Sophia

Lead Author Major

Environmental Studies and Studio Art

Lead Author Status

Senior

Format

Senior Art and Design Exhibition

Faculty Mentor Name

Jennifer Little

Faculty Mentor Department

Art & Graphic Design

Abstract/Artist Statement

Portraiture is a long-standing tradition in art that I wanted to explore with this project. The human face is powerful because we are creatures designed to understand the meaning behind our own expressions. A portrait captures the likeness and possibly the disposition of a person, but it only reveals their presence in that instant as they choose to reveal themselves to the viewer.

This project looks beyond that by comparing surface expressions to the story behind them. Ultimately, the finished portrait painting will hang next to a screen. The portrait could exist on its own as a finished piece, but the screen will depict a video of the piece throughout its creation and features a number of transformations throughout time.

Each shift in the image will reveal a changing scene, and a variety of interactions will take place between the subject and a pair of hands which will enter the frame. Environmental factors, including the presence of wind, will serve to create an active space within this piece. Each stage of the painting and its narrative is documented by the video, but also by a physical layer of paint. As layers cover layers, the finished piece emerges.

Location

Reynolds Gallery

Start Date

23-4-2017 6:00 PM

End Date

12-5-2017 6:00 PM

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Apr 23rd, 6:00 PM May 12th, 6:00 PM

Sophia

Reynolds Gallery

Portraiture is a long-standing tradition in art that I wanted to explore with this project. The human face is powerful because we are creatures designed to understand the meaning behind our own expressions. A portrait captures the likeness and possibly the disposition of a person, but it only reveals their presence in that instant as they choose to reveal themselves to the viewer.

This project looks beyond that by comparing surface expressions to the story behind them. Ultimately, the finished portrait painting will hang next to a screen. The portrait could exist on its own as a finished piece, but the screen will depict a video of the piece throughout its creation and features a number of transformations throughout time.

Each shift in the image will reveal a changing scene, and a variety of interactions will take place between the subject and a pair of hands which will enter the frame. Environmental factors, including the presence of wind, will serve to create an active space within this piece. Each stage of the painting and its narrative is documented by the video, but also by a physical layer of paint. As layers cover layers, the finished piece emerges.