research

The above photos are those i took myself at joochiat for my coursework. I got most of my inspiration from the photos i took during the trip and hence, I did 2 sketches on these photos of window as these are the nicest designs. I really like the details architecturers give in construction of the grills, the pillars, as well as the border design.

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COMMENTS: 

http://iamadalyn.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/56/#comments
hi adalyn!
this sketch is nice and neat. I like how your lines flow in a “systematic” direction. It is suitable to be used in comics!

http://artisgoodstuff.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/lino-carving-sec-3/
I like the details you give to the background! (the seashells)
The idea of a mermaid is an unique idea that very few people have explored before. It is apparent that your carving skills is meticulous. Well done!
Perhaps you can explain why did you use mermaid as your theme?
P.S. Thankyou for sending me the photos!

http://sigmaplus.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/sneak-composition/
WOW, you managed to do up such a spontaneous piece of work!
i feel that colours and shades gives the bird an enhanced look.
Perhaps the bird can be coloured with a darker shade/ modelling to give a more 3D look.

http://unlady.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/to-atone-for-your-cookie-sins/#comments
Hey amanda!
i really like the idea of your work.
i feel that the hand structure is really well done it really resembles a hand. haha many people are anorexic these days to attain their ideal figure, it os good that you base your coursework on this issue. it’s very meaningful!

http://perfectionforyou.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/search/#comment-19
Hey this looks good! i like how the texture of kangyan’s reflection in the glass, it evokes the eerie feeling. The font you chose is suitable too! However i think it would be better if the colour of the font is of striking crimson red.
good photoshopping skills!

FINAL

finals for my coursework:

 overview

 5-foot way

 shops

 windows

 stall design

 pillar design

 interior design

It basically shows different aspects of a shophouse, done for coursework.

PREP

These are my preps for coursework on buildings/architecture, it’s about 3/4 years of hard work!
im glad it’s all over.

Grad mag2

this is the front cover i’ve come up from the grad mag. I sketched an image using photoshop and made it into a silhouette. Credits also goes to YONGHWANG! (oops:D) for the name and sarah in the committee who found a font that’s suitable for the grad mag!

inspiration!

Mr Lee Choon Kee
TITLE : Lighthouse in St Kilda
LOCATION : St Kilda, Victoria, Australia
DATE : April 2009
SIZE : 56cm x 76cm

One sunday during my art class, i saw my teacher’s painting. On first look, i thought it lack of details in the foreground. However, i started to realize that even though it does not entails much elements in the foreground, his confident brushstrokes and colourful palette makes up for all. It is very obvious that my teacher did this painting with impulses in a dynamic way. His spontaneous brushstrokes seems to express a certain degree of liveliness and vitality. This kind of inspired me to do a painting similar to his style.

 
Painting on floras
(around A3 size)

Even though my colours are not as vibrant as his painting, and it has a lower level or expressive content, I feel that it is a good try at a first attempt.

Influence by Artist Lee Choon Kee

Being a student of an artist, Mr Lee Choon Kee, from the Singapore watercolour society, it is natural for me to be influenced and inspired by him in some way or another. One of the influence  is the way he paints his figures spontaneously without focusing on the features/details of the figure (yet it still look like a human figure)
 Till now, i have yet to master the ability of doing that, but i will try to perfect it through more practises as it is certainly a useful skill for me (considering i cant draw human figures in large numbers.)  

I really respect my teacher for his professional and excellent watercolour skills. (also for his very tolerant and thrify character!)  The above painting is recently painted by him on a trip to Melbourne (Austrailia), done in watercolour, named Flinders Street Station [SIZE : 75cm x 100cm]

I personally like this work of his as it is very detailed, meticulous and vibrant. If you view this painting carefully, you can see the hundreds of people drawn to bring out the buzzing and lively city life of the people in Australia. The building is also done in great details and accuracy, where paint is applied confidently and with depth shown through the fading of other buildings at the background. I like the composition of his painting and how he handles his medium. It is indeed a painting done with tremendous effort put in that i truly admired.

My teacher is going to use this painting to enter a national art competition (which involves participation of artists from all over singapore!) hope he will win something! (and give me a treat? hahaha. kidding! ) 

I seriously think he deserves it.

SEC3 EOY Section B Q4.

Self-Portrait
by Affandi, 1975
Oil on canvas

Self-portrait with Bandanged Ear
by Vincent Van Gogh
Oil on canvas 60×49cm
Courtauld Institute Galleries

(a) Discuss the use of brush stroke and colour in both paintings.
In Affandi’s self portrait in 1975, the brushstrokes are sinuous in thick impasto of colors. Brushstrokes are in uneven patches such that some are thick and some thin with dots and dents in a seriously uneven textures. The brushstrokes are in thick and unmixed form which perhaps is because of the fact that Affandi has used the technique of squeezing the paint directly from the tube to the canvas expressing moments with vitalism using edge of nozzles to create dots and patches on the thick streaks of paint to apply the streaks of unkempt, thinning head of hairs. Also the blurred background is diffused and messy which suggested the brushstrokes are made by smearing paint with his palm. The color used are of bright hues of yellow, red and green which shows an abstract form of figure with only a little resemblance of facial features. The colors are bright, vibrant and jamming, so unorthodox and wired that it does not seems to be color of the face. The colors used are not realistic and unnatural that thick mass of paints were applied onto the face and only undistinguished downcast of eyes, nostrils and lips are made visible looking gruesome.

In Van Gogh’s Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear, the brushstrokes are short, distinctive and choppy with all in the same direction as evident in the cloak and the hat areas. Brushstrokes were visible and dabbed side by side by streaks of paints in vertical direction. Some of the brushstrokes such as the lines at the back are so diffused that it seems like it disappear into the canvas. The color used by Van Gogh is dull but with texture that is light with thick mass of paint. The colors used in this painting are mainly dull green, yellow and earthly brown and when placed side by side will appear contrasting.

(b) What inspired these two artists? Discuss in relation to their biography.
Affandi is inspired by the expressionism and probably the abstract expressionism such that life force and the dynamism of the artist is at once the motive force  and reason of painting. The expression is achieved by portraying the motion via bright, jamming and contrasting colors. Affandi was in Indonesia Art Society at which he make his first painting when he received his first award. He is an expressionist as he evokes and brings out emotions through the use  of colors and brushstrokes, distorted reality and he painted in figurative style to express his inner state of emotion. The artist is also influenced by Van Gogh by Van Gogh paintings particularly Starry night in 1889 when he started his painting in 1975. The use of colors then was bright, jamming and contrasting in swirling emotion to bring across the inner emotions and the dynamism of the figures and painting such that the figures in the paintings is so expressionist.

In the case of Van Gogh, the impressionist artist Paul Gauguin  inspired him in his painting style. The impressionist used short distinctive strokes and choppy brushstrokes to paint fleeting qualities of light. However, Van Gogh wanted a more substantiated art that requires more planning and uses color and brushstrokes not to portray light but feeling and emotions. He used short distinctive and choppy brushstrokes of the impressionist but turned into  post-impressionist in the 19 century. Also doing this painting, he worked with Paul Gauguin  but ended up with a quarrel and Gauguin left. As a result, Van Gogh chopped off his left ear. Without this incident, Van Gogh would not be inspred to paint this portrait of himself with bandaged ear.

(c) In your opinion, which artist is more successful in creating a unique style?
In my opinion, self portraits by Affandi is   more successful in creating a unique style.

In Affandi’s self portrait, there were thick impastos of thick mass of un natural colors featuring the face . Thick streaks of paints were used to depict the unkempt thinning head of air with a downcast eyes, big nostril and mouth of broken teeth making his own appearance looking gruesome and untidy. Despite that, the use of strong, bright and vibrant colors, jamming and contrasting hues of red, green and yellow illustrates a robust man of vitality and dynamism asserted with a pallet of strong mildly vibrant colors. He painted with his hand. He used his palm to spread the paint, to draw the preliminary sketch of his face and apply “squeezing paint” technique to dispense paint directly onto the canvas. He also created  textures like dents and scratches using the edge of nozzle making surface of paint work unique, full of life force of the artist. These elements have contributed a sense of confidence, a passion for art and dynamic properties in the portrait of Affandi despite the untamed appearance of the artist.

In Van Gogh’s paintings, the style used is indeed that of impressionist who are well known of using colors of short, distinctive strokes and choppy brushstrokes in painting. Although Van Gogh has established his unique style of using curvy swirls to evoke his emotions after the “bandaged ear” e\incident aroused him, his way of paining has still been similar to those  of impressionists. Thus, it is not as creative in this sense.

I felt that Affandi is still considered to be more successful in achieving his own unique style. In Van Gogh’s paintings, the style used is indeed that of impressionist who are well known of using colors of short, distinctive strokes and choppy brushstrokes in painting. Although Van Gogh has established his unique style of using curvy swirls to evoke his emotions, his way of painting has still been similar to those of impressionists. Thus, it is not as creative in this sense. I felt that Affandi is still considered to be more successful in achieving his own unique style.

SEC3 EOY Section B Q3

Another Place
Antony Gormley, 2005-6
Cast Iron, 100 figures, 180cmx53cmx29cm
Crosby beach

Age of Bronze
Auguste Rodin, 1876
Bronze, 175×60x60cm
Rodin Museum

(a) Discuss the theme, in relation to the artist’s intentions of these two works.
Another Place by Antony Gormley consists of iron-cast figures each 189 cm using replica of his own body. The pieces stretched 2.5 km down the coast of Crosby Beach, Liverpool and 1 km out to sea, with an average distance between the pieces of 500 metres. They were all on a level and those closest to the shore were buried progressively with distance also increases as they are located further away from the shore.

Another Place, the theme is probably with human impacts in relation to environment. The rust of the case iron figures in the tranquil sea seems to tell about man’s existence in the environment. The idea was to test time and tide, stillness and movement, and somehow engage with the daily life of the beach. At high water, the sculptures that are completely visible when the tide is out will be standing up to their necks in water. At certain time of the day where atmosphere is misty, the viewer will see that these figures are entering into the dreamland and slowly disappeared into the sea to “another place”. It may also mean human’s escapism from reality to another place such that these figures are rigid and stiff just like their mindset and slowly progress and recedes into the sea.

The Age of Bronze (L’age d’airain) is a bronze statue by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin in his impressionism period in the 18^th century, 1876. The figure is of a life-size nude male  which explores the mobility of man’s muscles in motion, a big revolutionary change from those classical scriptures of the past. The Age of Bronze is actually a soldier named Auguste Neyt, which is found causally in the barracks. The scripture is sinuous and naturalistic and portrays the nude man in motion. I feel that  Auguste Rodin wants to explores man in his moving posture which suggest dynamic and vitality. Its head held high with a hand high upwards shows the pride and dignity as the figure appears to be in a forward-moving position. Auguste Rodin does not want to portray statue like what professional artists would do to their static models with rigid movements. Therefore the artist intends to create statue from random moving postures to suggest the flexibility and mobility of muscles in human showing dynamic and spiritual ecstasy.

(b) How does each work make use of form, scale and texture?
 “Another Place” by Antony Gormley is made into human form and are replicas of his own body, looking symmetrical to each other with a standardized height of 1.89 m tall. The form of human figures are rigid and stiff and stood straight with both hands at each side to perhaps show the rigidity of human their mindset and how   not versatile they are. They are escaping from reality into another place. With size of 189 x 53 x 29 cm, each of the statue are in the same size. The iron replicas seems almost the same and they give viewer the feeling of many identical figures are all at once long the seashore of Crossby Beach giving viewers  a “dreamland” and unrealistic feeling. The texture of the iron replicas are rough and rusty when sea water reacts chemically with the materials. The initial smooth surface turns into rough texture shows the relation of   human in nature, how human ad nature affect each other successfully portraying the theme of man’s existence in relation with nature.

In “Age of Bronze”  by Auguste Rodin, the form is sinuous and in moving posture shows the dynamic nature of the human body and giving it life as though it is in  action. The foot is one in front of another and both hands are not fixed side by side suggesting movement. The sinuous curves and smooth surface of the sculpture make it seems realistic and naturalistic which is able to bring out the dynamics of human figures with a life force coming out of the scrulpture almost as though it is alive and moving. It is also so natural that it gives the sculpture a “life” and mobility of muscles suggesting vitality. Texture of sculpture is smooth and reflective and it is of lofe size human figure which brings out the majestic feeling.

(c) Which of the work(s) are site-specific? Explain your answer, beginning with your definition of site-specificity.
 “Another Place” by Antony Gormley is site specific. The figures are placed such a way that they are site specific. Site specific means  the exhibit is  placed at a precise and specific location for the purpose to bring out or create a sense of feeling to the viewer to bring across certain message.

In “Another Place”, the iron figures are placed in such a  way that they are facing the sea. It is important that the reploicas are arranged with the back facing the viewers to give the viewers a feeling that the figures are escaping and are slowly progressing into another space. It would not bring out the same message if the figures are facing the viewers or facing all directions as it would not correspond tot the title of work therefore not making sense.

The figures are placed so specifically that they have spread 2.5 km along the beach with the arrangement such as those near the shore are placed closer as compare with those in the  sea with distance further apart and increased sinking depth. The distance between each figure s is very important thus they are said to be site specific.

On the other hand,  “Age of Bronze” by Auguste Rodin is not site specific as from many angle you can view it. It will portray the same kind if motion, the same dynamic elements of the human form will be brought across to the viewers. Regardless of the angle the viewer look at it, it dos not have to be ina precise and specific location to bring across the artist intention to the viewers.

SEC3 EOY Section A Q2

Composition with Large Bue Plane, Red, Black, Yellow, and Grey
Piet Mondrian, 1921
Oil on canvas 60.5 x 50cm

(a)  Describe the subject matter of the painting.
The painting is made up of 12 geometrical forms of rectangles and squares of color planes. There is a large blue plane on the upper right hand corner, a smaller red and black plane on the left hand corner with a grey plane directly below and a yellow plane directly next to the black rectangle. The color planes are separated by thick black lines leaving big and large white spaces and forms in between with black lines disappearing abruptly near the edge of the painting. The color forms are made up of primary colors like red, yellow and blue. It is flat in a two-dimensional plane with no illusion of depth.

(b) What prompted the artist to move towards abstraction?
Piet Mondrian believes that harmony in art does not have to involve real representations of nature. He wants to achieve universal harmony that does not consist of particularity and individualism. Thus he began to break down objects from nature into geometrical shapes- many rectangles and square planes vertically and horizontally.  To achieve this, he began to use only primary colors such as red, blue and yellow to avoid colors of the nature such as green and brown shades, using black thick lines to differentiate the forms.

With simplified form of portraying nature, the painting seems flat on a two-dimensional plane with thick black lines separating the forms to reach a perfect representation of art. He wanted the expression of nature and non-nature in real and naturalism form. He is influence by post impressionist – Paul Cezanne to break up objects into flat geometrical shaped of colors on a two-dimensional plane to overlap foreground and background.

(c) Discuss the significance of Piet Mondrain’s work with one other work named example of his work.
Another of Piet Mondrain’s  work, Broadway Boogie-Woogie in 1943, is one of his later piece of art. In this art, the similarity is that it contains also geometrical forms of color planes which is portrayed two-dimensionally on the canvas.

The piece of work is a radical change for works he used to do. Broadway Boogie-Woogie does not contain black thick lines to separate the forms, but instead uses the color from the color planes to show the differentiation of the planes. It consist of smaller and more color planes, also with bigger areas of white. In his later works, he still believed that the universal harmony is important that he continued  express his work using primary colors and flat planes of color form.

The surprise of Broadway Boogie-Woogie lies in its movement and colorful visual music. In conceiving Broadway Boogie-Woogie, Mondrian could well have been inspired by the sights of New York, the dazzling night spectacle of its high buildings with their countless points of light, and in particular the moving illumined signs at Times Square. Mondrian was never freer and more colorful, and closer to the city spectacle in its double aspect of the architectural as an endless construction of repeated regular units and of the random in the perpetual movement of people, traffic, and flashing lights.

SEC3 EOY Section A Q1

“
Migrant Mother, Nipomo Valley
by Dorothea Lange, 1935
gelatin silver print

(a) Describe the subject matter of the painting.
This is a black and white, monotone painting by Dorothea Lange. As the background is of darker tones and the foreground of whiter and brighter tones, it suggests a sense of depth and three-dimensionality. A woman with deep freckles and wrinkles sit in the picture covering almost the whole canvas. There is a child, perhaps a boy whose face is unseen on the left leaning on the woman’s shoulder. There is also another person of unknown sex back facing the viewer on the right of the woman also leaning on her shoulders.

The woman seems deep in thought, with eyebrows projecting outwards and towards each other. She is in a thinking position with hands supporting her chain. She is perhaps the mother of the other two as the title suggested so. The figures’ clothing seems rugged and seasoned implying that they are possibly poor as they are dressed in such an untidy manner. There is a piece of cloth, fabric or a blanket on the woman’s lab.

The children who were taking both sides of the canvas, have brought much emphasis to the situation they were in. The children were both leaning on her left and right shoulders taking up the same proportion of the mother’s upper torso, suggested that they are like two “burdens” that she has to carry and support.

(b) What does this work suggest about the lifestyle of the people depicted?
The work suggested that these characters are probably from poor working class. Her deep winkers on the forehead and around her eyes shows that perhaps she has been constantly fretting about their future, their meals and living conditions. There are hunger and despair in her eyes. Her dark skin tone also suggested that she has been engaging in labor in outdoor conditions.

Besides, the two children who appeared on both sides of the photographs have their back facing the viewers. This implied that they are weak and feeble or perhaps they are also worried about their future. Their pose and position also suggested   their helplessness and dependency on their mother. They seems loss in thoughts and did not know what to do, with all of them in the slouching and moody postures. 

Lastly, their living conditions were bad and they did not have money to live on basic necessities. Their clothing was rugged and old and their hairs were unkempt hair styles suggested that they were from rural areas where technologies and living conditions were below expectation. The fast-aging skin conditions suggested that they are likely peasants who have to slog all day long working under hot sun.

(c) How effectively has the artist used proportion and emphasis in this photograph?
The artist used proportion effectively by portraying the mother taking p almost the full length of the canvas, with her two children on both sides filling up the width of the canvas. The greater proportion of the woman character has shown greater emphasis on the details of her expression and her features. This has brought attention of viewers to her facial details, her posture, her deep wrinkles—which details effectively suggested that this mother has been constantly fretting about their living conditions.