Throughout the semester, I got to learn about many artists and got to approach "art" in a different way. Not only did I get out of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed doing each project. Finally, the final project was presented, and a decision had to be made for what will be my last project. For this final project, I was left with three ideas: making a video comparing the lives of my son and me, an extension to my soccer video, or a self—portrait. After discussing with my classmate Jose and prof Doris, the final decision was made of a "self—portrait." The reasoning behind this was that an extension of my soccer video would not have been "original." Also, not deciding on a video with my son gave my family an excuse to have a portrait together. Therefore, the first step for this final self--portrait project is to photoshop the original image background and incorporate it with me.
The artist that inspired me while making me self—portrait is Kehinde Wiley. Who is a black artist who painted former president Barack Obama's presidential portrait. This painting hangs in Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. In this painting, Kehinde added certain flowers that originate from Obama's parents' origin. As stated by Maya Rhodan in A Game Changer, How a Painting of President Obama Broke the Rules, "African blue lilies are a nod to Obama's father's home country of Kenya. Chrysanthemums are the official flower of the city of Chicago, where Obama met his wife Michelle and started both his family and political career" (2018). What makes this painting standout out even more, is the background made with this painting. The background leaves blending with both different types of flowers. The sense of "authority" is also portrayed without the environment being related to the White House. Just like Obama's portrait, I replicated the national flowers and background. Both national flowers from Ecuador and Salvador ("Churquiraga Jussieui" & "Itotze Flower") for the picture of my family. Implying that one the left side is the national flower from El Salvador. While the right side having the national flower of Ecuador. Down in the middle both flowers meet since my son is from both countries! Meanwhile the other two photos only have the national flower from El Salvador.
The self-portrait I made displays numerous themes. To begin, the very first photo taken was with my family. In some, having a child at an early age is seen as a careless mistake, while others see it as a blessing. I've learned to look past the eyes of others and to appreciate and treasure the moments. As stated by Susan Sontag in an excerpt on Photography, "To collect photographs is to collect the world." Thus, having over three thousand photos of Lucas. The second (feminine pose) and third (male pose) photos portray a male and feminine pose. The idea behind the second pose was to confuse the audience since, in a "male" picture, you never see the male doing a feminine pose. Society always views the male as the dominant figure. I tried hitting this portrait with a twist and portraying the dominant male sigma. In the third photo, I emphasized the pose by leaning forward and having my hands a certain way. As stated by Maya Rhodan in A Game Changer, How a Painting of President Obama Broke the Rules, "The way the president appears to lean toward the viewer, his collar unbuttoned, exudes a level of openness not seen in some of the other portraits" (2018). In other words, you get this sense of power being demonstrated without the individual expressing an emotion.
Overall, there was a vital difference between my first self—portrait and my final self—portrait. Such differences have the theme being presented. In my first—self-portrait project, I introduced this theme of "loneliness," and the animal being shown was a wolf howling. Comparing this to my final project, I'm incorporating this theme of family and power rather than feeling empty and alone. Such influences that made these changes happen were the artists themselves. Some artists will do such unorthodox actions that no one will ever do. For example, the artist Yoko Ono was a strong influencer on my assignments since she pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone. A video called The case for Yoko Ono stated, "In Cut Piece" you are stripped of your outward signifiers giving yourself to the audience to work." To be in front of a camera or even record a video of myself is beyond rare. My camera roll consists of photos of my son and family. You will never find a selfie or a picture of me alone on my phone. I grew up not being photogenic, and as of December 2022. This change is finally happening since the purchase of a photo album has been made.
The spectacle/media influences identity and self-presentation since the spectacle is the "main" subject. As stated in The Society of the Spectacle by Guy—Ernest Debord, "The spectacle is capital to such a degree of accumulation that it becomes an image." This means the "spectacle" will be the subject that gets everyone to see. Therefore, the spectacle will have a significant influence on identity and self—presentation.
Citation:
Rhonda, M. (2018, February 14). 'A game changer.'
how a painting of President Obama broke the rules. Retrieved from https://time.com/5158961/obama-portrait-kehinde-wiley-amy-sherald-interview/
Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoU0E_ab36Q
Susan Sontag excerpt from
On Photography
http://www.susansontag.com/SusanSontag/books/onPhotographyExerpt.shtml
Debord, G. E. (n.d.). The Situationist international text
library/The society of the spectacle. Retrieved from
https://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/display/16
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