Unfinished, an Updated Self-Portrait Acrylic on canvas 22.8 cm x 40.6 cm November 2020 Exhibition Text Unfinished is an self portrait from my senior year of high school. It was inspired by the classic artist Paul Cézanne and modern artist Noel Badges Pugh. It is meant to seem loose and sketchy, representing the fact that, as a person, I myself am unfinished. |
Inspiration
I knew right away what style i wanted to have for this painting. I wanted it to have an "unfinished" feel in a way. So I got curious and looked into some old unfinished paintings. I found that there are many reasons why an artist may leave the work unfinished. I know that mine will be on purpose, thus more refined. I found an unfinished portrait by French Post-Impressionist painter, Paul Cézanne. I liked the style of the work because it wasn't full realism. I feel like using my own style on this painting will also be a reflection of myself, which makes sense as this is a self-portrait. |
My second inspiration is a modern artist named Noel Badges Pugh. I like his sketchy style and the bright colors he uses. His portrait works caught my eye, and I want to use colors in a similar way to highlight certain features. I found it interested that Pugh said he was inspired by the "sensation of dreaming". I myself often daydream a lot and it inspires both my art and writing. I thought a dreamy feel would contribute to my painting. |
Planning
My first real sketch was a more full body. I want to play around with a closer up or a bigger picture on the final canvas. I decided not to include glasses because often when I draw myself I forget to include them for some reason. I find that interesting, like I'm almost not aware of that part of myself until I see it. For the background I may paint it a pale color to bring out the brighter colors actually on the subject. I will also be using posca acrylic pens for the first time to get a sketchy look. |
I came up with the idea for this painting very early in the year. I knew the message I wanted to convey, but I wasn't sure exactly how I wanted to do it. My first idea was to have a sort of half completely finished painting and a half sketch area. However I ended up changing that original idea. Still, having this planned out early helped me know where to start with my research and ended up helping develop a more solid plan for the final work. |
Experimentation
Before starting on the large painting I decided to experiment with the posca pens as I had never used them before. I started by creating a simple sketch and erasing it slightly, then lining it in a sketchy style with the black posca pen. After that I just started layering and playing around with the colors I had. I really liked to outcome. Finally I also wanted to see what would happen it I added water to the colors. They didn't really blend, so I decided not to do it on the actual work. |
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Process
1. First I sketched out the subject, which, in this case, was me. I then lightly erased the sketch so it wouldn't appear in the final work. 2. After that I lined the sketch, but purposely left it a bit messy to contribute to an unfinished/rough look. 3. I started layering the colors, first with the primary colors. I didn't really like the way red looked with the other colors so I didn't use too much. 4. Next I added pink, then darker colors in certain specific areas to create shadows in some ways. 5. I went back and added more of the colors I'd already used. After that I relined the facial features and some other areas in black. 6. Finally I added some white and signed the work. |
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Reflection
I'm very happy with how this painting turned out. This year had been rough for me creatively, but this is probably one of my favorite works I have made for IB. The colors look good together, and the style matches to message of the work. Despite this being the first time I've used posca pens on a large scale I was able to make it look the way I wanted. I'm also glad I chose to use a more stylized approach, as it is a good example of the art I want to focus on creating in the future.
Compare and Contrast Similarities
Differences
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ACT Questions
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork.
I researched unfinished art to learn about the many reasons works may be left unfinished. This effected how I developed the theme of my work and the style of the painting.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author is informative and educated in both classic and modern art.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, ect. while you researched your inspiration?
Some people may think that unfinished paintings may not be good, or even represent a failure. However, I think an unfinished painting may end up telling an even better story or have an important message by itself.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Unfinished artworks throughout history.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I inferred that some artists can use different styles and themes to tell complex stories.
I researched unfinished art to learn about the many reasons works may be left unfinished. This effected how I developed the theme of my work and the style of the painting.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author is informative and educated in both classic and modern art.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, ect. while you researched your inspiration?
Some people may think that unfinished paintings may not be good, or even represent a failure. However, I think an unfinished painting may end up telling an even better story or have an important message by itself.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Unfinished artworks throughout history.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I inferred that some artists can use different styles and themes to tell complex stories.
Bibliography
“Bio.” ART BY NOEL BADGES PUGH, www.fullpollenbasket.com/who.html.
Mirza, Sunma. “Aesthetic Bloom: Noel Badges Pugh.” Ahlan Art, 6AD, ahlanart.com/aesthetic-bloom-noel-badges-pugh/.
Peter. “Art Interrupted: The 5 Most Famous Unfinished Paintings.” ArtsHeaven.com, Arts Heaven, 20 May 2019, www.artsheaven.com/art-interrupted-the-5-most-famous-unfinished-paintings/.
Mirza, Sunma. “Aesthetic Bloom: Noel Badges Pugh.” Ahlan Art, 6AD, ahlanart.com/aesthetic-bloom-noel-badges-pugh/.
Peter. “Art Interrupted: The 5 Most Famous Unfinished Paintings.” ArtsHeaven.com, Arts Heaven, 20 May 2019, www.artsheaven.com/art-interrupted-the-5-most-famous-unfinished-paintings/.