From the very beginning I was always under the impression that if I researched other artists that I would be influenced by them and my creations wouldn't be 100% my idea.
My thoughts on this have changed, and I'm going to scream it from my studio in lockdown. Perhaps nobody can hear me but at least this blog may be enough to get my message out there.
When I started studying I wondered why we had to do so much research on artists prior to creating something. I was thinking that this would just give me too many ideas and then I would just end up with something similar. However, this is so far from the truth.
By researching other artists it helps to not only develop your own ideas but gives you directions for new ones. I found this out very quickly when I was required to design and research a hypothetical exhibition.
At first I was confused about how to determine a theme and how do I know who to research?
I began my process with Mind Mapping, based on the word Happiness. What I found was that although I have always been interested in mapping and aerial views, this became more evident in my results.
From the Mind Mapping I arrived at the words, Line and Perspective. I know right? Happiness for me lead to exactly what interests me. From this I decided that I would research artists that view the world with an aerial perspective but also have a strong sense of line in their work.
I investigated many artists, including M.C. Escher, Piet Mondrian, Alexandra Kehayoglou, Lazar Khidel and Qui Zhijie.
Based on my research I discovered artists I have never heard of and yet am very excited about what they do. Lazar Khidel is one of my favourite finds and I am still trying to find out more about him and his crazy ideas.
With my ideas and selection of artists I then chose which works would be best suited to my hypothetical exhibition. I chose Sidney Nolan, Julian Opie and Jeffrey Smart. I was curious about the aerial perspectives they portrayed and how line played an important role, either in the artworks or the creation process.
To finish my assignment I had to create an Exhibition Catalogue. This is that catalogue and it explains the theme and the reason I chose the artists and the artworks.
This one assignment has completely changed how I view art and my investigation and exploration of aerial perspectives. My art practice has evolved and I am very grateful for the opportunity to be able to develop my focus into something more substantial and interesting.
I really hope you enjoyed this blog and if you are interested in learning about artists and books in particular then be sure to RSVP to our next Art Book Club. All Facebook group and Members are welcome.
Stay creative, Peta Tranquille