X-Ray to JusticeSize : 8 in x 13 in
Medium : Spray paint and acrylic pen Completion Date : March 2021 X-Ray to Justice represents the social injustice of our system. How it is beyond what is seen from the outside, but rather the inside. The bare bones of the workings of a society that often times isn't human to its own people. It's inspired by Banksy and his own social injustice themes. From his senticlized spray paints to his tags.
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Artist Inspiration
Banksy is an anonymous artist whom is rumored to be from London, Bristol to be specific. He is well known for his political statements he expresses through his arts. Originally, the artist would spray paint pieces randomly about with a group known as DBZ. It wasn't until his discovery of stencils that his works have progressed and became quicker. His themes for his works ranged from a variety of social injustice topics, from immigration to the over exposure of violence. The majority of his art pieces are colored in black and white, with a sporadic coloring within. They are mostly spotted on random walls of London which are then transferred to prints. These prints are then sold, yet the artist makes original artworks that are sold at auctions for charity. The earliest Banksy's first painting was spotted, was in 1990. Whereas his latest was March 1, 2020 to support the transformation of a jail to an art venue. His arts aren't only messages of social construct but also his voice to the world. |
Planning
For the this project I knew I wanted to do something with spray paint as my choice. The only colors I had to work with, however, were black, red and white. This could either create an almost monochrome effect or I could find a subject that complements the the color scheme. The first thought was a landscape, whether it be forests or cities. It then transitioned to anatomy, where the skeletal system is represented. This is due to the colors clashing well with one another, especially with how skeletons are originally depicted with black and white. |
In order to fully understand how my project will fully come together, I researched different artists to find inspiration. At the moment, it was unclear as to what style I would paint and the subject was still prone to change. At first I wanted a "messy" artwork where splatter would encompass the whole canvas. This followed Jean-Michel Basquiat who would use random strokes to create a piece of art. However, the style was too disorganized for what I had in mind.
Eventually I found inspiration through Banksy as he used primarily black and white. Each artwork had a theme of social injustice. With that info I was able to come up with different social injustice scenarios that I could depict through either a landscape or the skeletal system. With the landscape I knew that I could focus on society as a whole. Whereas the skeleton I could make the subject a bit more broad yet well known. After viewing Banksy's piece, "Migrant Crisis" I was inspired to follow the almost stenciled yet sketchy feel to the piece. From there I planned different backgrounds from red to newspapers. Eventually it came upon red as I figured it would bring out the black and white better. |
Experimentation and Process
Laying a piece of cardboard upon the floor, I was able to create a station to spray paint. Red was the decided background color and became the first layer. I layered it down sporadically leaving few white spaces. Despite the coloring being light, the red seemed too plain by itself. That's what inspired me to use both the black and white paints, even in spite of them being the coloring of the subject. The splatters were created by barely pushing the button down as I sprayed the canvas. This allowed the paint to come out in droplets rather than a steady stream. However, as I continued to create the splatter effect, I realized that the white was overpowering the other colors. That would drive the whole attention away from the subject. So as to remedy that, I sprayed another thin layer of red over which allowed both the white and black to dampen. |
With an almost dull splattered background, I was able to sketch the skeletal body of a ribcage and hip. Although it was hard to see the pencil work, I was able to draw each rib and the spine well enough. The pencil was then followed with a white acrylic pen in which acted as another final sketch. The outlines were very rough and I wanted to keep that in the final outcome. As a result, I filled in each line without perfecting their boldness. |
Each space was filled in with the white acrylic pen and at first they were layered so some areas were brighter than others. It would act as a way to detail the piece further. However, it instead seemed void of pigment. So I went further into filling the spaces and noticed how plain the whole piece still looked. Deciding to stick with the whole scheme of black and white, I used black to act as the shadows and the length of the spine. This added more dimension to the piece. The end result was still void of detail. That was when I came up with the idea to spray the top layer lightly with white to act as the smoke like Banksy's piece, "Migrant Child." It was then coupled with red to blend the colors both into the background and skeleton.
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With the top of the piece being covered with a light mist, I used the black acrylic pen to write the wording. It was plastered atop the mist and wasn't as pigmented as I'd like it to be. So using the black spray paint, I sprayed a puddle of paint to be used to bolden the lettering. With this new technique I was also able to add more white to the hip area so as to make it brighter. The final product resulted in the process of fading the colors to brightening them. |
Reflection
This project was something that I was both familiar and unfamiliar with. Spray painting is a very new concept for me and I found it to be refreshing. It was easy to cover the background instantly and blend the colors together in order to create the splatter effect. However, if I were to do this again I would like to create a stencil for the subject. This will ensure the whole piece is primarily spray paint and would correlate to the inspiration even more. Despite that, the piece turned out how I'd like it to. The color scheme was presented evenly even if I had limited colors.
Next time I'd like to try a broader scheme in order to see how colors can blend with the spray paint. Particularly with either warm or blue colors, as opposed to using both. I feel like that would further drive the value of the piece and still present the subject respectively. My favorite part of the artwork is the way the skeleton goes from dim to bright. It almost pushes another message than the one I created. The mist allows the detail to fade which was helpful during the process period. I was struggling to finish the rib cages, but had I done so the piece would have followed Banksy's stencil outlook.
Next time I'd like to try a broader scheme in order to see how colors can blend with the spray paint. Particularly with either warm or blue colors, as opposed to using both. I feel like that would further drive the value of the piece and still present the subject respectively. My favorite part of the artwork is the way the skeleton goes from dim to bright. It almost pushes another message than the one I created. The mist allows the detail to fade which was helpful during the process period. I was struggling to finish the rib cages, but had I done so the piece would have followed Banksy's stencil outlook.
Compare and Contrast
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ACT Responses
1. Clearly explain and describe how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
The cause and effect between Banksy's work and mine is evident within the value of the piece. His focuses on black and white colors with sporadic coloring either within or behind the subject. It affected my piece as I followed the same concept in order to connect the inspiration.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Banksy is an advocate for social injustice, from the simplicity of intrusive tourists to the impending immigrant crisis. Although my theme albeit vague, the artist would both approve and support the message. It's one that he expresses everyday with his artworks.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
The spray paint artist that I have researched is popular among London and any art activist. However, due to his identity being anonymous there is not too much information on his personal life. Why he turned to art, at what age and why he continues it are all unsolved questions. So with that being said, I had to make general connections to the artist with his artwork without going into specific of how his childhood may have affected such a thing.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research was social injustice. Anything that I can connect to a skeleton, whether it be vague or specific. Eventually the idea that stuck was, beneath the system. It is open ended and causes viewers to think further than just the skeletal system. How it can connect to society and themselves.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
Due to Banksy's identity being anonymous most of his personal life is unknown. Questions like: Why did he start art? At what age? Why does he still continue to create art? Are ones that are unsolved. This means that the research is limited and connecting his personal life to his art is difficult. It also means that most of his artworks are untitled which leaves the viewers to title it themselves. This is what I did for Migrant Crisis as I inferred the main topic from his migrant series.
The cause and effect between Banksy's work and mine is evident within the value of the piece. His focuses on black and white colors with sporadic coloring either within or behind the subject. It affected my piece as I followed the same concept in order to connect the inspiration.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Banksy is an advocate for social injustice, from the simplicity of intrusive tourists to the impending immigrant crisis. Although my theme albeit vague, the artist would both approve and support the message. It's one that he expresses everyday with his artworks.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
The spray paint artist that I have researched is popular among London and any art activist. However, due to his identity being anonymous there is not too much information on his personal life. Why he turned to art, at what age and why he continues it are all unsolved questions. So with that being said, I had to make general connections to the artist with his artwork without going into specific of how his childhood may have affected such a thing.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research was social injustice. Anything that I can connect to a skeleton, whether it be vague or specific. Eventually the idea that stuck was, beneath the system. It is open ended and causes viewers to think further than just the skeletal system. How it can connect to society and themselves.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
Due to Banksy's identity being anonymous most of his personal life is unknown. Questions like: Why did he start art? At what age? Why does he still continue to create art? Are ones that are unsolved. This means that the research is limited and connecting his personal life to his art is difficult. It also means that most of his artworks are untitled which leaves the viewers to title it themselves. This is what I did for Migrant Crisis as I inferred the main topic from his migrant series.
Bibliography
Banksy biography & artwork: Artists. (2020, November 03). Retrieved April 28, 2021, from https://www.streetartbio.com/artists/banksy/
Banksy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2021, from https://www.banksy.co.uk/out.asp
Banksy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2021, from https://www.banksy.co.uk/out.asp