Project Title: MoodBox
Medium: Cardboard Box, Acrylic, Ink
Medium: Cardboard Box, Acrylic, Ink
MindBox is an art piece tries to represent the idea of abstraction on a physical object: a box. It can also be taken literally: “thinking outside the box”.
Abstract painting is interesting, refreshing, unique, it also represents the state of mind of the painter. Wassily Kandisky, a pioneer in abstract modern art, believes that total abstraction provided the possibility for “profound, transcendental expression” and instead, replicating or taking from nature only “interfered” with this. Considering this belief, abstract art represents a total different realm and we, as the audience, appreciate this new found visual language.
There are many reasons as to why abstract painting is so intriguing, firstly, it is nothing like real life, second, it’s a direct contrast to the so-called reality we are in.
MindBox hopes to be able to represent that freedom of thought and mentality. Using a box as a medium, I was putting the brain and a physical box in comparison. The more your mind is stuck without the four walls, or maybe even six, if you include the bottom and lid, the darker and more stagnant the mind is. However, when you open the box, the mind in this case, the outside of the box is painted with abstract paintings with bright colors, representing the free mind.
The painting is inspired by 3 main artists for different things: Wassily Kadinsky, Jackson Pollock, and Franz Kline’s.
Color Study. Squares with Concentric Circles
By Wassily Kadinsky
1913
Watercolor, Gouache, Crayon
9.4” x 12.4”
Inspired by the mixed medium and contrast from this work, I too used multiple mediums like acrylic and colour pencils with the aim of creating such a contrast. He also believes that colour is the soul of the painting, hence I tried to pick the colours with my mood.
Number 5
By Jackson Pollock
1948
I was inspired by the moving lines created by Jackson Pollock and how he uses dull colours to create more contrast and emphasis on the bright yellow. I tried to create such a contrast using the white thin pen lines on the grey pain on the inside of the bed. Jackson Pollock also does not plan what he makes in advance but just goes for it. This concept of automatism is what I find very important and it is what I used for this piece.
Chief
by Franz Kline
1950
Oil on Canvas
This piece was a mistake because he projected his image reference too big and this is what happened. One would not even be able to make out what the object was. I felt that this was exactly what abstraction should be, one should not know what it is and not even try to guess. It is now about the strokes and how it makes you feel.
With these 3 abstract artists in mind, I have tried to create a box that represented an open and free mind on the outside of the box, while a stuck and dull mind inside the box.
Pictures of the final product:
The inside of the box is black because when you're inside your own head, you get stuck.
Some close-ups of the box:
References
1. "Wassily Kandinsky | Russian Painter." Area of Design. Accessed April 25, 2019. https://areaofdesign.com/wassily-kandinsky/.
2. Kandinsky, Wassily. "Color Study. Squares with Concentric Circles, 1913." Wassily Kandinsky. January 01, 1970. Accessed April 25, 2019. https://www.wassilykandinsky.net/work-370.php.
3. "Number 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock." Henri Matisse. Accessed April 25, 2019. https://www.jackson-pollock.org/number-5.jsp.
4. Tate. "Who Is Jackson Pollock? – Who Are They?" Tate Kids. Accessed April 25, 2019. https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/explore/who-is/who-jackson-pollock.
5. "Untitled, 1957 Framed Art Print by Franz Kline." Art.com. Accessed April 25, 2019. https://www.art.com/products/p22131669442-sa-i7729767/franz-kline-untitled-1957.htm.
5. "Untitled, 1957 Framed Art Print by Franz Kline." Art.com. Accessed April 25, 2019. https://www.art.com/products/p22131669442-sa-i7729767/franz-kline-untitled-1957.htm.