Hi Ashley--I found this interesting image of a kind of mask-like melting effect. Is this anything like you had in mind?
Margaret
ASHLEY'S PROPOSAL
The idea I want to explore for my project is that “perfection” is a false identity of ourselves. I wish to do this by drawing the female figure, since I think girls feel this pressure more than men, and place a mask over her face. This mask would be very beautiful like the Venice cardinal masks and would symbolize this perfection or beauty that hides who we really are. I would also add chains that appear like tattoos around the female body that connect to this mask. In this sense, we are chained to this façade. Although a person may want to be a different person, they feel pressured to be perfect in some regard, whether it be in looks or academics. However, despite a longing to “live” or pursue a more relaxed activity, from habit or outside forces they can’t take off this mask. In her hands she has another mask, a hideous mask that represents the “ugly” or imperfect self that she doesn’t want others to see, but would rather wear because it actually contains what she desires to pursue or be like. This mask would appear ugly by it actually has a beauty of its own that is hinted at by somehow revealing some of the back part.
I would like to do this piece in colored India ink, which I have in several colors. I also have paper made for ink, which is probably a few inches shorter than the size of paper we normally in class. I was thinking of doing two drawings. I was thinking that another piece could be made of the same theme but I am still pondering the actual second drawing. I was thinking about a drawing in which the mask appeared to be washing off to reveal that it is fake, but still somehow relating that it is chained to the person. I would like to include a lot of details on the mask so that would probably take a while.
Cindy Sherman is one inspiration for the piece because her work was about a false identity that actresses have. Who we see is not who they really are. Also I was inspired by the Armana style in Egypt, in especial regard to the women. I like the beautiful look of Nefertiti that is very elegant but also very unreal looking. I am also inspired by the masks from the Carnival of Venice. When I visited Venice there were many postcards with pictures on them and I thought they were very pretty and interesting.
I haven’t yet decided what to use for reference. I was considering using the stock art of http://senshistock.deviantart.com, which has many poses for artists to use as reference.
Margaret's response:
ReplyDeleteGo ahead and start collecting images and doing sketches. Your basic idea is fine, and you have explained it well, although I think as you begin sketches, you may want to refine the imagery a bit and maybe play around with the idea.
I am curious about the inks-- if you have some work that you have done in this media, can you bring them to class? I'd like to see what kinds of effects you get.
Also, start doing sketches that attack the hardest things to achieve in your drawing. For example, I'd like to see some sketches where you begin to work out exactly how the mask and chain and washing-off effect would look. This is something you need to work out in sketches before you settle down to the actual drawing.
Cindy Sherman is a great choice for this. Also, I think your comments on Nefertiti are very telling. I wonder if perhaps the mask and chains might not be necessary. Maybe the impression of some kind of distorted perfectionism can be achieved without the mask, like Nefertiti. Also those Venice masks are so amazing, and might be so distracting that no one begins to think about a self underneath them at all-- the mask might just be a fabulous object and fun to look at.... Also, the Venice masks are related to the idea of carnivale, when everything is turned upside down and people are free to become something they are not, but in an interesting reversal of what you are thinking, the mask reveals the real self and our everyday face actually hides our real selves.
Anyway, you can do some interesting twists on this theme. And your viewers and fellow classmates are fairly savvy consumers of images. You can play with ideas without resorting to really obvious symbolism like a chain. Or use the chain imagery if you want, but think about chains a bit, what all they mean, especially in jewelry.
Was thinking a bit more about the idea of perfectionism, and of course a lot of eating disorders are associated with the teenage girl's desire for a perfect body. But I think you are thinking about perfectionism more in terms of actions -- the perfect girl who seems to be such a good daughter, good student, good whatever-- not so much the ultimate feminine body. Also I was thinking about Judith (you wrote so well about the Artemisia painting) and how perfectionism plays out there, with the muscular arms and violence associated with Judith, who obviously had had some sort of perfection associated with her before she beheaded Holofernes-- you have to wonder about the perception of her afterwards, and what she thought if it... Margaret
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about more of a perfection in terms that we are not who we seem to be. I really like the idea of hiding one mask with another mask.
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about it Judith does have the idea of the perfect strength because she did something so uncharacteristic of a woman in order to save people. But that is more of an actual strength and not so much of the fake perfection I'm aiming for.