Ephemra
Exhibition Text
Title: Saudade
Size: 9" x 12" Medium: Watercolor and Ice Date: November 2016 |
Saudade is a piece that resembles the pain of loving and longing for something that is lost. I drew on the style of different hands by Egon Shiele to demonstrate an unhealthy desire through the color scheme, skeletal form of the hands, and running of colors.
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These are just some practice shots for ideas on position of the hand.
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Process
BrainstormingThis project was a lot more open ended than the prior ones in this semester. I decided to go with a medium that I was fairly familiar with and felt that I could be successful in: watercolors. This was “phase one” of coming up with my project idea. Over the years, I have also been told that my personal work reminds the viewers of pieces done by Egon Schiele. This project gave me the perfect opportunity to really dive into the details of Schiele's work while pulling on inspiration for my own piece.
As far as making an ephemra piece, I narrowed down my options to something that would allow me to have no control over the outcome. This was something that was difficult for me to incorporate seeing as I like to have full control of the medium that I am working with. I found this uncertainty that I was looking for in ice. Not only was in unpredictable, it was compatible with my watercolor medium. |
PlanningI took this idea, and ran with it. As I was creating the piece I decided on altering some components of the piece, but I stuck with my original idea. I wanted to depict a feeling of helplessness and longing. Furthermore, this longing was something that was once in this individual’s possession, making it all the more painful.
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Process TECHNIQUE Communication
Experimentation
My main source of experimentation was practicing painting in the style of Egon Schiele. I did this to help emulate the characteristics of Schiele in my final piece. I focussed primarily on the hands of his paintings, due to the fact that that was the subject of my actual ephemra. I felt that this was a very beneficial exercise in that it helped my incorporate my own ideas and themes into my final work without need for a direct drawing from Schiele for assistance. I also decided on using my own hand as a run through for the ice cubes. I simply made more paint ice cubes and let them melt in my hand. To completely honest, I liked the look of my real hand more than I liked the actual product.
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Artistic Inspiration
Egon Schiele was always an outsider of sorts. He did not care much for standard academics, and often did not apply himself to the fullest of his potential for the simple reason that he was not interested in learning. He did, however, have a great burning passion for the fine arts. Schiele’s father passed away when he was fifteen years old. From then on, he lived under the care of his uncle who helped nurture his nephew’s love of the arts.
Schile applied to the School of Arts and Crafts in 1906, and was accepted. He quickly demonstrated his obvious to talents to which many of the professors took interest. Specifically, young Schiele caught the attention of Gustav Klimt. They worked together for a number of years, trading pieces and offering tips. Schiele was frustrated by the conservatism of the school. He felt as if he was being contained, and was not able to reach his full potential there. Shortly after his third year, Schiele left the school. The pieces that Schiele created were often criticized as much as they were praised. They [his paintings] were often erotic and even pornographic, something that at this point in the art world was frowned upon greatly. Schiele liked to explore themes such as sex, death, and discovery. He enjoyed playing with common misconceptions of the main media at that time period, as well as changing perspective. Schiele believed in women’s rights and the equality of the sexes. |
Reflection
Overall, I greatly disliked the outcome of this project. I felt that none of the aspects of my final piece reflected what I initially had in mind. I did like the original water color that I did of just the hand, but as soon as the paint cubes were added, I knew that the project was not going to turn out as I had anticipated. The sole reason that I used primary colors was that I was hoping that they would meld a lot better. There was a yellow, grey haze to the piece that I greatly disliked. This was not my first attempt at the project. The first time that I conducted the experimentation, I could not bring myself to post it on my website, because of how unpleased I was with the final result.
If I was to do this project again, I think that I would place the paint cubes in a more strategic position, and perhaps not use the blue. I felt that the blue was extremely overpowering and in essence defeated the purpose of my piece. The paints became too melded and I thought that it lost a lot of the elements I was hoping to see thru the entire process. I kept the piece because although it was not my favorite piece in the physical state, it helped my mental state of being with art. I am often close minded in that I believe that my art must be beautiful. If I am not satisfied with a final product, instead of saving it for demonstration of growth, I throw it out. I can not bare to look at something that I consider a failure. This piece helped my realize that there is more to a piece besides simply the quality of the final result.
If I was to do this project again, I think that I would place the paint cubes in a more strategic position, and perhaps not use the blue. I felt that the blue was extremely overpowering and in essence defeated the purpose of my piece. The paints became too melded and I thought that it lost a lot of the elements I was hoping to see thru the entire process. I kept the piece because although it was not my favorite piece in the physical state, it helped my mental state of being with art. I am often close minded in that I believe that my art must be beautiful. If I am not satisfied with a final product, instead of saving it for demonstration of growth, I throw it out. I can not bare to look at something that I consider a failure. This piece helped my realize that there is more to a piece besides simply the quality of the final result.
Meaning
“Saudade” translates to an emotion that refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love. Loss is an idea that people have a hard time comprehending. The fact that friends, family, and everything around a person will not be permanent is unsettling and disturbing. Loss does not just have to be death. In fact, losses of communication often hurt more than is initially anticipated. Not being able to reach out and find that strength, the support from whoever or whatever was lost is shattering. Knowing that what happened was preventable; replaying the last words that were spoken before the final vanishing act, are all tied together in this idea of lasting loss.
Schiele believed in an altered perspective. Specifically, he was a strong believer in tearing down beauty standards as well as gender roles to allow the freedom of choice in the character of the woman as an individual. Loss and saudade are also about perspective. No two people are left the same after a relationship of sorts. The desire for understanding from another person is vital to people, in general. The ability to find a strong connection and to watch that connection flourish into a friendship or even comradery, the will to belong. Losing someone does not just alter the future of a relationship, but it can also alter the past. It changes the way that the relationship was seen as a whole, perhaps even leave off on a negative connotation as opposed to the solid one that was the mere veil of an illusion.
The piece that I have created is meant to illustrate that in between phase of letting the past go and wanting to move on. People do not like change. This especially is true in terms of relationships with other people. The hand is symbolic of the person or thing lost. It is scrawny, cold, and disfigured. It looks as if it would be better to just let it be put out of its misery, yet it continues to fight on. The ice is symbolic of time. It is unpredictable and dangerous in extreme quantities. It forces that relationship to be put firmly in the past where it resurfaces only in memories.
Schiele believed in an altered perspective. Specifically, he was a strong believer in tearing down beauty standards as well as gender roles to allow the freedom of choice in the character of the woman as an individual. Loss and saudade are also about perspective. No two people are left the same after a relationship of sorts. The desire for understanding from another person is vital to people, in general. The ability to find a strong connection and to watch that connection flourish into a friendship or even comradery, the will to belong. Losing someone does not just alter the future of a relationship, but it can also alter the past. It changes the way that the relationship was seen as a whole, perhaps even leave off on a negative connotation as opposed to the solid one that was the mere veil of an illusion.
The piece that I have created is meant to illustrate that in between phase of letting the past go and wanting to move on. People do not like change. This especially is true in terms of relationships with other people. The hand is symbolic of the person or thing lost. It is scrawny, cold, and disfigured. It looks as if it would be better to just let it be put out of its misery, yet it continues to fight on. The ice is symbolic of time. It is unpredictable and dangerous in extreme quantities. It forces that relationship to be put firmly in the past where it resurfaces only in memories.
Connecting to the ACT
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
- I used an immense amount of distortion in my piece, which directly pertains to Schiele’s style. In addition, I attempted to use a similar color scheme which portrayed to the theme of my piece.
- Schiele was a very twisted individual within his own mind. I believe that he would see my theme as something that lasts forever and cannot be altered. Loss is permanent and painful.
- Pain is constant and eternal, it all depends on how people deal with it individually.
- The idea behind my piece is that at times, letting go is better than attempting to fix what is broken. It will only result in cutting yourself on the broken shards of what was something beautiful. The pain that is felt initially is so incredibly dull to that of the pain of a constant insolvable problem.
- I concluded that Egon Schiele was an outsider the majority of his life. He felt that he was different and this caused him to view the world in a different light.