Labyrinth of the Mind By WIlfredo Menendez
Exhibition Text: This painting series consist of three parts, Artist, Artist in the City and City in the Artist. Artist, is a painting that represents me A.K.A the artist. Artist in the City on the other hand is about how I, the artist, influence my surroundings,the city. City in the Artist, is about how my environment, the city, influence who I am.
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Series of three pieces
Medium: Acrylic on stretched canvas Measurements: Artist: Length: 2ft (60.96 cm) Width: 1ft (30.48 cm) City in the Artist: Length: 2ft (60.96 cm) Width: 1ft (30.48 cm) Artist in the City: Length: 2ft (60.96 cm) Width: 2ft (60.96 cm) Completed: February 2016 |
Inspiration & Artistic Choices:
Artist: For my Artist piece I used Robert Longo's Men in the Cities. I used this piece to represent myself because, I wanted to portray kind of my "hidden wild side" I guess you could call it. Also, because of the suit it represents the stress of school and the effects on me. I see comedy and my "wild side" as a coping mechanism of sorts. City in the Artist: For this piece I decided to incorporate the famous saying that America is a melting pot. However, I put my own spin on it, instead of there being a pot in which everything is being melted into, it is replaced by a Pilon. A Pilon is a Puerto Rican cooking tool used to mash fried plantains together to make Mofongo. I decided to replace the pot with this ,because it is used to mash thing together to make one and that is what the melting pot refers to. I also decided to use Dali's Persistence Of Memory so that I could paint the objects literally melting over the Pilon. Artist in the City: I decided to use Roy Lichtenstein and the Pop Art movement for this piece for a number of reasons. First of all, it helps me get across this sort of comic like view of the world. I see the world as a pencil drawing, yes you are allowed to "erase and redraw" decisions, but even after erasing them you can still see the light pencil smudges, which is what I see as consequences. I also picked it as an artistic choice to make be able to paint the explosion like symbol over my face. I decided to put that symbol there to represent that I want to impact my city with more than just what I am physically, I want to inspire and change with my mind and work in government and law making one day. |
Process & Reflection: Through these paintings I wanted to explore deeper into my Puerto Rican culture and who I am as a person. I also saw this as an opportunity to explore and improve my paintings skills. Before doing these paintings I was afraid of doing paintings that weren't abstract. I have a difficult time with calligraphy and drawing which also harms my painting skills. However, for these pieces I decided to get out of my comfort zone and explore newpainting styles. One style that I find very interesting is Pop Art but I was always too afraid to try to paint it. After I did my Pop Art piece I was impressed and proud however, I want to go back through that piece and incorporate the black outlines that Pop Artists like Lichtenstein use. Another painting that I really like is Robert Longo's Men in the Cities, the thing about these that intimidated me was that they look like photographs and I knew I could not get that quality. My interpretation of it was decent however, it made me realize that I need to work more on faces and I intend to do that through my summer project. The thing that caught my eye about Dali's persistence of memory was not the melting clocks but rather the background of the piece. I love the vintage cartoon show feel of the piece as a whole but the sky is painted with beautiful pastel colors. He manages to make the lake at the back of the piece perfectly blend into the sky. I attempted to do this and managed to do pretty well but not quite like Dali. His colors blend in together and are lighter, while mine and darker and don't blend in quite as well.
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Meaning: Through this piece I wanted to represent the different aspects of me. My "Artist" piece is meant to show the person who I am on the inside. Even though I do my best to always looks happy and composed on the outside there are times when on the inside I just can't anymore and this is what this piece represents. On the other hand, my "City in the Artist" piece shows what my culture is and the impact it has on my life. Living in Milwaukee and being from Puerto Rico don't only influence my language but also my beliefs and moral code. Lastly, my "Artist in the City" shows how I aspire to make a difference in my city and in the people close to me.
Word Count (Not Counting the Exhibition Text): 747
Research:
Lichtenstein, Roy. Drowning Girl. 1963. Museum of Modern Art, New York.Drowning Girl. Web. Jan.-Feb. 2016.
Dali, Salvador. The Persistence of Memory. 1931. Museum of Modern Art.MoMA. Web. Jan.-Feb. 2016.
Longo, Robert. Men in the Cities. 1977-1983. Men in the CIties. Longo: Men in the Cities. Web. Jan.-Feb. 2016.
Research:
Lichtenstein, Roy. Drowning Girl. 1963. Museum of Modern Art, New York.Drowning Girl. Web. Jan.-Feb. 2016.
Dali, Salvador. The Persistence of Memory. 1931. Museum of Modern Art.MoMA. Web. Jan.-Feb. 2016.
Longo, Robert. Men in the Cities. 1977-1983. Men in the CIties. Longo: Men in the Cities. Web. Jan.-Feb. 2016.