Broken
A simple oil painting of someone can be perceived in a multitude of ways. Although an artist can portray a particular image, the way you may interpret the expression and composition is entirely subjective. Having suffered from insecurities myself, and realising how prevalent they are within modern society, I have created a self-portrait representing the impacts of insecurities. The illusion is created with artist Micahel Murphy in mind with the intention of asking the audience to perceive a three-dimensional space as 2D. You may perceive someone as content and 'perfect', however, their broken confidence and insecurities can be revealed when viewed from an alternative perspective.
^Broken, 2019, Oil on perspex hung with wire.
I have and still do to a lesser extent, suffer from insecurities. I thus decided to focus on the impact of insecurities as a theme whilst studying the work of artists such as Michael Murphy and Chuck Close. I realized that all my projects to date have subconsciously related to the theme of insecurities, often concerning trust, social anxiety, and body image. This is why I decided to focus on the core issue of confidence and insecurities with the hopes of encouraging people to consider their own self-confidence.
^Broken on display at Plymouth University, 2019, Oil on perspex hung with wire.
Perceptual art, as argued by The British Journal of Aesthetics (2015), emerges from certain psychological tendencies (Matthen, 2015). They essentially suggest that the aesthetic of a piece of artwork encourages people to perceive the work in different ways, thus being the psychological tendency of perceptual and motor play. Perceptual artworks can range from a two-dimensional realistic painting to a three-dimensional figurative sculpture. Michael Murphy and Sam Taylor-Johnson are my primary influences concerning the perceptual side of my work, whilst Chuck Close and Rembrandt influence my use of traditional media and self-portraiture work.
^Michael Murphy, Perceptual Shift (front view and side view), 2015, 1,252 painted wooden balls hung with braided fiber
^Drawn self-portrait combined with special effects
I initially experimented with creating special effects on a self-portrait drawing, as inspired by my last project Misconception. This involved creating a crumbling effect on the drawing which was designed to represent how insecurities can slowly break someone’s confidence. If pursued further, this would have then been projected over the original drawing. Although happy with the outcome I chose not to develop this idea. Creating the video gave me control over what the audience would see, however creating the three-dimensional piece would enable the viewer to experience and perceive the artwork through their perception.
^Reference photograph
^Experimentation of oil on perspex
Displaying a painting in a three-dimensional form within a space that enables the audience to view it from all perspectives. They can, therefore, immerse themselves in the artwork allowing them to place their own perspective on the interpretation of the painting. The shattered pieces resemble that of the effect on someone's confidence insecurities can have. A 'perfect' portrait, once viewed from alternate angles, becomes fragmented and disjointed, suggesting the destructive effect of insecurities and the facade's put in place to cover it.