Summer Project
Loss and Reunion
9 in by 6 in Block Printing August 2021 Loss and Reunion, is a block printing art that shows both the loss and the image of one holding on to their passed beloved, and the top where that person reunites with other loved ones who have passed several years ago. Inspired by Michelangelo and The Creation of Adam, by using hands as a way of connection and instead someone who is now accessible. |
Inspiration
Michelangelo
When I was looking into what I wanted to do for this project, I wanted to do something with hands and it reminded me of The Creation of Adam. A very famous piece of artwork, that showed God, a very powerful entity, reaching toward the human being Adam. It would be thought it should be the other way around but in the movement of God's hands He is the one to reach out for Adam while he barely seems to raise a hand to even access God. In Loss and Reunion, it will have a similar connection of someone who is accessible, but in a way that both parties are reaching towards each other. |
Planning
I used a reference photo by Asmakar in dreamstine, and sketched it out to see how it would look like on the block piece. Later on I would be adding the clouds after making a rectangular shape around this sketch.
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With this one, I wanted to first figure out how it would look like the moment I would try to draw it, but since it was more in a square outline, it was either to cut some of it off or stretch it out to make it more rectangular. Something that was going to be to show some type of loss was the veins on the hands on top to make it look elderly and kind of loose as if only the bottom hand was actually holding on.
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After noticing how empty it felt with the reunion part of the artwork, I decided to also add clouds in order to give it some sense of heaven. I wanted to find a way to leave the clouds somewhat white so I shaded the parts that would be left alone and then carve the parts that would be left white.
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Process
Then sketching out the image on the pieces, I carved them out with the V shaped carver in order to get precise lines throughout all of it. It gave some semi bold lines that got the outline of the hands, also left at a balance where in the middle, both hands are about to meet without touching. If to split it vertically, you would many get one hand or the other, with some spare fingers on the sides. |
In order to give it more of the hint that this is occurring in the afterlife, I decided to add clouds on the first and last rows of the grid. It would be more of a "this is heaven" set and will also be symmetrical on having clouds both on the top and bottom of the art. I first added them onto the sketch on my sketchbook in order to draw some options and see how they look like, and later added the clouds to see and then decided to add on top too but not before the carving. |
Later after making the sketches on both top and bottom clouds, I carved them out and then realizing that once putting the ink over this, it'll all just be black, I did some little scribble areas that would stay like that to get ink, and the empty parts would be carved out and the results will show a white cloud with a black shading besides it at an angle. Besides that, the little bit of nails that show would also be white in order to be the opposites of color nail and ink. |
The loss part of Loss and Reunion, was more simpler but zoomed into the hands more to show the loss. Once I started carving the drawing onto the piece, I realized it was still lacking the veins. Since that was something that would make the top hand stand out more I would have to find a way to make it less bold than the outlines of the hands. Besides that, I carved out the nails out to also make them different from the skin. |
Compare & Contrast
Reflection
Overall this was a somewhat challenging art piece seeing as I had to remember to reflect the image I would want at the end result. I learned from this more on what to cut out and what to leave in order to be the thing colored. Something else was to show shading and how some hatching skills come in handy in order to give it that lighting effect. I used it on the clouds in the reunion section of the print making. When it came to carving out the lines for the hands, it was very smooth to do the long lines even when they weren't straight. The challenge came along when making the clouds inner area. For some reason, the smaller pieces were difficult to get because the carving tool would get stuck and just slide quickly and make some minor cuts.
ACT Questions
1. Clearly explain and describe how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
In Michelangelo's work, the hands shown are of Adam and God, something that connected that to Loss and Reunion, was that one was the human beings on earth in Loss, and then in Reunion, they're in heaven where God is said to be. The block prints combined have both heaven and earth just like in Creation of Adam.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
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3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
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4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea in this was life and death. Since Creation of Adam has both heaven and earth, it would connect to life and death depending on the viewer's perspective whether or not they believe in that.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
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In Michelangelo's work, the hands shown are of Adam and God, something that connected that to Loss and Reunion, was that one was the human beings on earth in Loss, and then in Reunion, they're in heaven where God is said to be. The block prints combined have both heaven and earth just like in Creation of Adam.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
v
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea in this was life and death. Since Creation of Adam has both heaven and earth, it would connect to life and death depending on the viewer's perspective whether or not they believe in that.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
v
Bibliography
http://www.italianrenaissance.org/michelangelo-creation-of-adam/