Exemplar Candidate A response to Q1

Transcription

1 Exemplar Candidate A response to Q1 Discussed at 2017 Understanding Standards Event and adapted from a response to the Girl before a Mirror by Pablo Picasso Who are You by Christina Troufa 1. Two works which I have studied are Girl before a Mirror by Pablo Picasso and Who are You by Christina Troufa (a) Picasso has used a wide range of bold colours throughout the whole painting primarily secondary and primary colours. For example he s used a lot of red for the geometric background and for the woman s face. He s used purple and green on the woman s body that contrast with each other. No colours are able to stand out because they are all very bold and complete with each other. Picasso has used the reds, greens and purples in a blockish way and doesn t blend his colours in. These colours he s used are in fact very unnatural as a woman s face can t be green and purple. Troufa on the other hand has quite a limited palette consisting of pastel pinks and purple for her skin, royal blue for her jumper and oranges for her hair. The pastel, pink and purple colours are soft and gentle and by using them Troufa achieves a normal skin tone. The royal blue she uses for her shirt is much bolder and stronger. The warm reds and oranges in her hair contrast with the strong blue of her shirt so that they appear very noticeable and bright. In contrast to Picasso Troufa has used a much more natural and realistic palette. Her colours are not overlay saturated and instead of using blocks of solid colours she s blended them into each other more subtly. Pablo Picasso uses his paints very thickly and on parts of the woman s face the surface of the paint even has a lumpy, textured appearance to it. He has used very bold brush strokes but has still painted in a controlled manner. This is visible in the geometric background behind the woman. In some parts he has painted more freely with curved and swirly brushstrokes which can be seen on the woman especially near her stomach. Picasso has made use of the technique impasto when layering the paint on the woman s facial area. Troufa on the other hand has a much less bold way of painting. Her brushstrokes are more gentle and flowing. The brushstrokes she s used for her hair are visible and give the hair a wavy texture to it. Troufa has also made use of the technique negative space to bring attention to the most important parts of the painting ie where the noses almost touch. SQA 1 of 11

2 The mood in Picasso s painting created is very intimate and calm as the woman isn t doing anything else but studying her own reflection. She appears to be alone and so can be absorbed in her own thoughts. The fact that she seems to be intently staring at herself can give a critical atmosphere as she might be staring at her flaws or what she sees wrong about herself. Similarly the mood created in Troufa s painting is also very intimate and studious. She s taking the time to carefully observe her own facial features. The atmosphere is quite calm and content as the expression on her face looks chilled out and she taking her time to look at her reflection. In my opinion, Who Are You shows the most creative approach because it s been painted from a different and interesting perspective as if it was being painted from above while looking down. I also find the use of negative space well created because even though it s blank it actually creates an interesting effect and allows the viewer to focus on her hair and face and reflection. The fact that the colour palette was muted and natural made it easier for me to appreciate what she had painted and it seemed almost lifelike. (b) I have selected Pablo Picasso. During his blue period, Picasso s work was influenced by the suicide of his close friend Casagemas in This caused Picasso to begin to paint with a palette of blues which can be seen in the painting La Vie which includes an image of Casagemas. Blue is associated with sadness and Picasso continued to paint with this monochromatic blue palette for a few years as he sank deeper into depression. During this time, Picasso started to notice the poor in society and his work started to feature this theme of poverty and his subject matter began to include poor people, and beggars. These paintings include The Old Guitarist and The Tragedy and it was as if these people reflected his own mood. The work of the Post-Impressionist artist Cezanne was a major influence on Picasso and on his Cubist technique. Cezanne was the first artist not to try to copy nature directly. He would change compositions and perspective deliberately to achieve balance. Picasso experimented with multiple viewpoints and fragmented forms which can be seen in his Cubist paintings, such as Girl with a Mandolin. Another influence on Picasso work later on was the Spanish Civil War. This can be seen in his Cubist painting The Weeping Woman painted in 1937 at the start of the war. Picasso was living in Paris but was shocked at the news of war that was coming from Spain, his home country. The woman s face is made up of broken, jagged shapes in clashing colours which shows his mood of despair and confusion. The iconic anti-war painting Guernica is another example of his work influenced by the Spanish Civil war. It also contains fragmented shapes and SQA 2 of 11

3 multiple viewpoints, but is monochromatic which is an influence Picasso reading about the bombing of Guernica in the newspapers and saw the images in black and white. SQA 3 of 11

4 Exemplar Candidate B response to Q1 Manacoyta by Alfredo Ramos Martinez and Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird by Frida Kahlo 1. Two artists and paintings I am going to be comparing are Manacoyta by Alfredo Ramos Martinez and Self-portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird by Frida Kahlo. (a) Frida Kahlo uses a range of different colours to enrich the shadows of her painting, for example Kahlo has used a range of dark/warm browns, oranges and yellows to accentuate the structure of the face eg cheekbones, neck, lips, whereas Martinez has used the colours in the background for example, he has used different tones of greens to accentuate the leaves and flowers, he has used darker colours in the hair and round the facial features. Martinez has also used warm colours but not as much as Kahlo. Kahlo has used different amounts of techniques in her painting. You can see that she has used shading for example in the black cats face she has used a white/light blue to make you look at the cats face, it also makes you look at the hummingbird which is attached to the thorn necklace around her neck because the cat is looking there, unlike Martinez, he looks like he has just slapped the paint on and it looks messy, but however he has added some shading to and around the face. Kahlo s mood and atmosphere in her painting is sad and depression because she has a thorn necklace around her neck this could mean that she feels trapped and the monkey behind her looks as it is pulling the necklace tighter, therefore it s like she can t escape also the portrait isn t smiling, whereas Martinez s painting is happy because there are a lot of warm, happy colours like orange, yellow, red given also the painting is sort of smiling. Out of the two paintings I think self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird by Frida Kahlo because it s more famous and it has most detail and it tries to tell us a story and make us question why is she trapped in a forest? Or why has she got two animals behind her? (b) I have selected Frida Kahlo. She had polio when she was a child and she was bullied at school. She was also injured in a bus accident and this meant she was unable to have children so this made her sad and depressed and is why she puts monkeys in her painting. She broke a lot of bones and was in a lot of pain during her life and she was in and out of hospital all the time. While she was ill in bed for a long time she started painting because she was bored. She taught herself how to paint. She married a famous Mexican artist but her husband had affairs which made her unhappy. He even had an affair with her sister. Kahlo was a Mexican artist and this influenced her work as she put in a lot of things about Mexico. She used to wear Mexican costumes a lot as her husband liked her to dress this way. When she visited Paris everyone talked about the way she dressed which caused a sensation. SQA 4 of 11

5 Exemplar Candidate C response to Q1 The Blue Vase by Paul Cezanne Still Life in the Studio by Leon Morrocco 1. (a) One painting I have chosen to discuss is called The Blue Vase by Paul Cezanne. It is 60 x60cm large and was completed using oil paints in Leon Morrocco is an artist who was born in Edinburgh in When he was young he got a scholarship to study at the Académie di Bera in Milan. The painting I have chosen to discuss was also created using oil paints called Still Life in the Studio. This was produced in The colours used at the top of Paul Cezanne s painting are a range of bold cold blues. This creates a lonely atmosphere and therefore may relate back to Paul s depression. However, these cold colours contrast against the washed out warm colours at the bottom of the painting creating a relaxed atmosphere. Leon Morrocco s painting was created using mostly warm, vibrant colours such as yellows and oranges. This is different to his usual pieces as he usually uses bold blues to contrast against the vibrant oranges. The media handling in Paul Cezanne s piece is light strokes of oils creating a tranquil mood, however, in Leon Morrocco s piece bold and heavy strokes are used to create rich thick colours, giving the overall piece a very vibrant look. The mood and atmosphere is the blue vase is very depressing and lonely, due to the wide range of dark colours used. Also the composition of the main vase is slightly off centre. This maybe resembles Paul s random thought process, relating back to his depression. However, the mood and atmosphere of Still Life in the Studio is very bold but relaxed, due to the range of warm colours used. However, the composition of the objects are not staged and look as if they haven t taken time to set up. This creates a very busy mood. Leon Morrocco s work shows the most creative approach. This is because of the limited range of tone used, making the objects stand out which is very unlike other still life paintings. Another reason as to why it is the most creative approach is because the objects are very geometric which makes them unrealistic looking drawing our attention to the painting. (b) Paul Cezanne was a French artist born in His dad was known to be a successful banker. Cezanne s dad wanted him to be a lawyer. However, Cezanne wanted to be an artist instead and attended the Académie Suisse in Paris to study painting. When his dad died, Cezanne inherited a lot of money. Cezanne was influenced by the Impressionists especially Pissarro. He went out painting with Pissarro and tried the Impressionist style which meant painting quickly with dabs of colour and working outdoors. Cezanne did not like painting in the Impressionist style as he liked to take his time. He became a Post- Impressionist. This meant that he worked in his own style which was not like Impressionism. He believed all objects were based on the cone, cube, cylinder or sphere and he tried to show this in his work by making objects look solid and geometric by the way he painted them. SQA 5 of 11

6 Exemplar Candidate A response to Q3 Lindsay Michie (c ) by Anne Redpath 3. The composition of the painting is the subject (the person in the painting) is right in the middle and is the focal point of the whole piece. There is a plain background so that nothing distracts the viewer from the man in the painting. The colours used for the background are blue and grey which are cold and look quite dull. These background colours harmonise with the man s blazer which is also a blue toned grey. However, his face has a lot of warmth with red and orange which contrast heavily with his grey jumper and blazer and the plain dull background. His orange shirt collar also harmonises with the colour of his face and contrasts with the rest of his grayish blue clothes which makes it stand out. His hair is very dark brown which stands out against the background and brings the viewer s attention to the head area. Redpath seems to have used the oil paint very thickly and the whole painting has a very textured appearance. She seems to have used impasto in areas such as the blue background and the man s coat. She has used messy and loose strokes for the background which are visible around the man s head. She has used the paint more smoothly on his face and has used more controlled brushstrokes to add in more intricate detail to the man s face. It looks as if the artist has scratched away areas of the background. This is an unusual technique and adds texture making the paint on the wall seem old and flaking off. The pose communicates that the man appears to be a very calm person because he is sitting patiently gazing to the side with his hand in his pocket. His body language is relaxed and he looks comfortable being painted by the artist. He seems to be a serious person. Whatever he s thinking about, his facial expression shows no sign of smiling or laughter in his face. The composition of the portrait does not look staged, it seems natural. SQA 6 of 11

7 Exemplar Candidate A response to Q7 7. The two designs I have studied are Maiko Takeda s hat from her Atmospheric Re-entry collection and Philip Treacy s Lyons Gold Blend Tea hat. (a) Visual Impact Maiko Takeda s hat is very visually impacting as it is large and has large spikes coming out from the head. The spikes flow round the head to an acute point, it has been compared to the shape of a sea cucumber. Treacy s is very similar as it large scale and has a variety of feathers sticking out of the head. It also flows around the head and finishes with a tail which makes it seem very delicate. Fitness for purpose Both designs are similar as they are both for a large event. Takeda s was made for her Atmospheric Re-entry collection and is made to be eye-catching and special to make people take notice of its innovative design. Treacy s was made for an event for Lyons Gold Blend tea. It was made to be eye-catching, elegant and comfortable. Target Market The target market for both designs are the same. Takeda s hat is to be worn by socialites and A-list celebrities for events like Ascot or even for performers for their shows. The Lyons Gold Blend tea hat was also made for celebrities and large events. I think that the Lyons Gold Blend tea hat is the most successful. I think this as it was made to resemble tea when swirled in a mug and find that the hat effectively portrays the smooth delicate movement of the tea. (b) Philip Treacy is the designer I have chosen. Philip Treacy was born in Ireland and was the second youngest of eight children. His interest in fashion started when made clothes for his sisters dolls. He worked for the famous milliner Stephen Jones and then he studied fashion at the Royal College of Art and in 1991 his degree show got the attention of the fashion world with his eye-catching hats. Nature is Treacy s biggest influence. He designed a collection of hats based on orchids that he saw when he visited an orchid garden in Singapore. His orchid hats look like real flowers and are sculptural, feminine and dramatic. The fashion editor, Isabella Blow was a big influence on his career. She let him stay in her house and work there at the start of his career. She introduced him to famous designers and they commissioned him to make hats for their fashion shows. He designed hats for famous designers like Alexander McQueen, Chanel and Versace. SQA 7 of 11

8 Exemplar Candidate B response to Q7 7. The two designers and designers I am going to comment on are plastic bracelet by Peter Chang and dragonfly brooch by Rene Lalique. (a) The purpose of Chang s design is to be worn as a bracelet for women (or men) and Lalique s design is meant to be worn as a brooch. The visual impact of Chang s brooch leaves you thinking that it s very unusual and crazy like whereas Lalique s brooch leaves you thinking that he has put a lot of time and effort into this design his inspiration was from Art Nouveau and Chang s inspiration was his own mind big, bright and crazy. The target audience for Chang s bracelet is mainly woman between 16+, probably super models/models like Carla Delavigne, Kendell Jenner, Gigi Hadid or someone the runway or Lady Gaga where as Lalique s brooch could be worn by anyone most likely to be women 35+ (old people) and mainly celebrities like Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter and not teenagers like me. (b) Rene Lalique was born in France in His family moved to Paris and when his father died he went to work for a jewellery workshop and then started his own workshop. He became famous and all the stars, the rich and famous and celebrities came to get jewellery made. After the jewellery he started making perfume bottles and became famous for making glass and started his own factory. He was an Art Nouveau designer. Their inspiration was nature. Art Nouveau happened in Europe and in America in It inspired lots of designers to do this style and it was unusual at the time and everyone loved it. Lots of people wanted Art Nouveau things in their houses so it was popular. He sadly died in SQA 8 of 11

9 Exemplar Candidate C response to Q7 7. Vertigo poster by Saul Bass, 1958 Dylan poster by Milton Glaser, 1967 (a) Visual Impact Vertigo was created with such a quirky and unusual approach giving it a lot of visual impact. The cut paper and bold colours quickly catch the eye. Bass unusual yet creative methods were combined and this shows a lot of creativity and creates impact. Dylan also has a lot of visual impact as there are a lot of contrasts. Most of the poster is black and white but the hair of the subject was inspired by a 60s hippy feel making it stand out. The silhouette is also emphasised making it eye catching and giving it a lot of impact. Fitness for Purpose Bass has successfully advertised the movie with this poster. The colour combination of black and red help to show that it is a thriller. He also used mental health as an influence so the white spiral makes you feel dizzy and panicky which links to the theme of the movie. He used creativity to successfully convey the product. Glaser was also quite successful. The bright colours represent the music theme and successfully advertised the album. The title is also in a bright colour, red, which shows what the product actually is. Milton Glaser used his creativity to create a dramatic eye-catching poster making it very useful. Target Market Vertigo is aimed at movie fans, especially those who love thrillers. This poster would be interesting to this audience as the bold text and clear message that this isn t a particularly happy movie create an atmosphere perfect for this audience. It creates a suspenseful atmosphere. The poster advertises an unusual theme for a thriller, attracting the target market. Bass used a creative approach to achieve this. Glaser s target market would be music fans. The poster has a happy, almost groovy vibe to it which would certainly attract people who enjoy this type of music. The singer is emphasised due to the bright hair and name which makes the poster appealing to an audience who are fans of this singer or would like to listen to his music. Glaser does all this using his creative yet simple approach. Overall Overall, I think that Bass had the most successful design. One reason is the bold techniques that make the theme so clear, attracting an audience. Another reason is the almost childlike approach which makes it quite quirky. This is unusual and appealing meaning people will pay attention to it. (b) Influences SQA 9 of 11

10 Saul Bass was influenced by the movie industry. The film director Otto Preminger asked him to design the title sequence for The Man with the Golden Arm. He was the first designer to use graphic techniques to create a moving image title sequence. The topic of the film was heroin addiction which inspired Bass to create a design which featured the arm of a drug addict. This approach was very risky in those days and made him famous. He then began to get other work from Hollywood directors. Alfred Hitchcock was an influence on his work. He was asked to create memorable title sequences and posters for many of his films, including Vertigo, where he used a simplified cut paper approach to give visual impact. SQA 10 of 11

11 Exemplar Candidate A response to Q11 Discussed at 2017 Understanding Standards Event and adapted from a response to the Wedding Jewellery Set (2015) by an unknown designer 11. This wedding jewellery set could be worn at different occasions, the target audience is aimed at engaged women between early 20s and early 40s because it is very modern and that s what age you tend to get married at, Also women globally could wear this because it could suit anyone who is getting married in red. The visual impact of this wedding set will leave the guests gobsmacked it s so beautiful and it has lots of jewels so it might be expensive so it could put some of the buyers off and not buy it. The wearability of the set is really wearable but it looks a bit heavy. In my opinion the style is beautiful and elegant. I say that because it s made with gold and silver and it has ruby jewels and the pattern looks very royal like. SQA 11 of 11