1. Which 3 painting styles did you complete?
· For my acrylic painting still life project, I painted using the styles of realism, impressionism and pre-cubist. I chose these styles because I wanted to do something I know I would enjoy and that was similar to my own painting style which is in between realism and impressionism and after doing this project I think leans more towards the impressionist style. I also wanted to try something different that I had never done before so that is why I chose to replicate the pre-cubist style.
2. Which painting style was your favourite to complete? WHY?
· My favorite painting to complete was probably the pre-cubist style painting of a dragon fruit. I say this because, although it was challenging, I enjoyed trying to mix different hues and tones of red and purple to get the perfect colours I needed to complete the project and I enjoyed not having to worry too much about perspective and space as much as I had to with the realist and impressionist styles.
3. Which painting style was the most challenging to complete? WHY?
· The most challenging painting to complete was probably the realist painting which surprised me for multiple reasons. I thought that the realism painting would be the one I looked forward to the most because I thought it was the most similar to my own style but it ended up being the one I rushed through the most. I think if I could I would go back and spend more time re-creating the realist style because it is one that I love so much but I would have wanted to refine it more than I did. I found it challenging to blend the colours and because I only had the one period to complete it I painted carelessly which led to mistakes in my work that I didn’t have the energy to fix. The most challenging part was not the painting itself I think but it was having to give in a piece that was rushed and was not my best work.
4. If you could paint in one style again, which one would you choose? WHY?
· I would probably choose realism. I would want a second try at capturing the beautiful billowing pastels and the beauty in the reality of the paintings more than I did with my finished painting in class. I would want to go back and spend more time mixing the perfect colours and blending everything together seamlessly rather than what I handed in, which I am not very proud of.
5. Did you enjoy painting? Why or why not?
· I did very much enjoy painting. I find painting is very therapeutic for me because it allows me to both focus entirely on one thing as well as let my mind drift off into musings about unrelated topics or get lost in whatever music I am listening to. It gives me an excuse to spend time alone, and spend time with myself to recharge my batteries and meditate almost while I create something beautiful that I can share with the world.
6. What do you think was the most important part of the Realist, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters’ process? Explain.
I think the most important part of their processes was conveying an idea, an emotion, an interpretation or a moment and solidifying it in a visual representation to be shared with the world around them and to solidify them a place in art history. They used their paints and their canvas to explain things they couldn’t put into words like the impasto techniques of Van Gogh or to express an outlook on the world around them like the haystacks of Monet. These people shaped the view that other people had on the world around them by representing their views and presenting them shamelessly to the public and so I think that the most important part of their artistic process was interpretation.
For realists I think the most important part of their process was conveying reality the way it was without any fancy lighting or distracting style. They created what was real to convey a message that not everything was going to be about gorgeous dresses wrapped around rich people, it could be about the poor or the sick or the ordinary and that was ok because that was what was at that time.
For Impressionists I think it was what the world looked like at a glance, to take whatever they saw immediately in that moment and to put it down to capture the true light and the true colour that we saw. I think this is abundantly clear in Monet’s haystack series because he painted yellows and pinks in the grass and if you look closely at what colour the grass is, it isnt always green. Sometimes it really is pink or yellow or brown and sometimes the light makes things look like the colour they are not and that was really focused on with impressionist painters.
For post-impressionist painters I think they wanted to convey other things. Not just light but emotion like in the impasto paintings of Van Gogh or like importance and flatness of pre-cubist or even the cultural meaning and wonder and appreciation that the japanese woodblock artists had for their world and the things around them.
7. What do you think was the most important part of your painting process? Explain.
The most important part of my painting process personally was my enjoyment of whatever I was doing. I paint because I like to. There are many other reasons as to why but that is the root. If I am not enjoying the creative process that takes place in the creation of a piece then I will abandon it and start on something else. I really wanted to enjoy learning and experimenting with different styles from the past and recreating them with my own hand and I really did enjoy this project so all in all it was a very big success for me.