Through this assignment, I was first introduced to the LCE capacities- notably notice deeply, pose questions, make connections, live with ambiguity, identify patterns, empathize, reflect/assess, embody, create meaning, and take action. In each reflection, I aim to mention aspects of each of the capacities, without necessarily naming each capacity each time.
John Wilson
There are a lot of interesting things to notice in this piece. Upon first glance, the clearest thing that stuck out to me was the "sketchy" art style. Additionally, the detail in the face can be easily contrasted to the more geometric door and window. It is intriguing that the only thing with shading on it is the face- and I could guess that this is to emphasize the blackness of Wilson. By having the eye be immediately drawn to the face, it not only emphasizes himself but also celebrates his blackness.
Susan Hauptman
With a first glance, this piece looks almost otherworldly. The collage style of the piece is very interesting, as is the objects chosen. It appears that she is celebrating a birthday, but is melancholy about it, creating an interesting juxtaposition. The title of "Primadonna Bitch" also provides an insight into meaning- and raises the question on if this title is one that the artist feels represents her or if it is one that people unjustly apply to her. The composition of the piece is fascinating, and it definitely takes multiple glances to understand what is occurring.
Salvador Dali
This is certainly the most unique self portrait thus far- with the actual focus of the piece looking very little like an actual person. This amorphous shape can provide insight into how the artist views himself, namely as a shell of a person perhaps. The face mask appears to be held up with sticks, while lacking any actual substance. This could potentially represent a "mask" that Dali identifies with wearing in his everyday life. The muted colors also point towards a sad outlook.
Frida Kahlo
This piece definitely contains the most color of all the pieces thus far. It is also the closest to "photo-realistic" so far. The animals surrounding her, a hummingbird, monkey, black cat, and a thorn necklace around her neck finish the composition. An interesting addition is the presence of her unibrow- something that others may have chosen not to include, she in fact highlighted, which displays confidence. I infer that the different symbols around her represent different facets of her personality- with the thorn necklace either representing a prickly exterior or a cage that she feels like she is in. Certainly there is a lot to unpack in this painting.
David Choe
I stand corrected- this is certainly the most colorful of all the self portraits so far! An interesting part of this work is usage of crayons, a tool typically thought of as only for children. However, Choe uses this tool to create a sophisticated and mature piece. Similar to Wilson, he uses a more "sketchy" style that still shares the features of the face. As a video the piece is also fascinating- it is the only self-portrait that I have been able to see if it is accurate, and in this case it definitely is! The primary colors add to the childish feel, while still creating an interesting piece of work.
Paper Collage
This is a very interesting way to go about making a portrait- similar to an interpretation that one could make of the Self-Portrait collage that we are working on. Using collage could be seen as an example of explaining the different pieces that work together to create a person- it is never one aspect that creates a human- but a variety of different stories, experiences, emotions, and relationships that all combine together to make up a person and personality.
Magazine Collage
The magazine collage is fascinating because it is hard to determine what the actual subject is supposed to look like. A variety of vintage and artistic portraiture combines to create a head- but it is interesting to think about what the artist is trying to show because it is not a true self portrait. It could represent a lack of understanding of who the artist is as a person, or just an appreciation of different influences on their life.
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