Artwork: Digital Collage
Exhibition Text
2 Sides was created to make viewers take a second look at what is happening, similar to Surrealism and Rene Magritte. 2 Sides represents the different sides of me that people see coming together. These different sides were first brought together by ballet, the first thing I can remember being passionate about.
Essay
I have always been more reserved at school. Then when I was 9 years old my school required us to take ballet for the year. At first I hated it, I didn't like being watched and I definitely didn't like a professional dancer correcting my posture. In a way you are exposing yourself to be judged, so I held back. I would always try to stand in the back of the class, and once the hour went by I was the first person out of the class.
That continued until one day when the teacher called me to the front of class. I don't really remember what we were doing but I do remember that everyone was struggling to understand how to do a plie. She called me to the front of the class because apparently I knew what I was doing and she wanted me to show the class. It was nerve wracking, I wanted to run out of the room. Everyone was waiting for me to do something so as quickly as I could I did what the teacher asked me to do and I pretty much ran to the back of the class.
After the class was over a few people came up to me and told me that I did a good job, I was proud of myself for not going to the front of the class and freezing.
As the year went on I became more confident in myself and the techniques that I learned. By the time our end of the year performance came that was all I could talk about. During the performance I don't even remember their was an audience. After my mom and uncle gave me flowers. That moment was when I knew I wanted to keep doing ballet.
By the time I was in 4th grade I had a scholarship from the Milwaukee Ballet.
When I went to a ballet class I was surrounded by people who were just as passionate about ballet as me, I felt like I could be me without being judged. So that's what I did, being in class brought me pure happiness. Ever second I wasn't in a dance studio I was counting down the time until I could go back.
When I turned 13 I got my first pair of pointe shoes. In the ballet world for girls this is a big milestone. Even though it was much harder than I thought it was I loved it. I would literally just walk around my house wearing them, I don't know why because they aren't comfortable at all.
Now looking back I think I enjoyed ballet so much was I was able to express myself and I was surrounded by people who shared similar passions. I would not be the person I am today if I didn't go through the traumatic experience of having to show my 3rd grade class how to do a plie.
That continued until one day when the teacher called me to the front of class. I don't really remember what we were doing but I do remember that everyone was struggling to understand how to do a plie. She called me to the front of the class because apparently I knew what I was doing and she wanted me to show the class. It was nerve wracking, I wanted to run out of the room. Everyone was waiting for me to do something so as quickly as I could I did what the teacher asked me to do and I pretty much ran to the back of the class.
After the class was over a few people came up to me and told me that I did a good job, I was proud of myself for not going to the front of the class and freezing.
As the year went on I became more confident in myself and the techniques that I learned. By the time our end of the year performance came that was all I could talk about. During the performance I don't even remember their was an audience. After my mom and uncle gave me flowers. That moment was when I knew I wanted to keep doing ballet.
By the time I was in 4th grade I had a scholarship from the Milwaukee Ballet.
When I went to a ballet class I was surrounded by people who were just as passionate about ballet as me, I felt like I could be me without being judged. So that's what I did, being in class brought me pure happiness. Ever second I wasn't in a dance studio I was counting down the time until I could go back.
When I turned 13 I got my first pair of pointe shoes. In the ballet world for girls this is a big milestone. Even though it was much harder than I thought it was I loved it. I would literally just walk around my house wearing them, I don't know why because they aren't comfortable at all.
Now looking back I think I enjoyed ballet so much was I was able to express myself and I was surrounded by people who shared similar passions. I would not be the person I am today if I didn't go through the traumatic experience of having to show my 3rd grade class how to do a plie.
Inspiration
Rene Magritte. (1953), Golconda, 81 cm x 100 cm.
Rene Magritte. (1927), The Double Secret, 114 com x 161.9 cm.
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I was also inspired by Rene Magritte, but also Surrealism as a whole especially the hallucinatory scenes. A goal of Surrealism was to have the viewers question what they were seeing. Magritte was able to convey this in his work by placing ever day objects and people in illogical situations. Often times his work featured similar imagery; men in bowler hats, portraits of his wife, and the apartment they lived in. I intended to convey this in my work by staggering the right side of my face. This was meant to represent the different sides that people see, the staggering shows that they never are shown at the same time. The left side of my face was heavily influenced by my inspiration. By removing and replacing the left side of my face and replacing it with pointe shoes I was able to convey a similar theme to Surrealism.
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Planning
In this first sketch It incorporates elements from all the ballets I was in. The teacup represents when I was a teacup in Alice in Wonderland. The dots were the colors on the skirt I wore for my teacup costume. The pointe shoes represent when I was in a grape in the Adventures of Cipollino. Lastly the clouds and the music notes represent the angel scene in The Nutcracker, which was my favorite scene to watch because my friends from my ballet class were in it. I was to tall to be an angel. the music notes are am important part because without music none of these ballets would be able to happen, it's kind of like the glue holding everything together.
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This sketch is a variation of the first sketch. Instead of having dots on the teacup they are hanging from the clouds. This is to represent the childlike nature in both Alice in Wonderland and The Nutcracker. Instead of having music notes on the ribbon it plain to represent the bows on the dresses of the citizens in The Nutcracker. The spoon and the sugar cube represent the head piece I wore when I was a teacup in Alice in Wonderland. This sketch has more of a childlike feel to it
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This sketch is more of when I first knew I wanted to keep doing ballet. The flowers represent the ones I got after my first performance. Having the pointe shoes float in the background conveys the theme of Surrealism. The right side has nothing special happening to represent the school side of me who didn't want to be noticed.
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Experimentation
When I started in Photoshop I knew that I wanted to do a combination of my first two sketches. However when it came to time to do it I didn't like how it looked, so I tried my third sketch. I knew I wanted to do the cut out on the left side of my face. I came up with the right side of the face when I was thinking about how I felt when I was called up to the front of the class to show them how to do a pile. I also decided that for the background I was going to use objects from my home, to further emphasize Magritte's style of putting ordinary objects in illogical situations.
A lot of my experimentation was trying to figure out how to use the marquee tool to create the stager on the right side of my face. As well as how to incorporate the pointe shoes because I didn't want then to distract from the pattern in the background.
A lot of my experimentation was trying to figure out how to use the marquee tool to create the stager on the right side of my face. As well as how to incorporate the pointe shoes because I didn't want then to distract from the pattern in the background.
Process
Reflection
Overall I think that that my piece was a success. However there is one thing that I am unhappy with.Which is the rough edges around the cut out of my face on the left side. Even though I smoothed them out you can still see the edges. A way I could Have fixed this was by using a computer that has a mouse to help steady my hand.
Similarities:
- Both my inspiration and my piece convey similar theme of placing every day objects/people in illogical situations
- A sense of floating in nothingness
- A cut out which reveals something under it
- Manipulation of the human form
Differences:
-The colors in my piece are more bright, where as in my inspiration the colors are more dark and muted
-In my inspiration the backgrounds are outside/nature where as mine is objects from inside my home(rug and a candle holder)
Similarities:
- Both my inspiration and my piece convey similar theme of placing every day objects/people in illogical situations
- A sense of floating in nothingness
- A cut out which reveals something under it
- Manipulation of the human form
Differences:
-The colors in my piece are more bright, where as in my inspiration the colors are more dark and muted
-In my inspiration the backgrounds are outside/nature where as mine is objects from inside my home(rug and a candle holder)
ACT Response
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
Surrealism has a very specific theme which is to have people think about what they are seeing this affected my artwork because I wanted it to be something that you can't look at once and instantly know the meaning behind it .
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The approach of the author is to present information on the art work and what inspired the pieces to be made.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Often times people will overlook art unless there is something unusual about it that makes them do a double check to make sure what they saw is what is really there.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspiration is making people second think what they know, question why things are the wat they are.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
An inference I made about Surrealism is that the point of the movement was to get the viewers involved with the art.
Surrealism has a very specific theme which is to have people think about what they are seeing this affected my artwork because I wanted it to be something that you can't look at once and instantly know the meaning behind it .
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The approach of the author is to present information on the art work and what inspired the pieces to be made.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Often times people will overlook art unless there is something unusual about it that makes them do a double check to make sure what they saw is what is really there.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspiration is making people second think what they know, question why things are the wat they are.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
An inference I made about Surrealism is that the point of the movement was to get the viewers involved with the art.
Bibliography
“Golconda by René Magritte - Facts & History of the Painting.” Totally History, 17 July 2013, totallyhistory.com/golconda/.
MLA or AP format
“René Magritte | The Secret Double (Le Double Secret) (1927) | Artsy.” 11 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy, Artsy, www.artsy.net/artwork/rene-magritte-the-secret-double-le-double-secret#!
MLA or AP format
“René Magritte | The Secret Double (Le Double Secret) (1927) | Artsy.” 11 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy, Artsy, www.artsy.net/artwork/rene-magritte-the-secret-double-le-double-secret#!