Joseph Nechvatal

(Lewis, 2003)

Joseph Nechvatal is a contemporary Digital Artist; a movement which describes any digitally altered or created image. His work often involves using computers to create digital paintings which mimic traditional techniques  through the use of robots, photoshop or styluses (Lewis, 2003).  In addition, he has created animated works through inserting viruses which appear to attack his paintings. Nechvatal (2010) coined the term Viractuality to describe a connection between the virtual and biological; a now common phenomenon in today's technological world. One artwork I was drawn to was 'vOlumptuary droid decOllegtage' (2002) which challenges gender beliefs, through blurring male and female to create a Hermaphrodite. The artwork is a loose reference to the Roman poet Ovid’s sensual musings in 'Metamorphoses', which recites the birth of Hermaphroditus, from the parents Aphrodite and Hermes, resulted in the combination of both his parents; as in both male and female (Lewis, 2003). In the artwork, both male and female genitalia is depicted, using an abstract array of fractal patterns and programming code. Nechvatal uses binary code, comprised of zeros and ones, which represents contrast between the two spheres of gender. Similarly colour has also been used to express this conflict through the use of contrasting colours of earth tones and violet. Further polarities exist within Nechvatal's style which appears to be combination of abstraction and representation, something which I wish to replicate in my own work as I contrast the realistic element of the hand with the abstract background. I also want to draw on the technique of layering programming code, using newsprint instead, to add a further symbolic reference (Roniger, 2012). 
Interestingly, Nechvatal features numerous holes in his works, depicting anuses, retinas and graphic holes and subsequently capitilies the letter O in the pieces title, symbolic for being open and in a ready position (Roniger, 2012). 

Nechvatal has a fascinating interview found here. 

Lewis, J. (2003). Joseph Nechvatal at Universal Concepts Unlimited. Art in America , 123-124.

Nechvatal, J. (2010). Emergence of the New Paradigm: Viractuality. École Supérieure d'AudioVisuel (pp. 21-30). Toulouse, France: Université de Toulouse le Mirail.

Roniger, T. (2012). Interview with Joseph Nechvatal. Retrieved November 30, 2012, from Concatenations Blog: http://www.concatenationsblog.org/2012/03/interview-with-joseph-nechvatal.html

Back to Chaos

Today I created the background of my image. I used the collaged newspaper sheet as a base and I then placed black and white paint over it, using water to gradually disperse the paint, drawing on water colour techniques. I used shape in the form of squares on the left side of my painting to represent pixels, as the newspaper becomes digitalised. The 'pixels' gradually become more prominent, until they are fully revealed in the left corner, symbolising the gradual change to newspapers until they are fully digitalised.

The medium I chose was acrylic paint, as I like how it is thick and fast drying and creates a high-contrast image.

I then drew on the techniques foregrounded in the movement of Abstract Expressionism, flicking black, white and red paint over the image. The irregular and jagged shapes created a chaotic image, which evoked the emotions of anger, as the newspaper nears its death. These emotions are also felt by those whose jobs are in this dying industry. The red splatters also represent blood, another representation of death and the bleeding soul of the newspaper.  Although I liked this effect, I thought the background lacked the references to the newspaper and therefore I ripped the word 'dumped' out of the newspaper and collaged it into the background. 

Although I am happy with my background, I think that it could be improved using Photoshop to increase the contrast and overall vibrancy. This would also represent the process of digitalisation, as the print news and my artwork become improved through technology. I will need to do some further research into digital artists in order to gather inspiration for this next process. 

Becoming a skeleton

My original plans to create the skeleton were to utilise watercolour on newspaper, however I have since discovered Digital Art and now decided to layer a skeleton over a face in order represent death and decay. I will talk about the Digital Art movement in a later post.
Although  my final artwork will probably utilise an image of a person related to newspapers, such as Rupert Murdoch, I used my own photograph for the experimentation.

I started by downloading an image of a skull from the internet, from ZME Science (2012).


I then cropped and rotated this image and placed it over the top of my face, before placing another layer of my face over the top; essentially creating a sandwich.
This allowed me to gradually rub out areas of my face using a transparent rubber, to reveal the skeleton underneath. Thus providing the effect of a partly skeletonised face. By keeping the other layer of my face underneath, I was able to retrieve components where necessary, by rubbing out the skeleton. This is the effect I finished up with.

ZME Science (2012). 'Skeleton'. Viewed 28th November, 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.zmescience.com/research/studies/american-skull-get-bigger-432143/

Abstract Emotions

The background is an integral component of my image as it supports the focal point of the skull and depicts the transition to a pixelated future. My first thoughts about the background were to use watercolour to create blobs of colour which gradually become more square-like as they became digitalised. However, I have since discovered Abstract Expressionism and feel it could be used to represent the chaotic demise of print news.

Abstract Expressionism emerged in the 1940s as a departure from traditional painting conventions, techniques and realistic subject matter. Instead, abstract forms and colours were used to evoke emotion, with the artists favouring an improvised style of painting expressing emotion through energetic brush-strokes (The Art Story Foundation, 2012). 

Jackson Pollock, an Abstract Expressionist painter, used the technique of flicking paint at a large canvas to capture the emotion of his subject matter and to detach line and colour in order to depict and transcend physical spaces. In Lavender Mist (1950), he depicts a western American landscape through the use of earthy colours, to create a lavender tone. Black and white have been used to create a balanced image and point of emphasis, with the viewer drawn around the edges of the canvas and given the feeling of a sparse landscape. The abstract forms add variety to the image to again depict the images of branches and sticks of plants covered in mist. This, therefore, does not only allow the viewer to 'see' the landscape, but also feel its chaos as Pollock's style transcends the physicality of realistic painting (Pioch, 2002). 

I want to use Abstract Expressionism as my background; however, I first want to experiment with the technique of flicking paint. A few weeks ago, I created a plaster cast of my face and hand, which I was going to use as an art sculpture, however I decided to revisit this artwork and flick paint on it. I decided to use bright colours as I wanted the self-portrait to be happy and selected the primary colours of red, green and blue to depict the building blocks of myself. This also makes it symbolic of my own art journey, whereby I can now use the basics in new ways. 

A practice of flicking paint. 

Pioch, N. (2002). Pollock, Jackson. Retrieved December 3, 2012, from Web Museum, Paris: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/pollock/lavender-mist/

The Art Story Foundation. (2012). JACKSON POLLOCK. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from The Art Story: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-pollock-jackson.htm

Background

Today I started putting together the background of my image. I decided to try collaging newspaper strips, using a paper mache technique  I am not sure whether this will form the background of my image or whether I should build it up to create a 3D skull.

After letting the newspaper dry, the glue was not strong enough to hold the paper so it peeled off. I tried to glue it back down, with little success and the image does not look appealing. This is what I have ended up with. 

Not sure how I am going to overcome this yet. I think I will either have to use stronger glue or scan the image and just edit it on the computer. 

Watercolour?

I have been considering using watercolour to paint the skull, as I am drawn to its transparent and liquid properties, which would create a 'sad' feeling. Watercolour painting involves using water-soluble pigments, often bought in tubes, and is used to create artistic representations on paper. Wet-on-wet is a particular technique whereby the pigment is applied directly to wet paper, subsequently allowing the colours to mix to form new shades and a fluid image (What is Watercolour Painting?, 2012). Marion Bolognesi is a watercolour artist who paints faces, often just the eyes and mouth, to capture the emotion, allowing the watercolours to drip and depict the image of crying eyes. This is contrasted with bright colours, an image of beauty, which hides the weeping soul (Marion Bolognesi Watercolour Faces, 2010).

This is my attempt at a watercolour painting, as inspired by Marion Bolognesi, where I tried to use colour to depict a mask hiding the crying insides of the girl. I decided to focus on the eyes, in order to create a minimalistic image, without distractions from other irrelevant facial features. As a critique, I think my choice of colours could be better chosen, possibly just using cool colours to express sadness. I also don't feel like I fully captured the emotion of the crying eyes. 

Marion Bolognesi Watercolour Faces. (2010). Retrieved November 23, 2012, from Trendland: http://trendland.com/marion-bolognesi-watercolor-faces/

What is Watercolour Painting? (2012). Retrieved November 23, 2012, from Wise Geek: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-watercolor-painting.htm

Conceptualising

After trawling through tumblr and photoshop tutorials, I came across a digital artwork which layered newspaper over a person and used watercolour filters to create a digitalised image (click here to view image). This sparked an idea that I could cover the death of print media,  very much a contemporary issue which addresses the changing and technological times we live in.

Newspapers have always been a primary source of facts and information, with many of us rising to our morning coffee and 'the paper'. The change and death of newspapers is not new, with the old days heralding the morning and evening versions of the paper as well as extras, whereby 'breaking news' was available as an extra piece of paper; 'extra, extra, read all about it'. Television also posed a threat to the paper, providing a more aesthetic approach to news; however, the newspaper survived, still providing a more comprehensive approach to the news accompanied with opinion and editorial pieces (Lark, 2007). However, today the accessibility and immediacy of digital news has changed the way we access information, making the death of newspapers a well documented phenomenon. Digital media overcomes issues faced with production costs, with the internet and its virtual pages being a free commodity. Rising prices and a changing market have seen staff reductions at major newspapers, including Fairfax Media and the Times in a drastic move to reduce costs. It seems the process of digitalisation is inevitable, as tablets provide a physical and portable version of the news and entirely replace the need for the paper.


Using this information I want to create an artwork which illustrates the death of print media and shows the evolution to its digitalised counterparts. At the moment, I am considering creating a mixed media collaged painting, which features a skull in the foreground, partly composed of newspaper, situated on a red, black and white background, which gradually becomes pixelated towards the corners. The colours will be drab, to represent the demise of print news, whilst red will be used to symbolise blood. These three colours are also a subtle pun referring to the riddle 'What's black, white and red all over?' referring to a newspaper. Whilst this joke is a cliche for our contemporary times, its meaning is set to become lost for future generations.

Preliminary Sketch

Jarvis, J. (2008). The Print Media Are Doomed. Retrieved November 21, 2012, from Business Week: http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2008/12/the_print_media_are_doomed.html

Lark, A. (2007). The Beginning of The End for Newspapers. Retrieved November 27, 2012, from Andy Lark: http://andylark.blogs.com/andylark/2007/03/the_beginning_o_1.html

Skullduggery

Today I stumbled across several  images of skulls which have influenced my thought processes and the development of my key concept. 

Skull with a Burning Cigarette

Van Gogh (1886)

(Miller, 2010)

Van Gogh was a post-impressionist painter, a movement characterised by bright colour and the use of short, sharp brush-strokes of broken colour to define form (POST IMPRESSIONISM, 2012). In particular, Van Gogh's painting 'Skull with a Burning Cigarette', uses this technique and colour to create a meaningful statement which remains relevant, due to its subject matter of smoking. At the time, he was studying at an art academy in Antwerp, where he wished to develop his skills of life-painting using live models, however the classes consisted of students copying prints and painting skeletons to learn about anatomy. Therefore, historians and art critics believe the painting was produced as black humour to ridicule the strict and conservative practices of the academy  (Miller, 2010). The painting implies connotations of death through the symbolism of the skull. The use of colour is realistic and highlights the macabre subject while hinting at the yellowing skin of smokers (Parr, 2012). The black background is used to foreground the skull and cigarette with its little swirl of smoke. Tone has also been used to create nuances of light and shadow and depict a realistic skull  (Vincent Van Gogh Style and Technique, 2010). For my artwork, I feel yellow could be used in a similar way to depict a skull and the process of ageing. I also feel the gritty brush-strokes could be used to create a sense of disjointedness towards a contemporary issue and either be replicated using acrylic paint or photo editing software. Contrasting colours could be used to foreground my central concept and focus the viewer's eye.

Mind over Matter

Dan Mountford (2011)

(The Work of Dan Mountford, 2012)

Dan Mountford is a contemporary artist and graphic designer, who specialises in double exposure photography. The photo 'Mind over Matter' is a strong statement about the addictive properties of the drug and the will-power required to overcome the habit. Double-exposure is used to juxtapose two images; the image of the boy and the cigarette butts which symbolise the pervasive properties of smoking (The Work of Dan Mountford, 2012). Texture has been implied through the use of realistic photography, whereby a small aperture has been used to allow a shallow depth of field and the subsequent sense of butts piling up and penetrating the brain. The colours are realistic, with a slight sepia tone to mimic the ageing process and, like Van Gogh, subtly hint at death and the yellowing skin of smokers. The photo has been composed to foreground the image of a boy against a plain background, whilst the profile shot has been used to clearly depict a person turning away, probably from his smoking past. The use of juxtaposition and symbolic choice of images could be used in my artwork to draw connections between death and death causing properties. 

After analysing these images, I am considering changing my focus issue to youth suicide and juxtaposing a skull with the causes of youth suicide. Double exposure could be used to overlay several images; most likely I could achieve this using photoshop, due to the complexity of combining several images. 

References

POST IMPRESSIONISM. (2012). Retrieved November 20, 2012, from Art Movements: http://www.artmovements.co.uk/postimpressionism.htm

Miller, D. W. (2010). Art work: Skullduggery. Retrieved November 30, 2012, from Madness of Art: http://madnessofart.com/tag/amsterdam/

Parr, S. (2012). Sue's Doodles. Retrieved November 30, 2012, from Research point: Artist’s depictions of skulls: http://suesdoodles.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/research-point-artists-depictions-of-skulls/

The Work of Dan Mountford. (2012). Retrieved November 20, 2012, from Juxtapoz: 

http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/the-work-of-dan-mountford

Vincent Van Gogh Style and Technique. (2010). Retrieved November 29, 2012, from Artble: http://www.artble.com/artists/vincent_van_gogh/more_information/style_and_technique

Urbanisation

Urbanisation is a current issue with several implications, particularly pertaining to environmental impact. Drawing on Picasso, I have been considering creating an abstract image depicting a sparseness of houses, blocking out the sun. This image evokes the theme whereby the dark lifeless building reflects the heat of the sun. I like how colour has been used to evoke this imagery. 

Le pigeon aux petits-pois (1911)

(Art News: Lost but Not Always Found: The Paris Art Heist, 2010)

This painting was created during the Cubism movement which was characterised by the abstract dissembling of an image, creating numerous shapes, including cubes, to display the various angles and representations of an object. This required the artist to analyse and break up a scene, before reconstructing it in a new way(Art News: Lost but Not Always Found: The Paris Art Heist, 2010). Extensive use of shape has been used to create this effect and enables the viewer to develop a feel for the buildings in the Italian squares. The painting uses colour to capture the Italian scenes of a cafe and the typically yellow buildings and coutrysides, whilst grey has been used to show the flutter of pigeons.

Cubism could be used to show an abstract image of urban sprawl, depicting the roofs of houses using squares, with the addition of a focal point of black smoke. This would also symbolise the death of the trees, being replaced by more pollution. Warm colours could be used to represent the heat of the houses, reflecting the sun's rays.
This is a brief sketch of my plan.

References

Art News: Lost but Not Always Found: The Paris Art Heist. (2010). Retrieved November 23, 2012, from Oil Painting Express: http://www.oilpaintingexpress.com/category/blog-tags/pablo-picasso

Getting Started

For my art work, I have to respond to a contemporary issue. I will need to consider several aspects including subject matter, media and design utilising the elements and principles of design to create an emotive piece. So far I have been using tumblr for inspiration which is able to be viewed below. 

cracksandmirrors.tumblr.com

At the moment, I have thought about addressing several contemporary issues including globalisation, digitalisation, youth suicide and asylum seekers. 
As I work through this journey, I will continue to upload posts of my progress and the development of my concept. 
Sylvia.