Assessment 1: Proposal
The topic that I have chosen to in relation to digital art is today’s use of anything utilized in artworks throughout history. It is the idea of using the past to make art from anything that is ‘old school’ or ‘ancient’ to being made fashionable again. Some areas of interest may include techniques, renowned artworks, historical events and landmarks, religions, leaders and legends, films and fairy tales and characters. It is something that is becoming more and more common over time and is seeing history being modernized through art work. The reason why I am addressing this topic is because I feel that it’s an issue that is growing in it’s use and that it is not necessarily a good thing. It stops artists from having to think of their own original ideas and take leaps of faith with them. It can block the exploration of the mind but can also take away from the original artwork itself. When ideas are reused repetitively and exploited they can tend to lose their aura and also take away from the presence of the initial artwork. Throughout the semester I think it will be interesting in whether or not I will want and continue to use aged techniques, theories, narratives etc... Or whether I will want to explore an innovative idea I construct. But one of the other reasons why I have selected this topic is because I am curious to find out if my artwork can create a similar sensation and quality as it’s predecessor. I think society should be encouraged to really start questioning what art is and what honest art is. I think appropriation of artwork is something that is occurring more often than we are and should be acknowledging.
Each piece of work that I will create I want it to have an element of history in it. My first assignment of a photo shoot was done in a way that was exploring and celebrating the human figure. It was taken in black and white which is the original way photos were taken. The photography does not present as being sexually provocative even though the individual is unclothed. I wanted to discover the body and the different shapes and contours it can form, in a way that was done when painters and sculptures first started to construct the human figure in their art work. Each week I intend to find something that is aged and entwine into my work. The second topic is collage so I will be looking for images and materials that are dated and hold history to them that I can incorporate into the collage to form a picture/narrative. I am going to try and use one of my images from my photo shoot of the body and try to engage it into the collage. With my moving images I will try to use techniques, storylines and image constructions of those first used when images were given motion.
When I create my digital drawing and painting I am aiming to try and create a similar sensation and impression with my digitally established image as traditional oil paintings or a charcoal sketches etc would. Animation is something that has come so far since it beginning yet I believe some of the oldest animations hold some of the best and better characteristics and attributes. I want to use elements of the production that are household names and that give the feeling of old-school in the ‘Stop. Motion. Animation’.
I believe digital art is the best way of exploring my issue because technology is such a large part of society today. Technology is not something that will ever go backwards. It may draw on previous creations to inspire it, but it is always advancing. There for it is only natural that technology and all of it’s equipment progressions involve themselves in today’s art work. It is how much however that we allow the equipment to take part and what part the actual artist plays in the creation. This topic will allow me to investigate whether myself and professional artists who use a combination of advanced technology and old fashion techniques, can still produce art that is as extraordinary as something created hundreds of years ago.
I am hoping to use the projector for my presentation. In one of my particular piece I would like to make a comparison between two very dissimilar pieces. I would like to be able to question the audience and be able to have the pictures readily available to move on to and off the screen as quick as possible. I want them to tell me their initial reactions, feelings, and opinions of the pieces of work when I am showing them. I would love to have a really strong white screen to project the images on to instead of the whiteboard.
Before I took any photos of the body I wanted to look at how the figure was first drawn and painted, and at what the artist was trying to capture. I found that in Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches of the body he focused on really breaking down the body parts to gain a better understanding of what he was drawing so that he could paint them correctly (Koestler-Grack, 2005). He may have been drawing part of a limb but the whole arm wasn’t necessary just the hand was required to be sketched. A photographer I used to help me understand using a light source was Mick Payton. Although I didn’t like most of his work and would not use it as inspiration it did give me a few ideas in how to position the body and light to gain the most revealing shots. When creating my digital drawing and/or paintings I am hoping to draw on a mixture of both past and present artist. I love Vincent van Gogh’s choice and application of colour. In Joel L. Swerdlow and Lynn Johnson article ‘Vincent van Gogh: Lullaby in color’, they note that at first it seems Vincent has exaggerated his painting of wheat by using over six different yellows to paint the plant. But then if the viewer actually closes their eyes, thinks and visualizes what they are looking at, the six colours of wheat appear naturally. I embrace and love intense use of colour, and I adore what I feel and imagine when I see his work. I am hoping to use his technique to help me create movement and stillness, day time and night time etc in my images. From my contemporary side of influence I would love to use my favourite television show ‘The Mighty Boosh’. It has some outrageous cartoon characters with wild use of colour and imagination. I would also love to use the movie series ‘Toy Story’ throughout my work as I think it is a story of growth and reality mix together with strong well known characters who we hold on to once introduced.
The Mighty Boosh
Viewed on 19th March, 2010
http://www.thespecter.net/blog/?m=200701
The Mighty Boosh
Viewed on 20th March, 2011
http://themightyboosh.co.uk/?cat=5 Toy Story
Viewed 2oth March, 2011
http://www.pixar.com/featurefilms/ts/
References
Koestler-Grack, R, 2005, Leonardo da Vinci : Artist, Inventor, and Renaissance Man, Chelsea House Publishers, Philadelphia USA, pp. 93, viewed 18th March, 2011,
http://reader.eblib.com.au.wallaby.vu.edu.au:2048/%28S%28owselr5xedi53ldrdgbjw3sk%29%29/Reader.aspx?p=366302&o=158&u=JOajTNhdAjeunpIKNwTg2g%3d%3d&t=1300411590&h=F75012C143FEFE2242C3EA2C4113D5D064F1908D&s=3945992&ut=507&pg=1&r=img&pat=n#
Swerdlow, J L & Johnson, L, 1997, ‘Vincent van Gogh: Lullaby in color’, National Geographic, Vol. 192 Issue 4, p100, 32p, viewed 15th March, 2011, EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier. http://library.vu.edu.au/webbridge~S0/showresource?returnurl=%2Fsearch~S0%3F%2FXvincent%2Bvan%2Bgogh%2Band%2Bcolour%26SORT%3DDZ%2FXvincent%2Bvan%2Bgogh%2Band%2Bcolour%26SORT%3DDZ%26extended%3D0%26SUBKEY%3Dvincent%2520van%2520gogh%2520and%2520colour%2F1%252C1%252C1%252CB%2Fframeset%26FF%3DXvincent%2Bvan%2Bgogh%2B&rec=b1248925&resurl=http%3A%2F%2F0-search.ebscohost.com.library.vu.edu.au%2Flogin.aspx%3Fdirect%3Dtrue%26db%3Daph%26db%3Dlmh%26db%3Dbth%26db%3Dc8h%26db%3Dcrs%26db%3Dufh%26db%3Dcph%26db%3Deric%26db%3Dhxh%26db%3Dhoh%26db%3Dulh%26db%3Dlxh%26db%3Df5h%26db%3Dmnh%26db%3Dnfh%26db%3Dpdh%26db%3Dpbh%26db%3Dpsyh%26db%3Dbwh%26db%3Drlh%26db%3Ds3h%26db%3Dser%26bquery%3D%28vincent%2520van%2520gogh%2520and%2520colour%29%26type%3D1%26site%3Dehost-live&resname=EBSCOhost+Databases&linkid=48247313&linkloc=panel
