Tomas M Art as Lens

Visual Art FIA2

By Tomas M

Reflective Statement The focus of this folio was a sugar (candy) skull commonly seen in celebrations of dia de Muertos (Day of the dead). I had explored the skull through multiple lenses during the allocated time, and learnt to understand the meaning and significance that the skull means to people and why I have a connection to this skull in particular.

The skull is in both a personal and cultural context, because of the vast amount of meaning to the people behind this tradition, and how the skull depicts “Beautiful Death”. The personal context is because of the item being gifted to me from someone.

Reflective Statement Cont.

This folio has been influenced by artworks which explore the mortality of humanity and the beauty that is instilled with death. The artist Damien Hirst has displayed exactly what I’m looking for. This artwork has shown a intriguing viewpoint with a beautiful contrast of warm and cool colours topped off with golden teeth, the entire artwork is in clear reference to the famous vanitas art-style.

I intend to bring multiple different views with the use of lens. I will create art with the entire skull in view, and other with only minor/significant detail viewable and present.

Folio of Experimental Works

20cm x 15cm, 22/04/2021

Folio of Experimental Works

Detail, Painting Very close view of art on the skull 45 cm x 20 cm, 16/05/2021

Folio of Experimental Works Eye of the storm, Pastel Drawing

A Pastel drawing rubbed over completely.

40cm x 30cm, 4/05/2021

Folio of Experimental Works Illumination, Photography

The item chosen placed in-front of a black cloth, with a light placed inside the skull

N/A, 2021

Folio of Experimental Works

Simple Lino art using lines and colour of the skull.

10cm x 12cm, 24/05//2021

Supporting Evidence The sketch shown here was one of the first creations behind the item of choice, a candy skull.

This item had been chosen due the detail of the art on the skull, and due to it being a ‘sentimental’ item.

At the start, I had to begin with two tasks. I had to create the displayed skull breaking it down into, shapes, colours and lines.

The usage of small, detailed and colourful imagery to create an overarching image/artwork is a lengthy job, and takes a lot of time to do, but the finished product has a lot of symbolism and meaning. The ‘explosion’ of colour can be a description of either life, or the blissful ending of it.

The origination of the sugar or ‘candy’ skull comes from Mexico and the festival around dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which is about celebrating life for what it is and understanding death and celebrating it.

Supporting Evidence

(Just the skull stuff not the scary movie stuff ☹)

There have been multiple sketches and ideas about an expansive work just focusing on the patterns and ignoring the ‘skulls’ to focus on the beauty of them, rather than the death. I have also sketched down ideas about a repeated skull shape on a wall. I got the idea from the movie/book “As above so below” Lens is a very important element to this folio, being focal point of the assessment, I had employed an unduly amount of my time into thinking of multiple ‘lenses’ to picture the candy skull through.

I had decided to begin with create a sketch, (see left) and developed into a final piece, which was created with the use of a fine point pen to draw over a enlarged sketch and then filled the eyes in with a strong blue to contrast the black and white.

The use of lens changes the intentions and symbolism of the skull to a better fit, with reference to the “Life and beauty within the skull” This art (see right) was inspired from another work I had created, using the media of photography. I had placed a light under the skull, then covered it with a black robe and had the room completely dark, which had a side on view of the skull in a dull, dark space. The focal point of the work remains as the eyes but showing that there is still a sort of ‘life’ in death.

Both artworks were created to show a different meaning using the same technique and focal point, but with the use of a separate lens, express entirely messages.

Supporting Evidence One of my chosen artists, Damien Hirst, who is widely known for his delicate works regarding skulls, using very bright and spectacular arrangements of colours and materials to make the skull truly feel ‘alive’.

Damien’s “For the love of God” (2007, London) expressing the skull with a different lens, using very expensive rocks on a skull, which has a very rigid feel, using a colour which a normal skull would have, but the feeling of uncomfortable-ness is present and is felt when examining the details of the art.

To continue exploring different lenses I picked a Lino print artwork using the same flat blue of the original skull, and cut a wavy pattern which didn’t follow clean, straight lines about the original skull.

Supporting Evidence Overall, I had processed all artworks into shapes and colours primarily – focusing less on form but not completely ignoring it. Each artwork represents colour as a main theme, with the sketch having bright blue eyes as the focal point, the painting using colour and shape to have a very close shot of the skull’s details rather than the skull itself. For the lino print, there is only colour and shape, with the lines twisting over and over in a very soothing pattern. Finally, my pastel work represents the skulls eye as bright blue with a surrounding emanating darkness around, creating a focal point in the heart of the artwork.

I believe the question: How do different lenses change the meaning of artworks to communicate personal viewpoints? Is answered in my work, for example, my first artwork (the sketch) create a lens of viewing the skull from the front, with an entire view of the skull, whereas my painting had done a closeup of the art on the skull, ‘Art upon art’ and completely changes the meaning, being that life is still within the skull and should be celebrated to the art that is on the skull and celebrating the beauty of the details rather than the death of the person. The art also communicates personal and cultural viewpoints of my connection to the skull and the culture surrounding it.

The personal connection I have with this object is because It had been gifted to me. This gives me a connection because of the thought someone gave me.