Exhibition Text
Title: Identity
Size: 60.96cm x 60.96
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
This is a piece I created using acrylic on canvas. I was inspired by Frida Kahlo and I used the background of " Self portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird". I used the background of this particular painting by Frida Kahlo because it went well with my theme. I constructed this piece to talk about the struggle of self-identity of one of my family member. The model I used for the painting is my cousin and she is wearing traditional Somali clothing. I was really inspired by her story of self identity in the American culture to create this piece.
Size: 60.96cm x 60.96
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
This is a piece I created using acrylic on canvas. I was inspired by Frida Kahlo and I used the background of " Self portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird". I used the background of this particular painting by Frida Kahlo because it went well with my theme. I constructed this piece to talk about the struggle of self-identity of one of my family member. The model I used for the painting is my cousin and she is wearing traditional Somali clothing. I was really inspired by her story of self identity in the American culture to create this piece.
Process
My cousin first presented me with multiple pictures of her in our traditional clothing, and asked me to pick my favorite. I picked the one I liked the most and then I told her that I would use it in the painting. To begin this piece I first used photo shop to put the background and my cousin's picture together. I did this to get the portions right when I paint and to be accurate. I stretched a four by four canvas and I also used a projector to project the pictures and be precise when painting.
This was the first picture my cousin showed me and I really liked it. I considered using this picture and at first I was going to but the colors were really vibrant. it didn't go well with my theme so I didn't use it.
"Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940." Frida Kahlo. 2011. Web. 30 Sept. 2016. <http://www.fridakahlo.org/self-portrait-with-thorn-necklace-and-hummingbird.jsp>.
I used photoshop to crop Frida's face out of the background. I needed to do this in order to put the girl's picture into the painting.
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This is the second picture that my cousin showed me. I enjoyed the colors of her cloth because they were subtle. Her expression is also a lot more gentle in this picture than in the other one.
This is the end result of photo shop manipulation. again I had to do this to get the portions and for the painting to look good.
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After the photoshop I used the image I created to project on a canvas. I traced the picture into the canvas and the picture above shows the canvas after. I couldn't get the details on the turban or the shirt but it was okay because I was gonna do the cloth different from the picture. I was planning on using african colors to put on her cloth and turban because of the symbolism. I started to mix colors for her skin tone and at first I was having trouble until I watched a video from last year. The video helped and I made the skin tone much faster than last year. I also had difficulties with thick paint. The paint I used was really thick and hard to work with but I just needed to water it down to get the right consistency. I used multiple different paint brushes and it was a little hard to get tiny detail. Most of the brushes I had were bigger than the detail. I wish I had a better painting and brushes but I still managed with what I had.
Artist Inspiration
My artist inspiration for this painting is Frida Kahlo. I was primarily inspired by her use of culture in her paintings and then by her style . I knew from the beginning that I wanted to incorporate my culture into the painting and I wanted to use an artist that showcased that theme throughout his/her artwork. Kahlo was the perfect fit for the theme of the painting and for the style I was going for. When my cousin told me her story about her struggles of fitting into the American culture and having to conform to societal norms here, I knew that Kahlo would be my artist of inspiration. I used the background of Kahlo's self portrait " Self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird" because of the jungle vibe that it gave off. I also used her style in her painting and manipulated to make it my own. For example, she has her hair in some kind off a bun in most her painting. I emulated this by using a turban which is traditionally worn in my culture and placed on top of my cousin's head. The way my cousin is posing and her facial expressions are also inspired by Kahlo's facial expressions. In terms of technique, I was also inspired by Kahlo. Most of her paintings are painted smoothly and realistic. I tried to accomplish that in my painting however, I did not succeed.
"Frida Kahlo and Her Paintings." Frida Kahlo - Paintings, Biography, and Quotes of Frida Kahlo. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
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"Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940." Frida Kahlo. 2011. Web. 30 Sept. 2016. <http://www.fridakahlo.org/self-portrait-with-thorn-necklace-and-hummingbird.jsp>.
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Meaning
I've already briefly explained the meaning of my piece. I was inspired by my cousin's story to create the painting. She told me about coming to America at the age of 17 and the struggle she had adapting to the American culture. She said that " I was made fun off by my high school peers by wearing my traditional clothing and they would associate me with the wild and the jungle because I was from Africa" she also added " they would even ask if I had a pet monkey and they would get disappointed when I told them no". When I heard this I knew right away to use the background for Kahlo's " Self portrait with thorn necklace and humming bird". The background symbolizes what people associated her with. It had the jungle and the monkey and coincidently she actually had a pet cat. Even after she started to wear normal American cloth, she was still stereotyped because of her accent. She had a heavy African accent and she would often still be associated with the jungle and the monkey. She told me that at the time she didn't understand why some American had one idea of what Africa is. She now understands that the media influences younger audiences and even some older audiences into thinking one way about a certain country, race, or people. However, my cousin was actually from Nairobi, Kenya. She never seen monkeys or the jungle and she had a pet cat, like a normal American would. She wanted me to bring some memories back for her and paint her like how her peers saw her. So the painting is suppose to symbolize a stereotypical African girl and how her surrounding looks. From the cloth to the background, I wanted to make sure that I portrayed what people would associate with being an African girl. That's why the turban and the shirt are colored the way that they are.
ACT Questions
1) Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
Kahlo's piece and my piece share the same background, style, and technique. I was greatly inspired by these aspects and tried to mimic them in my painting.
2) What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Kahlo created this piece to symbolize the pain she was going through at that time. I was inspired by her ability to tell stories about her life in her paintings.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I made the conclusion that humans can easily generalize and stereotype people without knowing the deep stories of a particular person, race, or country. Kahlo's painting were more than just for the viewers eyes, they had a deeper meaning to them and they meant something to her.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea of my research was culture and generalization. All culture and ethnicities suffer from some type of generalization.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
Some inferences that I made while reading my research was that I need to improve my painting skills, and the more I paint the more I'll improve.
Conclusion/ Reflection
While I was working on my painting I had some difficulties. Firstly, I'm really bad at painting. Last year when I did my self-portrait I used some of the skills I gained from sophomore year, and I still couldn't apply them properly into the painting. I had a hard time mixing colors to make her skin tone, it took me a while to get the right shade. The way I applied the painting it wasn't smooth, it was rather harsh. I took on a painting because I wanted to challenge myself. I'm very bad at painting and I wanted to improve my skills. I know my painting isn't the best, but I'm glad I didn't do something easy because I wouldn't learn anything by doing something simple. I learned to use water to make the paint a little thinner, instead of the thick paint I usually splatter onto the canvas. I learned to use different brushes for different jobs. I was expecting to have a harder time than I actually did. Last year I struggled with everything, but this year I noticed my skills improved from last year. I'm glad that I didn't stick with a media that I'm comfortable with, painting challenged me and I actually enjoyed it.