Western Canon Artist Research Pages (all four)

ART HISTORY SCULPTURE

Reflection MP 2

Madison Deitch

Paul Nagle

IB Art SL I/II

2. Jan. 2014

                 Reflection MP2

       My questionnaires resulted in many misunderstandings and a lot of confusion. After each survey, I also asked for some explanations for the responses they gave. This way, answers could not be changed, after I have influenced the responders. However, most people openly offered verbal explanations due to to their confusion. I can definitely understand why people were so confused. However, the difficult part of this project will be making the alterations to make sure the purpose of my work is more easily read. 

       I have decided to change my use of color on the left side of the piece to actual skin tones, since the purpose of the piece is to bring out the injustice of racism. Then, the colors will gradually turn to the literally version of skin tone labels. For instance, the brown skin tone of African American people will turn to black as the viewer looks across the piece toward his right. The questionnaires also lead me to believe that I should clarify my message in a different way with my markmaking, so the purpose if the piece is more evident. Perhaps, all of the skin tones should blend at the left end of the piece to show that we can all live in peace together. 

One thing that the questionnaires have not changed is the way I have decided to arrange the piece compositionally. The movement of the lines across the page will remain the same, and the lines will still form an abstract human face to the right. 

       A similarity that has emerged throughout the first marking period, in all of my works thus far, is that my work is typically simplified. Due to the fact that I cannot tolerate clutter in my pieces very well, I tend to simplify, if not oversimplify my work. Simplicity was difficult to achieve in some pieces, especially the landscape piece which required tedious details that I tried to avoid. On the other hand, I enjoy using color (lots of it) almost to a fault. This often inhibits my ability to simplify my pieces; so, if my pieces appear that they are conflicted, that is probably why. 

       As far as relatability, this piece could be very relatable illistratively, because red, black, white and yellow have stereotypical meanings. For instance, yellow I usually associated with joy or elegance, while black is usually considered dark, not only literally but also metaphorically. Darkness represents fear of the unknown, mystery, and sin. White is basically on the opposite end of the spectrum; it typically represents purity and perfection. 

       This piece is also artistically relatable, because it could lead individuals to think of certain personal connotations or experiences. For example, red is my father's favorite color, so he may not relate it to negative ideas such as blood splatters or anger. Overall, the piece will undergo several changes to achieve the intended message, since these potential improvements have been brought to my attention.