Self PortraitTitle: Self Portrait
Size: 91 cm x 91 cm Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas Date of Completion: 4/19/24 This piece is my very first attempt at a self portrait. I’ve drawn my face before this, but I’ve never attempted painting it before. My self portrait was painted to look like Kathe Kollwitz’s own self portrait that she made using block printing. Her self portrait was made using ink and printing it onto paper whereas mine has been painted onto a canvas using black and white acrylic paint. Some of my favorite artworks come from the German Expressionism movement which is why I chose to portray myself through it.
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Inspiration- Kathe Kollwitz
Frontal Self Portrait (1923)
Self Portrait (1924)
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For my own self portrait, I was inspired by the self portraits of the German Expressionist Kathe Kollwitz. Part of the reason I found inspiration in her works is because I find them very emotionally valuable. Though her ink prints appear so simple, they are able to communicate so much emotion through them. Her work is able to convey so much by just using black and white and a bunch of lines and shapes
Another reason I found inspiration in her self portraits is because she uses them to focus on expressing her own personal emotions. These pieces were created shortly after WW1. A war that took the life of her son. I believe she took advantage of the ink printing medium to convey how she felt at the time. In both portraits, it appears as if the darkness is consuming her. In my eyes, this represents her being consumed by the grief caused by the recent war. Just about all my artworks up to this point focus on communicating my political views. Though my personal emotions may have bled subconsciously into my artwork, I’ve never really focused on it. Since my self portrait obviously focuses on me, I thought I would focus on venting my own emotions for a change. This didn’t mean I would ignore the political theme of my artworks entirely. I thought the use of black and white was a good representation for the current political climate in the U.S. People are divided to see issues as black and white topics with no nuance. We’re more focused on grabbing at each other's throats than addressing the actual issues we’re fighting over. Conflict is ignited between the political left and the political right. Hatred between men and women is perpetuated. Tradition and progress continue to clash. I thought the contrast between white and black was a good representation for this. |
Planning
Before I could start painting my self portrait, I had to practice drawing my face. I hadn’t ever really drawn my face before aside from rough sketches, however I’ve drawn realistic faces before. Most notably in the Art foundations class I took two years prior. So the ability to draw a face wasn’t really the problem so much as I needed to really understand my face before I could paint it.
This is the photo I used to practice sketching my face. It's the same photo I used as a reference for my block print. I used this photo to create my first sketch of my face. After I finished this sketch, I practiced morphing it into the style I wanted to paint it in.
This sketch was made to practice emulating Kollwitz’s style. I’m not new to drawing in the way her ink prints look as I’ve had practice from when I was working on my block print that was also inspired by her work.
Once I was done with that sketch, I moved on to creating my final reference for my self portrait. Before I did this, I took many photos of myself so I’d have a more recent reference. After I chose the photo that I had wanted, I created another realistic sketch of myself.
When I had finished that sketch, I created what would become my final reference. The image that I would transfer to my canvas.
Process
Stage 1- Priming
To start, I had to prime my canvas before I could start painting. This experience was nothing new to me because I had done it before in my Art History class a year prior. Despite this canvas being much bigger that what I worked with in Art History, it was pretty much that same thing. I applied my first layer of gesso to the canvas one day and then left it to dry so that another day I could finish the second layer.
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Stage 2- Grid and transfer
After I had applied the gesso, I had to transfer my drawing to the canvas. This was done through the grid method. I took a ruler and carefully measured out a 6 x 6 grid on both my drawing and my canvas. After I had finished that, I moved on to actually drawing my image. Both of these steps were very simple and were completed in a short amount of time.
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Stage 3- Background
Once I had finished transferring my image onto the canvas, it was time for me to begin painting. I decided to begin painting the black background first, because I usually begin with the background in my artworks. I specifically used mars black to paint my background. Several areas of the background were very easy to paint. These being the open areas that don’t have what is supposed to remain white. I took my largest brush and was able to quickly cover those areas with paint. A problem arose when I realized that I had been painting a bit slopilly. Bits of the canvas were sticking out which were very distracting. This resulted in me having to go back over what I had painted again in order to cover these spots up.
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Stage 4- Subject
The final steps I took to complete this piece was painting the white areas of my face. I used titanium white to paint it. This section was not very difficult as all it required was painting in strictly white with no interruptions. Though there was a bit of difficulty seeing the difference between my white paint and the canvas beneath.
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Experimentation
Location 1
A challenge that I had for much of my time working on this piece was the lack of a good location to place my canvas. I’ve grown used to just placing my work on my table at home and working from there, however this location was unsuitable for such a large canvas. It extended far beyond my table, forcing me to walk around it just to paint different areas of the piece. This obstacle forced me to find a different location that was more suitable for the canvas.
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Location 2
When I grew tired of the unsuitable location that was the table, I moved to a spot on the wall of my home. This wall was clear of anything which made it suitable for placing my canvas against it. I stood my canvas atop a stack of boxes and leaned it against the wall. This location worked much better than just setting my canvas flat on a table that it didn’t fit on. The standing position allowed me to better view where exactly I was painting. Though this space was not without its problems. This space required me to stand up whenever I was painting there. Standing by itself wasn’t the problem, but long sessions of painting would render me tired of standing. So much so that I lost motivation to continue painting because of how much the feeling annoyed me. After this, I moved onto my permanent solution.
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Location 3
So that I would no longer have to stand for hours on end, I ordered an easel online. I figured that instead of ignoring the problem, I would acquire equipment specifically made for painting. Once the easel arrived I had to construct it. This was very simple as it had come with instruction and didn’t require any extra tools to build it. The purchase of this easel ended up being the best decision I could have made. The easel allowed the canvas to be placed low enough so that I could sit down while painting. Therefore removing the thorn in my side that motivated me to get the easel in the first place.
Critique
Comparing
Since my piece is meant to look like Kollwitz’s own self portrait, our pieces share the same qualities. Her pieces use black an white to contrast with each other as does my piece. As a result of this contrast, emphasis is placed solely on ourselves.
Our bodies are given form by the use of line and shape. A variety of thin and thick lines are repeated to achieve this.
Our bodies are given form by the use of line and shape. A variety of thin and thick lines are repeated to achieve this.
Contrasting
The biggest difference between our pieces is the quantity of lines used in our pieces. As well as the variety of lines used. The lines in my piece definitely are around the same size while Kollwitz transitions from thin to thick lines often in her pieces.
Reflection
Throughout the course of this project, I was able to develop my skills in painting. Not only painting, but also developing art styles. I’ve dabbled in German Expressionism before. First in my block print and then in one of my illustration pieces. This is my third time now using the movement as inspiration. I believe that each time I experiment with this movement I develop an understanding of how I myself like to paint. If I keep experimenting, then I believe that I can develop a style to define my own art so that I may stand out. Being able to stand out in a world full of artists is something I strive for. It is something I now believe I am close to achieving. I enjoyed my time working on this piece a lot. I hope that enjoyment shines through to those who view my piece.
Check list
ACT
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
- My piece is meant to look like the self portrait of Kathe Kollwitz
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
- Kathe Kollwitz's work is documented in my sources
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
- Those struggling with grief aim to express them.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
- Conveying emotions through art
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
- Kollwitz's self portraits are a representation of her grief.
ACT
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
- My piece is meant to look like the self portrait of Kathe Kollwitz
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
- Kathe Kollwitz's work is documented in my sources
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
- Those struggling with grief aim to express them.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
- Conveying emotions through art
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
- Kollwitz's self portraits are a representation of her grief.
Bibliography
“Self Portraits - Overview - Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln.” Www.kollwitz.de, www.kollwitz.de/en/self-portraits-overview.
Käthe Kollwitz. “Frontal Self-Portrait (Selbstbildnis von Vorn).” The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA, 2012, www.moma.org/collection/works/160136.