Monday 1 January 2001

Module 3. Assignment 4. Lost in Interpretation

THE DATE ON THE ASSIGNMENT IS WRONG - IT SHOULD READ MAY 13th 2011. 


IT MUST BE A SPOOKY FRIDAY 13th THING! 

"Make your own interpretations of the work of three of the artists you have looked at. Use a good quality paper of at least A4 size. Try to get a sense of how they used colour and paint and work in a similar way."

This was the next question in the module. I immediately set to work on creating a Miro style piece of work. In much the same way as he drew on " life under Franco, " and " The Spanish civil war." I chose one of my well trodden experiences. "The School Run.". This daily hazard had been especially trying that morning and so it was an extremely cathartic process to get my feelings down in Miro style symbols on paper.

I used the deep blue which he favoured, he used it to represent sky and a meditative state. I was feeling quite trance like as I herded the children into the car as I had repeated my calls of " Get Up!" " brush your teeth!" " where is/are your tie/blazer/shoes!?"so many times that morning I was not feeling zen like but the words auto pilot spring to mind. It's like herding cats in the mornings!!! This had been frustrated further when my third son had asked me for all three of the above items just as he was leaving the house and after he had spent a happy hour kicking a football in the garden, instead of trying to find them himself. This playing had been conducted Without Shoes. A re- accruing theme in our house............




The above picture is the result of the. Conversation that followed. It resulted in him finding his shoes but the tie and blazer eluded us and would have to be relied upon to appear at a later date.

I had really enjoyed painting this piece and I was enjoying my witticism with the title when I was struck by the thought that I had not answered the brief correctly. Had I painted too much like Miro, used his symbols in much the same way as he had. Used black geometric shapes with ambiguous meanings? I was really worried as I had run into problems with interpreting the last assignments wording and as a result had been told my work was lacking in some areas.

My time is so hard pressed at the moment, I wouldn't have time to repeat this again, nor did I especially want to as I was still unsure if it was along the right idea or not. I emailed my tutor and she suggested some other points to look out for. She didn't really comment either way as to whether I had got the right idea or not either but did say that if there was time at the end of the assignment I could repeat this exercise.

By the time I received her email I was already underway with my "landscape" Miro style.



This, I was very pleased with, like Miro I am encouraging ambiguity and welcoming discussion and interpretation as to whether the object in the sky is a bird or an aeroplane. I hope that this answers the brief also. I would be interested to know what people think of the first picture in relation to the assignment. I am finding the assignments hard to interpret at times, they often require extra explanation and guidance. I would appreciate them to be more explanatory and at times less repetitive.

Anyway. On to the next interpretation.

The next artist whose style I decided to use was Rothko. My husband is a big fan of his work and we have several prints of his house at home. I have always said I could put colours together like that and so I initially did a Rothko inspired piece for the love of putting the colours together, trying out his technique of thinning out the paint and to try and capture the essence of his style.



The background is actually much more yellow than it appears in the picture but I was pleased with the result. So was Matt which was high praise indeed!

I went for a walk with my sister, our daughters and the dog. I was lamenting about having lost my creativity due to the complications of interpretation. Then. All of a sudden.

The sky went black and it looked as if we were to be caught in a storm. But underneath was a strip of fluffy White cloud with a bright blue area in the middle. Together with the darkness of distant trees, the bright yellow of buttercups and the vivid green of the grass it was as if we had walked into a Rothko painting. I whipped out my camera and captured the moment confident that this would be a success on all levels.








I was feeling more confident and decided to enjoy myself again by painting in the style of Matisse who has to be one of my favourite artists ever.

I love all his colourful paintings and the simplicity of his subjects but I was really struck by this portrait that I found and decided to push my abilities and try something I have never done before. ( well not for about 20 years!!!) A portrait.













I was pleased with it for a first attempt and certainly enjoyed the process. I will definitely be trying this style again and the general portraiture drawing appeals immensely. The Picture Is not as colourful as some of his works and I certainly admire that style and use of colour but for me here I have captured the visual brushstrokes and the use of colours not strictly of the subject. The background is as it was, a door, I suppose I could have made it orange or pink or added a window view!

I have really enjoyed these interpretations and shall certainly be carrying them, and others forward into my learning and creative process.

No comments:

Post a Comment