IB Visual Arts 2012-2014
BEATRICE AMATI ISABELLA CASTELLI NATASHA GOUGEON LUDOVICA POTOTSCHNIG OLIVIA RACIONZER
Beatrice Amati (SLA) As I have progressed, the meaning of Art for me has metamorphosed. Initially inspired by the PopArt and Abstract Expressionism of Jasper Johns and Jackson Pollock, which I’d investigated at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, I painted “The Green-Haired Monster” and “Breaking News”. My purpose was to develop striking projects that revealed the evolution of both the canvas and the subject. The process was not without its trials and incidents, recorded through violent splashes and layering of paint. Heavily autobiographical, my work might be summarized in Frida Kahlo’s statement “I paint selfportraits […] because I am the person I know best.” Throughout the course, I drew inspiration less exclusively from my visits to museums in Paris, Madrid and Rome, but from a multi-media range of sources, such as the anime film ‘The Place Promised in Our Early Days’ by Makoto Shinkai and the TED talk ‘Your body is my canvas’ by Alexa Meade, which reflect my personal interests. I’ve taken risks by radically reworking my paintings in the midst of their creation, which is how my painting ‘Palimpsest’ came about. My frequent use of oil paints – for their intensity of colour – is inspired principally by Joaquín Sorolla, whose work I relish and whose life has revealed many parallels with my own, as he also drew artistic inspiration from the lush human landscape of Madrid and Rome. Looking back, I recognize that my familiarity and fluency with the paintbrush has deepened, and I have reached a new level of confidence with my technique and construction of an image – as epitomized by my post-Madrid painting, “Niñas”. Interaction and the collective art experience with my peers through performance art in the MAXXI and life drawing sessions has undeniably nurtured my love for art as a medium for human connection and discovery.
Isabella Castelli (HLA) My central theme throughout the course has been ‘power’. By this I mean the diverse social, natural and political forces that push things to happen and the power they have to affect our lives. I try to capture my perception of them to then create a response attempting to express my thoughts and considerations. My most recent work typically responds to concepts and events that are inspired by environmental and world social situations or the mind. For example ‘Intrappolati’ was triggered by my concept of ‘translating art’ based on, for example, a photograph or a painting translated into a clay sculpture or a print (changes form but not meaning, just like words), but then developed into an interpretation of the unrecognised oppression society lays on workers, which live everyday routine considering it ‘normal’. My visit to the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris sparked inspiration for my first sculpture though an Oceanic sculptural exhibition. This is ‘Deux Perspectives’, an interpretation on how Paris metamorphosed after its revolution and industrialization. It was also inspired by Dickens’ ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, that enabled me to have a better understanding on the course of events of the time. This sculpture subsequently inspired ‘How Humans And Nature Should Intertwine’, using art as a medium . Clay has essentially become my main medium. I typically work on large-scale 3D forms, which intrigue me because of the unpredictability of the structure, the problem solving hidden behind understanding a structure or saving from collapsing. ‘Reubens’ Cube’ exemplifies for me what it means to struggle creating an artwork. I was forced to quickly rework it into something new because of its very unstable structure. I still felt the urge to continue, it was accompanied by the curiosity of what I would have done next. Rather than a composed interpretation of Rubens’ artworks that I had investigated in the Prado, I created a fusion of Saturn devouring his child, his animal studies and female nudes into one large sculpture, then giving it a touch of modernism though its name which alludes to the ‘Rubik Cube’. This helped me go beyond the 2D comfort zone and helped me discover a new way of working.
Natasha Gougeon (HLA) During this course a series of key experiences and processes have helped me develop as an artist. These have included gallery visits in Rome, Madrid and Paris, my own personal experience in Paraguay and participating within a site specific performance at the MAXXI museum. Alongside these investigations my technical interests have diversified, taking me to try not only simple drawing and painting, but also printing, video-making and animation. All of these activities were linked to my themes, ‘Human Nature’ and ‘Structure’, which symbolize the behaviour of society and of individuals, contrasted with the objective structure of them, and the lack thereof, as depicted in “Logic + Creativity”. Direct encounters with artists inspired me to try different things; for example, this summer I met various Paraguayan artists that reconciled me with my roots. For example Aldo Gullino’s work with metal and bone as well as photography and woodcarving brought me to want to try new elements and media; such as in my enamel and woodcut print projects: ‘La Via Lactea’ and ‘Cosmos’. Lucian Freud influenced my figurative work with his bold strokes and muted colours which I attempted to adopt in some way. Meanwhile, investigating Picasso in Madrid and Paris encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and move further towards abstract creation with my sculptures, “Meeting Point” and the painting, “Lack Of Structure”. Both of them helped me learn how to consider the evolution of an idea and to observe the place in which the artwork is presented rather than only the artwork itself. I believe I have developed a taste for new and different approaches to art and taken risks in my creative process; mostly shaped by my personal experiences and the influence of reconciling my Paraguayan roots with the European culture. These contrasting experiences have been present in my life for the past nine years; as seen in “Who Would You Rather Hire?” where the different views from the Paraguayan society are viewed in contrast to the more accepting Italian culture.
Ludovica Pototschnig (SLB) I initially took a detached, theoretical and formalist approach to art. However, through research and practice, I gradually came to acknowledge the importance of context in the creation of an artwork. This discovery was pivotal in my artistic growth, as it encouraged me to immerse myself in my artwork. My projects began to incorporate personal passions and experiences, such as my travels to Vietnam in “Cascading Thanks” and my dancing in “Appreciation and Expression”. This video project particularly represents my first step towards intimacy with my artwork and marks my growing desire to diversify my means of expression. First hand gallery investigations have fuelled my experimentation. I arrive at a fuller engagement with existing art by responding to it in my workbooks and subsequent studio work. For instance, “Le rôle de l’artiste est de rêver” blossomed mainly from my sketches of Degas’ work encountered in Paris and a glass-firing session that I witnessed in Murano. The large scale of this project also conveys my interest in Civil Engineering and construction, and through it, I have learnt to embrace the unexpected and document it. In my second year, I explored ‘movement’, in all its nuances, varying from transformation to travel. I supported my ongoing inquiry through attending life drawing classes, which trained my visual eloquence and kindled my studies of the human body. These were supported by research of how artists such as Hokusai and Schiele portray the female body. Throughout the course, I have experimented with combinations of media including clay, spray paint, varnish and ink. When working in batik, for example, I developed my own tools out of wood and cardboard to apply and shape the molten wax on the cotton. In some cases, the exploration of studio media has propelled my subsequent investigation work. For example, the baroque sculptural forms of ‘Gloria’ led me to research artists such as Tiepolo, whose work in turn came to influence the project’s final texture and colouration. In summary: a vast array of media, influences and occasions for practice have allowed me to experiment with approaches to self-expression and consequently grow personally and artistically.
Olivia Racionzer (HLA) IB Art has shaped the way I express myself, how I go about projects, and my attitude towards the process of work. I have greatly evolved, as has my style. I went from being guided blind folded through my earlier projects, to autonomous experimentation in my installation: “Something that glows wrapped in tissue paper”. My main theme is “revealed”: through art I have been able to explore myself and see who I truly am. Throughout the course I have experimented with media ranging from film & photography, to installation and animation inspired by William Kentridge based on a text I’d written about the theatricality of dreams. Trips to Paris and Madrid were two great turning points. I was subsequently inspired to create projects such as “These dreams are not here and are not now”, inspired by Rodin’s busts and the way his every movement is transferred onto the surface of the sculpture, or “Paris Revealed” inspired by the social and physical atmosphere of the city and the experiences lived within it. Beyond my main theme, I have other recurring ones, such as the: “ephemeral nature of things”, “dreams” and “society”. The theme of “society can be seen in project such as: “The Good Night Bird” & “Paris Revealed”. I consider how individuals fit in our society, and how society manages to shape us and manipulate us. A similar idea inspired my projects: “Kitty Canvas”, “Theatre of Dreams” and “Worn out Faces”, where I try to explore our “puppet society” that compels us to follow the same rules of convention. Whilst visual artists such as Alan Herbert have inspired my work, especially for “To Explore” in relation to the topic of our body and the essential lines that run through it, I have also been influenced by writers such as Haruki Murakami and the social representations explored in “Kafka on the Shore” along with the blurred out boundaries between dreams and reality, which I tried to convey in “These dreams are not here and are not now”.