Art Foundations II Digital Portfolio: Nandika Bhatnagar
Formal Analysis: Modern Art Movement - Surrealism
Describe: The Persistence of Memory is one of the most recognizable works of surrealism painted by Spanish artist Salvador Dali in 1931 known for its stark yet dreamlike scenery reflected through the distorted clocks and warm colors. Using oil paint, Dali created a desolate landscape and explored the juxtaposition of hard and soft surfaces. Since 1934, this painting has been in the collection in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and has been viewed by thousands of people over the many years it has remained there.
Analyze: The movement of the clocks appearing as if they are melting brings the viewer's attention to the smooth surfaces of the clocks' faces. In addition to the clocks, another object lies in the bottom left corner: an orange case of some sort with black ants crawling all over it. The use of shades of blue and orange and the lone dead tree in the mid ground reflects the setting of the barren landscape, as well as the various uses of the curved shapes of the clocks and the rigid lines of the rock emerging from the water in the background.
Interpret: At first, I was captivated by the distorted clocks, because it seems like your own mind is playing tricks on you. I also believe that there is a relationship between the title of the artwork and the art itself. The distorted images and clocks could reflect how one's memory can become distorted and changed over time. I also think there is a deeper story with the mysterious orange case, but this painting shows Dali's unique, yet fascinating way of bringing viewers into the art.
Evaluate: I really love the use of color in this painting. I wonder why Dali left so much open space in the mid ground, but I think this art is really popular because it is up for interpretation and people can have different opinions on what the clocks mean.
Marco/Micro Artist Statement: In the beginning, I was really excited to start the bigger painting of an enlarged fruit. I wanted to see how I could make my first macro/micro painting better and how I could really focus on the details for the larger one. I chose to stick with a grapefruit because of its bright, vivid colors and also because I like working with warmer colors like red and orange rather than cooler colors. First, I had to take my reference photo from a real grapefruit in class. Since I wanted to bring out all the different shades of red and orange and include a lot of highlights, I tried to take the best photo by placing the grapefruit in the sunlight from the window. Then, I printed the photo out and sketched it on a gridded canvas. I found it a bit challenging to transfer the details and lines of the grapefruit onto the canvas, but I decided to just do the outline and then work with the paint as well as improvise with the colors later on. Throughout the process, I spent a lot of time blending and mixing shades of red, orange, yellow, and white to make the most accurate colors to the image. At the end, I learned a lot about Angela Faustina, and more about what the process is when making such a detailed art piece. I also realized how much beauty and detail there is in everyday items which we don't notice, and how intricate and colorful natural things are.
Zio Zegler Project:
Critical Investigation: When I first look at any of Zio Ziegler's paintings or murals, I am immediately captivated by his extremely detailed use of pattern and color. I really love how he includes so many vivid colors that contest and complement each other. I wanted so include his use of patterns as well as bright colors that immediately grab your attention.
Process: I started by looking at a specific art piece of his and seeing which aspects really stand out to me at first. Then, I picked a few of his patterns which I liked the best and then began to brainstorm pattern ideas of my own. Then, I used an anatomy book to help me brainstorm which aspects of the human body that I wanted to include. Once I picked out a skull to be the center of the painting, I began sketching the basic outlines of patterns and dividing the canvas into several sections. I decided to use paint pens to fill in solid colors and used paint to shade different parts of the skull. Lastly, I added smaller details using a fine black pen over my other patterns.
Final Artwork: I really like how my final piece turned out. Different aspects of the painting reveal the different parts of life, such as the skull representing death and the five figures representing humans on Earth. The skull is kind of in the background because I wanted to reflect how death is always in the background of everyone's lives as well. Overall, this piece doesn't have a specific meaning, but just represents life and humanity as a whole.
Final Identity Project: Multifaceted Self
Artist Statement: For me, I think much of my identity is from my family and the places that I come from. In my art piece, I chose to include a photo of my mom and me as a baby. I chose to weave two different photos of places that mean a lot to me and my family; one being a picture of India I took over the summer and the other of the Golden Gate Bridge in SF. Since my entire family is from India and I visit them every summer, I wanted to include a bit of my culture. But, since I have lived in San Francisco my entire life, I also consider the city as my home, so I wanted to bridge them in the middle of the photo between my mom and I. I reflected my identity in my project by incorporating the places and people that mean the most to me.
Place In Time Project
Artist Statement: When I think of a maps, I just think of my favorite places to visit in that city or country. I also like looking at the maps of places where I've never actually been to, because I feel like maps can give you a sense and feeling of the city even if you haven't been there. For my project, I chose to paint the city of Mumbai, India. I visit Mumbai every summer because all of my mom's side lives there and I get to visit my grandparents and cousins. At first, I wanted to try to incorporate as many roads and parks as I can, but then I chose to just include the parks that I enjoy going to with my grandparents. I tried to include the bustling vibe of the city, but I like how it ended up being a rougher version instead with only things that are significant to me. However, I also wanted to learn something about the city as well, so I chose to research and point out the poorer communities (in red) and where they are. Ultimately, I wanted to include places that mean a lot to me, but also learn something about the city as well.
Final Project
Artist's Statement: For my final project, I wanted to incorporate elements from both of the artists I chose for my comparative study. SH Raza's art has bright colors and geometric shapes, so I included those and made them complex in their composition. I also studied Kandinsky, who uses more organic shapes, which is why I added the the wavy shapes at the top. Lastly, I wanted to make the colors brighter at the top and darker at the bottom, but I experimented with contrast and color throughout the entire project. The theme I chose for my comparative study was spirituality, but I didn't necessarily want to make it the theme of my project. Since one of my favorite projects of the year was our Zio Zegler painting, I spent a lot of time focusing on the details.