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Post 11:

Overall, I feel that these posts connect in a lot of ways, and disconnect in a few. They connect because they all are able to create the human form using almost all the elements and principles of design. The artists I chose for the project typically use line or shades of value to create the figure and they all are able to give some indication of the figure being somewhat 3-dimensional. Majority of these pieces use the negative space to emphasize the figure. They disconnect by having different styles. A few are photo realistic with an incredible amount of detail and some have hardly any details at all. One piece is just a portrait, while the rest are the whole figure. Two pieces have put things in the background to either, add a sense of depth or add to the story of the figure On the other hand, the rest of the pieces keep the space empty to keep your focus on the figure. 

I see my work connecting to the last post because I like to try to get my paintings to look as realistic and believable as possible. I like to paint exactly what is in front of me rather than make my own interpretation of something. I prefer the clean look to the painterly look (for myself) and I think this piece is so clean and precise. I hope that someday I can be as good  as any of these artists because I am so intrigued by the human form and I want to practice and learn as much as I can so I can produce pieces like these. 

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Post 1:

1. Artist: Tony Heath… A contemporary artist, his work studies the movement of color.  Studied Fine Art Painting at University of Gloucestershire and has featured his work in many exhibitions throughout England.

2. https://www.tony-heath-art.co.uk/paintings-life/

3. Title: Let Me See

4. Medium: Acrylic on Board

5. Size: H 18 x W 24 inches

6. Elements: Heath uses simple lines to create the form of the human body. I think color is the element of design that he uses most effectively here because he uses color to do multiple different things. These colors are used as lines, for example the pink and yellow on the legs, and the yellow going down the arm. Those are colored lines are also what give the figure its shapes and forms.

Principles: This painting is balanced, in my opinion, because the color, forms and lines all go together so well that our eyes are able to put all of these elements together to see a female figure. The pop of color throughout her body give a beautiful contrast from the black parts of the painting. The colors really emphasize parts of her body as well.

7. I chose this piece because I was immediately drawn to it with his use of colors. It is so simple yet beautiful. I also just love drawings of the female body, it something that needs to be embraced rather than feared.

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Post 4:

1. Artist: Robert Dale Williams... he focuses on narrative painting and the figure, he’s given lectures and taught courses at 5 different art centers as well as featured in collections worldwide. http://www.robertdalewilliams.com/about-robert-dale-williams.html

2. Website: http://www.robertdalewilliams.com/of-sea-and-sky---robert-dale-williams.html

3. Title: Study

4. Medium: Graphite and Chalk

5. 11″ x 8.5″ 

6. Elements: The artist uses value to show the folds in the fabric as well as show the strong shadow over the figure’s face and chest and the highlight on her back, and arm. This gives her form and makes her look somewhat three-dimensional. He uses the graphite and chalk and the white-ish paper as his colors to define the forms and lines, especially in her face, arms and hands. 

Principles: I think that there is a pretty strong contrast between the harshly shaded upper body and the softer looking fabric that fades into the paper. This also creates a sense of movement because when I look at it I am drawn to her face and then my eye follows the folds of the fabric to where it ends. 

7. I chose this piece because I like how it makes me feel when I look at it, I feel empowered and even though her face isn’t very detailed, she looks proud. This piece relates to the previous post because they both kind of fade into the page. They both also used value to make the figures look somewhat 3-dimensional.

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Post 5:

1. Artist: Frank Illo... his work has been featured in galleries all over New York and New Jersey. https://www.saatchiart.com/FrankIllo

2. http://www.figurativeartist.org/portfolio/frank-illo/?tp=4715

3. Title: John Henry / Hard Time

4. Medium: Charcoal on Paper

5. Size: 44″ x 40″ 

6. Elements: The line work is put together to create this figure and it leads your eye all over it. The organic shapes that he creates are what gives this figure its human form. He uses value to show areas where there is more tension, like in the hands and shoulder as well as show some shadows. The black color defines some of the shapes. 

Principles: The curves of the shapes in the figure gives a sense of movement. The shapes and the shading and darkness of the shapes are emphasized. The proportions aren’t very realistic, the thighs and chest are very big and the head and hands seem a little smaller. 

7: I chose this piece because I really like the use of lines to create organic shapes that make up a human figure. I think this piece relates to the previous post because they both darken the face to emphasize other parts of the drawing as well as a contrast of light and dark shades. 

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Post 6:

1. Artist: Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum...  “Her works on paper address the development of transnational identities, human connections, and cross-border rituals.” https://www.artsy.net/artist/pamela-phatsimo-sunstrum

2. Website: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-these-20-female-artists-are-pushing-figurative-painting-forward

3. Title: Panthea II

4. Medium: Watercolor, Graphite, and Carbon Paper Transfer on Paper

5. Size: 220cm x 150 cm

6. Elements: The artist uses line to lead our eye to focus on where she is pointing and where the women are looking. She uses geometric shapes to connect the two figures as well as a few organic shapes to make the curves of their bodies. The colored shapes give a sense of the space on the ground and highlights some parts of their bodies. The color defines the shapes as well. 

Principles: I would say that this piece is balanced with the lines, colors and shapes working together to create such an interesting image. There is contrast between the darkly colored shapes and the lighter colored shapes. The movement in this piece is directed by the lines and the colors.The colors and shapes add an emphasis to the surface they are standing on and more importantly, the woman's hand. 

7. I chose this piece because I find it very intriguing, I want to know what exactly they are looking at. I also really like the look of the geometric shapes to make the human form. This piece relates to the previous post because they both use shapes to form their figure as well as light and dark shapes to add emphasis to certain areas. 

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Post 7:

1. Artist: Bernard Simunovic... he is a Croatian artist and designer. He studied Fine Arts in the Academy of Sarajevo. http://www.bernard-simunovic.com/about.html

2. Website: https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Sensual/428746/2960284/view

3. Title: Senual

4. Medium: Mixed Media, collage, acrylic and paper on canvas

5. Size: 25.6in. x 16.5in 

6. Elements: The artist uses line to create the basic shape of the female figure so our eye follows her curves smoothly and effortlessly. The brown colored paper in the thigh is almost like a shadow to give her figure a tiny bit of form. The organic shapes of brown paper add a bit of texture to the piece as well. 

Principles: There is contrast between the blue leg and the black leg and arm. There also is a lot of movement because your eye follows the lines with all the loops and curves.

7. I chose this piece because I like the collage element with the newspaper background and the brown paper patches. This piece relates to the last post because they both use lines to present a female figure and they both have those pops of brown-ish color.

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Post 8:

1. Artist: Marlene Dumas...  “Dumas highlights only what is most important—the expression, the point of contact, the epicenter of emotion” - https://www.artsy.net/artist/marlene-dumas

2. Book: How Contemporary Images Shape Though; Art in Mind

3. Title: Helena’s Dream

4. Medium: Oil on Canvas

5. Size: 51 x 43 inches

6: Elements: The artist uses line to show the basic shapes of the facial features with a little bit of value in the eyelids and lips. There is not much space around the object because I think that the artist wanted us to focus entirely on her face and nothing else. The dark color is used to show the facial features and the hair while the skin was a very light color. 

Principles: There is a contrast between the perfectly smooth skin and the different values in the eyelids and lips. I think she is emphasizing her eyes and lips because they are popping out from the flatness of the face.  

7. I chose this piece because I like the colors and I also like that she looks like she’s glowing. I think this piece relates to the previous post because they both have similar colors, the blue, brown and black. They both have simple lines but you are still able to understand the image.

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Post 9:

1. Artist: Chuck Close...  “ He began creating photorealist portraits from photographs in the late 1960′s, using a grid to map each detail.” https://www.pacegallery.com/artists/80/chuck-close

2. Book: Chuck Close. Museum of Modern Art, New York 1998.

3. Title: Big Nude

4. Medium: Acrylic on Canvas

5. Size: 9′9″ x 21′1″

6. Elements: The artist uses value to make the object of the painting more believable by making shadows with dark grey and black and highlights with white and this allows us to see a form which gives the illusion that she is three-dimensional. He uses space by having an empty background which is the negative space, to focus on the positive space. He uses black and white and all the different shades of grey in between as his colors to define shapes, forms and space. 

Principles: This painting is balanced because the color, forms and value all work together to make this image look three-dimensional. There is contrast between the negative space and the positive space as well as the contrast of her skin tanned skin and her untanned skin. The proportions are true to the human form. 

7. I chose this piece because I love how this piece looks like a photograph rather than an actual painting. This piece relates to the previous post because they both are very personal and intimate, they are just executed in different ways. In the previous post, we are so close and personal with her face. In this piece, we see this woman for her entirety, she is exposed and not hiding anything from the viewer.

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Post 10:

1. Artist: Kahinde Wiley... “ Wiley’s figurative paintings and sculptures “quote historical sources and position young black men within the field of power”’ - http://kehindewiley.com/

2. Book: Kahinde Wiley A New Republic

3. Title: Portrait of Mary Hill, Lady Killingrew

4. Medium: Oil on Canvas

5. Size: 72 x 60 in.

6. Elements: The lines in the vines and leaves lead your eye all over the painting to explore all the different plants. There is a lot of value in her skin changing from dark, shadows, and to light, highlights, which makes her look more 3-dimensional and lifelike. The space around her is full of flowers and vines which add to her story. This painting is also full of color, there are bright pops of color and a contrasting darker color on the figure.

Principles: This painting is very balanced with all the colors, lines, value and use of space working together to bring together a breathtaking painting. There is a contrast between the photo realistic figure and more cartoonish style plants. She is what is being emphasized because she is front and center. The flowers and vines are the background pattern. 

7. I chose this piece because I love how vibrant it is and has every element and principle of design. This piece relates to the previous post because they both use value and extreme attention to detail to make a photo realistic painting.