Art Gallery Visit #3: Self-Portraits Art Making/Material Exploration Blog

In this Art Making/Material  Exploration project we have been asked to visit an art gallery, either in person or digitally, to study self portraiture and then use this information to create our own self portrait.  I opted to visit an art gallery using Google Art Project.  Below are the three pieces I have used in part for my inspiration.

Self-Portrait with Striped Shirt, Egon Schiele | Leopold Museum, Vienna, 1910, 305x443cm, http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/self-portrait-with-striped-shirt/IgEZ5y6LafINFA?hl=en&projectId=art-project
 

Marxism Will Give Health to the Ill, Frida Kahlo, Museo Frida Kahlo, 1954, 600x760mm, http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/marxism-will-give-health-to-the-ill/HAElPPnYYlxEWA?hl=en&projectId=art-project

Autorretrato escondido en mi miedo (Self hiding in my fear), Alberto García-Alix, Fundacion MAPFRE, 2009, 47x47cm http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/autorretrato-escondido-en-mi-miedo/KgGw8isvzH2dEw?hl=en&projectId=art-project


Here is the photograph of myself that I used to create my self portrait, it was taken on my recent vacation:

 

I took my photo and with the use of editing software created the below image, my completed self portrait.

 1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces?  I selected these pieces for their abstract qualities.  I knew I wanted my finished piece to be more abstract than a conventional self portrait.  
2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?  I am most familiar with photography and editing, so I chose a media I would be comfortable using.  I am not a fan of taking my picture or seeing pictures of myself, so I wanted to be as comfortable in the creation process as possible. To create the final product, I edited the photo several times.  First, I adjusted the exposure as photographing in the sun can sometimes over expose your shot.  Second I adjusted the contrast so the colors wold stand out from one another.  Then I ran the photo through a filter turning the pixels into tiny brush strokes resembling pointillism.  Finally, I softened the colors to make the photo look like a painting.
3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?  The biggest challenge I faced was myself  and my own self esteem issues.  To overcome this, I had to focus on the creation itself and not on nit picking every aspect of my face.  Another challenge was the editing process, its a long and tedious process that takes a lot of patience. 
4. How does this piece represent you?  The final piece represents my struggles,  and how I am trying to put back the pieces after a difficult two years. 
5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?  I created direction and movement in the use of pixels and color contrast.  I also used asymmetrical balance in order to convey the feeling of life being up in the air and not in perfect balance.
6. Did you enjoy working on this project?  Yes, now that it is complete, I can look back and admire the work I created, that helps make up for the challenges I had during the creation portion of this process. 
7. What do you think of your final artwork?  I am very proud of my finished work, so much so, I have sent it to be printed and I plan on displaying it in my apartment.  I will look as this as inspiration going forward, I can overcome and I will succeed.