(Notebook Design)
"Action is the foundational key to all success."
-Pablo Picasso
-Pablo Picasso
Using Picasso's "The Acrobat", I designed a leather notebook (which can be used). I combined leather and gold marker to create contrast, but to also show unity between the materials.
Historical Investigation
Pablo Picasso is widely known as the father of Cubism, and founder of biomorphism. While other artists were more abstract, Picasso maintained human form. Rather than focusing on making objects 3-D on the canvas, the 2-D features are emphasized . This showed awareness and appreciation of the human figure. In The Acrobat, the figure is extremely fluid, and seems to be able to perform and do whatever that it wants. However, this is contradicted by the figure being encapsuled by the tight frame. As cubists focused on created geometric figures with organic shapes, this piece does not emphasize that style as much as Picasso's other works like Guernica. Guernica was a piece made 7 years after The Acrobat, which focused on the events which had taken place in Guernica. The Nazi's had directly bombed the city, causing many causalities and injuries. The people were in shock, and the pain is emphasized and humanized in this piece.
More prevalent in Guernica, the figures are struggling to escape the bombing in their geometric shapes. Some of these created disproportionately to emphasize the destruction and distress of the people. Not only are there human shapes, but there's also many animals in the work. This shows the peace which the city was at, and then the aftermath. While the people are running and moving throughout the piece, the animals are in place, unaware of what seems to be happening. This sort of helplessness and passion for Guernica became a sign of Picasso's anti-war beliefs. He's watching these people suffer, all at the fault of the Nazi's. They can't do anything, but he can paint. This was created on the foundation of The Acrobat, which showed an alteration in artist styles. While the human figure is more closely maintained in The Acrobat, the figures still prevail throughout their more geometric expression in Guernica. Using the concept of The Acrobat, I created a piece centralized around the flexibility of humans, literally as well as metaphorically. While some people may be able to physically flex, other people and the way their minds work can be more flexible. Both of these ways show how human nature is not borderline, but rather different for every individual. While constrained in our own framework we work with what we have.
More prevalent in Guernica, the figures are struggling to escape the bombing in their geometric shapes. Some of these created disproportionately to emphasize the destruction and distress of the people. Not only are there human shapes, but there's also many animals in the work. This shows the peace which the city was at, and then the aftermath. While the people are running and moving throughout the piece, the animals are in place, unaware of what seems to be happening. This sort of helplessness and passion for Guernica became a sign of Picasso's anti-war beliefs. He's watching these people suffer, all at the fault of the Nazi's. They can't do anything, but he can paint. This was created on the foundation of The Acrobat, which showed an alteration in artist styles. While the human figure is more closely maintained in The Acrobat, the figures still prevail throughout their more geometric expression in Guernica. Using the concept of The Acrobat, I created a piece centralized around the flexibility of humans, literally as well as metaphorically. While some people may be able to physically flex, other people and the way their minds work can be more flexible. Both of these ways show how human nature is not borderline, but rather different for every individual. While constrained in our own framework we work with what we have.
Process & Planning
While sketching my ideas, I initially was very unsure of what I wanted. I thought that the book would be best as the complete and full-sized. I also realized as time went on, how it didn't look right. I considered what the figure would appear as, as well as how it would be positioned on the leather. As I knew I would be branding the leather, I knew that there was no going back once the image was created.
Experimentation
Based on: http://www.instructables.com/id/Left-over-paper-journal/
While creating this notebook I was considering adding a folder for added stability. I ended up deciding on not using this because it was disregarded, and I enjoyed the way it felt without the added weight. This gives it a more simplistic and light feel. I'd also considered adding a side pocket to the notebook, but this failed in several ways. I was too indecisive before deciding on what the final design for the notebook would be. There was many holes for sewing in the places which the pocket would be, which didn't properly align or fell off the cover. It also wouldn't have worked well due to my wide stitching, many things would fall out. The piece being used was also too small to support anything with significant weight. Without the pocket the notebook continues to be light and flexible, which was the goal of the piece. I had experimented with my branding tool and trying to freehand the figure on the leather. I ended up strongly disliking what I had done, and cut the bottom half off. The bottom half was refurbished and created into it's own notebook, with a yin-ying symbol just as a practice design. This process included a lot of resewing and breaking of needles (specifically 4) to get to the complete product. The leather was very hard to get the thread through, so I had to cut out all of the holes to get the needle completely through.
Process
Based on: http://www.instructables.com/id/Left-over-paper-journal/
To begin creating the notebook I marked all of the pages with the points where I would be sewing. I marked the dots on to the folder (which was not used), and through the leather. This marked all of the places where the needle would be going through, sewing through the leather and paper. I esitmated the width of the stacks of paper, which were alligned with the dots on the paper. I cut each of the holes so that the needle would go through, and complete the sewing. After assembling the book, I branded it and then traced this with a gold sharpie.
Reflection & Evaluation
My piece has a strong and distinct to my inspiration of Pablo Picasso, and his work The Acrobat. The symbol on the cover of the notebook is very similar to that of The Acrobat, but it has it's own distinguishing features. While The Acrobat is obviously more of a masculine and male figure, mine is feminine and female. I added breasts and a more prevalent outline of the vagina. For me, adding these female features was more of a personal touch and connection to my own art. Although I enjoyed making this figure female, It does make the figure look a little more abstract than Picasso's work. I like to say that women are more flexible and able to adapt to situations more. As woman have commonly faced oppression and discrimination, my artistic style is more catered to showing my inner feminist. My piece also does not contain the female figure, as she has grown up and made her own frame. The figure is flexible, and seemingly limitless. She rests directly on the cover of the notebook, as she is there to constantly remind people of their capabilities. This was also an aesthetic choice, as it provides an asymmetric aspect to the work. With more resources , I would have like to expand the page count, as well as how sturdy that the notebook is. However, I enjoy the flexibility of the notebook as the entire theme centralize around the figure is flexibility. Here even the notebook (although temporary), serves as a reminder that there's always a variety of options, and ways to do things. This notebook was constructed using leather which although tough, will not support the full weight of itself, and can only shield the pages on the sides. The top and bottom of the notebook are left exposed to the outer world, which is a design flaw. Adding a more box-like structure to contain the pages would have been more challenging, and less aesthetically pleasing. This notebook is simple enough to be carried around in a pocket or in a purse. It is made to allow the person who owns it to write as they go throughout the day. As the human experience is unique to every being, having a flexible notebook with seemingly organic matter, everything goes hand-in-hand. I chose to use leather as it comes from a natural resource (being the organic shape to Picasso), and adding a more geometric figure on it. This shows the cubist style applied to its contradiction of the real and natural world.
Connection to the ACT
1.) The cause-effect relationship between my inspiration of Picasso, and my artwork, is clear. The figure featured on the journal is very similar to that of Picasso's The Acrobat.
2.)Picasso's beliefs on the human figure shows an awareness for it's ablities and indiviudalities. These are all featured throughout my work, showing my own awareness.
3.)While researching Picasso and his work, I was able to conclude that people have a certain unique quality that makes them innately human. They all bend and travel within their own restraints of life.
4.) The central idea around my research was the human figure, and human vulnerability. Humans can only allow them to do what they believe in themselves, similar to my inspiration.
5.)While conducting research it can be inferred that Picasso's cubist style wasn't fully appreciated until he passed away. His awareness of the human form was largely demonstrated, and demonstrated well.
2.)Picasso's beliefs on the human figure shows an awareness for it's ablities and indiviudalities. These are all featured throughout my work, showing my own awareness.
3.)While researching Picasso and his work, I was able to conclude that people have a certain unique quality that makes them innately human. They all bend and travel within their own restraints of life.
4.) The central idea around my research was the human figure, and human vulnerability. Humans can only allow them to do what they believe in themselves, similar to my inspiration.
5.)While conducting research it can be inferred that Picasso's cubist style wasn't fully appreciated until he passed away. His awareness of the human form was largely demonstrated, and demonstrated well.