Hybrid Heroes
Title: Consumption
Size: 10" by 24" by 55"
Medium: Cardboard and Hot Glue
Completion: 2021, March
Size: 10" by 24" by 55"
Medium: Cardboard and Hot Glue
Completion: 2021, March
Exhibition Text:
As humans, hunger controls our thoughts, plan of the day, and interactions with other people. Hunger can drive us insane, and in just the same, keep us alive so we can breathe another day. This piece, inspired by William Blake's painting "The Punishment of the Thieves from the Divine Comedy" battle between a snake and thieves is shown. The snakes are shown to prey on the material being and show how important power is, similar to hunger and a person's life.
As humans, hunger controls our thoughts, plan of the day, and interactions with other people. Hunger can drive us insane, and in just the same, keep us alive so we can breathe another day. This piece, inspired by William Blake's painting "The Punishment of the Thieves from the Divine Comedy" battle between a snake and thieves is shown. The snakes are shown to prey on the material being and show how important power is, similar to hunger and a person's life.
Inspiration:
While the soft hues and undulating lines of this watercolor by British artist William Blake, might not immediately scream “inferno,” a closer look reveals a particularly garish manner of suffering. The scene comes from a series of works Blake produced to illustrate an edition of The Divine Comedy. Blake took the commission because “Dante’s contempt for materialism and the way power warps morality” resonated with the eccentric 19th-century artist, who believed that the political and social climate in England was defined by greed. Here, Blake depicts a scene from cantos 24 and 25, where it is explained that snakes steal and manipulate the bodies of thieves, who must then search in vain for a home for their soul. Here, monstrous serpents strangle, penetrate, and rope around the thieves’ Rubenesque bodies as they are dragged underwater. Despite the fact that Blake was viewed as distraught by counterparts for his quirky perspectives, he is held in high respect by later pundits for his expressiveness and innovativeness, and for the philosophical and mysterious propensities inside his work. His canvases and verse have been described as a component of the Sentimental development and as "Pre-Sentimental". A submitted Christian who was unfriendly to the Congregation of Britain (undoubtedly, to practically all types of coordinated religion), Blake was affected by the goals and aspirations of the French and American upsets. Despite the fact that later he dismissed large numbers of these political convictions, he kept an affable relationship with the political extremist Thomas Paine; he was likewise affected by scholars like Emanuel Swedenborg. In spite of these known impacts, the peculiarity of Blake's work makes him hard to characterize. The nineteenth century researcher William Michael Rossetti described him as a "wonderful light", and "a man not prevented by archetypes, nor to be classed with counterparts, nor to be supplanted by known or promptly surmisable replacements". |
Thomas Philips, William Blake, 1807
William Blake, The Punishment of the Thieves from the Divine Comedy, 1824
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Planning:
As I began working out my planning process for this piece I knew I would have to be specific about the connections that I was going to make so that it could be more obvious to the viewer. I needed to find an inspiration that showed use of theme to create a meaning, while also being fascinating for the viewer to look at and enjoy. I came across the painting "The Punishment of the Thieces". This painting showed a snakes taking women because of their greed and bad relationship with the gifts of life. These elements truly spoke to an emotional piece, exactly what I was looking for. My theme changed throughout my planning and eventually became "greed". This was important for my work because it was to display the resentment of greed and how it can completely take over a person if not handled correctly. As I worked on my piece I was able to connect greed through;
1. A head piece that takes over the person wearing it
2. Wide mouth- to show gasping and taking in a lot to the body
3. Caged like appearance- to show emotion holding the person jailed by the snake
These three things helped me to shape my artwork into a piece that would truly show emotion and greed as the main themes of the work. In order to properly plan this piece I began by laying out what I wanted to accomplish each day that I would work on the piece. I started with the basics of the piece so that I could lay out how the piece would connect itself to my body. I decided I wanted half of the piece to be over me and the other half to just hang on me. This would allow me to show the process of the snake devouring me, and thus make it more meaningful. I continued this by measuring out my head and how the mask would sit off my face as I worked. I used my reference as a working template because I was constantly changing it to fit my head shape and the overall feel of the piece. I then start working on layering on textures so that the head would stand out from the rest of the piece. I wanted the final composition to be relatively cohesive so I focused on making sure I could use the same layering/patterns for the body of the snake as well. I worked through layering and finally added the attachment from my neck to the body of the piece and tried it on to make sure it would all fit together in the three separate parts becoming one.
As I began working out my planning process for this piece I knew I would have to be specific about the connections that I was going to make so that it could be more obvious to the viewer. I needed to find an inspiration that showed use of theme to create a meaning, while also being fascinating for the viewer to look at and enjoy. I came across the painting "The Punishment of the Thieces". This painting showed a snakes taking women because of their greed and bad relationship with the gifts of life. These elements truly spoke to an emotional piece, exactly what I was looking for. My theme changed throughout my planning and eventually became "greed". This was important for my work because it was to display the resentment of greed and how it can completely take over a person if not handled correctly. As I worked on my piece I was able to connect greed through;
1. A head piece that takes over the person wearing it
2. Wide mouth- to show gasping and taking in a lot to the body
3. Caged like appearance- to show emotion holding the person jailed by the snake
These three things helped me to shape my artwork into a piece that would truly show emotion and greed as the main themes of the work. In order to properly plan this piece I began by laying out what I wanted to accomplish each day that I would work on the piece. I started with the basics of the piece so that I could lay out how the piece would connect itself to my body. I decided I wanted half of the piece to be over me and the other half to just hang on me. This would allow me to show the process of the snake devouring me, and thus make it more meaningful. I continued this by measuring out my head and how the mask would sit off my face as I worked. I used my reference as a working template because I was constantly changing it to fit my head shape and the overall feel of the piece. I then start working on layering on textures so that the head would stand out from the rest of the piece. I wanted the final composition to be relatively cohesive so I focused on making sure I could use the same layering/patterns for the body of the snake as well. I worked through layering and finally added the attachment from my neck to the body of the piece and tried it on to make sure it would all fit together in the three separate parts becoming one.
This photo showcases the process I went through in order to attach the main “skeleton” of the snakes body to the spine so it could still be flexible.
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This photo showcases the ways in which I had to bend the cardboard otherwise it would be uneven with the rest of the circles. It was a long process of trial and error.
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This photo demonstrates the process of rolling the cardboard into a circle so that it would stay round when it was attached to the spine of the snake.
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Process/Techniques/Inspiration:
As I began putting the final piece together I had had to focus on using my skills as both an artist, but also focusing my creativity. I wanted my piece to cohesively work well together, while also giving off the complexity I was hoping for. I had not worked on three-dimensional pieces very much in the past, so this was a test of my skills as an artist, as well as my understanding of the process I had set for myself. I began by sketching out the mouth of the face, and then working to the eyes so that the piece would surround the mouth and eyes most. This would guide the viewers eyes to the details of the mouth and tongue, rather than the bottom of the jaw. Next, I had to focus on how the head would attach to my face. I needed a solution that would allow me to easily take it on and off quickly. I was able to create (as shown down below in picture three) a closure that can move in and out of itself by folding the tabs. This allowed me to create a semi-permanent clasp that I could use consistently. This was a technique I would also use for the attachment of the body to my neck as I adapted the piece more.
Continuing, in order to create the best quality piece that I could, I focused on my technique a lot. For example, I focused intently on not having the hot glue show on the surface of the piece. This would promote better composition of the piece in the end. Furthermore, I focused on having the edges on which I cut the cardboard to be clean and done well. This added a lot of time to the overall process of my piece, but resulted with a cleaner finishing product. The scales, for instance, took hours to complete; but each scale is cleanly cut and looks identical to the rest. Giving the final product a complex and clean look. Finally, I focused on my technique of spacial awareness as well to allow the three pieces to be worn together, or separately, allowing for as much variability and possible in the process. The tongue allowed for movement and flow, as each piece was lightly taped together so that there was bounce, and the head had a shallow inside of the jaw so that the tongue could fit comfortably in the shallow divot. Overall, the piece gave way for more inspiration as I added each element together. For example, the movement of the tongue spread to creating a spine that could bend with the person's back.
As I began putting the final piece together I had had to focus on using my skills as both an artist, but also focusing my creativity. I wanted my piece to cohesively work well together, while also giving off the complexity I was hoping for. I had not worked on three-dimensional pieces very much in the past, so this was a test of my skills as an artist, as well as my understanding of the process I had set for myself. I began by sketching out the mouth of the face, and then working to the eyes so that the piece would surround the mouth and eyes most. This would guide the viewers eyes to the details of the mouth and tongue, rather than the bottom of the jaw. Next, I had to focus on how the head would attach to my face. I needed a solution that would allow me to easily take it on and off quickly. I was able to create (as shown down below in picture three) a closure that can move in and out of itself by folding the tabs. This allowed me to create a semi-permanent clasp that I could use consistently. This was a technique I would also use for the attachment of the body to my neck as I adapted the piece more.
Continuing, in order to create the best quality piece that I could, I focused on my technique a lot. For example, I focused intently on not having the hot glue show on the surface of the piece. This would promote better composition of the piece in the end. Furthermore, I focused on having the edges on which I cut the cardboard to be clean and done well. This added a lot of time to the overall process of my piece, but resulted with a cleaner finishing product. The scales, for instance, took hours to complete; but each scale is cleanly cut and looks identical to the rest. Giving the final product a complex and clean look. Finally, I focused on my technique of spacial awareness as well to allow the three pieces to be worn together, or separately, allowing for as much variability and possible in the process. The tongue allowed for movement and flow, as each piece was lightly taped together so that there was bounce, and the head had a shallow inside of the jaw so that the tongue could fit comfortably in the shallow divot. Overall, the piece gave way for more inspiration as I added each element together. For example, the movement of the tongue spread to creating a spine that could bend with the person's back.
Additional Photos:
Experimentation:
In my past experimentations with art, I have not focused on creating a three-dimensional piece. This creates a struggle for me when I was given the opportunity to create a piece entirely out of cardboard. I took this into account when I started my piece. I first began my piece by focusing on just the final composition of how I would connect my inspiration to my final creation. I knew that I wanted the piece to look cohesive, while also being made up of several different components. So I experimented with different shades of cardboard for each element of the mask, as well as adding other unusual shapes that would shadow around the piece, such as the eyes. Doing these things helped me better understand how to put together the final composition for the piece. During the process I learned three very important things:
1. Manipulating felt is not easily done without learning specific techniques along the way.
2. The colors brown and white are very easily associated with a cardboard, and thus good to alternate between when I wanted more definition.
3. Planning out every layer is important for the final integrity of the piece.
Continuing, these three things helped me evaluate my success as an artist and my understanding of my inspiration as I worked on it. I also experimented with the techniques I used to attach the cardboard together. Originally I tried attaching the two pieces together with elmer's glue, but as soon as I ben bent the piece, it would start to rip apart. This led me to using hot glue, which ultimately was most successful. Furthermore, the composition of the entire piece was extremely important. This can be interpreted in many ways but ultimately had to be focused onto one singular meaning. This was something I struggled with originally because it was an aspect of the piece I knew was important, but I had so many ideas. Eventually I was able to have enough ideas that I could create a singular focal point, while also looking like it was a cohesive piece. Finally, with these concepts, I was a was able to create a piece that flowed and used line and balance to create a snake like mask and body. Using my new skills surrounding technical art, I had a better understanding of using felt to create a three-dimensional art work.
In my past experimentations with art, I have not focused on creating a three-dimensional piece. This creates a struggle for me when I was given the opportunity to create a piece entirely out of cardboard. I took this into account when I started my piece. I first began my piece by focusing on just the final composition of how I would connect my inspiration to my final creation. I knew that I wanted the piece to look cohesive, while also being made up of several different components. So I experimented with different shades of cardboard for each element of the mask, as well as adding other unusual shapes that would shadow around the piece, such as the eyes. Doing these things helped me better understand how to put together the final composition for the piece. During the process I learned three very important things:
1. Manipulating felt is not easily done without learning specific techniques along the way.
2. The colors brown and white are very easily associated with a cardboard, and thus good to alternate between when I wanted more definition.
3. Planning out every layer is important for the final integrity of the piece.
Continuing, these three things helped me evaluate my success as an artist and my understanding of my inspiration as I worked on it. I also experimented with the techniques I used to attach the cardboard together. Originally I tried attaching the two pieces together with elmer's glue, but as soon as I ben bent the piece, it would start to rip apart. This led me to using hot glue, which ultimately was most successful. Furthermore, the composition of the entire piece was extremely important. This can be interpreted in many ways but ultimately had to be focused onto one singular meaning. This was something I struggled with originally because it was an aspect of the piece I knew was important, but I had so many ideas. Eventually I was able to have enough ideas that I could create a singular focal point, while also looking like it was a cohesive piece. Finally, with these concepts, I was a was able to create a piece that flowed and used line and balance to create a snake like mask and body. Using my new skills surrounding technical art, I had a better understanding of using felt to create a three-dimensional art work.
Critique:
Similarities:
1. Theme- The theme of both pieces focuses on the wrong doings by humans and the weak malleable mind. Both pieces focus on the idea of greed consuming/taking over a person so that a lesson/purpose can be given to the problem maker. This is shown through the snakes used in both pieces and the original inspiration that is used in both pieces. 2. Purpose- The purpose of both pieces focus on the ideas of giving the viewer a concept of piece, but not an obvious meaning. This allows for the viewer to interpret the piece as they choose to. Both pieces do this through having multiple concepts come together, to create a visual experience complex enough to not be understood from an initial glance. 3. Interpretation- Furthermore, the interpretation of both pieces is meant to be completely up the viewer, but in reality was carefully thought through from scientific evidence found previously. Both pieces focus on what it means to experience "greed" and how these things can be shown through a more material form. This brings forth the idea of snakes, as snakes eat their food whole, without tasting, or being thankful. Snakes are also used to show evil, and hence both connected to greed in the examples above. |
Differences:
1. Materials- Although the pieces have very similar conceptual ideas, physically they are very different. The piece above uses oil paints and canvas to create the intended concept come to life. I used three-dimensional materials, hot glue and cardboard, to have my concept come to life. This allows for the pieces to be entirely unique in their own way. 2. Color- Both pieces focus on using colors that are not extremely vibrant. This allows for the specific areas of the piece that do have color to stand out from the rest. In my pieces the colors are consistent with what cardboard I had that I could use. I have only two colors in my piece, brown and white, where as the piece above uses the paints that make most sense to the artist as they are creating their piece. 3. Composition- Finally, both pieces focus on using different composition. For instance, the painting above, although largely focuses on the concepts of the snakes (as they have the most color) are not the only things in the painting. The woman being dragged into the water still have an important role in the final painting. Whereas in my piece I focus entirely on the snake and use black cloth and a white background to drown out whatever focal points could of distracted from the snake. |
Reflection:
Looking back on the final piece that I created, I am very proud of the process and product I was able to produce. I was able to adapt quickly to using a skill set I was not used to using, which helped me learn about what my strengths and weaknesses were. Continuing, I was able to see a clear connection between my inspiration and my final piece. I included similar themes, as well as similar final lessons for the viewer to take away. I wanted to focus on the "underdog" of the artwork and make it the entire piece. That way it would flip the subjects from the original painting. I knew in the beginning of this piece I had to focus on getting to a final product and not correction every single mistake that I would make. Although I am not a perfectionist, when I work on art I tend to over analyze the piece I am creating and never finish my projects. Knowing this was something I would have to work around I planned out each day and how much work I would get done on that day. This helped me to finish my painting in a timely manner and create a piece I was truly proud of.
Continuing, my favorite part of creating this piece was definitely creating the tongue for the mask. I had never created a piece completely out of cardboard before, so it was a fun test of skill. I enjoyed the amount of creative freedom it gave me when I worked on putting all the different ideas in my head together. Originally I did not know what to put a tongue, but as soon as I realized it could move I loved the idea of incorporating it into my own work. Continuing, when I try and create a three-dimensional piece it can be difficult to stick to a specific theme. This was something that i worked hard on staying consistent through this piece and this was reflected in the final product. Even now, I am still working on improving my skills when it comes to felt, but this process showed me the strengths and weaknesses I already had.
In conclusion, I hope that others take my work as a chance to look back on their own life. This piece, although relatively innocent on the outside, has a lot of darkness from personal history. The connection between greed and mental illness has shown through many generations and this piece was just a piece of the puzzle to bring to life the struggles that some people face. I hope that going forward people can take the piece out of its original concept and use to to spark conversations with others.
Looking back on the final piece that I created, I am very proud of the process and product I was able to produce. I was able to adapt quickly to using a skill set I was not used to using, which helped me learn about what my strengths and weaknesses were. Continuing, I was able to see a clear connection between my inspiration and my final piece. I included similar themes, as well as similar final lessons for the viewer to take away. I wanted to focus on the "underdog" of the artwork and make it the entire piece. That way it would flip the subjects from the original painting. I knew in the beginning of this piece I had to focus on getting to a final product and not correction every single mistake that I would make. Although I am not a perfectionist, when I work on art I tend to over analyze the piece I am creating and never finish my projects. Knowing this was something I would have to work around I planned out each day and how much work I would get done on that day. This helped me to finish my painting in a timely manner and create a piece I was truly proud of.
Continuing, my favorite part of creating this piece was definitely creating the tongue for the mask. I had never created a piece completely out of cardboard before, so it was a fun test of skill. I enjoyed the amount of creative freedom it gave me when I worked on putting all the different ideas in my head together. Originally I did not know what to put a tongue, but as soon as I realized it could move I loved the idea of incorporating it into my own work. Continuing, when I try and create a three-dimensional piece it can be difficult to stick to a specific theme. This was something that i worked hard on staying consistent through this piece and this was reflected in the final product. Even now, I am still working on improving my skills when it comes to felt, but this process showed me the strengths and weaknesses I already had.
In conclusion, I hope that others take my work as a chance to look back on their own life. This piece, although relatively innocent on the outside, has a lot of darkness from personal history. The connection between greed and mental illness has shown through many generations and this piece was just a piece of the puzzle to bring to life the struggles that some people face. I hope that going forward people can take the piece out of its original concept and use to to spark conversations with others.
ACT Questions
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
- While completing my artwork I was able to clearly identify the cause and effect relationship between my inspiration and its effect on my artwork through the discussion of focus point and theme. My inspiration directly was influenced from the pose of the women and how much of their bodies were being taken by the snakes. This showed an obvious cause and effect relationship.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
- The overall approach my author had regarding my topic of inspiration is that he wanted to show the dark truth about the government and greed. He thought his would best be done by incorporating beauty and pain to show the relationship between the two.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
- While working on my art piece I have had to make generalizations about the message that my inspiration artist wanted to have come across with her work. I worked hard on researching the main ideas surrounding his choice of snakes and women, but in the end a lot of it was up to my own interpretation. I also made generalizations about the intentions that would come across in my work.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
- The central idea/theme of my inspirational research is power and greed. I wanted my piece to be both graceful and unpleasant so that the piece would give off the same theme that the painting did. This would present itself as a positive and negative piece, not just some random snake.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
- While I was reading my research I made inferences about time periods and other sorts of understandings that were not explicitly stated when reading. I wanted to make sure that my inspiration matched my research, so I inferred which cites and articles would be best to get that information from. I also inferred how the information would best connect with my final product of a snake wrapped around my body.
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
- While completing my artwork I was able to clearly identify the cause and effect relationship between my inspiration and its effect on my artwork through the discussion of focus point and theme. My inspiration directly was influenced from the pose of the women and how much of their bodies were being taken by the snakes. This showed an obvious cause and effect relationship.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
- The overall approach my author had regarding my topic of inspiration is that he wanted to show the dark truth about the government and greed. He thought his would best be done by incorporating beauty and pain to show the relationship between the two.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
- While working on my art piece I have had to make generalizations about the message that my inspiration artist wanted to have come across with her work. I worked hard on researching the main ideas surrounding his choice of snakes and women, but in the end a lot of it was up to my own interpretation. I also made generalizations about the intentions that would come across in my work.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
- The central idea/theme of my inspirational research is power and greed. I wanted my piece to be both graceful and unpleasant so that the piece would give off the same theme that the painting did. This would present itself as a positive and negative piece, not just some random snake.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
- While I was reading my research I made inferences about time periods and other sorts of understandings that were not explicitly stated when reading. I wanted to make sure that my inspiration matched my research, so I inferred which cites and articles would be best to get that information from. I also inferred how the information would best connect with my final product of a snake wrapped around my body.
Bibliography
Dean, G. (Ed.). (2021). Fun facts for kids on Animals, Earth, history and more! Retrieved March 12, 2021, from
https://www.dkfindout.com/us/animals-and-nature/reptiles/inside-snake/
Paley, M. (2020). William Blake. Retrieved March 12, 2021, from
https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw00609/William-Blake
Tate. (2020). William Blake – exhibition at Tate Britain. Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-
britain/exhibition/william-blake-artist
William Blake - GOOGLE Arts & culture. (2018). Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/william-
blake/m03f70xs?categoryid=artist
Dean, G. (Ed.). (2021). Fun facts for kids on Animals, Earth, history and more! Retrieved March 12, 2021, from
https://www.dkfindout.com/us/animals-and-nature/reptiles/inside-snake/
Paley, M. (2020). William Blake. Retrieved March 12, 2021, from
https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw00609/William-Blake
Tate. (2020). William Blake – exhibition at Tate Britain. Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-
britain/exhibition/william-blake-artist
William Blake - GOOGLE Arts & culture. (2018). Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/william-
blake/m03f70xs?categoryid=artist