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Communication Breakdown Final

My final project focuses on manipulating self-generated type to look at the way shape and color can be altered from the two-dimensional to the three-dimensional plane. I use Photoshop, and well as paper, glue, an X-acto blade, and string to explore physicality and spatial relations. I take inspiration from the upcoming winter break, and decide to create a sculpture of a cloud emitting snow. I use several different colors, such as blues, whites, and grays, to create my sculpture. 

To create my work, I start by going out into Savannah to take several pictures of different forms of type. I then look at each photo carefully, trying to decide which form of type to use in my project. I end up choosing a “V” from a theater sign: “LIVE IN SAVANNAH”. In Photoshop, I find the font that most closely matches the one in my photo. I create a pattern by copying and pasting the “V” 5 times, pasting the letterform after rotating 60 degrees each time. I print out my design in several sizes and cut out the negative spaces so I have cut paper sculptures. I purchase several kinds of construction paper, and use the original paper sculptures to recreate identical versions with the construction paper. I then use the construction paper sculptures to create my snowy piece, all the while creating spatial value and depth visually as well as structurally. This piece was tedious, and not as fun or inspiring as my other pieces, but I enjoyed making it. 

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Stanley Kubrick Essay

“If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed” (Stanley Kubrick). Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was frequently noted as, “one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in cinematic history” (Frankel), more specifically, the latter half of the 20th century. He won great acclaim for his dramatic visual style, painstaking attention to detail, and unconventional sense of narrative. But for all his love and support, he also received much criticism, as many viewers were not used to his unique interpretations. 

Stanley Kurbick was born on July 26th, 1928, in New York City, to Sadie Gertrude (Perveler) and Jacob (Jack) Leonard Kubrick. Young Kubrick was an intelligent boy, however got poor grades and performed poorly in school. On Kubrick’s thirteenth birthday, he was gifted with a camera. Kubrick immediately fell in love with photography, and took photographs all over New York. When he was sixteen, Kubrick was offered a job at Look, a magazine, and joined the staff as an apprentice photographer. Kubrick became a full-time photographer, and traveled the country as a part of the magazine for four years. 

Kubrick switched to film-making in the 50s. He and his friend, Alexander Singer, planned and shot several documentary shorts. In several of his first films, Kubrick took up roles in addition to directing; several times he would work as the cinematographer, editor, writer, soundman, and producer. His first big opportunity came in 1956 when MGM offered Kubrick $75,000 to write, produce, and direct a film, which would become Paths of Glory (1957).With Kirk Douglas playing the main role, the film went on to have significant commercial success. This opened the doors for Stanley Kubrick into the elite Hollywood system.

Kubrick then moved to England, and would stay there for the remainder of his life. His first UK film was Lolita (1962), which, after its release, quickly became a box office hit. Kubrick would then continue to direct many great films up until 1999, when he directed his final project, Eyes Wide Shut (1999). This film, much like the rest of Kubrick’s films, managed to garner a great share of controversy due to its high amounts of sexual content. Prior to its release, on March 7th, 1999, Kubrick tragically suffered a fatal heart attack in his sleep.

In terms of influences, Kubrick loved the work of Franz Kafka, Orson Welles, H.P. Lovecraft, Woody Allen, and Max Ophüls. Throughout his career, Kubrick had made several memorable and key films that gained much attention from the public. Some of these films include: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), The Shining (1980), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Clockwork Orange (1971), Dr. Strangelove; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), and Full Metal Jacket (1987).

The Shining is, and will always be, my favorite Kubrick film. It was the first horror movie I ever watched (I was 12 years-old), and my most watched Kubrick film. I used to sit down in front of the television and constantly pause and resume the film, just so I could explore each frame. The Shining, in my opinion, is the greatest horror film ever made. It is an unnerving psychological horror; it gets under my skin and stays there, filling me with this continuous sense of dread. And what is it that makes this film so great? The answer can only be Kubrick, and his stubborn perfectionism. The shoot was originally scheduled to take 17 weeks, but Kubrick’s need for perfection stretched filming into a full year. The climatic scene in the hedge maze took a month to film, and the moment where Shelley Duvall swings a bat at Jack Nicholson took 127 takes. In addition to all of this,  Kubrick took the film’s color palettes, framing, and shot sequence into careful consideration, and thus was able to create an unforgettable haunting film that has stuck, and will continue to stick, with me for years. 

Stanley Kubrick will always be one of my favorite directors. He has a unique, irreplaceable vision and when he died, he left an incomparable legacy of films. What inspires me the most is that Kubrick lived and worked on his own terms, and he would often butt heads with anyone who got in the way of his creative freedom. Kubrick was a unique artist; he was capable of a wide diversity of genres. He had a distinctive style of cinema; often imitated, but never duplicated. Kubrick paid an intense attention to detail; it is what made his film visuals and overall aesthetic so flawless. Kubrick is an acknowledged master of modern cinema. He aims to please himself above all, which is perhaps the source of his perfectionism. In a 1997 speech, upon accepting the D.W. Griffith Award from the Director's Guild of America, Kubrick remarked, "...although it [directing a film] can be like trying to write War and Peace in a bumper car at an amusement park, when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling” (Myers).

Works Cited

Barson, Michael, and Jeff Wallenfeldt. “Stanley Kubrick.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 October 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stanley-Kubrick/Films-of-the-1970s. Accessed 6 November 2022.

Clarke, Arthur C. “Stanley Kubrick - Biography.” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000040/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm. Accessed 10 November 2022.

Frankel, Mark. “Work and life of Stanley Kubrick.” Kubrick.life, tubik, https://kubrick.life/credits/. Accessed 7 November 2022.

Myers, Scott. “Video: Stanley Kubrick D.W. Griffith Award Acceptance Speech.” Go Into The Story, 2016, https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/video-stanley-kubrick-d-w-griffith-award-acceptance-speech-162eca0b9080. Accessed 14 November 2022.

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Weekend Work for Communication Breakdown

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Part B of Communication Breakdown 

I chose the V from "LIVE" and used it for my design. Following are various sizes of my design:

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Part A of Communication Breakdown

I went out around Savannah to take photos of different forms of type.

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Poetry In Color 

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Stuart Davis Project Finished

For this project, I take inspiration from The Paris Bit (1959) and Paris No. 1 (1931) by Stewart Davis. I am intrigued by the bold colors and unique shapes in both of my pieces. I integrate various elements directly from both paintings, and assemble my compositions using them. Some of these include the lamp, a fishing net, a circle, a horse, one of the houses under the horse, a mug, and all the typography. My color palette is not the same as it was when I first planned out the project. Like Davis, I start with a flashlight-like shape, and then continue to add other elements as I work. 

To create my work, I use tracing paper and copy the shapes that I want from each painting. I change the size of my shapes, now having a variety of sizes to work with. I arrange the pieces to make my new pieces, including taking letters and rearranging them to create several different words that I use in my project. I finish my outline for the pieces, I use gouache to paint both compositions, and I make sure to use different color palettes for each painting. 

The story behind this piece is easier to interpret when compared to the story in my last piece. In the background, the colors are darker, and there are dark circles that contain negative words. It is symbolic of the reality of the world and the dark thoughts that plague our minds when we fight to survive in a world that constantly seems to put us down. The flashlight is a brighter color, and it seems to break through the darkness; a beacon of light filled with positive words. This is symbolic of how even in darkness, a light will shine through. The struggle most of the time is how one can find that light. Sometimes the flashlight is hard to find in such utter darkness; this is where elements such as Hope, Health, and Home come into the picture. Many times, it is hard to rely on just ourselves for happiness, and we need love, care, and support from others to help us find and add to that light. Sometimes, getting support from others can help add more light to our lives, and keep us focused on the positive instead of the negative. The colors are all symbolic of people who have had a weighty impact on my life. I will not go into detail about who is who and what they mean to me, but I will say that the yellows and purples symbolize Mason. I have talked about Mason before, and I will continue to do so. He is so special to me, and I refuse to let his memory fade away. I will continue to think about him and honor him until the day I die. This project felt a bit more rushed than my others. I did not enjoy it as much as my other projects, however, I am still somewhat satisfied with the outcome.

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Weekend Work 10/28-10/30

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In Class Work - Wednesday 10/26

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Stuart Davis Reading Reaction

I agree with Davis when he, in the first paragraph of the reading, says that he is, "pleased ti know that my own interests correspond to those of many other people". I always get a good feeling when I'm showing my work to others, and they respond in positive ways to my creations. When someone analyzes the piece in the way that I intended it to be analyzed, I can't help but feel satisfied with what I created.

There are several advantages to being an independent artist like Davis. One of the most obvious advantages, is time. Davis has no checkpoints to meet, no deadlines to rush towards. He can take his time and create however he pleases.

Music has a great influence on art. And after reading that jazz heavily influences Davis's work, I now have a better understanding of his artistic style and choices.

I have always struggled to come up with titles for my work. Titles always seemed like a big deal to me, and I would fret over them for hours, even days. Davis' spontaneous approach to titles both inspires me, and fills me with jealousy.

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Little Giant Still Life (Stuart Davis Reading) Reaction

Like Davis, I also delight in the, "accidental meanings that can be extracted from randomly associated signs, labels, and posters." It is fascinating to me to see what people come up with/think about when they see a work of art. Davis elevated an everyday object into the realm of high art, showing the social and economic divides in America. Davis's usage of color and different palettes is inspiring. It shows that an image, both its meaning and visual look, can be completely changed when different colors are used.

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"Design Principles and Problems" Chapter 4 Reaction

Chapter four of Design Principles and Problems talks about shape and form, and how they are used to convey different meanings/emotions. I was especially drawn to Robert Motherwell's artwork (on page 89); he uses line weight and scale to create form.

When looking at Venus (page 93), I was able to compare it to our current Positive/Negative assignment. We are taking out objects/shapes from a photograph and using them to create a completely different image.

I very much enjoy the idea of physical figure-ground reversal. This is when an artist uses black and white to make it harder for the viewer to figure out which is the figure, and which is the background.

The chapter also talked about using overlapping, abutting, interlocking, and mutual tension techniques. These all can help achieve the effect of 3 dimensionality.

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Positive/Negative Assignment Final

Artist Statement:

This project focuses on how changing the perspective and graphic forms of an image can change its meaning. By breaking down and reconfiguring pieces of a photo, I can create something completely different with a whole new meaning. In order to create a unique piece with a completely different definition of the photographic plane, I investigate positive and negative space, and focus on ideas such as spatial awareness, color hierarchy, and visual balance. My creative work includes black, white, and gray gouache paints, as well as digital artwork created by using Adobe Photoshop. For my painting, I print out my original image in color. I then trace the image on tracing paper, and make a copy of the tracing paper. I then cut out shapes from the images, and use the xerox machine to change the size of the pieces that I cut out. I map out how I want the pieces to be arranged on a piece of bristol paper, and then trace the shapes. I then use black, white, and different kinds of gray paints to paint over the tracing. For Photoshop, I extract a certain shape from the original image, and use it to create a new pattern with different colors and a different meaning.

For my work, I took my original image from a scene in The Shining. I love the carpet in that scene; the colors along with the pattern creates an uneasy feeling in the viewer. I kept with the uneasy and chaotic feeling in my new work. In the Photoshop image, I use several strange colors, especially the color red, to create a disturbing feel. A few of the shapes in the photoshop image have a certain color that symbolizes a certain character or range of characters that go along with the overall story. In the black and white painting, there are three boys, a snowflake, and a maze-like design. The colors in the painting are symbolic of a descent into darkness. The boys are white, the background is completely black, and the snowflake and “maze” are a mixture of light and dark grays. As Jack traversed deeper into the maze, the madness and intense emotions of the film heightened. What ended up killing Jack at the end of the story was the cold and the snow, hence the black dot in the center of the snowflake. 

I very much enjoyed creating this piece. I was much more invested in this piece, as it connected to a movie that is very near and dear to my heart. 

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In-Class 10/17

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AMP 150: DESIGN YOUR DECK

On Friday, October 14th at 11 am, Vick and I went to Arnold Hall Theater. In the presentation, we learned about how a well-designed slide deck elevates understanding and amplifies engagement for an audience. We learned how to combine verbal presentation with high-impact visuals, to make the overall presentation more engaging with the audience. The presentation was very valuable and I hope to use the tactics we learned in the future.

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Weekend Work 10/14-10/16

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Exercise 3 - Light and Space through Image

I took this picture to show how light and shadow changed the space of this hallway. Without the shadows, this hallway would very empty.