A Chaotic Mind
A Chaotic Mind
Acrylic on canvas
2 ft by 2 ft
November 2021
This painting displays three wooden figures in different positions crowded in geometrical shapes. It is inspired from Man Ray's Human Equations, with the purpose of bringing a geometrical aspect into the work. I used the wooden figures to experiment with conveying sadness and negative emotions on faceless bodies. Each figure shows a different kind of exhaustion. The bright colors and lack of space bring a sense of chaos to the piece.
Inspiration
My inspiration is Man Ray and his series of Human Equations, in which he connected geometrical figures to art. These "equations" were used to experiment with the human figure, shape, and form. The purpose of using wooden figures in my piece is to express emotion with a faceless form, as well as to practice showing movement of the figure. Man Ray's work is inspired from the trauma endured from the transition from World War One to World War Two.
Aline Et Valcour, Man Ray (1950)
What interested me most about these figures is their ability to show emotion without a physical expression on their face. They are faceless, so they have to show emotion through their pose and posture. For example, the figure above in Aline Et Valcour has a relaxed pose and looks relaxed but attentive in the way it is turning its head. The figures to the left in Endgame look focused, and this emotion is also incorporated through the addition of the game board.
Endgame, Man Ray (1946)
Planning
I used several references to get the proportions of my figures correct. I have a wooden figure of my own, but it is off proportion and the arms are way longer than they should be, so I could only use this as a general idea for the poses. I looked at Man Ray's works and sketched some of his figures, taking note of the ways he shaded them and used paint to show their form. Once I knew what poses I wanted, I took pictures of my wooden figure in those positions to use as a reference.
I organized my ideas for this project into sketches, because they were disorganized in my head, so I made a habit of jotting down every idea I had for this project on paper. I originally wanted to incorporate my poetry into this piece, to give physical writing that related to the emotion of the figures. However, I thought it would be more powerful if the emotions of the figures weren't stated in words, and were more shown in the pose of the figure. After all, this was the entire point of using wooden faceless figures. I sketched ideas for three figures. One would be running, flinging its arms around wildly, with tears falling as it ran. The figure would appear to be dodging the pyramids surrounding it. The lack of space would create tension and chaos. The main emotion expressed with this figure is panic and mania. The second figure would appear to be weighed down. I sketched different ideas for how this could look. I decided on a sitting figure, stooped over and surrounded by spheres. This figure would portray depression and the feeling of being overwhelmed, due to being surrounded by heavy objects. The third figure is wearing a leotard and has a long piece of fabric draped and winding around its body. This figure displays a feeling of being trapped and forced into a mold. The leotard holds the body in a certain "mold" to convey this trapped feeling. The head is drooped down to show exhaustion in keeping up to this standard.
Process/Experimentation
I painted the background of the canvas a simple turquoise color. I was going to experiment a lot on the canvas, so this wasn't a set background, and I knew I would likely go over it again at the end. Then I outlined the shape of the figures and placed them in a way that would give them space, but not enough to get rid of the composition's crowded feel. I mixed pale and tan colors together to get the base shade of the wood, and I filled in all of the figures completely with this shade. I didn't add any lines to tell one piece of the model from another, I just laid down the tone so I had a solid surface color to work off of.
After boxing out these shapes in the base color, I made a medium dark tone by mixing stark brown paint into the base shade. I used this to add into the shadows of the figures. The figure in Aline Et Valcour is composed of stark shadows; some areas having no trace of the base color. I wanted to incorporate a similar shading technique into my piece, because it was what drew me to Man Ray's piece.
Then, I added gradation to the shading with the brown paint. I also outlined some places, especially on the running figure, because the chest is pointed out, and on the wooden figure, the chest has a lot of points and edges that can be accentuated with lines instead of gradations. There would also be many shadows under the head on the drooping head of the figure in the leotard. This idea came from studying Aline Et Valcour and noting how the sharp edges are suggested with lines rather than gradation.
It was after doing this that I took a step back from my piece and realized that some parts were off proportion. I got rid of both legs on the running figure by going over it in blue paint, which didn't match the background, but I was going to go over it again, so it didn't matter much. However, this mistake set back my progress by a lot and I found myself in a time crunch. I pushed through it, despite wanting to scrap the entire piece and start over, because I think the message of my piece is important, and by expressing chaos in my mind, I somewhat calmed it down.
It was after doing this that I took a step back from my piece and realized that some parts were off proportion. I got rid of both legs on the running figure by going over it in blue paint, which didn't match the background, but I was going to go over it again, so it didn't matter much. However, this mistake set back my progress by a lot and I found myself in a time crunch. I pushed through it, despite wanting to scrap the entire piece and start over, because I think the message of my piece is important, and by expressing chaos in my mind, I somewhat calmed it down.
I took my attention away from the figures and worked on other miscellaneous parts of the piece in no particular order of importance, as I often do when I am getting frustrated with my art. I painted one of the pyramids by using a base color green and then mixing a little bit of black with the same green to make a darker green for the face of the pyramid that is in shadow. Next, I jumped into working on the "maze" looking parts of the piece. These constructions look random, but they hold significance to me. I often doodle on my notes when I am stressed, anxious, or just bored. Over time, I've developed certain doodles that I repeat, and these constructions are one of them. The purpose of adding them to this piece is to reveal a small part of my mind to give it personal meaning, as well as to contribute to the chaos of the piece. The bright color and form of the flowing lines make the shape look intimidating and maze like, relating to spiraling of the mind (something that can happen when feeling anxious). Because I used a bright pink color for this figure, I made one of them on the left side of the piece and another on the left, to balance out the color so it didn't look uneven. I made the shadow color by mixing brown in with the pink, because black would be too intense.
I painted in the remaining pyramids, all different colors. They are all connected in the way they are all extremely saturated and how their shadow colors are made by adding black or brown into the based color. They are also all facing the same way. Next I worked on the spheres surrounding the seated figure. These were made to be scattered about and stacked on each other, appearing to defy gravity and giving an unrealistic feeling to the piece. I made these with different shades of gray, using a gradation for the blending. I mixed white and black with the gray to make the gradation. These geometrical shapes are inspired from Man Ray's Endgame. This piece features many stark shapes, with sharp edges and set boundaries. Like A Chaotic Mind, Endgame has little space and has an overwhelming feeling to it. The final step to the piece, besides touch ups, was the fabric wrapped around the figure in the leotard. I wanted the fabric to appear light and loose, and I was successful by adding gray highlights. I kept the shading of the fabric abstract to contrast the rest of the figure, and match the shading of the pyramids.
Compare and Contrast
Comparing:
- All pieces use geometrical figures to give meaning to the piece and to connect geometry to art - All pieces have strong contrast and shadows to give the shapes and figures more form - All pieces incorporate a wooden figure, as opposed to a real person. In Aline et Valcour, this is to match the other objects in the piece, which are all objects. In Endgame, this is to add more geometrical shapes to the piece. A Chaotic Mind uses figures for a similar reason, and also to convey emotion without facial expressions. |
Contrasting:
- Unlike the other two pieces, my piece does not have a set ground. This is to make it look more unrealistic and imaginary. - Man Ray's pieces have more muted colors, while my piece has very bright and attention grabbing colors. This is to overwhelm the viewer and give the illusion of chaos. - My piece and Endgame have a very obvious metaphorical meaning, while Aline et Valcour is very down to earth and realistic, with a less obvious metaphorical meaning, if there is one. |
Reflection
My biggest struggle with this project was time management. I had a lot of ideas, but I struggled to get them all on canvas and I ended up having to go over the figures many times to make them look right. I still wish I had spent more time on it. My favorite part of this project is the chaotic feel of the piece; which is brought out by the bright and saturated color, the poses of the figures, and the many different shapes with strict borders and lines. I like how the fabric on the rightmost figure flows and draws the eye down the piece. I feel like there is some imbalance, however, because the cooler colors are more smashed together on the right, while on the left there are more warm colors and empty space. I am proud of the determination I had to complete this piece, even while I was frustrated with it. It is different from the kind of paintings I usually do, and it adds some variation to my paintings.
Bibliography
- The Phillips Collection. “Man Ray-Human Equations.” Man Ray-Human Equations | The Phillips Collection, 2015, https://www.phillipscollection.org/event/2015-02-06-man-ray-human-equations.
- Kennicott, Philip. “Art Review: 'Man Ray - Human Equations: A Journey from Mathematics to Shakespeare'.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 6 Feb. 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/art-review-man-ray--human-equations-a-journey-from-mathematics-to-shakespeare/2015/02/05/8bb0252e-acb5-11e4-ad71-7b9eba0f87d6_story.html.
- Kennicott, Philip. “Art Review: 'Man Ray - Human Equations: A Journey from Mathematics to Shakespeare'.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 6 Feb. 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/art-review-man-ray--human-equations-a-journey-from-mathematics-to-shakespeare/2015/02/05/8bb0252e-acb5-11e4-ad71-7b9eba0f87d6_story.html.