Block Print
Exhibition Text This piece is a block print which depicts a tree at two different times. It is in the style of a German Expressionist woodcut with the meaning and purpose of impressionism. I specifically chose a tree in order for it to symbolize life. The tree is flourishing at one point in time during its life while at a different point in time, that same tree is not living up to its full potential. I feel that this is also true for myself and my peers. We all have our highs but we also have our lows.
Planning I had planned on doing my piece on nature from the start, and eventually I had my mind set on making a tree. My first sketch (left) was my starting point. I really liked this idea of having the same tree being in two different times. This was great, but there wasn't enough contrast between the two scenes when it was in oriented horizontally. This is where my second planning sketch (right) was better. I chose to go with the vertical orientation because it both seemed to be more balanced while also having a strong contrast between the night scene and the day scene.
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Day & Night
22.8 cm x 30.5 cm Block Print September - October 2016 |
Inspiration
Monet, Claude. Grainstacks in the Sunlight, Morning Effect. 1890. Art Institute of Chicago. http://makingamark.blogspot.com/2008/10/monets-series-paintings-stacks-of-wheat.html
Monet, Claude. Haystacks at Giverny. 1885. Art Institute of Chicago. http://makingamark.blogspot.com/2008/10/monets-series-paintings-stacks-of-wheat.html Monet, Claude. Stacks of wheat (end of summer) - after . 1890. Art Institute of Chicago. http://makingamark.blogspot.com/2008/10/monets-series-paintings-stacks-of-wheat.html Monet, Claude. Stacks View (after Monet). 1885. Art Institute of Chicago. http://makingamark.blogspot.com/2008/10/monets-series-paintings-stacks-of-wheat.html Kirchner, Ernst. Three Paths. 1917. |
This piece was inspired by the style of German Expressionism, and the meaning and purpose of Impressionism. German Expressionism was prominent in the early 1900's. German Expressionist artists warped shapes and space in their pieces in order to express themselves. This movement was inspired by expressionism which is one reason realism was not a focus in German Expressionism.
This piece is a block print which is very similar to German Expressionism woodcuts. The process is very similar and has been around for centuries. I was inspired by many different German Expressionist woodcuts, but Ernst Kirchner's piece, Three Paths, was a big inspiration because it is one of a few woodcuts with the subject of nature. It got me thinking about the ways I could design the trees and background of my piece. As for the meaning and purpose of my piece, I was inspired by Impressionism. Impressionist painters tried to convey a certain moment in time. I was specifically inspired by Monet's series of Stacks of Wheat. Monet painted the same scene at different times which is what I also tried to do in my piece with the living tree during the day and the dead tree at night. |
Process
ReflectionProcess: All in all, this piece went extremely well. For the most part, I stuck to the original plan which is unusual, but it worked out very well. One challenge I came across was the printing. It was a challenge to get the ink to spread evenly throughout the entire block. After a few tries, I was able to get the hang of it and the final print turned out fantastic.
Meaning: I think that the meaning was for the most part clear. It may not be completely clear that I meant for it to both represent nature and people, but the idea of change over time was definitely clear. The two foregrounds are alike which infers that the trees are the same tree. In order to show the change over time, I focused on contrasting the backgrounds and certain characteristics of the tree. I believe these aspects of my piece make the meaning fairly vivid. |
The first component to creating the block print is to carve your block. Every single section of the block that is left carved is what will be printed onto the paper. In order to create the desired image, I had to carve out all of the negative space from the block and leave the rest. I before carving, I sketched with a pencil the shapes and lines that I wanted to be printed. I then used three different linoleum carving tools. The first had a sharp V shape on the end of it. I used this one to get into tight spaces and make close lines. The second tool had more of a flat U shape. I used this one to carve out some of the smaller spots that still needed to be precise. The third also had a flat U shape on the end, but it was much larger. This one was used to carve away the large spots such as the the background of the day scene. As I carved, I came across times I was unsure of how to create certain shapes. I experimented with this by finding space that would be carved out later so that I could carve the forms to perfection.
Once the carving was complete, I had to begin the printing process. The ink had to be rolled out and then transferred to the block. Then a piece of paper had to be placed on the inked block and covered with another paper. Pressure was then applied to the paper so that the ink would be transferred to the paper. It was a lot of trial and error in order to get it right. The first couple didn't have enough ink and I didn't put enough pressure on the print. My final print had enough ink, and I took my time putting a good amount of pressure throughout the entire block print. |
Critique |
ACT Connection |
Night & Day is visually quite similar to German Expressionism which is no surprise due to the process being so similar to German Expressionist woodcuts. While using the technique and style of this movement, my purpose originated from Impressionism. More specifically, I was inspired by Monet's series of Stacks of Wheat. I include this idea of things changing and being different at different time, but the medium made me unable to portray the abstractness of Impressionism.
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1. My inspiration is also a block print including details of nature. The details of the trees, including the the wood texture, are directly reflected and gave me a good idea of how to get that specific tree bark texture.
2. Monet painted what he saw at those specific times, representing the seasons in an abstract sort of way. 3. In my experience, my peers, my family, and I don't take the time to truly enjoy moments in life. We never really just watch and appreciate how time changes us for both better and for worse. 4. The central Idea of my research was change. The change in nature from season to season and how nature is affected in those season changes. 5. While nature tends to keep its basic appearance (shape and position), It also changes according to its invironment as seen in Monet's haystacks. I have seen that this also applies to people I know, including myself. People change with their environment for better and for worse. |
Monet, Claude. Grainstacks in the Sunlight, Morning Effect. 1890. Art Institute of Chicago. http://makingamark.blogspot.com/2008/10/monets-series-paintings-stacks-of-wheat.html
Monet, Claude. Haystacks at Giverny. 1885. Art Institute of Chicago. http://makingamark.blogspot.com/2008/10/monets-series-paintings-stacks-of-wheat.html
Monet, Claude. Stacks of wheat (end of summer) - after . 1890. Art Institute of Chicago. http://makingamark.blogspot.com/2008/10/monets-series-paintings-stacks-of-wheat.html
Monet, Claude. Stacks View (after Monet). 1885. Art Institute of Chicago. http://makingamark.blogspot.com/2008/10/monets-series-paintings-stacks-of-wheat.html
Kirchner, Ernst. Three Paths. 1917. http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/62186
Monet, Claude. Haystacks at Giverny. 1885. Art Institute of Chicago. http://makingamark.blogspot.com/2008/10/monets-series-paintings-stacks-of-wheat.html
Monet, Claude. Stacks of wheat (end of summer) - after . 1890. Art Institute of Chicago. http://makingamark.blogspot.com/2008/10/monets-series-paintings-stacks-of-wheat.html
Monet, Claude. Stacks View (after Monet). 1885. Art Institute of Chicago. http://makingamark.blogspot.com/2008/10/monets-series-paintings-stacks-of-wheat.html
Kirchner, Ernst. Three Paths. 1917. http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/62186