Illustration |
Exhibition text
My diptych illustration pieces are an exploration of the use of both vibrant and muted colors, as well as composition, on expressed emotions in the Impressionist style. This is done by placing a modern context of socialization on Bal du moulin de la Galette by Renior, and The Sick Child by Edvard Munch, which I have styled my illustration to look closely similar to. |
Inspiration |
Pierre-Auguste Renoir helped to develop the early impressionistic style in the 1870s, and his paintings, specifically Bal du moulin de la Galette, emanate key aspects of this style. This painting specifically contains layered brushstrokes which create an implied blurred texture. In addition, the color palette in this piece consists of vastly vibrant hues, with very little muted tones, to emphasize the excited emotions of painting's setting. Bal du moulin de la Galette, similar to much of Renoir's work, depicts a social scene with a gathering of many people. The composition of the work includes mostly forms of different people conducting various actions.
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Specifically, the painting explores the excited and radiant atmosphere of a popular dance garden in Paris. Due to the outdoor setting, the work also explores the effects of natural and artificial light sources through color usage. The elements are some that I wanted to incorporate into one of my illustration boards. I decided that my diptych illustration would explore concepts relating to the contrast of socialization and isolation, and I was inspired by Renoir's incorporation of social settings in his compositions. I also wanted to incorporate similar use of vibrant hues in the impressionistic style to explore the use of color on excited emotions expressed in works of art.
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In exploration of the contrasting theme of isolation, I also examined works by a later impressionist painter, Edvard Munch. His paintings also revolve around human experience, however unlike the joyous atmosphere in Renoir's work, Munch's work is typically presented through somber or anxious settings. In one of his paintings, The Sick Child, Munch implements the use of mostly cool and muted colors to achieve a somber affect. The positioning of the figures in this work also lend themselves to the negative theme. I wanted to also include the use of muted tones in my piece, similar to Munch's use of green in this specific painting. I also wanted to incorporate the theme of sickness and isolation into my illustration to create a contrast in the joyous and socialized themes presented by Renoir.
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Planning |
As I conducted research concerning my inspiration, I realized I wanted to incorporate a theme of contrasting socialization and isolation. However, with the inspiration pieces from Munch and Renoir both being from the late 1800s, I wanted to also modernize the theme to better incorporate aspects which are present in my own life. As the covid-19 pandemic is relevant to the times I am living in and impacts my life as relating to isolation and socialization, I decided to incorporate this into my illustrations. As I was thinking about how I would incorporate this, I thought about possible objects I could include in my piece that would represent covid-19.
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I decided I could depict this with the inclusion of medical masks, as this could symbolize covid but also globally represent sickness and isolation in general.
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Considering my inspiration from Renoir's Bal du moulin de la Galette, I examined how the positions of the figures observed in the work contributed to the social and radiant theme of the piece. As the vibrant use of color also contributed to this mood, I decided to incorporate similar use of composition and vibrant colors in my own work in an attempt to achieve the impression of a social setting. As my piece was intended to be a diptych, I also considered the reappearance of some figures in the second illustration board, which would be a contrast to the social setting observed in the first.
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In a continuation of planning, I also examined similar aspects of my inspiration from Munch's The Sick Child. This piece has a similar use of composition to portray the somber theme of sickness, especially though the placement of the kneeling figure. This painting also includes an implied impasto technique with the layering of many colors to create an almost rough texture. As I would be completing this illustration in colored pencil, I pondered ways I could create a similar texture without using paint. I also decided I would want to use a similar use of color as Munch, as the muted tones implemented in The Sick Child contribute to the negative theme. However, I also wanted to include a means of emphasizing the medical mask that I would incorporate into my illustration, and I considered highlighting this presence through a contrasted vibrant color.
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Process |
To emulate proportion and a similar composition to Renoir's Bal du moulin de la Galette in my illustration, I placed a grid over the image of the painting. I then transferred a sketch of the positioning of the figures onto my illustration board. I then began layering colors onto my illustration using colored pencils. I focused on implementing lighter values like yellow to create
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highlights from the light source. To create a similar effect to the impressionistic style used by Renoir, I attempted to layer lines of various colors so as to create the implied blurry texture created by this movement.
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I began to fill in the background of the piece with small blurs of color. I wanted my illustration to closely emulate a social scene as seen in Renoir's Bal du moulin de la Galette. To do this, I placed a focus on the details in the background including the impression of groups of people seen from a distance.
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As I continued to add color from the background of my illustration towards the foreground, I made my lines more sharp so that the elements closer to the front appeared closer and less blurry than elements behind them. When creating the two figures appearing on the left in the foreground of the piece, I decided to give them similar characteristics of the figures I would display in my second illustration board. I assigned a green color to the figure observed sitting in the foreground and a blue color to the figure above the first.
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Beginning the second illustration, I also wanted to emulate proportion and composition similar to Munch's The Sick Child. I placed a grid on the image of the painting and transferred a sketch of the placement of the figures onto my illustration board. I then started to apply color to the illustration board with my colored pencils.
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To make the work more similar in the use of color, I applied many values on top of one another to create the blended impressionistic look. I also worked to mute the colors from the original vibrant values of the colored pencils. I did this by adding gray and black values to specific colors, as well as the color's complement.
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To create emphasis between the sick girl observed in the illustration and the rest of the piece, I attempted to place colors in her hair that are not present in many other instances. I did this by placing a yellow value in her hair, which contrasts most other colors in the illustration due to their lack of warmness. To emphasize the mask that the girl wears, I also placed values in the mask which are not present in many other instances in the piece. While I incorporated other instances of blue into the illustration, they are mostly muted while the blue seen in the mask is much more vibrant.
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I also gave the two women observed in this piece similar qualities to the two women in the foreground of my other illustration board to demonstrate the impact of the social scene compared to the one in isolation.
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Experimentation |
One main technique I adjusted as I continued the process of creating my illustration was the way I applied color with my colored pencils. As I began, I applied a large amount of pressure with my colored pencils onto my illustration board in an attempt to better blend the colors. However, I soon realized this technique was indenting the illustration board, and eventually a hole had formed.
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This caused me to reduce the amount of pressure I was applying on my pencils and instead found another way to blend colors, such as through the use of a white colored pencil.
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Another aspect of the works that I experimented with is the amount and type of color that I layered on top of one another. For the woman's hair, I began with a base of brown, however I wanted her hair to be a mostly muted and cool color.
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I added different amounts of the complement colors red and green together to examine the overall saturation of the resulting hue. If the resulting hue ended up more red than I expected, I added more green hues, however if the color became vibrantly green, I added red hues. I also observed the effects of the layering of colors. In the man's face, I firstly layered colors such as brown and yellow, however I decided I wanted a more muted color. I then experimented with the effects of muting colors when adding green values to his face.
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Critique |
Similarities:
one similarity between my work and Bal du moulin de la Galette by Renior is the overall composition of both pieces through the placement of people. Both works consist of a multitude of people dispersed in a social gathering, with many people observed in both the background and foreground of the works. This placement of people, in their various poses of dancing, talking, and eating, alludes to the theme of socialization and joyous occasions. The works are also similar in the use of lighting. My own piece and my inspiration from Renoir both contain circular yellow highlights within elements of the pieces such as figures's hats and jackets. Darker values, such as the use of dark blues in the clothing within both pieces, are also used to create depth and implied form. Differences: The works differ slightly in the usage of yellow tones. While yellow is implemented in Renoir's Bal du moulin de la Galette, features of faces and clothing of people generally have a slightly blue or green undertone. This is different in the undertones appearing in my illustration, as the faces and clothing have a generally yellow, red, or warm colored presence. The pieces are also contrasted in the saturation of colors implemented. With the inclusion of more yellow hues in my illustration, the instances of yellow are additionally more saturated. The blue values observed in the clothing of the man sitting in the chair in the foreground of both pieces also differs. While in Renior's Bal du moulin de la Galette the man's jacket is a muted gray value with hints of blue, the man's jacket in mine is a saturated blue color. Due to my illustration piece being in colored pencil while Renoir's work is in oil paint, techniques relating to the Impressionist movement differ. While edges and lines in Renoir's piece are more blended and soft, the edges in my illustration are more hard. |
Similarities:
The use of muted green colors in both my illustration and Munch's The Sick Child is similar. This muted color is observed in the blanket, clothing, and background of both pieces. The green color is also used to desaturate instances of red in both works, such as the red seen in the dresser to the left and the hair of the women. The application of emphasis through color contrast in both pieces is also a similarity amongst Renoir's work and mine. In The Sick Child, the red color viewed in the sick child's hair is the most saturated instance of red in the piece. This creates an emphasis upon the sick girl, making her a focus of the piece. A similar emphasis is also implemented in my illustration with the contrast in the red values in the hair of both women. The composition through the placement of the figures in both Munch's painting and my illustration are similar. In both works, the position of the kneeling woman creates a somber mood with her ducked head and lowered gaze. This women also holds the hand of the sick girl as well, emphasizing their relationship in both pieces. Differences: There is a slight different of overall color in Renoir's work and mine. While the clothing of the woman in Munch's The Sick Child has a slight blue undertone but is mainly green, her clothing in my work is a saturated blue color. In addition, the hair of the kneeling woman is more brown in my piece, while her hair is a muted gray in Munch's work. Due to Munch's work being an oil painting, my illustration and Renoir's Bal du moulin de la Galette take slightly different approaches in the application of line. With Munch's lines much more soft and blended, especially in the arms and features of the figures in the pieces, my illustration's use of line is less blended and take on a more hard quality. In addition to the increased sharpness of the lines and edges of my work in comparison to Renoir's Bal du moulin de la Galette, the implied impasto technique is less prominent in my work. This technique creates implied texture through the use of brushstrokes in Munch's work, however my illustration is completed in colored pencil and does not contain a similar technique, especially in the background. |
Reflection |
Through exploring the paintings Bal du moulin de la Galette, by Pierre-August Renoir as well as The Sick Child by Edvard Munch, I have learned about the Impressionist technique, composition, and the muting and saturation of colors. As I explored these inspiration pieces with the composition concerning the placement of figures and objects in the works in mind, they have taught me about the impact of specific placement on emotions expressed. Through similar use of the placement of people and saturated colors in Renoir's work, I was able to express the idea of a joyous social event. This was contrasted by my second illustration board, which uses a similar composition of objects as Munch's work to express themes of isolation. Using colored pencils instead of the traditional oil paint medium for Impressionism, I found myself layering many colors to achieve a similar blurred textural effect as impressionist movements. Through this exploration in Impressionism, I also experimented working with muted and saturated values.
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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?
My inspirations, Bal du moulin de la Galette by Renoir and Munch's The Sick Child inspired me to implement similar aspects of composition, color use, and line. Additionally, as Renoir's work is inspired by a joyous social event, my illustration holds similar themes. Munch's work also explores themes of isolation, which is implemented in contrast in my other illustration board. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration? Impressionistic artists portray their experiences and emotions in the artwork which they create. For example, the social gathering in Renoir's work is inspired by a gathering occurring in France. Munch's work has a contrasting theme of isolation, which the artist has experienced many times in his life. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture,etc.while you researched your inspiration? While two different works of art may be in the same medium and of the same style, the meanings and theme surrounding the works may be extremely contrasting. While Renoir's and Munch's works are both in the Impressionist style, Renoir's painting surrounds social themes and contains saturated colors while Munch's work surrounds themes of isolated and includes muted colors. What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?. My inspirational research surrounds the idea of the impact of socialization and themes of isolation. Specifically, this was applied in the context of sickness, with the covid-19 pandemic being relevant to my present life. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research? I inferred that artists take inspiration from their experiences and their theme is viewed across many of their paintings. For example, I inferred much of Munch's paintings were concerning themes of sickness while most of Renoir's work concerned themes of social gatherings. |
Sources (MLA) |
“Bal Du Moulin De La Galette.” Bal Du Moulin De La Galette - Auguste Renoir | Musée D'Orsay, https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/artworks/bal-du-moulin-de-la-galette-497.
Munch, Edvard. “Edvard Munch, the Sick Child – Nasjonalmuseet – Collection.” Nasjonalmuseet, https://www.nasjonalmuseet.no/en/collection/object/NG.M.00839. “Pierre-Auguste Renoir and His Paintings.” Renoir, https://www.renoir.net/index.jsp. |