Bodies of Knowledge Response

 The main themes of this reading included the exposure of the inner body in an artistic manner through various art forms. The beginning of the article discussed the taboo nature of publicly exposing “gruesome” anatomy and history of how society changed its mind a few times about  allowing the public to have easy access to not only images and knowledge about the body, but also in-person experience.  The artists mentioned later in the reading all exemplified art about the workings of the body in different formats and mediums but my personal favorite to see and learn about was Laura Ferguson.  The article quotes Ferguson saying, “Art is one of the few arenas in which the less-than-perfect body can be portrayed with its own kind of beauty, grace, sensuality and originality”. This is a concept that I am very drawn to because I have personal experience with using art as a form of therapy focused on self-love and acceptance. I have always felt that art tends to not only feature beautiful bodies, but portrays them in a glamorized or monumental way that makes them seem more special than they are to the naked eye.  This is also true for images and creations that depict subjects other than people (I just have a great appreciation for art and I think it can be more beautiful than the world it is based off… which means I glamorize the standard/ideal bodies that are usually seen in art).  Through my drawing and creation, I find acceptance of my own body by depicting it in a beautiful way and it was refreshing to hear another artist agree with this.  Art that glamorizes or simply represents un-idealized bodies or concepts is such a powerful idea because this is a process that people already accept.  Models are constantly photoshopped and celebrities are portrayed on film in near perfect condition. Although we could see these people in person and realize they are a lot more normal looking, we allow this idolization of their fabricated beauty. As I was saying, the same is true for other subjects such as beautiful paintings of nature that many times are unrealistically stunning. We crave art that is more beautiful than reality, so using this to normalize and appreciate imperfections and less wanted features on our own bodies (or even stretching this concept beyond physical bodies and applying it to occupations/gender/religion/anything under-represented or disrespected by society) should be done more often.

 

Artist Statement and Bio

Artist Statement:

Dance has always played a love and hate relationship in my life. Starting at age 4, I began to attend a pre-professional dance program for ballet. I loved the way that ballet made me feel, and how I felt free when dancing. However, after entering adolescence, our dance school would body-shame dancers by only picking certain girls with a certain height or weight to star in more important roles for performances. I began to realize that most of the girls who were picked were white, skinny, tall, with no visible disabilities. Enrolling in a performing arts high school showed me that dance was inclusive of all ages, shapes, sizes, color, and physical abilities. I incorporate this idea into my piece, with a stylized and abstract depiction of dancer’s bodies- because dance is such an abstract concept of itself. It is a depiction of my teenage realization that dance can, and is for everyone- regardless of your body height, race, ability, or weight.

Bio:

Lilly Stene was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She grew up around art, as both her parents are photographers and graphic designers. She is majoring in psychology and minoring in studio art at Chapman University. She hopes to open her own private practice one day that incorporates therapy with art.

Inside Out reflection

Inside Out Reflection

For the Inside Out Project, we were required to incorporate elements of collage with the interior of the human body. For my project, I chose to incorporate elements of nature into the figure, because when I’m out in nature especially in water, I feel connected to the elements   almost as if it’s a part of me. I also appreciate flowers, because I feel that they affect my mood and thoughts in a positive way when I see them, which is why I decided to have flowers sprouting out of the figure’s head. I first began my project with looking at images of people incorporating nature into figures in art, to gain inspiration. I then began my project by sketching out the figures body, and adding value with graphite. Then I went over the graphite with black ink wash. To emphasize the lighter and darker parts of the body, I either added more water to the ink, or I used its most concentrated form to define certain muscular parts of the body or the figure’s head where the flowers would come out of. While I let the ink dry, I began to sketch images of flowers, then went over the sketches with a skinny black ink marker. I cut these images out with an X-ACTO Knife because they were smaller, and cut out a pattern of water that I got out of a stationary book with a variety of backgrounds with a scissors. I then cut out the figure as well. First, I glued the water background to a piece of 18x24 piece of drawing paper. I then glued the figure over it. It was challenging to get the glue to keep the different pieces of paper down, because I used a glue stick. If I did another collage project in the future, I think I it would be a better idea to use a stronger kind of glue or something in liquid form. After I glued the water and figure over the water, I added scraps of water paper around the figure’s legs to add dimension. After I glued the figure and water portion of the piece, I added the cut-out pieces of my flower drawings to the paper and arranged them in a way that they seemed to be sprouting out of the figure’s head. I wanted the piece to flow together, so liked how the dark contrast of the flowers matched the value I added to the figure’s body. Originally, I was planning on doing a piece where I incorporated the inside out element in the figure’s ribs, with flowers coming out of the ribcage. However, I decided to incorporate both flowers and water in my piece later on so went with my second idea.

Sources:

https://www.innerbody.com/htm/body.html

Images: 

Artists statement

Artist’s Statement

Narcissism is what brought me here, I’d say. If we’re sharing. There’s something very

God-complexy about creating something. Not saying I’ve got a God-complex (not saying I don’t),

but what I am saying is art in any form of its being is grandiose. No matter how shitty the piece,

by combining a little bit of this and a little of that you’ve willed something into existence that

wasn’t there before. Some part of me likes the sound of that. The other part thinks that that’s narcissistic. 

Most of my work is self-portrait. That’s the same big ‘ol eyes, crusty beard, and stupid little nose,

over and over and over again, filtered through whatever medium I can get my hands on...and that

sounds narcissistic. The other part of me isn’t sure. It might be me trying on hats, using art as an

excuse to sit down and spend some time with myself and reflect, bouncing thoughts around and

seeing what lands. After enough drawings I’ll find out who I am. Or it’s just narcissism. We’ll see. 

Oba Olaniyi was born to a family of artists and raised in Fairfield, Iowa. Having done everything

possible to avoid becoming an artist here he is...a screenwriter and visual artist. Most recently

he made the album art for Boston based indie artist Maya Lucia’s latest EP, Lashing Out. 

Final Series

For my final drawing project, I have chosen to create a series of three chalk pastel, reclining nudes, a series which I have titled Blue Light. For each of the three figures, I have designated a color scheme and a variation on a bent-leg pose. Each of the figures also has a type of screen which they are looking at; one with a cell phone, one with a tablet, and one with a television. 

In my decision to create three pieces as opposed to more or less, I wanted the size of the pieces to feel approachable and documentary, while still being elevated above the level of a sketchbook drawing. This is a dichotomy I also aimed to capture in the combination of blended color and loose black and white line work. To me, three drawings felt relatable and as though the figures were independent of each other rather than the focus being on one individual or for all to be lumped into a large group. I wanted each figure to be a take on the millennial of our generation, the modern reclining nude. Where traditional paintings of the reclining figure seem to depict contentment or thought, my figures seem bored, distracted, and ordinary. There is nothing special or rich about these figures, they are the everyday person relaxed and engaged with nothing but their screen.

In my choice to use chalk pastel, I wanted to allude to the smooth blending of traditional renaissance paintings, while retaining the modern feel via the medium being used in a combination of techniques. Throughout my body of work, I tend to use a variety of vibrant colors and these drawings are no different. Done on toned gray paper, I hoped to not only offer the colors of the pastel a contrasting background to stand out on, but also isolate the figure in a space somewhere between light and dark. The figures are not in a stark white dream world but are not shrouded in or swallowed by darkness either. The colors of the figures were chosen over standard flesh tones so that any viewer may relate to one or more of the figures. They do not have identities, something which seems common on the internet of individuals being lost in the masses and being unable to be their authentic self. Ultimately, it is indeterminable to the viewer whether these are real people or the reflections which have become the avatars of real people, existing solely in a blank space between real and not. 

Final Series: artist statement & bio

Artist Statement:

The average woman must consume around 2,000 calories per day in order to maintain her overall general health and weight. Eating is a basic human function necessary in order to survive, however, this was not always the case for me. My relationship with food has always been somewhat toxic from a young age, and the physical action of eating in front of another was something that I avoided at all costs. My realization of this unhealthy association of food is what inspired my artistic interest in the different conditions one's body may acquire. Eating disorders and body dysmorphia are illnesses that are completely overlooked in society, yet so many struggle with self-image. I loved the feeling of having control over what I could look like by restricting my food intake. Exposure therapy had become my best friend and my worst enemy. Through my baneful relationship with food, I have discovered my love for figurative drawing. The body can take on so many different shapes and sizes and this is something that we should own rather than hide. I have made loads of progress with the way I think about food much of that is due to sharing my experiences through art. I will always think of eating as the little devil on my shoulder, but now I have the ability to ignore him.

Bio:

Sophia Winiarz was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her time as an art student at Chapman University has allowed her to establish a unique style of drawing that has been exhibited all around Los Angeles. Following her studies, her first solo exhibition was displayed at a friend’s private gallery in Los Angeles.

Her most recent work is a series of drawings celebrating the differences each human body has in preparation for a group exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She lives and works in Beverly Hills and her work is visible at sophiewiniarz.com.