Module 14

Self Portrait/Virtual Art Gallery Visit

Self-portraits selected from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston:

1) Self-portrait (muscle shirt), from the series Every Breath We Drew
Jess T. Dugan
2013
Photograph, inkjet print
61 x 47.9 cm

2) Self Portrait
Ellen Day Hale
1885
Oil on canvas
72.39 x 99.06 cm

3) Fantastic Inkwell (Self-Portrait as a Sphinx)
Sarah Bernhardt
1880
Bronze
31.8 x 34.9 x 31.8 cm

Image of myself:

Self-Portrait I created:

Reflection Journal Questions:
1) I selected the inspiration pieces for various reasons. For the first piece, as shown above, I liked the stance of the subject and how the body language parallels that of the image of myself. For the second piece, I enjoyed the gaze of the subject and how your eyes are drawn immediately to the face and eyes as in the image of myself. For the third piece, I thought the concept of creating a self-portrait in the form of sphinx was really interesting and creative and inspired the idea behind my self-portrait.
2) For my self-portrait, I used multimedia, Sharpie on wax paper superimposed on a print. I chose this media because I thought it represented duality with the outline of my face still visible but the creepy zombie still lurking beneath and also clearly visible through the wax paper. 
3) The challenge I faced in creating the self-portrait was finding a viable light source that could be placed underneath the photo which I used to trace onto the wax paper. I was ultimately able to rig a clear bin with my phone light underneath to create enough light to be able to trace the photo.
4) I think the piece represents how my outside appearance is often deceiving. Despite being able to capture an attractive picture of myself, at the time I felt very stressed and ugly on the inside. This also works the other way in that sometimes when I'm feeling great mentally my physical self doesn't line up. It is a constant and forever-frustrating dilemma. 
5) The main elements used in this piece are line and shape which I used to create the outline of myself. There is also the element of color from the image of the creature underneath the wax paper.
6) I enjoyed creating the self-portrait because it was a chance to be creative even though I don't consider myself an artist by any means.
7) I like the concept of my artwork much more than I actually enjoy the final product. I think with better tools and a better way to capture the final product, the outcome would have been much better.