Title: Scream Size: 50.8 x 38.1 cm Medium: Oil pastel on illustration board Completion: October 2022 Exhibition TextIn my oil pastel piece, I explore a means of expressing anxiety and the overarching feeling of panic through the use of color. I take inspiration from the application of warm colors such as orange, yellow, and red in Edvard Munch's The Scream. I also implement the techniques used by Munch such as the repeated application of organic and straight lines.
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Inspiration
The eye then travels along the straight diagonal lines of the bridge back to the screaming figure, reiterating the theme of anxiety
Planning
The placement of the hands and presentation of the screaming mouth also contribute to a general feeling of discomfort. I decided I would use similar hand placement and screaming figure to represent anxiety. The Scream is an autobiographical work, where Munch presents himself as a distorted figure. However, in my piece, I planned to represent myself in a more realistic sense to emphasize how anxiety is a reality. Finally, I analyzed the line work of my inspiration pieces and how the application of line in both works created a sense of movement. In The Scream, triangular movement is achieved with the use of diagonal and organic lines. The eyes move from the screaming figure, to the men in the background, across the sky, and then back down to the screaming figure. This type of movement helps to bring the eyes back to the object of anxiety, creating further emphasis on the theme. I decided I would attempt a similar type of movement in my piece, but achieve it more through the composition of the piece and where I decided to place my hands and other elements. The technique in Van Gogh's Self Portrait was also an area of observation. In the more impressionistic piece, the lines are layered on top of one other in a manner which visibly shows all the lines. Knowing I would use oil pastel as a medium, I decided I would use this technique as well.
Process
when considering where the shadows in my hands would be. I added in these darker shades to contrast the lighter ones and create highlights.
were dissimilar in value. For the sleeves of my shirt, I combined colors such as black and different values of blue. I liked the similar application of blue in my piece to Van Gogh's Self Portrait, however I added gray to my piece to dull out the blue to achieve a more subtle and dull application of blue like in Munch's The Scream.
well as to apply a similar application of colors representing anxiety to Munch's work. In addition, the plume of colors creates a sense of movement leading directly to the screaming mouth, implementing movement in a similar way as Munch to reiterate the subject of anxiety.
Experimentation
skin, I decided to add more pink in order to achieve the warm presence of color, similar to Munch's The Scream. I continued this experimentation with pink values in other aspects of my face, such as my nose. I experimented by starting with a pink undertone and adding increasingly darker values. After adding some deeper shades of brown to the nose, I experimented with incorporating lighter warm values back into it.
layered lines. Especially when completing sections with hair, I worked to make the individual lines visible in order to create a better representation of hair.
CritiqueSimilarities:
My piece is similar to Munch's The Scream in its use of color, especially in its application to represent anxiety. Both pieces include the warm orange and red plumes of colors to create an unnatural feeling, like there is something wrong. This contributes to the overarching theme of anxiety represented in both pieces. The color is also similar in the palette used. In addition to warm colors, both piece also contain the use of blue to complement the oranges. In both works, the blue is placed directly alongside instances of oranges. The pieces are also similar in their use of lines. In both my piece and Munch's The Scream, lines are placed and layered on top of one another. This allows the colors of the different lines to be blended, but not completely. In addition, the types of lines and their application are similar. In my work, the billow of color protruding from my mouth is created in a similar means of Munch's sky, which is through layering orange and red organic lines. In both the screaming figure in my work and the screaming figure in Munch's work, the organic nature of the faces are created using organic lines. Diagonal lines also appear in both pieces. In my work, they make up my arms, and in Munch's work they constitute the bridge. Both The Scream and my piece implement the depiction of a screaming figure and hands. In both pieces, the hands appear close to the face and raised in very defensive positions. In addition, this contributes to the movement of the pieces, which both are triangular. In The Scream, the lines making up with bridge lead the eye diagonally up, then across the organic lines of the sky, and then finally back down to the screaming figure. In my piece, the diagonal lines of my hand move the eye up, then across the lines of the plume of color going down, then across the other plume of color. The movement in both emphasizes the screaming nature of the people depicted. Differences: The styles of my piece and Munch's The Scream are very different. Firstly, The Scream is notoriously known for being an expressionistic piece. It is created in this way to depict Munch's feelings as he experienced them. Due to this, the figure representing him resembles a human, but is distorted. In my work, there are some aspects of expressionism with the plume of color protruding out of my mouth. However, I am represented in a more realistic style. This is representing how while Munch's shows a distorted version of reality, mine is real. The pieces also differ in the definition of the lines applied. In Munch's The Scream, the different lines layered on top of one another are distinct and visible. However, the lines on my work are blended more with the surrounding lines so as to create a realistic effect. The pieces also differ in background. While a full background is viewed in Munch's work, there is not much occupying the background in my work. There is also a difference in medium of the two pieces. Munch's The Scream consists of oil paint, tempura paint, crayon, and pastel on canvas. He used a variety of mediums to achieve the full effect of color and texture. However, my piece is oil pastel on illustration board. ReflectionSince this piece was my first experience with using oil pastel for a realistic depiction, I had the opportunity to experiment a lot with how to apply color and line using this medium. I wanted my create my piece using a similar technique used by Edvard Munch in his painting The Scream. This technique consisted of layering multiple lines on top of one another to blend the colors and create a sense of movement. Using oil pastel as a medium, I encountered some difficulty once I had multiple layers of color built up. One quality of the oil pastels I was using that I found particularly difficult to work with was how it lifted color I previously put down when I attempted to layer them. To work around this, I realized I had to hold the oil pastel in a specific way so the previous color would remain where I applied it. I also took inspiration from Munch's portrayal of a moment in anxiety and how he achieved this through his use of color. As I have been experimenting in other works of how to portray meaning through the use of warm colors, I thought this project would be a good opportunity to demonstrate the feeling of anxiety through the use of these colors, similar to Munch. To do this, I created a plume of orange and red colors protruding from my screaming mouth. I also implemented the depiction of a scream and the placement of hands to suggest anxiousness. Overall, I feel I achieved my goal of representing anxiety through the use of warm colors.
ACT QuestionsClearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
My inspiration artwork is Munch's The Scream. The inspiration of this piece is seen in my artwork, with my application of line and colors to create movement and represent anxiety similar to Munch's work. In addition, I implement the depiction of a screaming figure and raised hands to further the theme of anxiety. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration? Everyone encounters anxiety in their lives at different levels. The aim of visual art is to express this feeling in a manner which allows others to personally relate. Enabling others to experience this feeling through artwork helps those consider a level of anxiety they have not experienced before. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration? Anxiety can be represented in a variety of ways. Each person represents their own anxiety in a way that is unique to them. When expressing the feeling in art, expressionism is an effective art movement which allows the feelings to fully come across. What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?. The theme surrounding my inspirational research is anxiety and its different levels. I also explore how to visually represent feelings of anxiety. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research? I inferred that feelings can be expressed through the application of different elements of art. For example, movement can contribute largely to the feelings expressed in a piece. In addition, lines, shapes, colors, and forms also can work to represent a larger feeling. Citations (MLA)“Edvard Munch.” The Scream, 1893 by Edvard Munch, https://www.edvardmunch.org/the-scream.jsp.
“Self-Portrait.” Art Object Page, https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.106382.html. |