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Inspirations & Dislikes

Title - The Widow 1

Artist - Käthe Kollwitz

Gallery - IKON

From this gallery, 'The Widow 1' stood out of me the most due to the simplicity of the outline of the body whilst ,the detail and visible texture shown throughout the hands and face adds complexity to the image. I initially thought this was created by using a lino cutting technique, which i have previously experimented with but the technique used for this is woodcutting. I would love to experiment with this method of working after looking at Käthe's work due to the rawness of the finished outcome. Not only working with woodcutting but also try a range of printing methods.

The use of using one colour ink adds to the simplicity of the image which i mentioned earlier but helps bring out the emotion of the piece which you can also see in her facial expressions and body language. I feel sad looking at the piece,as i can sense the loneliness of women in the frame, which is the effect that Kollwiz was trying to portray across the the viewer. Going on from that point, the women is positioned in the centre of a frame, surrounded by emptiness aswell as the black being so bold emphasising the absense of other people in her life.

Title - N/A

Artist - Andrew Kuhlman

Gallery - Parkside Gallery Exhibition

This piece is jam-packed with eccentric patterns and shapes all lined up in unison with no two squares the same. From the Exhibition, this artwork drew me first, giving me pure excitement to look at due to the busyness of the piece. I love the grittiness provided by the ink from the printing process, making the paper an off white/ grey tone. This adds to the uniqueness of the piece as each individual print will be printed slightly differently, changing the tones and saturation of across the artwork.

The visuals of the piece remind me of pattern work for textiles or fashion design. The use of repetitive/similar patterns printed one after another can be used to then print onto fabric, then to be transformed into a finished outcome for a textiles project.

Hints of salmon and pinks are dotted around the piece, highlighting areas which draw my eyes to them. As well as this, other areas have had more ink applied to them to accentuate the different tones, creating dimension and levels to the piece, therefore pushing the idea of individuality throughtout the work.

A lot of the printing processes in these three galleries have taken my fancy so i would like to try develop my ideas and skills as the project progresses. I have only scratched the surface of a few different techniques but I can already see potential from these inspiration pieces. The need to work on larger scales in a more abstract or in a free roaming style intrigues me as I work very finely, and precisely normally, so doing this would begin to push me out of my comfort zone.

Title - Beneath GHI 2

Artist - Sara Kulman

Gallery - Parkside Gallery Exhibition

I'm not a 3D or sculptural artist and haven't had much experience with this style so I wanted to choose a 3D piece which excites me and can inspire me to experiment in this style possibly further along in the project. 'Beneath GHI 2' is made up of different coloured card pieces put together to create a beautiful illusion, which requires you to walk around the piece to see it from different angles to achieve a different perspective on the sculpture.

The use of this tunneling effect, caving inwards by looking straight on at the piece is really powerful and has paid off well despite the look of simplicity of the outcome. The sense of endlessness or continuity created is a compelling device in sculpture work which isn't easily created.This intrigues mes as I haven't seen this technique used often at the galleries I have visited,.The ombre effect of the rainbow colours is visually/aesthetically pleasing to the eye due to the soft transition in colour, making it easy to view despite the boldness of each colour. Using such radiant colours in the middle draws the viewer to look directly into the centre of the piece where the main activity is happening. The grey card almost mirrors an hour glass whilst looking at the piece head on,almost indicating the viewers eyes to follow the shape into the middle of the sculpture.

Title - Farm (Night) - 2015

Artist - John Gerrard

Gallery - BMAG

The ominous atmosphere that 'Farm' produces is very intriguing because of how empty the video is, leaving the viewer uncertain of what is being shown to them. My first inital thoughts whilst watching this cinematic art piece was quite chilling and almost reminded me of a scene out of a horror music due to no life or noise present in the video. The darkness adds to the eery atmosphere as well as the faint lighting indicating different small sections of the landscape. There camera movement is very smooth and slow so i I felt as if there would be a jump scare or some sort of creepy shadow lurking in the background of each scene.

Later on, i wanted to come back to this piece and re-watch it as i was very intrigued by it. As the I indulged myself further into the video again, I began to feel more peaceful and calm which was the complete opposite to my previous reaction. The lack of noise now turned into a relaxed state of mind, whilst watching this beautiful scenery being unveiled by the gentle movements of the camera.

There is a daytime version of this on Youtube which doesn't give the same spark as this nighttime version. I think this is due to daytime being recognised as busy whilst night time is known to be quieter with less human movement. Using digital or cinematic means of producing an outcome would be a route to consider going down further into the project.

Dislikes:

Title -

Artist -

Gallery - BMAG

This piece probably has a meaning or purpose behind the composition,materials and colours, but for me personally it looks like a lot of random mark making thrown across the canvas. Its very abstract which could be a reason behind my judgement, as its hard to read the emotion or thoughts behind the image.

Portraiture is much easier to understand as facial expressions or body language show emotion and tell a story through the setting. Landscapes use a lot of colour to a get a sense of the mood in the image.

Line stokes and texture is the key to begin understanding what is happening here. Harsh and immediate graffiti covers sections and other marks indicating a connection between different aspects of art maybe? or does each medium represent an emotion or a message?


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