shannonmnart

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Final Exam

Inspired by my adoration of women and my home state, I wanted to create a sustainable collage (made out of things I already had). I wanted to challenge myself by creating something other than a painting. So for my medium, I created a "canvas" from painting paper and utilized magazine clippings with other miscellaneous materials. I wanted to convey an underlying theme of femininity while also paying tribute to the many beautiful individuals who inspire popular trends. Repeating cycles in fashion every twenty years or so tell us that younger generations are often inspired by those who came before us.

(1) Firstly, I made my canvas and began applying black and white photos to the top of my artwork. I sourced all of these images from a Vogue magazine from 2018. (2) Using Mod Podge in a papier mache-like technique, I continued with the pictures. (3) I then finished applying most of the photos in black & white and color. (4) Then I added my last picture detail. (5) I also chose to reinforce the artwork at this point with a painter's stick. (6) Step six involved taping down the reinforcements. (7) At this point, there was still room for more mixed media, so I decided on lots of colorful costume embellishments coming out of the split face. (8) At this phase, the embellishments were completely secured to the top half. (9) Lastly, I wanted to add a ribbon to further reinstate the theme of feminine trends. The 3D element just felt right.

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Willem de Kooning, Woman and Bicycle, 1952–53.

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Plates from The Dinner Party (1974-1979), with raised central motifs based on vulval, floral, and butterfly forms, and rendered in styles appropriate to the individual women being honoured, by American feminist artist, art educator, and writer, Judy Chicago, born in 1939.

Judy Chicago is known for her large collaborative art installation pieces focusing on images of birth and creation, which examine the role of women in history and culture.

Complete work (image in comments with a closeup) ceramic, porcelain, textile, 14.63 x 14.63 m, 47' 3" x 47' 3" approx

Collection of the Brooklyn Museum, New York

The Dinner Party, an important icon of 1970s feminist art and a milestone in twentieth-century art, comprises a massive ceremonial banquet, arranged on a triangular table, symbol of equality, with a total of thirty-nine place settings, each commemorating an important woman from history. The settings consist of embroidered runners, gold chalices and utensils, and china-painted porcelain plates with three-dimensional designs representing individual women, resembling flowers, butterflies, and female genitalia. The names of another 999 women are inscribed in gold on the white tile floor below the triangular table.

The individual plates pictured are:

Top, left to right:

Primordial Goddess plate Virginia Woolf plate Theodora plate

Bottom, left to right:

Saint Bridget plate Hatshepsut plate Boadaceia plate

China paint on porcelain, diameter 35 cm, 14 in approx

* * * *

“When, however, one reads of a witch being ducked, of a woman possessed by devils, of a wise woman selling herbs, or even of a very remarkable man who had a mother, then I think we are on the track of a lost novelist, a suppressed poet, of some mute and inglorious Jane Austen, some Emily Bronte who dashed her brains out on the moor or mopped and mowed about the highways crazed with the torture that her gift had put her to. Indeed, I would venture to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman.” ― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

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‘The Lovers I’ & ‘The Lovers II’ by René Magritte, c. 1928.

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Street with Red Streetwalker

Artist: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (German, 1880-1938)

Date: 1914-1925

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain

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Dominique Fung (Chinese-Canadian, 1987) - Candle Fan (2024)

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Virtual Sketchbook 3

Portrait of a Young Lady by Johann Georg Ziesenis was estimated to be created within the 1760s-1770s (Ringling). In total, this artwork is fifty-eight and one-fourth inches by 45 and a half inches. The oil-on-canvas portrait is that of a woman dressed in a fine blue gown with giant ruffles and lace wherever possible. Lace on the sleeves, the body, around the neck, and in the woman's grey powdered hair. Her figure is proportional to an average human subject, with a more oval-shaped head and a long triangular shape connecting her lower body and bust. The lady's sophisticated look reads much older to modern standards of beauty, but she recalls a sense of youthfulness whilst holding such a proportionally small dog. I enjoy how the dark background emphasizes the saturation of the blues, reds, and pinks. The backdrop contributes to the overall contrast of this painting while alluding to the natural asymmetrical balance seen on the left-hand side. The young lady is highly emphasized by this subordinated and low-exposure backdrop. The obscurity of having such a decadent and well-dressed person in front of this earthy image is highly reminiscent of the theatrical settings many Rococo-era paintings are also set within. Works like these almost glamorize the ability to appear flawless and posed in nature, heavily contrasting with the reality of those who truly had to be outside for labor. 

   This painting makes me feel nostalgic for a different time in my life. It has been up on display in gallery fifteen since my preteen years and probably much longer before that. I enjoy being able to think back to how I viewed this painting before gaining a deeper sense of understanding about its artistic and historical influences. The artist behind this painting is of Danish and German origins but started as a pupil underneath his father, Johann Jürgen Ziesenis (Royal Collection Trust). Johann Georg Ziesenis was then appointed a court painter in Zweibrüken (Germany) and later in Mannheim, a city about two and a half hours from Luxembourg. After analyzing the creations made by Ziesensis in his lifetime, one can deduce that his artistic talents were primarily used for aristocratic commissions from German noble dynasties heavily influenced by the Neoclassical and Rococo periods. His work is somewhat demonstrative of other Rococo court painters Maurice Quentin de La Tour but fails to venture far enough from the more posed human forms of Neoclassicism.  

   I chose to analyze this Portrait of a Young Lady not only because it holds a special place in my heart but also because I needed to personally challenge myself to appreciate fewer modern styles. With paintings of this era, I think a lot of us gloss over the many individuals who spent their lives working for the sake of their art. After spending hours at a museum, it can all feel like one big blur of Johann’s, George’s, and Jean’s. I believe that we can learn something from the segregations of class that make it ten times harder to understand real human history and to be able to research artists like Johann Georg Ziesenis. 

(Proof of visitation) A photo of myself (right) from this same visit. My friend consented to be included in this project, so I apologize for not having an individual photo. In the mirror, you can see the painting I am describing. I additionally will include a photo of my wristband from that day.

Works Cited 

“Portrait of a Young Lady.” 2025. Ringling.org. 2025. https://emuseum.ringling.org/objects/24927/portrait-of-a-young-lady. 

“Johann Georg Ziesenis (1716-76) - Queen Charlotte (1744-1818) When Princess Sophie Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz with a Servant.” 2025.  https://www.rct.uk/collection/403562/queen-charlotte-1744-1818-when-princess-sophie-charlotte-of-mecklenburg-strelitz.

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Konstantin Korobov (Russian, 1985) - Power (2024)

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Joanna Abra (b.1986) - Towards Jupiter (IV). 2024. Oil on canvas.

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Citlali Haro (Mexican, 1991) - Lo Mecánico de la Vida (The Mechanics of Life) (2022)

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Pathenon - John Miller

British , 1931-2002

Oil on canvas , 61 x 64 cm. 23.82 x 25 in.

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Rachel Sharpe (American, 1990) - Hope (2022)

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Virtual Sketchbook 2

1. Journaling

Unity and Variety: The level of conformity to a singular identity can be understood ad unity. In contrast, variation in an artwork is the rejection of conformity. However both are harmonious concepts. A lot of us see different levels of unity and variety throughout our wardrobes.

Balance: Finding the sweet spot, or evenness usually between two concepts. The concept of balancing aesthetics can be observed every day in the symmetrical patterns on flowers and butterflies.

Emphasis and Subordination: The creation of a visual point of importance or bringing the viewers focus to a specific area is representative of emphasis. In contrast, the negative space that keeps us focused on the emphasized area is created by subordination.

Directional forces: Creating invisible or visible paths that draw attention to a point for the viewer to follow can be interpreted as directional forces. Many of us observe directional forces everyday on the visible white lines that outline lanes of the road.

Repetition and rhythm: The phenomenon of continuous and ongoing acts or visual elements is demonstrative of repetition. Rhythm, is found within the gradual creation of an order or series of cohesion. Many individuals receptively apply the same routine of cosmetics and makeup to their faces to achieve a certain look. The creation of rhythm is something observable in tasks like crochet and knitting that require a circulation of movement.

Scale and proportion: An object's spacial mass in comparison to another is what we know as scale. The proportional value of that object is that of the individual sizing of selective parts in comparison to the whole subject. The scale of a water tower is very large, especially in juxtaposition to the proportional value of a person or car driving by.

2. Writing and Looking

Francisco Goya (1815) "BULLFIGHT: THE AGILITY AND DARING OF JUANITO APINANI" FIG. 4.12

Ingredients:

Etching tools (Etching needle, scraping tool, burnishing tool, etc.)

Aquatint

A source of light to the left

A diagonal axis, to create a sense of motion (implied movement)

A man place along the axis looking downward (directional forces)

Triangular shape of balance in the center

Neutral colors, and background

3. Connecting Art to Your World

Being a passionate history lover I have always advocated for the realization of the truth about historical images. After discovering that many of these images that we see in textbooks with zero saturation (despite being taken in color) often skews many of our perceptions of important events. This has been an issue mostly regarding images taken during the median of the 20th century, especially during the civil rights/Jim crow era of American history. Additionally, this issue has also come about when observing captures from WW2. I believe this phenomenon exists to negate the recent nature of these images. Many people fail to realize that our grandparents lived through unprecedented times as well, and history is a revolving door. If I had to pick a color scheme for my life, I would like to imagine the world with the mystical values of the art nouveau style. The colors that said period of art is distinctive of is my personal favorite in terms of color schemes.

4. Art Project

I hadn't researched into this quote originally said by Abhysheq Shukla in the his book "KARMA", but I thought it made sense for a 3 panel comic. I think the words on this particular comic are the most important, because they signify foremost issues that many of us forget as we get busy with our daily lives. I'm not the best at drawing comics.

5. Photo/Design (Group 1)

Logos:

"Stanford" University (Flag)

"Igor" Tyler the Creator (Poster)

"Sublime" Band (Sticker)

"Epiphone" (Guitar)

"Calvin Klein" (Purse)

"Lululemon" (Crossbody bag)

"Coach" (Shopping bag)

"The Ringling Museum" (Sticker)

"Apple" (MacBook Air)

"Jets" New York (Sticker, framed sweater)

"Ron Jon" (Wooden surfboard)

"Polo" Ralph Lauren (Clothing store)

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Guerrilla Girls, Do women have to be naked…?, 1989.

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backstage pass: broadway bares - rex bonomelli + michael graziano (2008)

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James Elliott, “Kiss on Frosted Glass”, 1984

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Elizabeth Catlett - Dancing