Artwork: Digital Collage
Title: Mirror of Memory
Size: 61cm x 91cm
Medium: Digital Collage
Completion: September 2018
Exhibition Text
Mirror of Memory is an original work of digital art that expresses my own struggle of letting my childhood era become a part of my past. The main intention of this piece is to show that a picture could be worth a thousand words - my childhood was worth billions. My inspiration in creating this piece consists of Magritte's bright reflection in The False Mirror and the use of flowing lines in Edvard Munch's The Scream.
Meaning Behind Piece
Many say that a photograph is worth a thousand words. If a photograph is worth a thousand words, then a camera packed with images must be worth billions of words. As a child, my parents did an outstanding job at capturing pictures in the midst of my happiest moments. Looking back on these images, I realize that these snapshots were hiding me from the worst parts of this world. I give the most credit to my parents for trying to keep my innocence pure from the poisons of reality, but now I often find myself resorting back to my childhood, as it seems to make my life’s chaos disappear. Unfortunately, that’s just my imagination trying to grasp onto the best era of my 16 years of existence. I won’t be considered a legal adult until 2020, but that doesn’t make me a child now; the being I was during childhood is nonexistent and has been replaced by an angsty teenager. It was inevitable that my innocence would come to a halt, and that only happened a mere four years ago.
I entered my teenage years knowing the truths of reality; how vulturous people could be, also realizing that everything is twisted and isn’t actually what it seems. I am twisted and not who I seem to be. I seldom mention my private life, because I believe that private information should stay private. That’s why this topic becomes brief. Strange people that don’t know me personally do not have rights to my deepest, darkest secrets. Those are for me and a select few people who I believe will always be relevant in my life.
Photography is still my shield, but the collection of images continues to shrink in minor increments as I mature. I’ve learned how to enjoy the moment without technology, but I also lack some happiness. However, reality has shaped me into the individual I am today, and I am ultimately proud of who I’m becoming. Over time, I have found various substitutions for a shield, one of them being Track & Field. When I run, it feels like I’m running away from my struggles. It’s yet another way to commence my imaginary reality. The problem with track is that it only lasts so long, so I get shoved back into reality about as fast as I thought I had left it.
Some may believe that I am being over-dramatic about reality and truth be told, reality isn’t completely unbearable. I live in this world every single day and I am able to control what I impact and what impacts me. That’s all that matters when all you’re trying to do is scrape by, but I actively try to make sure everyone around me is happy, including myself. I try to keep the happiness contemporary for as long as possible. In the end, photography helps to preserve that happiness, and allows one to have their thousand word story every time they look upon a past image.
I entered my teenage years knowing the truths of reality; how vulturous people could be, also realizing that everything is twisted and isn’t actually what it seems. I am twisted and not who I seem to be. I seldom mention my private life, because I believe that private information should stay private. That’s why this topic becomes brief. Strange people that don’t know me personally do not have rights to my deepest, darkest secrets. Those are for me and a select few people who I believe will always be relevant in my life.
Photography is still my shield, but the collection of images continues to shrink in minor increments as I mature. I’ve learned how to enjoy the moment without technology, but I also lack some happiness. However, reality has shaped me into the individual I am today, and I am ultimately proud of who I’m becoming. Over time, I have found various substitutions for a shield, one of them being Track & Field. When I run, it feels like I’m running away from my struggles. It’s yet another way to commence my imaginary reality. The problem with track is that it only lasts so long, so I get shoved back into reality about as fast as I thought I had left it.
Some may believe that I am being over-dramatic about reality and truth be told, reality isn’t completely unbearable. I live in this world every single day and I am able to control what I impact and what impacts me. That’s all that matters when all you’re trying to do is scrape by, but I actively try to make sure everyone around me is happy, including myself. I try to keep the happiness contemporary for as long as possible. In the end, photography helps to preserve that happiness, and allows one to have their thousand word story every time they look upon a past image.
Inspiration
Planning
Using the three sketches to the right were a large help in coming up with my final sketches. I ended up making two final sketches, therefore they will be showed below this text. The sketch on the bottom to the right was a better suit, as I used that as my reference during the process of using Photoshop. I decided to use the second sketch, because I wanted to convey the darkness OUTSIDE of the camera lens to keep it separate from my "happiness". At this point of time, Magritte was my only inspiration, as I used the camera lens as a reflection like he did in using the eye in The False Mirror. It was not until after I began using Photoshop that Munch inspired me.
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When I began this project, I was conflicted in finding my identity. It took almost a week to finally figure out a decent topic for this project, but with enough digging made me realize that I had a lot of stories to convey in such a small project. The image to the left shows my thinking process; finally figuring out who I was deep down.
After using my mind map, I created three small, detail-lacking sketches just as a reference for any future ideas that I'd want to pursue. They were also used to come up with new ideas, and possibly combine them. In the end, I only incorporated ideas from the left side and bottom sketch. These sketches are located directly below this text. |
Process
I began with a simple photo of a night sky, as my background, would represent my struggles and secrets. The only tool I used to edit this was the brightness, in which I turned it all the way down to make sure that it was almost as dark as a plain black screen, to be in low contrast between the clouds. (Image to the left) |
Next, I created a new layer that consisted of the photo I was going to use as the reflection within the camera lens. I did not add anything extra to this photo, because I thought the hues were bright and vibrant enough on their own. I didn't want to drown out the darkness completely, in contrast to Magritte, who's values consisted of the overshadowing of the dark tones with brightness. (Image to the right) |
Once again using a different layer, I added in the image of the camera, and used the quick select tool to remove the excess background. Unfortunately, the quick select tool didn't work as well as I wanted it to. There were still parts of the old image stemming off of the camera, so I used the lasso tool. After zooming in on the image and using the lasso tool, I noticed that the edges were very blunt and rigid, so I used the smooth tool around the entire camera, also getting rid of some particles that had been on the camera when I took the original photo. I made sure the smoothing wasn't too blunt by turning down the size of the tool. (Image to the left)
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Next, I decided it was time to begin merging the layers. I cut out the lens from the camera by using the circular marquee tool, and moved the camera to my "running" layer. I was able to center the empty lens directly over my body, which was my desired effect. After layering them, I cut the excess background of the "running" layer out of the frame with the quick select tool, and I merged the camera and the reflection of the lens together. The quick select tool was a lot more effective at this point, because I had more practice with it. (Image to the right) |
This was originally going to be my final piece, but for some reason I felt like it wasn't complete. I let it sit like this for a few days, and then the last part of my inspiration struck me. I decided that the background was too muted and bland, so I decided to emulate the flowing background of Edvard Munch's piece The Scream. This is part one of my final piece. (Image to the left) |
As I was reminded of the background of The Scream, I immediately went back to the first layer of my piece and began using the dodge tool to lighten the clouds that were in the very dark photo. After using the dodge tool, I moved on to using the smudge tool to create the flow of the background. At first I was unsure of how to create a soft rhythm with lines, but I figured out the perfect way to recreate the flowing pattern in Munch's piece. Moving the smudge tool over the clouds at a slow pace in an "up and down" motion helped to create unity around the camera. Overall, these flowing lines in the background could be seen as a muted highlight within the sky. (Image to the right)
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Lastly, this is what all of the components of my Photoshop experience looks like as a whole. It was fun using a new application to create my final piece Mirror of Memory. (Image to the left) |
Experimentation
There are two components to my experiments, as the first consists of how I messed around with photography, the second being my work within Photoshop.
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To begin this project, I had to take the perfect pictures to use in Photoshop. This led to a pretty large photo shoot, as I ended up with 80+ possible images that I could use. These images varied on different light settings and different distances of objects. In the end, I only used three images that I had taken. |
In using Photoshop, I did not do very many experiments, because I knew what effects I wanted. However, I enjoyed messing around with the smudge tool to distort images. By the end of my experimentation I felt very comfortable using the smudging tool, but I didn't use it too often. The only area in these experimental photos that I used was the main Canon icon in the top left corner. I didn't want the branding to be 100% visible, because not everything is what it seems to be.
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Reflecting & Critiquing
I believe that my final creation turned out better than I thought it would be, as I didn't have prior knowledge to apply to the Photoshop application. I had an overall good experience using Photoshop for my piece, but I feel like I could've extended it. By extending the creativity of my piece, I would generally be adding onto the background, because I feel like some people may find my piece to be too simple. I would also have the ability to demonstrate the use of new skills, and explore the application more thoroughly. In all honesty, the most challenging part of this project was analyzing who I am, because I still haven't figured that out 100% yet. In general, I feel that my final product was a success, but there's always room for improvement. In the critique of my piece, my group was able to identify the connection of the soft, flowing background between my piece and Munch's piece. They were also able to formulate the similarity between Magritte's vibrant refection within the eye, and my bold reflection in the camera within my piece. However, we also agreed that my reflection could've had more muted, nostalgic colors to get the idea across that I was describing a memory. |
There are many differences and similarities between my piece and the other works that I have chosen as inspiration. It makes a lot of sense for my piece to have it's own differences, because it's an original piece. But like I said, these pieces do hold some similarity. Similarities:
Differences:
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René Magritte. The False Mirror, 1928. Oil on canvas. Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Edvard Munch. The Scream, 1893. Oil, tempera, pastel, and crayon on cardboard. Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway.
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ACT Connections
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork:
My only inspiration consisted of multiple pieces by Magritte (mainly The False Mirror) , and Edvard Munch's The Scream. The False Mirror helped me to create the main focus of my piece, in which I am the reflection in the lens of the camera. It relates to the reflection of the sky within Magritte's eye. The Scream has a flowing background that was initially meant to stir chaos behind the protagonist of the piece. I incorporated the waves of chaos behind the focal point of my piece as well.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors convey the information objectively, using the study of Art History, and they also analyze the pieces. Their analyses helped me to understand the pieces, and also connect their meanings to the overall meaning of my piece.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
During the research process of my project, I didn't have to search for the purpose of the Surrealism or Expressionism movements, as I could use my prior knowledge that I acquired in Art History. However, I was able to learn more about the artists as individuals. Magritte seemed a little bit more unknown during my research, but Munch was revealed as a troubled individual that experienced a lot of anxiety. He unfortunately had to stop expressing himself in this way, because he thought it was a dangerous form of art.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea behind my inspirational research was based off of my imagination; how I make my own life surreal. This takes me back to my cherished childhood.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I inferred that the purpose of Magritte's works weren't just to make viewers feel uncomfortable; as they could've been challenges to make the viewer see things in a different light. I feel like Magritte wasn't trying to create discomfort, rather he wanted to spark memories of the viewers. I also inferred that expressionist artists were frowned upon, as some of their artwork could have been seen as "dangerous" or even psychotic. Not every artist was able to feel comfortable enough to share how they truly felt. Munch shouldn't have felt like his artwork was dangerous, because his pieces expressed normal feelings and emotions that every individual has felt before.
My only inspiration consisted of multiple pieces by Magritte (mainly The False Mirror) , and Edvard Munch's The Scream. The False Mirror helped me to create the main focus of my piece, in which I am the reflection in the lens of the camera. It relates to the reflection of the sky within Magritte's eye. The Scream has a flowing background that was initially meant to stir chaos behind the protagonist of the piece. I incorporated the waves of chaos behind the focal point of my piece as well.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors convey the information objectively, using the study of Art History, and they also analyze the pieces. Their analyses helped me to understand the pieces, and also connect their meanings to the overall meaning of my piece.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
During the research process of my project, I didn't have to search for the purpose of the Surrealism or Expressionism movements, as I could use my prior knowledge that I acquired in Art History. However, I was able to learn more about the artists as individuals. Magritte seemed a little bit more unknown during my research, but Munch was revealed as a troubled individual that experienced a lot of anxiety. He unfortunately had to stop expressing himself in this way, because he thought it was a dangerous form of art.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea behind my inspirational research was based off of my imagination; how I make my own life surreal. This takes me back to my cherished childhood.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I inferred that the purpose of Magritte's works weren't just to make viewers feel uncomfortable; as they could've been challenges to make the viewer see things in a different light. I feel like Magritte wasn't trying to create discomfort, rather he wanted to spark memories of the viewers. I also inferred that expressionist artists were frowned upon, as some of their artwork could have been seen as "dangerous" or even psychotic. Not every artist was able to feel comfortable enough to share how they truly felt. Munch shouldn't have felt like his artwork was dangerous, because his pieces expressed normal feelings and emotions that every individual has felt before.
Bibliography
René “René Magritte The False Mirror Paris 1929.” Lee Bontecou. Untitled. 1959 | MoMA, The Museum of Modern Art, 2015, www.moma.org/collection/works/78938.
“The Scream, 1893 by Edvard Munch.” The Scream, 1893 by Edvard Munch, 2011, www.edvardmunch.org/the-scream.jsp.
“World Art.” Annenberg Learner, 2018, www.learner.org/courses/globalart/work/102/index.html.
“The Scream, 1893 by Edvard Munch.” The Scream, 1893 by Edvard Munch, 2011, www.edvardmunch.org/the-scream.jsp.
“World Art.” Annenberg Learner, 2018, www.learner.org/courses/globalart/work/102/index.html.