kurt emotion sketches

For my emotions piece, I've decided to do a self-portrait, and make myself black and white. But the clothes I'm wearing and sunglasses will have color, and there will be different colors splattered beind representing my emotions. Also the sunglasses will represent how I really don't show my emotions often. I haven't decided which media to use, either acrylics or watercolers, what do you think?

Emotions!

Hello!

Sometimes it's easy to forget that emotions don't all need to be heavy or extremely sad! There are tons of emotions and tons of ways to show them!

Jason Seiler

Jason Seiler is originally a caricature artist, this can be seen in the exaggerated poses and physical features his figures have. The exaggeration and emphasis is used to emphasize whatever particular characteristic or emotion the person is showing.

Notice that here a more "tough" expression is emphasized...

While a goofier expression is emphasized here.

For a caricature, this is one of the more emotional paintings I've seen. This was a caricature of Saddam Hussein as he was on trial for multiple war crimes. The expression locked on his face is one of fear but of defiance, and the exaggerated features help emphasize this.

Francis Bacon

I love BACON! Seriously, I do. Francis Bacon, that is. (but i do love the food)

Francis Bacon has a fantastic, unique, way of bending and distorting figures so that what he eventually is portraying is pure emotion. The painting of the pope on the left here was a done by Velazquez around 1650, Francis Bacon completed his "study" of it in 1953.

One great way to show the same figure several times, focusing on distortion and emotion is to use a Triptych!

Bacon, Triptych!

Steven Assael

Steven Assael is a much more subtle, realist, figurative painter. He's able to depict figures' stories through the use of costumes and not much facial expression.



What he actually does is depict these characters in a very straightforward manner and lets you add any sort of emotional qualities to them. For example, when we look at the fire fighter we associate him with being heroic and possibly remember specific events such as September 11th.

What emotions or qualities do you associate with the second picture?

-Bustamante!

Emotions - Theodore Gericault's "The Raft of the Medusa"

I agree with Miss Dulkinys, that not all emotionally charged artwork has to be heavy, serious or depressing, but I included Theodore Gericault's "The Raft of the Medusa" to illustrate my point that many pieces of artwork draw their inspiration from actual events, whether they be on an intimate personal level or on the international level as is the case with "The Raft of the Medusa".

Do you have a strong emotional reaction to current events in the news?  Is there a particular situation you have faced or are facing right now that you would care to use for this month's theme: "Emotions"?

Mr. Exner

By: Phillip Burghgraef

Gericault's The Raft of the Medusa

To those familiar with Art History the paintings of The Death of Socrates (1787) and the Death of Marat(1793) are classic examples of Neo-Classicism, which was the painting of "classical" subject matter, which often consisted of people from Greek history or noble leaders. The lesser known style of Neo-Baroque art contains some lesser known but still dramatic pieces of art in their own right. One such painting is The Raft of the "Medusa" (1818-19) by Theodore Gericault.

Neo-classical vs. Neo-Baroque Art
Like Neoclassical paintings The Raft of the "Medusa" has a fascinating story to tell. Similarly its subject is dramatic and the subject matter is posed for maximum effect. Unlike a neoclassical painting the subject of this painting are just ordinary people put into extraordinary events.

Gericault and His Influences
Gericault was born in Rouen, France and was educated in the tradition of English sporting art and classical figure composition. He soon left the classroom however, choosing to study at the Louvre where he was influenced by the works of Michelangelo and the Baroque painters Reubens, Valasquez, and Titian. Gericault was of the opinion that art could and should show a more human side, with all its weaknesses and imperfections (color and bold typeface my emphasis).

The Raft of the Medusa
The Raft of the "Medusa" was inspired by the true account of a raft adrift at sea for 13 days. The story goes that a French ship had foundered off the West African coast. There were not enough lifeboats so a makeshift raft was made for the passengers and crew members who where left. The officers in their haste to reach shore abandoned the raft and it drifted further out to sea. The men onboard the raft fought for food and space and pretty soon mutinies broke out and the survivors were forced to cannibalism. When a rescue ship was sighted only fifteen of the original crew members were alive.
The painting itself shows the moment when the crew of the raft are desperately waiving to the rescue ship. The raft itself is as tumultuous as the sea around it. The bodies that lay dead or dying in the foreground are built up in the composition to support the black man waving the flag. There is a strong contrast between the outstretched movement of the survivors to the movement of the raft itself.
Gericault went to great lengths to make the painting authentic, from building a model of the raft to sketching the dead at the morgue, to interviewing survivors. He even went to the Paris Asylum to draw the insane. All this is subservient to the underlying themes of human suffering and tragedy but also of hope and perseverance. It is these themes that are found throughout Gericault's work and in the works of other Neo-Baroque painters.

Copyright Phillip Burghgraef

Hello Studio Art Students!!  Your first full theme for second semester is Emotions.  Take a look at these images to get your creative juices flowing.

Pablo Picasso, The Old Guitarist, 1903 

Pablo Picasso, The Tragedy, 1903 

The Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso, is someone I assume you all know.  Both of these pieces are from Picasso's Blue Period, which was pre-Cubism, and they are so named because of the abundant use of that hue.  The blue color palette alone begins to create associations to sad, calm or somber emotions.  Color should certainly be an important consideration in all of your projects.  The composition also adds to the emotional effect.  Notice the poses of the figures, how the bodies are folding in on themselves and no one is looking out at the viewer.  This also works to create that somber, withdrawn mood.

Next we have August Rodin's Sorrow from the 1880's.  He was a French sculptor from the 19th century.  You may know him for one of his more famous works - The Thinker. Sorrow is roughly life size and all about the experssion and pose of the head.  We don't even need the rest of the body to understand what's going on here, so think about what is essential to your idea and focus there.

Finally, this is Elizabeth Catlett's The Torture of Mothers from 1970.  She was an African American printmaker and sculptor whose work dealt predominately with African American themes and individuals.  The placement of the child is within the mind of the mother and I think that composition is interesting because it raises a lot of questions in me.  Is the child dead or badly hurt?  Is this a memory for the mother or something that she fears could happen in future?  All of those key parts, along with the title create a very unified emotional impact.

OK, now I realize that all of these pieces are rather heavy, but you needn't restrict yourselves to this.  If you find yourself struggling a bit, here's a list of emotions to help get you going...
Love
Joy
Hope
Peaceful
Calm
Exuberance
Sadness/Sorrow
Fear
Depression
Anger
Hate
Jelousy
and......whatever else you may come up with. :)
Ms. D.