Sevenoaks 25: IB Art Exhibition | Page 25

Alphonse Mucha was very well known for making lithographs , especially in the style of art nouveau . He used many significant di including thick bold lines surrounding key features of the figures in his pieces , as well as using complex backgrounds almost to juxtapose the level of simplicity of the subject .
This piece here is called Zodiac , he made this in 1896 during the Art nouveau period . This was his first commission piece , it depicts a lady surrounded by different zodiac signs . He has filled the piece with lots of intricate detail e . g . the border surrounding the piece is filled with root-like curly gold lines and at the top corners of the border there are leaves from the plants growingg from those roots . Mucha uses very warm colours all over this piece except for the leaves of the plants . With the figure dressed in royal-like clothes and jewellery . The combination of royal jewellery , warm colours , complex surroundings ngs ( that contrast her simple facial features ) could be used to show her as some sort of angel or goddess . It also shows her hair as very simple when its close to her , but as soon as it crosses the border between her and the background , it starts to spiral out of control becoming very complex and messy .
Through these two pop-art pieces made by Robert Rauschenberg , the idea of how light influences the outcome of the image most stands out to me . Even though both of his pieces are in colour , which doesn ’ t fully relate to my chosen style , it shows the effect light and positioning of light has on the sitter ’ s face , and the mood created by it - visible to audience members and the public . In the top image , the light emphasises the sitter ’ s hair , and therefore makes it stand out , indirectly implying a level of attractiveness or beauty . Besides the person ’ s rather serious and ominous facial expression , the blue seen in his glasses and his hair provide viewers with a sense of identity which is something I tried to exemplify in my final print as well . Having many colours around the sitter just puts more focus on him and conveys some sort of exterior tension or volume . The other piece , presumably of Marilyn Monroe , exemplifies quite a similar concept - which is the impact of light on the way the viewers first see the sitter . Looking at it , I can tell that the light is emerging from the right hand side of the face , which is strongly highlighted by the artist . Rauschenberg has purposefully exhibited lighter tones on the right side of her face to contrast with the darker tones on the other side . This contrast adheres to the concept of expression and emotion made through the diversity of the colour tones and shapes . The sitter is pictured singing or smiling and the motion of her face as she opens her mouth is quite thoroughly demonstrated through the multiple colour tones and contrasts on the face itself . Together , both of these image influenced my outcome , in the way that I focused quite a lot on how the emerging light impacts how the viewers see the sitter .
Vhttps :// www . nga . gov / features / slideshows / strokes-of-genius . html
Critical Investigation https :// thelumennewcastle . co . uk / thelumen-artwork / katherine-jones-2 /
precious-hours /
Moving on from the Rodin head sculpture project , I took photos os of my head , my head sculpture and both of them I the same frame experimenting with different light intensities and different ent angles that the light comes from . Playing around with both of these settings I discovered this angle , it illuminates half of each of our faces , and keeps the other half in the darkness , I thought I could use this as I still have plenty of detail and different light levels across my face to cut out . It also played very well in my hair , after putting it through photoshop oshop and making it a 4 light level gradient ( only 4 light levels across the whole image : black , dark grey , light grey , white ), as it had the full range of light levels across my hair and allowed me to show the texture , volume of my hair . After changing g the light levels I added an art nouveau-esque background as I am looking at “ x ”. I ’ m going to replicate a couple of their techniques that they used such as : leaving a bold outline around my head , jaw and shoulders and doing a complex background .
My process will be to cut out the lightest light level first , the majority of the photo is this level and so it will take much longer than the others . I used my photo and a highlighter to remind myself which parts to cut out and which parts to leave for later . Once I had cut out the first level I inked it up and printed it . I found that there was a lot of ink going on the cut out parts as I hadn ’ t cut it deep enough , so , I went back to cutting it to remove these parts , re-inked it and printed it again , which resulted in a much cleaner product as , with less ink in places it shouldn ’ t be . And then I repeated this process again for each light level , also making sure to keep the thick border around the head and jaw , to retain some of the art-nouveau style for the last print . Unfortunately when I finally printed
Oliver Murray
What I think went well in this project , was the overall quantity o detail captured , which was helped by the lighting displaying depth in my face and the face of my sculpture , an example of this is in this photo you can see that the cheekbone of the sculpture is quite prominent and so it sticks out further than th area to the right of it , and so it creates a shadow next to it , you can also see on the nose of the sculpture , how it sticks out fro the rest of the face as the only fully lit part of the face past the left side of the face , showing its length . What I think could be improved for a future project is the background , I thought ht that once I had cut out and printed the art nouveau style backgrou it looked quite simply , maybe too simple . Even though it took f
Introduction to Sensations
Communication of Ideas & Intentions In this project I wanted to explore a connection between rigid structures and a more fluid background that holds texture through a more freeflowing nature . This dynamic contrast creates a sense of the piece having depth and an intricate nature . The sensation of tension is something I ’ d like to explore further , whilst looking at the more physical aspect of texture as a sensation through abstract means . I took a particular interest in clouds due to their intense abstract form that holds multiple textures and interpretations . I thought this would add extra weight and Katherine Jones is my main inspiration for the combination of industrial structure and an abstract background that creates tension . Katherine Jones is also interested in working with multi-media backgrounds with rigid structures , something I will explore in the future . She focuses on colographs , that create an increased texture to the background and give it a 3 dimensional feel . Rembrandt ’ s etching draws on the element of depth , by only faintly adding in the clouds , with the flat landscape working with the clouds to add more dimension to the piece
In my own work I will focus on cyanotypes to create an original texture , using my already textured images of clouds . They will provide a unique and abstract sensation to contrast with the rigid structure of the burnt-down pier that creates intricate lines for the clouds to shine through during the layering process . In my research for artists that focus on clouds , John Constable ’ s cloud study was of particularly close interest to me since he prefers to focus on a large area of cloud whilst perfecting the mid tones compared to the bright white and blue colours that are prominent . Comparing his work to my own ideas , I wanted to find a section of clouds that portray clear shifting tones and differing contrasts , so I liked the clouds being paired with the sun in the background to depict that almost strange tone compared to the rest of the image , giving it more detail and texture . Constable prefers to keep the sun out of his paintings , so I will further explore if it works for my idea and if not I will continue with the Constable-style work to achieve sensation .
I hope to create a highly and heavily detailed piece of work , beginning on a small-scale with intricate practise pieces before building into a large piece , potentially on canvas with various other techniques adding to the details . At this stage I will only explore the aspect of cloud / structure since it is the most fundamental part of the work so I ’ d like to perfect and refine my technique before I head into larger works . The structure from the burnt pier provides me with an intricate and almost intimate stencil to work from , the abstract and uneven nature of the line-making forms an interesting line composition . I hope to achieve a similar sense of depth to Katherine Jones , to give
the piece that extra element of proportional intrigue .
Constable - cloud study
My own cloud pictures , then edited below
Katherine Jones
Rembrandt
Katherine Jones
Brighton pier , then cut up into sections below :
Katherine Jones is the main focus of my experimental work since her approach to layering is something that interests me . The use of multiple techniques , in her case colographs paired with linos and monoprints , create the sense of constant eye stimulation , something new happening all over the piece rather than if all the layers were single pieces . The approach to clouds is highly abstract as well , especially in the piece directly above . The outline of the clouds is emphasised by the dark tonal background , using the clouds as the focal point of the piece . The texture found through the colograph is interesting to me since it combines the element of nature into the work , using natural textures and translating it into the cloud form . The general free / abstract approach Jones takes gives her work an intimate nature , helped by the lack of definite definition of various parts of the work . Constable ’ s cloud study draws on the tonal aspect of clouds , something I will explore through cyanotypes . He intently notices various tiny details of the clouds and pinpoints the precise tone to create an accurate depiction of the clouds in real life . Rembrandt prefers etching whilst studying clouds , perhaps to give a more subtle perspective , and uses the light / dark contrast as a tool . The contrast between Jones ’ abstract work and Constable ’ s intensely realistic work creates a tension I will explore , utilising cyanotypes to give me the
Freddy Openshaw
Katherine Jones
Katherine Jones https :// katherine-jones . co . uk / the-
Reviewing , refining & reflecting I am pleased with how my projec is progressing , showing promisin signs that it will be successful and provide me with an interesting piece of work . I am pleased with the photos I took o the burnt-down pier in Brighton , as they provide an interesting dynamic to the piece rather than using simple outlines . I developed this idea from Katherine Jones ’ prints , evolving it into my own idea with a free approach to the line-making . Th varying gaps it makes creates differing levels of detail from the cloud shining through , and I hope it provides an intricate design I can work with . The images I took of clouds also pleased me , demonstrating clear shifts in tone and giving me an interesting base to utilise . Drawing from Constable cloud study that focuses solely on the contrast between the tones of cloud and the sky , the cyanotypes where I can manipulate the exposure to give me differing level of contrast to give it more details . The sensation from the texture interests me especially due to the diverse range I will be able to achieve from natural to man-made textures providing stark contrasts in sensation paired with varied colours and shifting
Sophie Ross
Portrait Project : # 2 - Luka Tomic
CRITICAL INVESTIGATION # 1 :
COMMUNICATION OF IDEAS & INTENTIONS :
As I advanced to the final stage of the portrait project , the concept of creating a clear image by separating colour tones into segments seemed much more doable and quite familiar . As I encountered my trial run for this style which can be seen on the right hand side of this text , I feel I became more comfortable with carving larger but also smaller colour tone segments in the form of dots on the rubber surface in order to make a portrait image . The process also became similar to a routine , as I could estimate how long it would take me for each segment and therefore prepare ink and paper for printing in advance . Even though this trial run for my chosen style is not exactly identical to the reference image , I understood that perfection in this kind of style is quite hard , and making small errors or unconsciously adding carving marks to the rubber make my final product unique . Having this in mind , I shortly after went forward by transferring the photo of myself onto photoshop - the platform on which I would create evident separation in colour tones which can be seen in the middle miniature image below my final print . That is the reference image I would use to trace out the different tones onto the rubber surface I would later carve out . To look back at my trial run which resulted as one of pieces that inspired me to continue with this style , I feel the concept I was following was well reflected in my final print . Not only are the similar black and white tones in common within both the trial and the final verision , but also the detailed carving strokes . Even though my final piece is not directly composed of dots , it has some which accentuate the different shapes on my face and add expression which is something I intended . I believe that my final print fully conveys the expressive style and ominous nature of the sitter . This concept , only created by separating colour tones affected by different strengths of light , is visible in my final portrait .
* My final print on left hand side , miniature prints in different saturation tone . Middle miniature print is a screenshot of the separation I made in Photoshop . * Right top corner = Initial reference peace for portrait project style ( print with multiple colour
Reviewing , Refining & Reflecting :
Looking back at this entire process now that I have finished the final print , I am quite satisfied
with how I followed my initial decisions and inspiration . By overlapping the multiple shades
from light to dark , I believe I have managed to enforce an ominous mood as well as convey the
anonymity of the person . However at the same time , I ’ ve added abstract touches such as dots
or carving patterns that show the sitter ’ s identity to an extent . The free-hand aspect of the dot
* Andy Warhol Pop-Art : Left = Marilyn Monroe , Right = Unknown sitter . * Robert Rauschenberg pop-art
patterns helped me add expression visible to the audience by squinting in this case . Looking
from a distance , the sharp separations of the colour tones look more blended and effortless , as
if the light is the only aspect that influences how the audience sees the person . I found the
CRITICAL INVESTIGATION # 2 :
entire process quite intriguing , in fact what most drove me to complete was my initial liking for
the etching process . Since then , the process of carving out and printing felt quite safe and
Looking at both of Andy Warhol ’ s famous pop-art designs , I can say that the interconnected way in which colour tone separation impacts the expression of the sitter is vividly noticed throughout . Despite the piece of Marilyn Monroe being far more realistic and therefore the colour tones are more blended , there is still evident separation which creates the intended effect of providing highlight and emphasis on certain parts of the face . The other piece is more cartoon-like , and in turn has stronger separated tones with outlines which relates more to the style I chose to follow . Unlike the pieces done by Robert Rauschenberg , Andy Warhol attempts to
comfortable , which on one hand is quite efficient , however it is also less challenging , which is
something I would like to implement for the next chosen project . I additionally felt quite
comfortable due to the fact that I was making a portrait of myself , which is solely because I
would not want to offend anyone if their portrait does not go as planned or as they would like it
to . Stepping outside of the comfort zone in this instance as well would have been favourable
and definitely would have expanded my horizons and confidence in my own technique and work .
hide the man ’ s eyes by overlapping lighter tones on darker ones , directly intending
Molly Sheehy
attention towards the serious nature of the sitter ’ s facial expression . Although Warhol ’ s other piece of Marilyn Monroes is more realistic and allows full exhibition of the woman ’ s eyes and eyebrows which are aspects that tell a lot about a person ,
Luka Tomic
METHOD FOR FINAL PRINT : Initially , I took a printed version of this image done in photoshop and placed it over the rubber surface I would be carving out of . I used this , along with tracing
Amelia Tovey
Over the first term of the IB Visual Arts course , we prepare students to become independent , informed artists through a process of equipping them with a range of practical , technical skills . Often this involves exploring a specific process in the hope that it will trigger an idea , interest or innate skill within a student , enhancing their existing creative strengths . Students participate in life classes that can focus on observation or process . These exploratory tasks are shown here in both the sketchbook documentation of the process .
Grace Vyas
Georgie Williams
Photography : David Merewether . Design : Andy Solanky . Printed by Pureprint .