Tag: painting
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An illuminated souvenir
Last year I had the chance to visit Barcelona, which of course translated into a pilgrimage to as many of Antonio Gaudi’s projects as possible. I expected to admire his Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, but I underestimated just how moved I would be by the experience. As is typical, I have no mementos of […]
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Toying with History: Conclusion and Works Cited
[This is the final part of a thesis paper about the series Toying with History. Here is the master post.] Conclusion I began this artistic inquiry by asking whether or not the present is dependent on the past. After assessing sexism in contemporary politics and creative fields, I conclude that changing our traditions will only […]
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Toying with History: Quantity of Representation
[This is part three of a thesis paper about the series Toying with History. Here is the master post.] Before familiarizing ourselves with the quality of women’s role models, let us examine the quantity of women’s representation. It is well and good to know the history of feminism and resolve not to backslide, but we […]
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Toying with History: Abstract and Introduction
[This is the first installment of my final MFA thesis paper. The master post is available here.] Abstract I use my paintings to playfully invite serious conversations. The series Toying with History examines representation through a feminist lens. I began this series with the following question: to what degree are women still misrepresented in our […]
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Old stuff: more costumes
[Edit: I found this March 2014 post from about older work languishing in my drafts folder. I am no longer working with such crowded compositions, nor on 11 x 14″ papers. I only post this now in the interest of completion within this research blog. More carefully edited thoughts on the matter appear in this […]
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Doll collection: Princesses
The D*sney princess dolls spark some fascinating conversations. (It’s part of why I repainted them three times.) I keep second-guessing this set of costumes. I’m on my third draft, so I certainly hope it’s a worthwhile notion. The overall drift of the project was one of dressing up is reinforced by references to young girls […]
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Incorporating criticism
I mentioned some of the feedback I received from the first critique of term in this post. The task during the week following was to use those suggestions and criticisms. I experimented with and modified work from the spring critique in five different ways. The more I thought about the spring crit, the more I […]
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Play and fantasy
[ The first two parts of this essay can be found here and here. Some images and detailed description of this final section have been omitted pending permission from the individual to whom it refers. ] Collection #2 “To my way of thinking, knowing an object does not mean copying it–it means acting upon it. […]
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Confronting and kowtowing to the canon
[ part 2 of the essay which began “To Thine Own Self Be True” ] Collection #1 ”Shades of Santayana! Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it; ergo, those who can remember the past may overcome it? What does it mean, in a society replete with simulations and reenactments, to overcome […]
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To thine own self be true
[ Then again, consider the source. ] Selfies are easily dismissed as narcissistic or kitschy, but the urge to self-define is neither new nor unimportant. The convention of using physical likeness to express individuality applies along the continuum of portrait images in visual culture: it links lowbrow selfies to high art portraits of Rembrandt. By […]
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Identity politics
Today’s derailing experience comes courtesy of my studio mentor. He pointed out that an opinion I expressed about identity politics invalidated my entire thesis. He wasn’t wrong…but the opinion I voiced this morning was less nuanced than the one I would have stated if given more time. To give the appropriate visual context, here are […]