FadedSize : 8 x 11 in
Medium : Oil and acrylic paint Completion Date : October 2021 Faded ventures the implied transition between being distinguishable and faintly noticeable. How extravagances is no means to being visible yet the bare necessities can easily capture another's attention. Claude Monet is the inspiration of this piece as he uses an Impressionistic style to capture landscapes. The implication is in part due to the first glance at the subject and capturing the focal points before adding detail.
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Artist Inspiration
Claude Monet was an impressionist painter who developed the art movement. His intentions on doing so weren't in mind as he painted reality through his eyes. The artist would look at landscapes and illustrate them how he interpreted the lighting and shadows. The term for the style, "Impressionism" was displayed when he described it as the influence of new theories about the physiology of perception. This was a theme throughout a majority of his pieces. Most were of landscapes, though some consisted of everyday spectacle of life from cities to train tracks. After Monet's works were rejected along with a handful of other artists that adopted the art style, they created independent exhibitions. These were held in 8 consecutive times and each one held the resentment of society. Despite this Monet continued to paint in an Impressionistic style which banished the use of pure black upon the canvas. The perseverance theme throughout the collection of the artist's works is admired by speculators. Though he had every right to switch art styles, Monet stuck with this one as he used pastel to vibrant colors. The transitions between each isn't smooth but rather implied. It is furthered as the colors switch from bright to dark yet the suggestion is easily comprehensible. |
Planning
This project was initially inspired by Claude Monet and viewing his works helped plan the process. Starting off I played with the concept of how to apply the paint. Monet typically dabs his paints upon the canvas and lets the paint blend gradient that way. However, I wanted to see how an even blend of color would seem and determined that I would use both concepts within this piece. The palette would consist of pastel colors that are either warm or cool, though the former would be present the most within the painting. At this point a theme was needed to determine the subject of the project and it came down upon a contrast of lightheartedness and bitterness. A bridge would signify a journey that seems endless yet the bright colors could either interpret as a healthy adventure or an aching cycle.
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Once the general theme and colors were chosen it was time to determine the actual subject. Monet focuses on landscapes and I wanted to take inspiration from that by painting waterscapes, from the vast sea to a city with its reflection. However, the type of waves was needed to be determined. The concept could either focus on the sea as a whole in a close up shot or it could be zoomed out where it cascades over a beach and the barrier between sand and depth. I felt the former was a better fit because it wouldn't draw too much attention from the two ideas I wanted to connect with the cityscape and the sea. From there I sketched the concepts in both a vertical and horizontal sectioning. The horizontal seemed to fit the subjects best as the sea part would have more space to pay attention to the detail within the water. Here it was determined that the top area would be the sea with vibrant colors and the bottom the landscape with pastel.
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The last sketch focused on the specific colors and the wave types. The colors would be separated by warm and cool to pastel and vibrant. With the sea it would use cool colors and varying shades as well as dark warm colors, such as burgundy. These values would be vibrant and not faded like the bottom section of the painting. In that area the colors would focus on warm ones with the occasional cool. Each dab of paint would be light and the integration from the colors would be smooth yet messy in appearance. With the waves it could go into three different directions, from repeated, distance and simplistic. The ripples can differ from loose to tight in space with line work or the impression of ones. In the end I determined distant was the best option to capture the essence of the piece.
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Experimentation and Process
I started the top area with oil paint and used vegetable oil to dilute the pigment. The hope was to create a water effect however, it made it difficult to layer the paint and show a decent pigment. At this point I had to wait for it to dry in order to go over it so I focused on the areas that I hadn't gone over with the oiled brush. These spots were focused on the general outline of the waves which took on an impressionistic concept. From there I followed the areas with cool colors that varied in brightness. The outlines were too dark so a light surrounding was needed to create contrast. From there I played with the idea of using a burgundy for the sky which turned out better than expected. As I waited for the parts to dry I started on the bottom a little with pastel colors that derived from the original paints with added whites and slight mixing between each color.
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In order to split the canvas in half horizontally I measured the length and it came out to 8 inches. From there a point was marked in the middle and on both sides in order to connect a straight. The sketch continued at the bottom where the city landscape would reside and the reflection of the buildings within the water. These didn't have much detail because Monet's works lacked such things. Each building varied in height and width in order to create a diverse setting that isn't too 2D and monotone. I then produced swatches of the paints I would use throughout the process from the dark tones to the light tones. They were separated by their mediums, so acrylic and oil.
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The landscape of the city continued with colors that were lighten. Each ripple of the water consisted of varying tone of blue to highlights of contrasting colors, such as yellow and pink. The buildings were primarily made of brown and either blue or orange mixed within to create different tones. However, their shadows were instilled with gray tones that held differing highlights.
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Reflection
This project was particularly challenging due to its medium being both acrylic and oil paint. Despite having experiences with the tools, I have yet to practice enough in order to gather the desired effects I would like to translate within my art work. The values at times were too similar that it was difficult to discern the water from the sky in the bottom portion of the piece. So, if I were to do this again I would focus more on the experimentation process and test colors next to each other, as well as different forms of the subjects. The waves seemed too loose and didn't hold much structure so at times it was difficult to tell that it was a sea in the top portion of the artwork. Sketching wave patterns and paying attention to how highlights and shadows fall upon the ripples would be best if I did do this again. The details would be further highlighted with the paints so as to establish the impression that it is a realistic sea body.
Overall I am proud of this project because I used new techniques that I haven't before. In addition, I was able to glance at the inspiration before continuing onward without a second look. I felt that this was especially important to do as it was Claude Monet's technique when starting his paintings.
Overall I am proud of this project because I used new techniques that I haven't before. In addition, I was able to glance at the inspiration before continuing onward without a second look. I felt that this was especially important to do as it was Claude Monet's technique when starting his paintings.
Compare and Contrast
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.
Claude Monet's paintings focus on the technique of mixing paint as it is applied in patches. This is the same idea I used when doing the bottom half of Faded. As a result my artwork appeared messy in application yet held value for each section due to the implied coloring.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Monet is supportive of the topic of being the middle line between being noticeable and distinguishable. It is implied from his works that are created by the memorization from a single glance at a landscape.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I have discovered that
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research was impressionism. I wanted to create an art work that was seeming distraught and messy in order to transform it into a collective piece when a viewer takes a step back. A glance from a scrutinizing gaze was the idea of the research which later switched over to the art piece.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
I have concluded that everyone has their own opinions when it comes to the art world and that can lead them to be very biased towards new art movements. However, it takes one artist and their passions to make an impact in the art world in order to establish their works. In essence, art is more than the product itself but rather the process of creating and exposing it to an audience.
Claude Monet's paintings focus on the technique of mixing paint as it is applied in patches. This is the same idea I used when doing the bottom half of Faded. As a result my artwork appeared messy in application yet held value for each section due to the implied coloring.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Monet is supportive of the topic of being the middle line between being noticeable and distinguishable. It is implied from his works that are created by the memorization from a single glance at a landscape.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I have discovered that
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research was impressionism. I wanted to create an art work that was seeming distraught and messy in order to transform it into a collective piece when a viewer takes a step back. A glance from a scrutinizing gaze was the idea of the research which later switched over to the art piece.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
I have concluded that everyone has their own opinions when it comes to the art world and that can lead them to be very biased towards new art movements. However, it takes one artist and their passions to make an impact in the art world in order to establish their works. In essence, art is more than the product itself but rather the process of creating and exposing it to an audience.
Bibliography
https://www.claudemonetgallery.org/
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cmon/hd_cmon.htm
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cmon/hd_cmon.htm