Block Print
Title: Contraposition
Size: 15 cm x 23 cm (each)
Medium: Linoleum sheet
Date of Completion: August 2021
Exhibition Text
Contraposition is a block print piece carved into two linoleum sheets and created to show how someone can control their emotions and make themselves happy and sad whether that be through people you bring into your life, decisions you make, and more. Contraposition takes inspiration from Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam and the Greek masks which symbolize tragedy and comedy. These masks portrayed actor's feelings while mine does it similarly but with one's feeling and their control of it.
Process
Artist Inspiration
Michelangelo
The Creation of Adam was painted by the Italian artist Michelangelo and is considered a fresco painting. This painting portrays God creating Adam and giving life to him. God is in the heavens while Adam is on the coast of Earth. There is great detail and definition painted into this scene even though the painting aspect is not the inspiration in this piece. I will be focusing on the hands almost touching and include that in my final piece.
|
The next inspiration is a broad idea/ element of early Greek plays. These masks were created the convey the feelings of the actors in the plays and they would wear them to signify happiness or sadness. I have always thought this mask was very interesting and in my piece I will include a piece of both masks.
|
Planning Sketches
In this first planning sketch, I am trying to figure out how I will include the masks within my final piece. I also wrote out many details that I hadn't previously known about the masks. I decided I would include one half of each of the masks that would be combined to make a full mask. I decided I would make the tragedy side the left side because the hand is curved downward while the right will be comedy because the hand and fingers are more upward.
|
My final planning sketch was for how my final product would look. I added each of the components in the previous planning sketches but the background was somewhat plain and flat so I decided I would add a background. I added sharp organic shapes to the tragedy side as to imitate a distressed thought process rather than a calm one. For the comedy side, I added flowy continuous lines to show a relaxed thought process with no interruptions of anything bad.
|
Experimentation, Process, & Technique
Left/Tragedy
I first began by drawing the final sketch onto the first linoleum sheet. Sketching the final drawing wasn't too difficult as my original sketch was about the same width and height as the linoleum. After sketching, I debated between which areas I should carve first but ultimately I decided I would do the background as it has the most curves and just made the most sense to me. I decided this because most times painters paint background then foreground, as do I. I first thought the background would be the hardest area because of all the spikes and edges that made up it but it wasn't too difficult and I liked the outcome of it. For these areas, I used the pointed tool for the outlines and for the areas with large areas to carve out, I used the rounded tool. I did this because it felt as if the rounded tool took off more than the pointed tool.
|
I finished carving the background above the hand but was a little disappointed with how the carvings of the background were near the hand lines. After this, I decided to carve out the hand before doing any more background so that it left a cleaner a look and was easier to carve. The hand was a bit more difficult to carve than I thought because of the non-straight, continuous lines that made up the hand. Overall I am very happy with how the hand turned out and it looks very much like the one from my inspiration.
|
After completing all the carving for the background, I moved onto the next component which was the face/mask area. I started with tracing around the head as I did with the hand which wasn't too hard because of the lack of curvatures and such. I then carved out the eye which I expected to be harder as the edges of the eye were sharp but wasn't too difficult to carve using the pointed carving too rathe rthan the rounded.
|
After carving out the eyes, I began to carve out the other details of the face. I used the pointed took for most of these areas. I began with carving the eyebrows and eyebrow crease which I had to do very slowly as to ensure not to mess up or make any unwanted lines. After doing so I did the same with the nose as well as the mouth crease. I used the pointed tool to carve out the mouth outline and then used the rounded tool to carve out the inside. I was somewhat scared to carve out the inside of the mouth because I was afraid I might accidentally carve into the finger on accident but I carved very slowly and was happy with the outcome.
|
Right/Comedy
After carving out the outlines of the background, I began to use the pointed tool to carve the outline of the hand. This hand was a little bit more difficult to carve than the previous hands because this hand was much more bent and less loose which meant more pointed areas of the hand. I am still happy with the outcome of the hand even if it does look a little odd whether that be due to sketching, spacing, or other things.
|
Next, I began the carving of the facial features. I began with carving out the eyes using the pointed tool as well as using the pointed tool to carve out the eyebrow and eyebrow crease. I outlines the mouth using th pointed tool and carved out the middle using the rounded tool. This face was a little more difficult to carve as I had to match it up with the first linoleum sheet to make sure the mouth connected to the mouth, the nose, etc connected.
|
Final Product
Reflection
Overall I am very happy and satisfied with the outcome of my final piece. This was my first time using both the pointed and rounded carving tools on a linoleum sheet but it turned out to be easier than I thought. At first I believed I would have to apply a considerate amount of pressure to carve but it was quite easy to get the tool through the linoleum. I am also proud of my final outcome because although it was my first time, I believe all the carvings look very smooth with smooth edges and no ridged areas. I learned many new techniques throughout the process of completing this piece such as what the pointed and rounded tools were good for. I discovered the rounded tool is easy to carve out the inside areas while the pointed tool is very useful for outlines. I also learned many new things about The Creation of Adam and The Greek Masks. Understanding the Greek Masks and Michelangelo's piece contributed greatly to the overall outcome of this piece because I was able to connect the two using a common theme that might not have been immediately thought of. I am also very proud of my idea to use the fingers to pull the edges of the mouth to really show that one does that to themselves rather than someone doing it for them.
Although I am very happy with the outcome of this piece, I also believe there could be many improvements. One improvement being to carve some of the uncarved areas within the hand and not leave as much untouched space in the piece as there is now. I was thinking about carving more out of the hand and possibly added some kind of lines to signify shading but I was too scared I would mess up and carve too much off. I had almost exact amount of linoleum sheets so accidentally messing up one would have cost my piece in the end in a negative way. The challenged I faced throughout this project was carving very carefully as to know carve too much out or accidentally carve out an important piece. My favorite part of this project was carving out the background because it was very satisfying to see the linoleum come off in long strands so smoothly.
Although I am very happy with the outcome of this piece, I also believe there could be many improvements. One improvement being to carve some of the uncarved areas within the hand and not leave as much untouched space in the piece as there is now. I was thinking about carving more out of the hand and possibly added some kind of lines to signify shading but I was too scared I would mess up and carve too much off. I had almost exact amount of linoleum sheets so accidentally messing up one would have cost my piece in the end in a negative way. The challenged I faced throughout this project was carving very carefully as to know carve too much out or accidentally carve out an important piece. My favorite part of this project was carving out the background because it was very satisfying to see the linoleum come off in long strands so smoothly.
Critique
Similarities
-My theme is emotion and how it is controlled by that individual but Michelangelo's theme is Biblical and meant to depict God and Adam's first encounter. -The reasons for the hands to touch: In Michelangelo's piece, the hands touching signify the power being handed over from God to Adam while the hands in mine signify the changing of emotion. -The facial expressions of my piece are very exaggerated while in Michelangelo's piece, they are very calm and straight faced. |
Differences
- The mediums are different: one is a linoleum carving and the other is a paint and plaster piece. - The colors are different as well: In my piece it is black and white and monochromatic while Michelangelo's piece has different hues in different areas. -The composition and balance are also different because my piece is very symmetrical while Michelangelo's piece is asymmetrical with the right side holding more weight and color. |
ACT Response
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
I am able to identify the cause effect relationship between my inspiration and its effect on my artwork through the use of idea of joy and sadness as well as through the use of the hands which were directly taken from The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Michelangelo's approach on the topic was very different because he used artworks and sculptures to portray his art while this piece was a carving in a sheet, something never done by him.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Generalizations and conclusions I made about Michelangelo is he was very skilled at what he did and took time to make things very realistic such as the hands and how they are very realistic.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around The Creation of Adam is to show when God gave Adam life in the Bible and show their first encounter.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Inferences I made while researching regards The Greek Masks and how they are formed, I assumed they were all about the same and as long as the facial expressions were the same, they could be counted as Greek Masks.
I am able to identify the cause effect relationship between my inspiration and its effect on my artwork through the use of idea of joy and sadness as well as through the use of the hands which were directly taken from The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Michelangelo's approach on the topic was very different because he used artworks and sculptures to portray his art while this piece was a carving in a sheet, something never done by him.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Generalizations and conclusions I made about Michelangelo is he was very skilled at what he did and took time to make things very realistic such as the hands and how they are very realistic.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around The Creation of Adam is to show when God gave Adam life in the Bible and show their first encounter.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Inferences I made while researching regards The Greek Masks and how they are formed, I assumed they were all about the same and as long as the facial expressions were the same, they could be counted as Greek Masks.
Bibliography
“Michelangelo - Artist Biography with Portfolio of Sculptures, Paintings & Drawings.” Michelangelo Paintings, Sculptures & Artwork, www.michelangelo.net/.
“Michelangelo.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 4 Mar. 2020, www.biography.com/artist/michelangelo.
“Michelangelo.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 4 Mar. 2020, www.biography.com/artist/michelangelo.