Hand Made Collage
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"Public Policy"
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Exhibition Text:
Throughout this piece my objective was to represent a social/political issue through a human figure. This human figure was meant to specifically represent the media and political views. My inspiration was Hannah Hoch who took a similar approach in displaying unique human figures who represented modern society issues affecting herself and many other woman. I was able to create this piece through the use of magazines, graphite, and charcoal which worked well to give my piece form and value.
Process and Brainstorming Before beginning this piece we were introduced to the concept and requirements of the piece by the student teacher Ms.Sam. Ms. Sam mentioned that the collage had to be hand-made and drawn, representing a social or political issue. From there we were introduced to many artists who began making collages and that is when I was inspired by the work of Hannah Hoch. While thinking of ways to create my collage I also had to keep in mind that we were required to use different techniques and media for a well developed use of value and form.
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Planning Sketches
These sketches were made with magazine clippings. I decided to use magazine clippings because they would further connect to the meaning which involved a problem faced in society.
Meaning of the PieceI created this piece to connect to a social/political issue we see today and in past history. My vision for this artwork was to display the media and politics through a human figure. As written in the collage "The Truth Is Always Changing" is meant to represent the lies in politics and what is displayed in the media. The clown is simply the scary truth that is always changing discreetly hidden from the public with a smile or a professional look. My work explores contemporary art as it is relevant to issues in today's society; issues such as distrust in the media or political figures. My work originated from daily news channels and the recurring worry in politics worldwide present throughout history.
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Materials
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Experimenting/Developing Ideas
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Experimenting... |
Before starting the drawn collage we first had to create our own human figure collage from magazine clippings. After experimenting with different magazine clippings I finally created my design of a unique human figure which represented a political issue worldwide. Once done with my magazine collage I drew in approximate measurements of the collage and after figuring out the proportions I began to draw in the details. With the addition of value and form I first began to draw in with pencil and then added the use of charcoal. After finishing the use of charcoal I used different techniques like blending, cross-hatching, stippling, and shading. When I felt my piece was complete I used color in order to give it a realistic clown look and compare my collage to my drawing.
Process... |
Artistic Inspiration
My inspiration for this piece was Hannah Hoch. She was a female artist in the 20th century who also promoted the idea of woman working creatively in society. Through her pioneer work in photomontages she addressed the issue of gender and the figure of woman in modern society. She adopted the ideas of Dada and Surrealist movements during that time period and later established a “post modern” conceptual look through her art. Hoch actively critiqued the issue’s in society through her work, and her interest in challenging the role of woman in the world at the time motivated a long series of work that showcased the idea of the “New Woman” in the era. Her work generally consisted of human figures also constructing racial stereotypes. Hoch’s career concluded I leaving a legacy, as her desire was to disrupt and unsettle the norms of society which later on resulted to inspire many artists to this day.
While exploring the work of Hannah Hoch, I discovered new ways in which a human figure can represent much more than a feeling but rather an issue in society. Hoch made her work about issues that affected her and many other people at the time, which is something I wanted to display in my collage as well. Likewise, I wanted to challenge the norms of society and bend the rules to what you can and are allowed to express in art. Hoch approached her work with Surrealist concepts in which her work was not meant to be beautiful but meaningful. I wanted my work to represent relevant issues through a unique human figure that would be approached by Surrealism. Like Hoch I also wanted to add the imperfection to my work and some simplicity, which would add focus on the overall meaning. |
Hoch, Hannah. "Für ein Fest gemacht (Made for a Party) ". 2012. Web. 26. Mar. 2017
Hoch, Hannah. "Flucht (Flight) ". 2007. Web. 26. Mar. 2017
"Hannah Höch Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works." The Art Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.
Busch, Dennis H., Robert Klanten, Noelia Hobeika, and Anna Sinofzik. The age of collage. Contemporary collage in modern art. Berlin: Die Gestalten Verlag, 2016. Print. |
Reflection
When we were introduced to this project we were told to create a human figure representing a social issue. This was something difficult for me to decide on because there are hundreds of social issues in our world. After giving it some thought I was able to come up with an issue regarding the media and political figures. While thinking of an artist, I immediately connected to the work of Hannah Hoch. Hannah Hoch effectively connected relevant issues she believed in through art which is what I intended to do as well. Once narrowing down on an issue it became fairly easy to create my collage and my drawing. The drawing process took longer than I had anticipated since I had to use techniques and medias I was not used to using daily. Once done I believe the overall look was well developed and quite successful. My work could have further added value and form but resulted better than I had anticipated.
Connection to the ACT:
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your work.
My inspiration used her work to represent a social issue regarding gender and race through a human figure; likewise, I used my collage to represent a social issue regarding the media through a unique human figure.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The overall approach of the author regarding my inspiration was that Hoch used her work to express social issues which would bend the norms of society.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspirations?
A generalization I discovered about ideas is that in past art it was difficult to express issues you believed were relevant and controversial but overtime it has been easier to express any idea through art with a logical reasoning.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspiration was social issues which were relevant at the time, these issues that were affecting many people should be expressed and represented to the public.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your
research?
The conclusion I made regarding my research is that for many artists at times it can be difficult to express to the public beliefes on issues they have because of the reaction they fear to receive.
My inspiration used her work to represent a social issue regarding gender and race through a human figure; likewise, I used my collage to represent a social issue regarding the media through a unique human figure.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The overall approach of the author regarding my inspiration was that Hoch used her work to express social issues which would bend the norms of society.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspirations?
A generalization I discovered about ideas is that in past art it was difficult to express issues you believed were relevant and controversial but overtime it has been easier to express any idea through art with a logical reasoning.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspiration was social issues which were relevant at the time, these issues that were affecting many people should be expressed and represented to the public.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your
research?
The conclusion I made regarding my research is that for many artists at times it can be difficult to express to the public beliefes on issues they have because of the reaction they fear to receive.