No. 89: Personal is Political

The phrase "the personal is political" originates from an essay by an influential member of the Women's Liberation Movement, Carol Hanisch. In the essay, she talked about women's hardships having less to do with their personal psychology and more to do with their "social condition as women." She also linked women with other oppressed groups. Through art, women dove into feminism and started boldly expressing there opinions about their gender in society. Installations like Judy Chicago's dinner party served as a tribute and celebration of powerful women. Eventually more women were represented in respected societal roles.

Although in today's society I feel that women are given virtually the same opportunities as men, I still can use my experience as a woman to fuel the meaning of my work. I could address the issue of women being objectified by men, but also how women objectify themselves. I could also draw attention to the "toughness" of being a woman, like having to experience and embrace childbirth (I'd like to see a man to that!). It would also be interesting to explore the different roles of women through documentary: the nurturer, the homemaker, the business woman, etc.

No. 79: Protest

In Birds passage about protest in art, he talks about artists using the power of their work to argue or make a statement about a certain issue. He mentions that artists must first "see themselves as being in a position to take sides," meaning that they should hold a strong opinion. A lot of protest art started as political critiques and anti-war images. Artists use the power of manipulating narratives to show their side of an issue. Protest art then grew into advertisements, documentaries, and memorial art. 

I think art is an effective and compelling way to speak one's voice because it is a universal language. It would be interesting to make a protest cartoon about something other than politics (i.e. society's pressure on women regarding body image). It would also be neat to make protest posters against budget cuts for the art departments in schools. Finally, protest art could be used to communicate generation gaps between a child and parent. 

No. 20: Icon

According to Bird, icons originated from Orthodox Christianity as "pictures of holy figures." The images were at times controversial in some religions because they took on a sacred aura and were seen as idols. Icons of holy figures were intentionally painted unrealistically, and "portrayed an otherworldly reality." As time goes on, artists use icons in their work in a different way. Andy Warhol, for example, depicted celebrities as icons and worshiped people.

In my work, I think I would draw inspiration from icons in society rather than traditional religions. I could explore what material things people worship. Do people of different ages "worship" different things? I could create images of people's "individual icons." What type of person do we strive to be like? Could I make an icon for different decades that are dressed in different ways? What does depicting celebrities or objects as icons say about religion?

No. 93: Body as Medium

According to Bird, using the body as a medium was present as early as cave-art where hand prints were used to mark the human presence. Dead body parts were also commonly turned into art and utilizing the body was often linked to rituals. Bird mentions that because everyone has a body, it is a universal medium. Lastly, using the body artistically played a large part in the launch of performance art.

Using the body as a medium is a tricky concept. When I think of performance art, I automatically think of dance. I think dance is such a powerful expression that speaks to audiences similarly to the way visual art does. In particular, I love modern dancing, and the movements often tell a story. It would be interesting to use dance as a performance art piece and "choreograph" a painting. The line quality and brushstrokes could be directly linked to the type of movements in the dance. Another avenue to explore is hair. Hair is kind of interesting to me. Hair is sacred to a lot of people, and many of take pride in maintaining and styling our hair. It can be beautiful but repulsive at the same time. For example, if someone finds hair in the sink, or perhaps in their food, it becomes a sickly foreign object. How could I explore this juxtaposition about hair and culture in my own work? Lastly, I could combine my passion for running and using the body as medium by using footprints to record my strides.

No. 40: Anatomy

In Bird's passage, he describes the importance of anatomy in art and how it allowed artists to represent the human figure more accurately. Before dissections and specific studies, artists relied on observation when making figurative work. Once knowledge of anatomy and mathematics increased, it became an important part of artistic learning. Michelangelo is a predominate figure in the art world whose mastery of human anatomy allowed him to produce beautiful nudes with muscular accuracy. This lead into anatomical illustrations used for scientific and medical purposes.

Understanding anatomy is useful for all artists. In my work, I love working with the figure. I am inspired by the beauty of the classically executed female nude paintings. The human body is so unique and interestingly intricate. I could explore painting figures of individuals with different body types, recognizing the beauty of all shapes and sizes. An interesting idea would also be to make a progression painting starting with a realistic figure and gradually abstracting it. Or perhaps I could explore the difference between human and animal anatomies and create my own creatures.

Concentration #1

Watercolor and watercolor pencil on wood

16x20in 

Big Idea: Fusion of nature and humanity: nature as euphoria 

No. 9: Body as Surface

In Bird's passage about the body being utilized as surface for art, he predominately talks about the practice of tattooing. Tattoos are often used to announce a person's identity or to make some sort of social statement. Body painting was also used mostly for ritual performances and was meant for temporary roles. Since as early as the fifth century, people have been using the body as surface and tattooing has been a respected and artistic skill across cultures. More recently, the body has been used as art in unique and sometimes controversial ways to make a statement.

Using the body as surface is definitely something that requires out of the box thinking. Rather than personally tattooing myself or other people, I could photograph the different tattoos people have and recreate them in my own piece of artwork. What would the different tattoos say about the people who have them? How does tattooing compare to or differ from those who inflict harm on their body as a coping method and leave scars on their body? Is the processes of tattooing equally as important as the final product of the image? I could explore the ideas behind plastic surgery; could this possibly be considered an art form too?