DIA PORTFOLIO

Winter Graham 1B (H) Humanities

Will She Ever Show Her Whole Face in a Selfie!?
 The Suicide of Mr. H.
Asger Jorn, 1961

This painting by Jorn was an attempt to

highlight the deep sense of anxiety that
swept Western Europe after World War II.
He experimented with distorted forms,
rough surfaces, and jagged brushstrokes to
make the work powerfully unsettling. The
Danish artist left many works behind, but
The Suicide of Mr. H. is often forgotten.

This strong piece is my forever favorite. I

have never seen another work that makes
me feel something so dark and unnatural as I look at it. The viewer can see
many different takes from this painting. Some see a face in the right corner,
others see a man sitting on a bench or pier, and even some see a small
bird. It is so visually striking and I have such a love for Jorns work.

The Suicide of Mr. H. challenges norms on many different levels. Jorn

believed that art should challenge the way we view the world around us,
seeing the ugly truth of life that surrounds and engulfs you. His individual
style that doesnt have a clear image paved the way into many famous
modern artists we know today. Additionally, giving no explanation behind
his piece forced the viewer to form their own opinions compared to just
accepting what someone tells them.
 Charles Sodokoff and
Arthur Webber Use
Their Top Hats to Hide
Their Faces
Weegee (Arthur Fellig), about
1942
Weegees night photographs were
an expected part of daily life in
New York, appearing in newspapers
and tabloids of the day. This
photograph appeared with the title Top Hats in Trouble. The drunken pair
were accused of sliding down the bannisters of a hotel bar and then
accosting the officer who arrested them.

This picture shows a side of life that artists generally do not capture
when it is genuine embarrassment. These two didnt want their mothers
to see their faces in the paper the next day followed by some story of their
drunk antics. You can feel the raw emotion in this photo. The back of the
car leaves the room bare and results in you looking for something to focus
on, yet there are no faces there. I enjoy this picture very much.

As previously mentioned, this picture shows something artists stray

from. Many artists do not want to highlight a bad time in someones life to
make money. Yet here is Weegee coming in for the nice picture of you
getting arrested! He was, in a way, a 1940s paparazzi.
 Palace of Circe
Ivan Day, 2015

This centerpiece, made

ENTIRELY of sugar, is based
on a table plan in a 1776
French cookbook by Menon. Natural
pigments were used to create the
vibrant colors. For example, green
was created using a mixture of
spinach and buckthorn, so this entire
sculpture is edible.

I find this piece to be fascinating. As

someone who lacks artistic talent,
this is especially mesmerizing. I can
only imagine the hours and hours it
took to carefully create each mold
and hope for the best as you poor sugar into it. It is shocking how talented
people can be.

This piece challenges norms with its makeup. I have never seen edible
art that is this intricate and magnificent. By using unusual means to create
this, I hope to see more works like this in the future.
 Thalassa
Caledonia Curry, 2011

This large figure is consisted

of linocut print, wheat paste,
wood, paper, plastic, and
many fabrics. It is based on
the activist/artist Naima
Penniman. She called for
action in response to Hurricane Katrina. So, in this
work, Curry transformed her into the Greek sea
goddess Thalassa, surrounded by sea creatures.

The size of this piece is shocking! I cannot begin to

imagine the workplace required to complete this
amazing work. Currys use of unusual materials and
huge scale adds a wow factor you dont commonly
see.

This piece is an invitation to consider how creative acts

can help us process and transcend emotional and
spiritual distress caused by natural disasters. Using massive size, you are
drawn to it and can hardly look away.
 The Three Skulls
Paul Czanne, about 1900

This dark painting was intended to

show the simplicity yet horrifying truth
in death. Czanne was associated with
the Impressionism era, but became
increasingly displeased with its
emphasis on light and color. He then
turned to a much darker style.

As a forensic pathologist in the making (hopefully), this work is

fascinating. The high, or deep, temporal bone showcased in the center skull
is depicting a white woman, and judging by the brow area she was in her
early 40s. The artist definitely used actual skulls for the modeling in this
painting. Very fascinating. His use of dark colors really impresses me as
well.
Czanne used a bold and innovative style to capture the intensity of a
serious subject, dark brushstrokes in the eye sockets convey shadows; while
light ones on the table depict a gleaming surface. These alone dont seem
that different, but Czanne was associated with the Impressionism era, so
this was quite a leap.
 Bank of the
Oise at
Auvers
Vincent van Gogh,
1890
Strokes of color
energize this piece
highlighting brightly
colored row boats and
the tangle of vegetation
behind them. This
painting was from when
Van Gogh spent only
three months in Auvers-sur-Oise, a small village north of Paris. Vincent
moved there in 1890 after spending a year at an asylum in Saint-Rmy.
Both he and his brother, Theo, agreed that it would be best if Vincent lived
nearby and it was arranged that he would be put in the care of Dr. Paul
Gachet.

I find the color in this piece to be amazing. Van Goghs use of

movement in his brushstrokes result in SUCH a beautiful art style that no
one can replicate quite the same. Looking at this work makes the viewer
feel at peace, no matter what they may be facing.

Vincent van Goghs use of short brushstrokes and very thickly applied
paint cover the entire surface of this work. Using very bright colors that
blend well together, he created a new style that many would grow to love
and envy.
 Portrait of Postman
Roulin
Vincent van Gogh, 1888
During his Arles period, Van Gogh
concentrated on his goal of portraying
the beauty and strength of the simple
peasant and working man and woman. It
was during this time of his life that he met
the Roulin family he was to make famous.
I have made portraits of a whole family,
he wrote, the postman his wife, the
baby, the little boy, and the son of sixteen,
all characters In a town where the locals
labeled Vincent fou-rou, (crazy
redhead), only one family accepted him,
the Roulins. In total, Van Gogh made 25 portraits of the Roulin family. Of
the Postman, Joseph Roulin, there are seven Van Gogh paintings, all with
the characteristic postmans hat.

The bright contrasting background in this piece brings me a lot of joy.

The postman in the piece has a very stern look to him, but van Goghs use
of thick paint with soft and subtle transitions is wonderful. Even though this
man was alive hundreds of years ago, I feel like Gogh captured his essence
quite accurately.

Vincent van Gogh used a style that could almost be stylized as

childish to some. He uses very bright colors and thick amounts of paint.
Additionally, van Gogh challenges norms by painting very common people
as the only focus of the piece, a common theme in this era of painting.
 Woman in an Armchair
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1874
Renoir's paintings are characterized by their
use of vibrant light, and the artist used this
masterfully, portraying his subjects both
vividly and spontaneously. He painted
women frequently, trying to display the
beauty he saw in them.

I enjoy the technique that Renoir employs in

this piece, but find it quite dull to look at. It
seems very lacking to me and I cannot quite
place where it is. The colors in the back make
me happy, but I find nothing interesting
featured in the front or center of the piece.

Renoir painted this almost as if he was looking through a camera. The

woman is clearly depicted, while everything behind her is blurred. This
approach mimics the way we actually see, in contrast to the more
conservative styles of this time, which portrayed everything in sharp focus.
 View of Le Crotoy
from Upstream
Georges Seurat, 1889
Painted with hundreds of thousands
of small dots, Seurat applied this
innovative technique to a
conventional landscape subject. He
uses strong white dots to blend with
many different colors to result in a
beautiful blend like no other.
I find this piece to be absolutely beautiful. Seurats use of dots to
make a distinct picture form is so unique to me that I had to just take it all
in and look at it for multiple minutes. His work makes the viewer feel
tranquil and safe in the world.

Seurats use of this new technique was astounding and continues to

be today. He painted with the viewers experience in mind, making sure
they could look for hours and keep noticing new aspects. Seurat even gave
the frame the same treatment to extend the viewers visual experience.
 Melancholy Woman
Pablo Picasso, 1902
This portrait of a young woman sitting in a
Paris prison is an expression of human
misery. Her hunched shoulders, crossed
arms, and blank stare embody deep despair.
By restricting his palette to blue, Picasso
truly accentuates the feeling of sadness

As much as I enjoy Picassos style, this piece

does not excite me. I find it to be very bland.
I enjoy the meaning behind it, yet it doesnt
truly leave me in awe like many other pieces
of Picasso do.

Put simply, this new artistic concept attempted to challenge the

norms of copying nature exactly onto the canvas by reducing and
fracturing objects to underline the two dimensionality of the canvas. Many
of Picassos most famous paintings originate from this epoch. By using
cubism and unsettling topics, he paved the way for new artists like him.
 EXTRA CREDIT

Butterfly Circles
Reagan, April 9th, 2017
Reagan is a four-year-old talented artist on the rise whose favorite
animal is a butterfly and favorite flower is a daisy. She likes the
color purple the best but also likes pink. Reagans mom requested
her face was not shown and Reagan asked if I couldnt take a
selfie.
My renditions!
 WORKS CONSULTED

Immerse Yourself in Jorn. Statens Museum for Kunst, www.smk.dk/en/visit-the-

museum/exhibitions/asger-jorn-restless-rebel/immerse-yourself-in-jorn/.

Accessed 21 Apr. 2017.

May - July 1890 (77 Paintings). The Paintings: The Auvers-Sur-Oise Period,

www.vggallery.com/painting/by_period/auvers.htm. Accessed 21 Apr. 2017.

Pablo Picasso Biography & Paintings - Spanish Painters | Don Quijote. DonQuijote,

www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/art/painters/picasso. Accessed 21 Apr. 2017.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Style and Technique. Artble, 7 May 2015,

www.artble.com/artists/pierre-

auguste_renoir/more_information/style_and_technique. Accessed 21 Apr. 2017.