CREATIVE ASSIGNMENT 1

Creative Assignment: Artist Statement

When I choose artwork for the creative assignment, I wanted to choose contrasting styles.  So, I chose one Neo-Classical artwork and one contemporary artwork.  The realism artwork is called Crossing the Alps by Jacques-Louis David, and the abstract art is called Composition with Large Red Plane, Yellow, Black, Gray and Blue by Piet Mondrian.

            Crossing of the Alps by Jacques-Louis David is an exquisite piece, which exemplifies the victories of Napoleon.  I wanted to change the scene from seriousness to humor with my art appropriation by replacing the horse with a trashcan.  As my father sits upon the trashcan, he raises the “cape” and sits there in seriousness, which contrasts with the humorous subject matter.  The background of the artwork resembles a more tangible background.  The ensemble of representing an ordinary background provides a casual effect.  I wanted to represent the idea that heroes could be literally ‘be in a person’s backyard.’  Also, I wanted to capture the eerie mood from the original artwork to capture and replicate the original spirit of Crossing the Alps.

Large Red Plane, Yellow, Black, Gray and Blue by Piet Mondrian           is a simple yet powerful piece, which pronounces power and sophistication composition.  I did not change the original format in my art appropriation artwork because I wanted the audience to easily identify Mondrian’s artwork.  Instead of utilizing solid colors in my artwork, I incorporated texture from an apple, a banana, a towel, and a shoe.  I wanted to capture the colors from everyday objects, and create a beautiful composition.  I left the background pure white because I wanted to capture contrast between the solid white and the beautiful textures of the pictures.  Also, I used lampposts to separate the lines of the piece.