Choice Piece
“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”
-Banksy
-Banksy
This piece was inspired by Banksy and Timothy Meyerring. Using Meyerring's "Chaise" and Banksy's perspective on worldwide issues, I made "One in Six". I used the fragile image that Meyerring created and combined it with the graffiti with a few simple words to show a story, that would tell itself. According to a 1998 survey, it was estimated 1 in 6 females in the United States will experience an attempted or completed rape. This painting is a call to attention to the issue.
Historical Investigation
While researching inspirational artists to be used for this piece, Banksy seemed the most prominent. Banksy is an English graffiti artist. His works commonly deal with political issues found worldwide. His works focus on all aspects of flaws of the government. These works can include the ideology against child soldiers, discrimination, world leaders/powers, and how society has evolved. His works include simple or no phrases. His works are publicly displayed and even sometimes painted over. Banksy believes that by keeping his identity a secret, people feel more obligated to listen to the messages that he is trying to relay to the viewers. He risks being exposed or arrested for continuing to do his work, but he feels the need to show the world regardless of what the authorities may do. He commonly uses the sharp contrast of black and white with red lettering. His calligraphy style is either short and sloppy or clean and easily legible, depending on how he deems it to best fit the piece.
Timothy Meyerring is a Milwaukee artist who commonly works with many layers of paint in his work. He uses his own style and technique to create more unique pieces which appeal to the eye. “Chaise” was painted based off of a photograph. The curation of these artists resulted in a piece which showed the elegance and grace of a women. The use of blue and purple hues throughout the piece create a sense of surrealism. The purple radiance of the piece creates an atmosphere which makes the women seem more vulnerable, as well as mythical. The vulnerability of any human in the nude is clear and present. The tone that this piece creates is a sense of sensuality as well as desire.
Combining the concepts of these artists I created a work which takes the contrast used with the red versus black and white and phrasing of Banksy, and combined it with the classic works of Meyerring. Combining these two pieces contrasts how the public may initially see an elegant piece, which has been spray painted over.
Timothy Meyerring is a Milwaukee artist who commonly works with many layers of paint in his work. He uses his own style and technique to create more unique pieces which appeal to the eye. “Chaise” was painted based off of a photograph. The curation of these artists resulted in a piece which showed the elegance and grace of a women. The use of blue and purple hues throughout the piece create a sense of surrealism. The purple radiance of the piece creates an atmosphere which makes the women seem more vulnerable, as well as mythical. The vulnerability of any human in the nude is clear and present. The tone that this piece creates is a sense of sensuality as well as desire.
Combining the concepts of these artists I created a work which takes the contrast used with the red versus black and white and phrasing of Banksy, and combined it with the classic works of Meyerring. Combining these two pieces contrasts how the public may initially see an elegant piece, which has been spray painted over.
Sketching & Planning
When originally trying to decide on a focus for my choice piece, I'd wanted to originally do something with photography and Andy Warhol. I'd considered doing a photo a day of myself, experimenting with ways to express how I'd felt each day. I changed this idea after being really inspire by the works of Banksy and Meyerring. I knew I wanted to find a way to express something I was more passionate about, and by combining these two artists, I was able to achieve that.
Gathering Tools:
Tools Used:
1.) Acrylic Paint
2.) Gesso
3.) Final Varnish
4.) Spray Paint
1.) Acrylic Paint
2.) Gesso
3.) Final Varnish
4.) Spray Paint
Experimentation
I'd begun creating this piece by gesso the canvas with a combination of white gesso and black paint. I wanted to simulate what it would be like to be painting on a rough surface, similar to how Banksy works. I did this piece on a canvas rather than an actual wall because of legal issues. Next I had to practice using stencils. This was a lot harder than I had though it would be. The letters kept turning out unreadable or messed up. I settled for this look because I ended up enjoying how haunting the words looked, especially since they were written in red. I couldn't think of just one straight forward idea for this piece. I wanted to create something which would relate to the current world problem many Syrian children are facing. I couldn't find the right way to to this. I got frustrated with the piece and had hoped that if I made a blood splatter all over the canvas it would all finally have a sense of unity. The only good result of this first attempt was that it resembled a story that may be seen in a graphic novel. I didn't enjoy looking at this piece at all, so I restarted it.
Process
For this new idea I had considered using Picasso's "Blue Nude" piece which is very similar to "Chaise". I had enjoyed the pure sense of vulnerability seen in Picasso's work. The figure hunched over seemed more fitting for the idea of how hurt women can be by something as traumatic as rape. I decided to use "Chaise" instead because of the distress created by the ink run down the canvas. A vulnerable figure is seen, but it almost appears as if the viewer is standing behind her. This brings the image closer to the viewer, closer to the female, as if there's different ways that this situation has come to focus. I free-handed the form and shading, while recreating Meyerring's work to the best of my ability, while also giving it my own twist. I dry painted to keep texture in place. I mixed paint and water to the point where there was a good ratio of 1:4 water and paint. This allowed to color to be present, while gliding down the canvas. I then used stencils again and hoped for the best results. Unlike with my experimental phase for this piece, I could not redo the work. This created a tense situation where I would occasionally smudge the paint into place to get the result I wanted. The messy look again adds a sense of horror to the piece, which beautifully contrasts with the background.
Reflection & Analysis
I am pleased with the outcome of my piece. At first it was very hard to decide on the direction which I wanted to take the work. Having a completely open-ended project created a difficulty on deciding which ideas were the best, but I am happy with the final route I chose. The final product is clean and shows a clear idea. I considered trying to use other phrases that would show the idea behind the piece without bluntly writing "rape" on the work. Rather than telling the viewer what the piece is about, I used a statistic. This is similar to Banksy because he is known for short phrases which convey an idea, but the reader must analyze it for them self. This was the hardest part of the piece, especially since it was the finishing touch. Once I had put those words down it set the tone for the entire piece. Incorporating Meyerring's work allowed for that sharp contrast of vulnerability and distress, with Banksy's questioning of the world around us. Changing the colors used in the piece was also a big debate for me. I wanted to have an obvious connection. I'd considered using the same purple/blue tones to paint "Chaise" and then spray painting over it with black. Ultimately it aesthetically pleased me more to use black, white, and red. The red also represents something much more aggressive than the play of purple and black do for this situation being displayed. There's a sense of unity found in this piece that was not found through my experimental phase. This use of colors and concept strikes people. Unlike the first work I created, it's got more meaning and elegance to it. I am pleased with how the piece turned out. The only thing that I would go back and change is my use of dry blending, it was a little too try. Not everything is as smoothly blended as I would like for it to be in the piece, but it does not have a strong effect on the shadowing. The figure style is recognizable an the shapes it takes on makes sense. I am a bit concerned that people will not understand the piece since I did not clearly label what the problem was. I am however hopeful this will encourage people to do their own research and learn more about the issue.
ACT Connection
1.) Using Meyerring and Banksy as my inspiration, there's a clear effect on my artwork. You can see the image used in "Chaise", as well as Banksy's perspective on the worldwide issue of rape.
2.) Banksy's perspective on issues that are hard for people to admit are an issue, only lead him to feel the need to build awareness. Meyerring has a strong sense of the human figure, as well as an appreciation for it. Combined there's a questioning of how the human body is seen and how it is treated.
3.) While researching my inspiration is was obvious that there's a large culture around my topic, being rape culture. There's obviously something wrong with the way that humans are doing things if the statisics are saying that 1 out of 6 females living in the USA will have to face this issue.
4.) While researching I was primarily looking for inspiration which would help me create a piece that shows a worldwide problem. There's so many issues in the world and I wanted to find the best way to show an issue as large as rape.
5.) While researching I concluded that there is a large culture surrounding the issue. Some chose to ignore the problem while others are strongly protesting and trying to get others to acknowledge the problem. When something so horrible is so prevalent in society, something needs to be done.
2.) Banksy's perspective on issues that are hard for people to admit are an issue, only lead him to feel the need to build awareness. Meyerring has a strong sense of the human figure, as well as an appreciation for it. Combined there's a questioning of how the human body is seen and how it is treated.
3.) While researching my inspiration is was obvious that there's a large culture around my topic, being rape culture. There's obviously something wrong with the way that humans are doing things if the statisics are saying that 1 out of 6 females living in the USA will have to face this issue.
4.) While researching I was primarily looking for inspiration which would help me create a piece that shows a worldwide problem. There's so many issues in the world and I wanted to find the best way to show an issue as large as rape.
5.) While researching I concluded that there is a large culture surrounding the issue. Some chose to ignore the problem while others are strongly protesting and trying to get others to acknowledge the problem. When something so horrible is so prevalent in society, something needs to be done.
Additional Links
https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence
https://www.ovc.gov/pubs/forge/sexual_numbers.html
https://www.ovc.gov/pubs/forge/sexual_numbers.html