My artist inspiration originated with Aubrey Beardsley. I really like Beardsley's work with simple black and white images and compositions featuring people. Beardsley's pattern work and the unnatural postures of the figures within the pieces also resonated with me.
My theme evolved into an exploration of female sexuality in regards to the elements, these elements being the four natural ones (earth, water, fire, and air). I wanted to depict women in natural settings and have them look as if they themselves could pass for natural but were really not. They are all faceless and most of them are missing the lower halves of their bodies. This is to echo the idea that female sexuality in is often portrayed as being rather stiff and unnatural, yet the perception of women as unmoving, as objects even, is so ingrained in our culture that it is accepted as a social standard.
This is my example of Emphasis and Economy. It is a close up view of a woman's torso, featuring the curve of her breast at the top right corner and the central line of her abdomen leading to the navel. I like this composition and feel that it successfully conveys economy through the minimal use of lines and forces the audience to pause and interpret the image depicted. It also emphasizes the depth of the navel through a slightly thicker line. This piece is to represent the Earth portion of my theme because her body is grounded and yet can also be read as a mountain slope. Additionally, she features curves that are traditionally deemed to be sexy and yet her lower body, where female sexuality culminates, is completely missing from the composition, which suggests that her body may be viewed and enjoyed by others, but pleasure is not reciprocated.
This is my example of Balance. I feel that the pattern of the sky is equally weighted by the waves below. There were some issues with craftsmanship here. I feel that I could have improved my work with the xacto knife in regards to the patterning at the top. In regards to concept, however, I believe that the piece successfully ties into the idea of a female in the elements. It communicates Water and a robotic stance. Her sexuality is stiff and contrasts with the flow of the waves. The pattern adds depth behind the mountain and gives the composition interest. Additonally, the pattern at the top recalls Aubrey Beardsley, the intial inspiration.
This is my example of Repetition, represented through the triangle shape of the phoenix's feathers and the repeated triangles of the flames below. I like this composition because I feel the juxtaposition of the bird and the woman with the fire gave the piece depth and made it more compelling than just a simple object floating in empty space. This piece works in the Fire portion of my theme. There was criticism that the woman appeared stiff and a suggestion that I should trace an actual photogrpah of a woman for future projects. I actually did trace an image, however, so unfortunately that did not translate. Something that I learned from this project is that if I wish to communicate unnaturalness I should really veer toward the unnatural. On the other hand, I did want to portray a certain sense of realism and evoke the "second glance" and raise questions (why does she look so stiff?). The criticism is appreciated and the suggestions are noted for the future.
This is my example of Movement because the swirls of the woman's arms and legs move the eye up and around the piece. I wanted the woman to appear firmly anchored in space (hence the large torso, also recalling a bird's chest) and yet simultaneously, she is evanescent, fading into space and being drawn toward different points. This piece represents Air and the idea that a woman may wish to fly toward a certain location and may have ambition but society drives her into limbo, pulling on her limbs with the demands that it has for women. Women must be sexy. Women must stay at home. Women must do this and that and be defined by the expectations of normalcy. I wanted to provide a bit more of an abstract portrayal that she can't really fly anywhere even though it appears she is flying because she is suspended in air. The media depicts women as being sexy objects of attention, but is that the natural way to view women?
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