Series Proposal
For my series of paintings, I would like to bring attention to the individuals that many people express prejudice towards for one reason or another. My plan is to present these individuals through full figurative painting on canvas as close to actual size as possible, with their eyes aimed directly at the viewer. There will be no smiles. I want my subjects to challenge the viewer to look them in the eyes and acknowledge them just as they are, when in real life they may rather avoid eye contact and keep walking. It is my goal to bring attention to the people who face discrimination in our society so that we may better grasp the humanity of these individuals. We cannot become so detached from those we consider lesser than ourselves that we forget how much we truly have in common. At the end of the day, we are all just humans trying to survive in an unfair world.
In order to achieve these conceptual goals, I need to have a strong and interesting approach technically. I am inspired by artist Wayne Thiebaud, who is famous for his thick and creamy application of paint and his vibrant, almost electric colors. My own style utilizes vibrant and often unexpected color as well, so I will attempt to continue this style in my series. It is my hope that the use of unexpectedly pop, energetic colors combined with somber subjects will increase the viewer's interest in my paintings. Additionally, I don't want my audience to simply feel bad for my subjects. I want them to be compelled to keep looking at them and to see value in them, and to this end I feel my artistic approach could be beneficial. Therefore, I will attempt to achieve a fairly realistic likeness using abstract colors and thick paint. Additionally,in order to link my paintings together as a series, I will have ALL subjects in the same position: seated and looking into the camera without smiling. How they choose to sit is up to them, and their body language will say something else about each subject. They will be centered on large canvases, and surrounded by thick white paint.
When it comes to choosing my subjects, I will only use people who have given me consent in person to photograph and paint their likeness. I will talk to each subject personally and incorporate their own description of themselves into the titles. Most of my intended subjects are already friends of mine, and I see firsthand how other people treat them. As a result, this series will become even more personal to me.
As I draw inspiration from Wayne Thiebaud, I must consider the historical and cultural context in which he worked. Born in Arizona in 1920, Thiebaud was inspired by cartoons and comic strips like George Herman's "Krazy Kat". He would go on to establish himself as a cartoonist, even working as an animator at Walt Disney Studios for a brief time. Thiebaud also did poster work and drew a regular comic strip while in the Air Force, during World War II. His interest would later shift towards painting, where his background as a cartoonist would inject distinct influence. In 1956, Thiebaud moved to New York and saw his work affected by the historical and cultural context of its time. Here he was in the middle of the Abstract Expressionist movement. The work of Franz Kline and Willem de Kooning caught his eye and he became interested in their use of thick paint. His history as a cartoonist lended a playful and colorful approach to the subjects he painted, and the inspiration he drew from the Abstract Expressionist movement showed itself in his thick and creamy application of oil paint. Even his work as a poster designer during a time of war impacted his work, as so many of his paintings were vibrant still lifes of American food and toys. As a result, Thiebaud's work didn't reflect the sadness and death of war times. Instead, it reflected the artist's own optimism and playful nature, as if it were a deliberate effort to create something fun and beautiful in a cruel world. Wayne Thiebaud's art makes the viewer happy - not to mention hungry at times, when they look at his positively mouth-watering paintings of cakes and pies. Not only do I enjoy the aesthetic of Thiebaud's work, I admire his artistic approach and attitude toward his subjects. I will take this with me while creating my own series.
As an artist, I too am influenced by the historical and cultural context I live in. Like Thiebaud, I too grew up fascinated with cartoons and comics especially. I used to draw my own comics as a kid, including an ongoing superhero comic inspired by the superhero stories I was exposed to at that time. As I grew older, I became more aware of the suffering of other people. The world we live in now is a very chaotic, uncertain one. Within the U.S alone there is so much prejudice and violence on the basis of racism, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Of our two choices for president this November, one is a racist and sexist man who inspires violence and hate in his millions of followers. Racial profiling and discrimination is out of control as police kill more and more innocent people for the "crime" of being black. The gap between social classes is larger, and the rich judge the poor harshly. Xenophobia remains prominent in our country, and so many Americans look at the rest of the world with distrust. My heart breaks to see all this violence and hate. We are all just people trying to find happiness for ourselves and our family. We all just want to survive.
In conclusion, I would like to make this series a study of humanity that encourages us all to face our own prejudice and sympathize with people not so unlike ourselves. Hopefully my ten subjects can offer a variety of perspectives on life and on how we view those around us. Though we may come from many different places and identify as many different things, we can't forget that which unites us and makes us all beautiful.
