Project #1 (Digital Collage) - Senseless
Title: Senseless
Medium: Digital Collage Size: 60.96 cm x 91.44 cm Time of Completion: August 2018 Inspired by the symbolism presented within paintings by surrealist artist Rene Magritte, Senseless intends to convey the sheer intensity of genuinely feeling oblivious to one’s surrounding environment. Primarily by centering the sole subject within this piece, as well as introducing various, incongruous items throughout the college, this piece is able to create physical characteristics that are capable of showcasing a specific emotion without relying on the usage of traditional body language. |
Critical Investigation/Artistic Inspiration
Throughout the process of developing my digital collage project, I repeatedly found myself desiring to work with the techniques and symbolisms commonly presented within the Surrealism art movement. Originally established in the early 1920s as a literary-based movement, Surrealism quickly expanded, becoming prevalent in both the visual and performing art fields; with other art movements such as Romanticism and Dadaism being primary influences on the themes frequently presented within various Surrealist works.
Intending to analyze the human imagination, and furthermore identify common impulses of the unconscious mind, Surrealists predominantly worked to combat the pragmatic perspectives presented within a majority of artworks during the surrounding time period. In addition to this, Surrealists aimed to encourage revolution through the in-depth investigations and critiques of everyday living. By exposing inconsistencies in society as well as displaying a variety of taboos, this movement attempted to spur discomfort and confusion within its’ viewers, of which would (in theory) lead to social change. It was ultimately this central objective to evaluate the unconscious mind in intense - and even disturbing - means that inspired me to create an artwork based on this symbolic art movement, as I’ve recently aspired to have my artwork focus, and furthermore, shed light on mental health issues that are frequently ignored in modern society. One of the most renowned artists from the Surrealist art movement was Belgian painter, Rene Magritte. Born in 1898, Magritte frequently experimented with repetition and the usage of various motifs throughout his vast collection of works. These motifs were often times presented within considerably simplistic and clean pieces, with some of his more popular works including men in bowler hats - of which were later theorized to be self-portraits - as well as the presence of household objects. However, Rene Magritte was recognized for his ability to take such trivial items, and manipulate them into a distinctly unsettingling form. One such example of this can be seen within his work, “The Art of Living,” of which contains a single figure, of which - other than having an extremely swelled head - is markedly normal. These polished works bluntly showcase disturbing and unconventional sceneries, of which clearly communicate the complexity of the human mind to its’ viewers. Such works heavily inspired me throughout the process of developing my digital collage piece, as I personally felt drawn to the candidness of Rene Magritte's various projects. This open and blunt presentation of otherwise mysterious and often times concealed topics felt considerably more impactful, opposed to relying on displaying my themes through conventional techniques. Furthermore, while researching Magritte’s works, I was appreciative of the illustrative quality present within his pieces. After conducting a decent amount of research, I ultimately decided to attempt making my own artwork similarly refined. This way, any given viewer would be able to see that - while my piece is considerably simple - a decent amount of work went into the details within my project. Additional works created by Rene Magritte that inspired me included, “The Son of Man,” and “Le Grand Style (Great Style).” |
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Planning Phase
After conducting a majority of my research, I started attempting to design the layouts for possible digital collages that would efficiently convey the feelings of isolation and senselessness I ultimately desired to present within my piece. Having this idea in mind considerably enhanced my ability to create possible planning sketches for my artwork, as I was able to think of the techniques and features I could implement into my work in order to efficiently convey my desired theme.
The first planning sketch I created as a possible digital collage project depicts a deer skull, of which was intended to cover a figure in a similar way that my final digital collage does. Initially, I desired to use this deer skull to present more negative emotions within the piece, and furthermore utilize pessimistic connotations that come with decaying animals in order to emphasize the intense feelings of isolation and senselessness I desired to showcase. However, I ultimately decided to scrap this planning sketch, as I felt that the deer skull wasn’t wide enough to truly disturb the viewer’s ability to see the figure within the piece. Not only would this ruin my desire to create a sense of uneasiness within viewers, but it would also demolish my ability to convey a feeling of isolation. This sketch was abandoned early on, which is why some aspects of the piece are not present within this planning sketch.
The second planning sketch I made consisted of a girl that appeared to be fragmented similar to a broken mirror. This planning sketch was one I created with the intention of conveying the idea of one’s senses being broken after an extensive period of torment. However, from the very start I wasn’t happy with the alteration in my theme, as I had previously spent a generous amount of time attempting to coordinate and plan it out while conducting my research. Additionally, despite my wishes to create a piece that utilized the whole human figure, I was admittingly nervous to work with such a complex form in a considerably short amount of time. Although I would have enjoyed manipulating the human form - of which relates to my desire to abandon relying on the usage of traditional body language to express emotion - the project seemed too complex to successfully complete in the given time frame. This reason, alongside my unwillingness to change my original theme, ultimately resulted in the decision to create another planning sketch in hopes that it would more efficiently connect to my topic.
This final sketch I made during the planning process of this project was the sketch I consistently referred to throughout the actual creation of my digital collage. Although in this sketch, I had intended to illustrate the flowers entirely by hand (opposed to using photographs), it provided an essential basis for my final product. While making this planning sketch, I was immediately able to see connections to my inspiration, as well as my theme. Both pieces used illustrative qualities, and additionally abandoned the usage of conventional techniques to synthesize the theme within my work (both aspects apply to Rene Magritte as well as the Surrealism movement). It was because of this that I ultimately decided to use this sketch as the rough draft for my final project.
The first planning sketch I created as a possible digital collage project depicts a deer skull, of which was intended to cover a figure in a similar way that my final digital collage does. Initially, I desired to use this deer skull to present more negative emotions within the piece, and furthermore utilize pessimistic connotations that come with decaying animals in order to emphasize the intense feelings of isolation and senselessness I desired to showcase. However, I ultimately decided to scrap this planning sketch, as I felt that the deer skull wasn’t wide enough to truly disturb the viewer’s ability to see the figure within the piece. Not only would this ruin my desire to create a sense of uneasiness within viewers, but it would also demolish my ability to convey a feeling of isolation. This sketch was abandoned early on, which is why some aspects of the piece are not present within this planning sketch.
The second planning sketch I made consisted of a girl that appeared to be fragmented similar to a broken mirror. This planning sketch was one I created with the intention of conveying the idea of one’s senses being broken after an extensive period of torment. However, from the very start I wasn’t happy with the alteration in my theme, as I had previously spent a generous amount of time attempting to coordinate and plan it out while conducting my research. Additionally, despite my wishes to create a piece that utilized the whole human figure, I was admittingly nervous to work with such a complex form in a considerably short amount of time. Although I would have enjoyed manipulating the human form - of which relates to my desire to abandon relying on the usage of traditional body language to express emotion - the project seemed too complex to successfully complete in the given time frame. This reason, alongside my unwillingness to change my original theme, ultimately resulted in the decision to create another planning sketch in hopes that it would more efficiently connect to my topic.
This final sketch I made during the planning process of this project was the sketch I consistently referred to throughout the actual creation of my digital collage. Although in this sketch, I had intended to illustrate the flowers entirely by hand (opposed to using photographs), it provided an essential basis for my final product. While making this planning sketch, I was immediately able to see connections to my inspiration, as well as my theme. Both pieces used illustrative qualities, and additionally abandoned the usage of conventional techniques to synthesize the theme within my work (both aspects apply to Rene Magritte as well as the Surrealism movement). It was because of this that I ultimately decided to use this sketch as the rough draft for my final project.
Process
In order to begin this process of creating my digital collage project, I opened a new canvas in Photoshop that measured 24 inches by 36 inches. I ultimately decided to create a canvas of this size not only for printing efficiency, but also to utilize the vertical height of the document in order to create a sense of closeness considering the sole subject of ,my artwork. With the silhouette of the subject being pressed close to the horizontal edges of the Photoshop canvas, emphasis is established on the figure. This promotes the idea of isolation as well - of which I had previously desired to implement into artwork - as the subject is notably the only object in the frame. Furthermore, doing this connected my artwork more closely with Surrealist works by Rene Magritte, my artistic inspiration for this project. In pieces such as, “The Son of Man,” and “The Art of Living,” Magritte's subjects are isolated, and additionally tend to stand out amongst their surroundings.
One I had created the Photoshop document, I then opened up a photo of myself onto the document. This photo wa taken by my mother, and furthermore was taken to simply provide a figure for the digital collage base. However, since I was unable to take this photo in front of a white background, there was an abundance of background clutter present in the photo alongside my portrait. In order to rectify this, I first used the lasso tool in order to collect my desired image with as little backdrop present as possible. While this removed a majority of the surrounding backdrop, there was still a decent portion of the excess material present in the smaller sections of the image, where it was significantly harder precisely cut out necessary details. In order to remove this portion of the background, I simply used the eraser tool along the edges of the silhouette. Yet, to ensure that my piece remained considerably polished and sharp., I traced the outline of the silhouette with a smaller sized eraser to ensure I only removed what was unnecessary to the artwork itself. After I had outlined the figure with the smaller eraser, I then switched to using a less precise eraser. I felt that this was essential to make cleaning up excess backgrounds easily. I first started this by erasing the tight spaces along the figure within the work, as this allowed me to practice with a larger eraser before returning to detail-work. Once that had been completed, I used the smaller eraser to clean up any remaining background present in the photograph. I went back a few times to edit pieces of hair or skin that I felt were awkwardly cut after the outlining process. After this had been done, I then started working with the flowers I had previously taken photographs of. Once I had sorted through the selection of photographs I was interested in, I ultimately decided to use portions of twelve flower photos. I chose some photos for their complexity, while I chose others for the variety of flower color and size, as I still wanted my piece to remain visual appealing. The first photograph I worked with was one with many different kinds of fake flowers within it. I felt that this photograph would make a good centerpiece to my digital collage, as it introduced an asymmetric balance to the piece. Similarly to my portrait, I started the process of cropping and editing the flower photo by lassoing the general outline of the items. However, since this was my first time working with editing and erasing considerably complex shapes, I provided myself a decent amount of room to erase so I could practice different techniques to see which helped erase excess backgrounds most efficiently. Before actually erasing the excess edges though, I first transferred the lassoed image to the slide with my portrait on it. I ultimately did this to see what edges of the flowers would be most critical to artwork, and therefore, would require the most precision to edit down. However, after the flower photo had been edited over a portion of my portrait, I then hid the surrounding layers so I could better see what I was editing on the flowers themselves. Again I followed a technique of outlining the edges of the flowers first before going back with a larger eraser, only to then return with the smaller eraser again for a final touch up on the piece. This process was then repeated with a variety of different flower combinations. Since I only had three kinds of flowers though, I wasn’t able to create as much diversity throughout my work as I had initially desired. After adding additional flowers to my piece, I then decided to create the background for this piece. Since I desired to have the main emphasis of this piece be on the subject in the foreground of the artwork, I decided to mimic the usage of a considerably simplistic background, such as in “The Son of Man,” by Rene Magritte. However, while searching for ideas to create a background that was detailed enough to be technically competent, while also not detailed enough to distract the viewer from the main subject of the painting, I found an old artwork I had made during my sophomore year of high school. This piece consisted of trees (which were taken from actual photographs of mine) and a starry sky (of which I had edited on another graphic design program that I previously owned before Photoshop). The stars in the background were just simple enough to not be overly distracting or cluttering, but also looked polished. As a result, I decided to repurpose this old artwork into the background of my new work. However, when I initially transferred the photo into the background of my digital collage, the trees jutted out in a random pattern that made the piece appear sloppy. As a result, I stretched the piece until the trees were no longer visible in the frame. Then, as a final act, I added another set of flowers to my artwork so that my face was completely obstructed from the viewer, just as an extra measure to ensure my theme of isolation could be identified easily.
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Experimentation
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Throughout the creation of my digital collage project, I repeatedly experimented with the various aspects of my piece in attempts to create an artwork that ultimately conveyed my theme as successfully as possible. Primarily, I experimented by using various different angles and types of lighting while taking photos of the flowers I intended to use in my senior project. This was done in order to create a diverse set of collage photos, so that my piece would not appear too plain. Furthermore, I wanted to ensure I had a plethora of photos to use throughout my project, so that I could efficiently present the idea of an individual essential becoming “blocked out” to their surroundings, of which is showcased throughout the overwhelming amount of flowers that block out all of the facial features on the figure. Although a majority of the photos I took did not get implemented into my final piece, I still found it a nice way to experiment with angles and how that would affect the overall appearance and unity within my piece.
Not only did I experiment with the types of photos I used within my work, but I also experimented with the overall placement of the photos I used within my work. When I first started creating my digital collage, I knew that I wanted the entirety of my face to be covered in a variety of flowers and other materials. I desired to do this in order to convey the idea of suffocation, as well as isolation from the surrounding world. Since the flowers completely cover the face of the figure in my digital collage, it prevents the viewer from examining a decent portion of the subject, of which creates a barrier essentially, as well as a feeling of uneasiness within the viewer. By editing the order of the layers, this determined which flowers were most visible to the viewer, and additionally which flowers were hidden. I ultimately decided to organize the flowers so that there was an even distribution of color and flower type. This ensured that my piece remained visually interesting, while additionally establishing movement within my piece. |
Reflection
In general, I feel that this digital collage piece is a decently polished piece of artwork. Despite the fact that I personally feel that the background isn’t as detailed as it could be, I similarly feel that adding too many components to this piece would have made the overall artwork appear cluttered and generally chaotic. Furthermore, I feel that I could have darkened the flowers as well as the figure in order to make the piece considerably more cohesive. However, with my current level of education on the Photoshop program, I felt that repeatedly editing a larger amount of digital collage components would have been a strenuous task considering the amount of time allotted to complete this project. Otherwise I’m generally pleased with the sharpness of the flowers along the figure, while I also feel that the piece can be successfully connected to Rene Magritte, as both artworks are considerably simplistic works, with each containing items within them that have been manipulated to create a feeling of uneasiness within the viewer.
Considering my theme however, I am less pleased with the outcome of this piece. More specifically, I feel that the usage of flowers within my work showcase more positive and soothing emotions that what I had originally intended. Furthermore, while reviewing my work, I noticed that the flowers covered both the neck and the head of the subject. I feel that this makes the figure slightly unrecognizable as a person at first glance, of which changes the theme I was ultimately intending to convey within my work. However, I do feel that ideas of isolation and confusion are both presented within this piece, as the subject is alone, and the presence of flowers in place of a face is unconventional enough to startle the viewer. If I were to go back and revise this work later on, I would be sure to examine additional works by Rene Magritte in order to gather more information and tips on how to present a theme through the manipulation of commonplace objects.
Considering my theme however, I am less pleased with the outcome of this piece. More specifically, I feel that the usage of flowers within my work showcase more positive and soothing emotions that what I had originally intended. Furthermore, while reviewing my work, I noticed that the flowers covered both the neck and the head of the subject. I feel that this makes the figure slightly unrecognizable as a person at first glance, of which changes the theme I was ultimately intending to convey within my work. However, I do feel that ideas of isolation and confusion are both presented within this piece, as the subject is alone, and the presence of flowers in place of a face is unconventional enough to startle the viewer. If I were to go back and revise this work later on, I would be sure to examine additional works by Rene Magritte in order to gather more information and tips on how to present a theme through the manipulation of commonplace objects.
Connecting to the ACT
1) Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
2) What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
4) What was the central theme or idea around your inspirational research?
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions based on your evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
- It is through the repeated usage of various incongruous items, as well as the overwhelming emphasis on the subject of the digital collage that a visual connection can be established between my artwork, and the artworks of Rene Magritte. Furthermore, through the portrayal of emotional distress, this piece connects effectively to the Surrealism movement, as the focus of that particular movement revolves around analyzing the human mind.
2) What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
- Throughout a majority of my research, several authors analyzed the goals and aspirations of Surrealists that created work during the start of the Surrealist movement itself. More specifically, a vast quantity of authors evaluated the Surrealist’s goals to spur social change through the unconventional showcasing of “taboo” human emotions and thoughts.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
- The primary conclusion I was able to reach from my extensive research on the Surrealist movement was that Surrealists yearned to break away from the traditional, realistic, approaches to art, and instead desired to focus on using symbolism and various motifs to convey in-depth evaluations of everyday living as well as inconsistencies within society.
4) What was the central theme or idea around your inspirational research?
- The central theme I focused on examining while conducting my inspirational research was the presentation of senselessness, and furthermore the techniques I was able to use in order to express human emotions without relying on the usage of traditional body language.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions based on your evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
- Following my research, I was able to conclude that Rene Magritte primarily utilizes motifs as well as repetition in order to establish the themes within his piece. Furthermore, when these various motifs intersect with one another in the occasional work, this represents Magritte’s clashing desires/ideas he wishes to convey as an artist.
Bibliography
“René Magritte, La Corde Sensible (Heartstring).” Masterworks Fine Art Gallery,
www.masterworksfineart.com/artists/rene-magritte/lithograph/la-corde-sensible-heartstring/id/w-3973.
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“René Magritte, Le Grand Style (Great Style).” Masterworks Fine Art Gallery,
www.masterworksfineart.com/artists/rene-magritte/lithograph/le-grand-style-great-style/id/w-3853.
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“Rene Magritte Overview and Analysis.” The Art Story,
www.theartstory.org/artist-magritte-rene.htm.
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“René Magritte.” Willem De Kooning. Woman I. 1950–52 | MoMA, www.moma.org/artists/3692.
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“Surrealism Movement, Artists and Major Works.” The Art Story,
www.theartstory.org/movement-surrealism.htm.
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“The Art of Living.” Rene Magritte - Artist Biography with Portfolio of Paintings, Prints and
Artwork, 2017, www.rene-magritte.com/art-of-living/.
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“The Pilgrim.” Rene Magritte - Artist Biography with Portfolio of Paintings, Prints and Artwork,
2017, www.rene-magritte.com/pilgrim/.
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“The Son of Man.” Rene Magritte - Artist Biography with Portfolio of Paintings, Prints and
Artwork, 2017, www.rene-magritte.com/son-of-man/.
www.masterworksfineart.com/artists/rene-magritte/lithograph/la-corde-sensible-heartstring/id/w-3973.
-
“René Magritte, Le Grand Style (Great Style).” Masterworks Fine Art Gallery,
www.masterworksfineart.com/artists/rene-magritte/lithograph/le-grand-style-great-style/id/w-3853.
-
“Rene Magritte Overview and Analysis.” The Art Story,
www.theartstory.org/artist-magritte-rene.htm.
-
“René Magritte.” Willem De Kooning. Woman I. 1950–52 | MoMA, www.moma.org/artists/3692.
-
“Surrealism Movement, Artists and Major Works.” The Art Story,
www.theartstory.org/movement-surrealism.htm.
-
“The Art of Living.” Rene Magritte - Artist Biography with Portfolio of Paintings, Prints and
Artwork, 2017, www.rene-magritte.com/art-of-living/.
-
“The Pilgrim.” Rene Magritte - Artist Biography with Portfolio of Paintings, Prints and Artwork,
2017, www.rene-magritte.com/pilgrim/.
-
“The Son of Man.” Rene Magritte - Artist Biography with Portfolio of Paintings, Prints and
Artwork, 2017, www.rene-magritte.com/son-of-man/.