips. It was one of the few parts of the color I had to mix carefully, and I was unsure what would be best. I thought of replicating the color that was in the original photo of Crying Girl, my inspiration, yet I know the color was supposed to be makeup, something I don't ever use. The statement would be different than what I wanted to make.
I experimented with dealing with cracking paint, choosing to layer the paint over time in thinner coats, and with the placement of certain lines (like those in my hair, which differed from my planning sketch). Lastly I experiemented in part with the dots. Whenever I made a mistake while free-handing the design I would have to cover it back up wtih whtie, and start over. |
Artistic Inspiration
"Crying Girl | Milwaukee Art Museum." Crying Girl | Milwaukee Art Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
"Crying Girl (1963) Artwork Detail." Artwork Detail | Kemper Art Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
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The artistic inspiration for this piece was Crying girl (1964) by Roy Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein is one of the most well known artists belonging to the Pop Art movement, and one of the creators of it. Crying Girl was one of his first pieces done as enamel on steel, done to create an industrial feeling and remind the viewer of mass production. The piece as also done in the style of comic/newspaper art, something Lichtenstein did often in his work. In the early 1960s he did pieces that depicted Fantasy-Drama women in love affairs with men that made them miserable, which led up to the two-part series of Crying Girl, in ‘63 and ‘64. These pieces depict an idealization of the American Woman, in the way she looks (blonde, pretty, doe-eyes with makeup), pretty even when she cries. It eludes to a feminist view, commenting on the commercialism at the time and addressing this view of women. Lichtenstein has a strong focus on line work in Crying Girl, and on the dots in the face (replicating the newspaper comic printing process). There’s a limited color pallet, only four colors, divided by the thick line work into sometimes large expanses of smooth space. I wanted to use this piece because, first, of the comic style and feminist undertones, transferring into a contrast of men in media to me, softer, even shedding a tear. It got stronger as I got more in depth to the Lichtenstein style and I gained a deeper understanding of the meaning of the piece which I could use to apply similar themes in my work.
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Reflection
This piece was not my favorite or least favorite. I think I acheived what I needed with recreating the piece Crying Girl, getting most of the main components down. Other parts could have used more attention, such as the dots or thickness/consistency of line, but others did well, like the shape and optical illusion of the dots. As for application of painting techniques I think I did a fair job of keeping much of the solid colors solid, but could have used work in others (notice the background color isn't consistent). There's also some outlining missing around the hair, and the side of the face isn't a smoothed curved line as intended. As for meaning, it can be easily identified some semblance of a meaning. My piece differs from the woman-agonized-by-man themes in Lichtenstein's work, however it fits in with it's own parallel, with men in industry. The piece conveys a weakness, just as crying girl does. Going back I would have possibly chosen a different lichenstein, or covered the canvas in dots so the lines wouldn't affect the pattern, or put less time in worrying about the paint cracking the most about the essential lines being crisp, thick, and well-done. I would have also made sure all the dots were roughly the same sizr and shape and given myself ample time to correct mistakes after every component was considered done.
ACT Questions
1) Clearly Explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
This being the obvious-connection self portrait, it only makes sense that every aspect from theme, technique, pose, etc would be directly influened by my inspiration.
2) What is the overall approach the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your research?
To commemorate Lichtenstein as an artist and give a thorough reveiw of his life. Regarded him as an exteremyl influential artist to be taught, talked about, and understood.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people. ideas, cultures, etc. While you researched your inspiration?
I discovered more about Artist life and communities, learning about Lichtenstein's work before he became a famous artist. Specifically I was reminded about the process an artist goes through, and the steps along the way to becoming the artist we know them as.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Discovering information to further my understanding of Lichtensteins artistic choices and why he made them. What inspiraed him to create this iconic pop art style, and what in his life influenced the themes in his work.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I made conclusions about Lichtenstein's stances on topics such as feminism. My research didn't mention this directly, however I came to conclusions based on the piece and what the source(s) said about it about his general feelings.
This being the obvious-connection self portrait, it only makes sense that every aspect from theme, technique, pose, etc would be directly influened by my inspiration.
2) What is the overall approach the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your research?
To commemorate Lichtenstein as an artist and give a thorough reveiw of his life. Regarded him as an exteremyl influential artist to be taught, talked about, and understood.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people. ideas, cultures, etc. While you researched your inspiration?
I discovered more about Artist life and communities, learning about Lichtenstein's work before he became a famous artist. Specifically I was reminded about the process an artist goes through, and the steps along the way to becoming the artist we know them as.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Discovering information to further my understanding of Lichtensteins artistic choices and why he made them. What inspiraed him to create this iconic pop art style, and what in his life influenced the themes in his work.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I made conclusions about Lichtenstein's stances on topics such as feminism. My research didn't mention this directly, however I came to conclusions based on the piece and what the source(s) said about it about his general feelings.
Bibliography
"Crying Girl | Milwaukee Art Museum." Crying Girl | Milwaukee Art Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
"Crying Girl (1963) Artwork Detail." Artwork Detail | Kemper Art Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
"Crying. Starting with Crying Girl, Roy Lichtenstein, 1964." Art History for Art Nerds. N.p., 2015. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
"BIOGRAPHY – Roy Lichtenstein Foundation." Roy Lichtenstein Foundation. Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
"Crying Girl (1963) Artwork Detail." Artwork Detail | Kemper Art Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
"Crying. Starting with Crying Girl, Roy Lichtenstein, 1964." Art History for Art Nerds. N.p., 2015. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
"BIOGRAPHY – Roy Lichtenstein Foundation." Roy Lichtenstein Foundation. Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.