"Cross"
Images and ink on wood
1. Define which techniques you tried and mastered? Struggled?
A new technique I tried was working with wood and using a nail gun. Totally nailed it. I also tried cutting and pasting images from printer paper. Mastered it. I also used an ink dropper to create the effect of blood on the hands and then dipped a paint brush in ink and flicked it in order to create a splatter. The darker or more dense parts of the splatter were created by me dipping the tip of my finger in ink and dragging it along the wood. No struggles at all.
2. How did you draw inspiration from other artists techniques or aesthetics in your work? In what ways did you derive meaning or gain historical perspectives from their work? Why these artists?
In literature author's often use a character as a Christ figure. Popular Christ figures include Harry from Harry Potter and Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia. I was inspired most by William Faulker who used his character Benjy Compson as a christ figure in his novel The Sound and The Fury. Benjy functions not only as one who senses the evil of the world but also as one who represents Christ's failure to save the modern world. Faulkner pessimistically presents his view of what has happened to Christ in the modern world. He has become castrated, moaning and bellowing about the condition of this world as it affects his personal comfort and pleasure and incapable of performing any constructive act, uttering a word of criticism, or offering hope for the future. In my piece Benjy is depicted as James Franco who played the character in The Sound and The Fury movie adaptation.
3. Describe the evolution of your piece. Decisions made. Compositional elements.
I started with knowing I wanted to make a cross. I was unsure what to put on it at first, thinking maybe just painting red blood streaks with random nails sticking out. However, in my head I was moreso leaning towards the artsy and disturbing. At first I just wanted to do a broken and pasted Jesus but then relating it back to my theme I decided to include Christ figures in order to incorporate literature. It was easy to think of Christ figures. I decide to go with a darker image of Jesus to make the tone of the piece more depressing. The nails in the hand and the blood were the perfect final touches. I liked both the 3D and 2D elements of the piece (mixed medium and textures as well).
4. If you could consider doing something over, explain why you would do this and what you would do next time?
Nothing. C'est parfait.
5. Elaborate on how this piece links with your other pieces? What is the common thread?
The common thread is religion in literature. This piece focuses on Christ figures in literature, namely The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner.
A new technique I tried was working with wood and using a nail gun. Totally nailed it. I also tried cutting and pasting images from printer paper. Mastered it. I also used an ink dropper to create the effect of blood on the hands and then dipped a paint brush in ink and flicked it in order to create a splatter. The darker or more dense parts of the splatter were created by me dipping the tip of my finger in ink and dragging it along the wood. No struggles at all.
2. How did you draw inspiration from other artists techniques or aesthetics in your work? In what ways did you derive meaning or gain historical perspectives from their work? Why these artists?
In literature author's often use a character as a Christ figure. Popular Christ figures include Harry from Harry Potter and Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia. I was inspired most by William Faulker who used his character Benjy Compson as a christ figure in his novel The Sound and The Fury. Benjy functions not only as one who senses the evil of the world but also as one who represents Christ's failure to save the modern world. Faulkner pessimistically presents his view of what has happened to Christ in the modern world. He has become castrated, moaning and bellowing about the condition of this world as it affects his personal comfort and pleasure and incapable of performing any constructive act, uttering a word of criticism, or offering hope for the future. In my piece Benjy is depicted as James Franco who played the character in The Sound and The Fury movie adaptation.
3. Describe the evolution of your piece. Decisions made. Compositional elements.
I started with knowing I wanted to make a cross. I was unsure what to put on it at first, thinking maybe just painting red blood streaks with random nails sticking out. However, in my head I was moreso leaning towards the artsy and disturbing. At first I just wanted to do a broken and pasted Jesus but then relating it back to my theme I decided to include Christ figures in order to incorporate literature. It was easy to think of Christ figures. I decide to go with a darker image of Jesus to make the tone of the piece more depressing. The nails in the hand and the blood were the perfect final touches. I liked both the 3D and 2D elements of the piece (mixed medium and textures as well).
4. If you could consider doing something over, explain why you would do this and what you would do next time?
Nothing. C'est parfait.
5. Elaborate on how this piece links with your other pieces? What is the common thread?
The common thread is religion in literature. This piece focuses on Christ figures in literature, namely The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner.