Unit 1- Anatomy

Ok so we've got the new breif and i've got lots of ideas running through my head n luckily today just set me on the right track I now have loads more ideas after the lecture. The position in which a person is facing can portray you in different ways. So I have to really think on how I want people to see me. If I want someone to see me as an object of beauty or to be looked at I should be looking to the side or if I want the viewer to interact with me and be forced to engage in the portait I should be looking straight on. Also whats in the background of my portrait will also reveal what kind of person I am or want people to think.


I decided to look at Cindy Sherman after I've used her before in my projects but never really looked deeply into why she does what she does or even what you find out about her. I feel that at first look you think that you can never really know the real her because she dresses up all the time or maybe she enjoys escaping real life we dont know. How ever I feel like these portraits show alot about her like she's trying to say she is who she is because of all these other types of women. For example if it wasn't for the old house wives we wouldn't be as independant now etc.


Andy Worhol makes our faces into our own label if you will. When people look at advertising they can instantly look at a logo and know what it is, well you can do the same with someone's face in a way. Your face is your own logo it's what people recognise you by. Andy Worhol also did a self portrait where he used camouflage to hide himself and got me thinking about ways for it to be a self portrait but people cant recognise you.


I had an idea where you can use like a mask to hide your true identity but it's also a self portrait. I had the idea when I was thinking about how I want to be portrayed. I use to have a habit of hiding half my face by my hair because I was ashamed of what I look like so being the subject of my art work doens't apply to me but it fascinates me. I started thinking about phantom of the oper and how he only hides half of his face by a mask which then got me thinking about the masquerade scene in the show. It seems like a very odd way to hide yourself behind a very elebroate mask colourful that stands out, I just find how it contradicts itself in a way. I think of a mask as wanting to hide but the mask is what gets the attention.


I also looked at Robert Mapplethorpe and got the shock of my life. I couldn't really find an image that I was willing to post on my blog but anyways I find his work to speak more of the truth than anything. Talking about sex is still abit of a taboo and therefore people don't want it to be right there in front of them but his art work shows more truth. The most revealing thing someone can do is to be naked is makes them some what vunerable because there's no where to hide, no clothes to make your body look better no sleeves to pull down when you feel shy. So I feel that his portraits really show you the real him, warts and all.