in a moment of depression

Monday, 5 October 2009
Posted by anewman at 01:34

2 comments:

tutorphil said...
6 October 2009 at 21:17

Interim Review Unit 1: Anatomy 06/10/09

Hi Alex,

You've created some brooding, introspective preparatory portraits here; I wonder though, what problem you're trying to solve; there are many problems encountered when trying to 'picture identity' - how do you depict time, motion, passion, melancholy, the flux of feelings; how do depict transformation, and so on? I wonder which essential aspect of your character you're trying to express; obviously, music is very important to you, and you use the guitar to symbolise it, but isn't using a guitar to symbolise music rather like using a red heart shape to symbolise love? Yes, the guitar makes music, but music itself (its colours, tones, moods etc.) are much more expressive and transitory than that ordinary wooden object would suggest; my point is, that sometimes, you need to go beneath the conventional symbolism and get to the real problem - which is how to depict the abstract; how can you show your love of music; how can you show what it does to you; what it is like to be you when you're in the middle of music, in its heart?

There is a lot of melancholy in your work; is this expressive of your character? If so, do you think that maybe the desolate beach might be a cliche too?

What is the essence of the problem of trying to depict your identity? Is it change? Is it time? Is it music? Try and let the 'problem' drive the aesthetic; your portrait will look a certain way because it MUST look that way!

Regarding your essay: it seems that your primarily interested in deception and masquerade; in portraits that lie; this is interesting stuff, but what you need to do first is establish the opposite argument that portraits are truthful; you need to find a quote and an image that establish the idea of 'truth', so that you can establish the opposite argument in contrast to it. I suggest you argue through specific portraits and keep it very specific to the work; artists who 'lie' include Cindy Sherman and Gillian Wearing...

anewman said...
6 October 2009 at 23:03

Thank you for the feedback Phil. It is helpful and cognitive.

I have some displays of melancholy, but I assure you, it is not my character trait. A temporary thing...I will try to change the decorations of my portraits.

I will think few days more about essay question. It is the hardest thing so I do not want to rush it.

Thank for direction...

Einstein once said that if you gave him an hour to solve a problem, and his life depended on getting the right answer, he would spend 55 minutes figuring out what questions to ask. "For if I knew the proper questions," he said, "I could solve the problem in less than 5 minutes."

I'm not Einstein. But quotation fits:).

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