Self-Visualization Project Write-up

After reading over the description of the project, it took me a while to figure out how to describe myself in so many words, let alone find a picture to begin with. I am still not exactly sure which direction I am going to take with this project, but after answering some o the questions I have a better idea of what approach to use. The one thing that I strive for is happiness and to be positive. I believe that there is always a positive side to every situation, no matter how troublesome it seems. Every day I remind myself of how lucky for numerous reasons. I was raised to look at the glass half full, and that is what I pride myself with every day. We only have one life to live, so why not be happy and make the most of it. Some things that I enjoy are being with my friends and family, listening to music, autumn, good food, reading, drawing and painting, and exercising. If I ever need to de-stress, I can turn to these to help me calm down. I am not always happy with my physical attributes and a day to day basis. Some days I am harsher on myself than others. When I catch myself comparing myself to others, I have to be reminded of the fact that everyone is different and everyone has their own strife’s. One physical aspect that is important is my smile, because I would not be myself without it. For the pictures I will try and combine all of these important attributes about myself and make an aesthetic project

Khalo-Sherman-Xiuwen Comparison

At first glance, I did not feel as much of a connection with Cui Xuiwen's works of art as I did with the other two female artists. Aesthetically to me her pieces are not as pleasing, yet I love the depth and hidden meaning that is put into all of her self-portraits or female portrayal works. She focuses on themes of sexuality and gender as well as the boundary between public and private. What I do appreciate about her works is that it focuses on women's issues and struggles they may have been through. In many of her pictures Cui is featured as pregnant, which shows her caring nature for women.

Cindy Sherman's artwork interests me more than Cui's piece's do. What really is captivating is how she uses herself in almost all of her works, yet they are definitaly not self-portraits. A quote that I found that truely defines her is "Through a number of different series of works, Sherman has raised challenging and important questions about the role and representation of women in society, the media and the nature of the creation of art."

When I look at all of Frida Khalo's works of art, I feel a sense of loneliness and sadness. In most of her paintings she is viewed sitting down or face on with not much movement to the piece. She adds in certain elements of horror such as blood and body parts. These pictures, unlike Sherman's, tell the hardships of Khalo's past and the struggles she went through.

After viewing the artwork done by all three women artists, I was amazed by how much they actually have in common. Although they work in different medias (Cui with digital work, Cindy with photography, and Frida with painting) they all have similar underlying messages in their works of art. What I appreciate and hope to be able to replicate in my own self-portrait piece is the delicacy of how they render their hidden meanings in their pieces. The obvious goal in their art is to provoke thought and make the audience question why they are doing this.