Whitaker 1

Ahmad Whitaker

Dr. Angela Geosits

ENGW 104 - 24

November 12, 2020

Multimodal: Artists Statement

Going into this project, I was very excited and intrigued by the type of essay this was.

This book excites my imagination, so I already had art pieces in mind when the assignment was

given and websites to search on. It was not long before I had my art and my websites written

down, and I had a good list of art to choose from. My only issue is that I had to cut down my list

to what I felt portrayed the message I wanted.

For my project, I decided prematurely that art pieces were the way to go. So much can be

explained in one piece, and with my past in finding art, I knew I would have a great experience.

The only negative takeaway was that I can be very indecisive with these types of things

(choosing art to use on something), and I can also be very picky when deciding what to start

with. Finding art was not the hard part; cutting down what was usable was.

For my first piece, I chose to use Hyper empathy by Andrew Ostrovsky. An art piece

created in July of 2016 but deleted for the artist's own reasons. I know about this piece due to my

art craze in 2016, where I would find art to use for my Spotify playlist covers. It was something I

took very seriously; I wanted to capture the emotion of each playlist entirely. I chose this art

piece because I feel as if the art explains hyper empathy's complexity and beauty while showing

just how engulfed the person is in it all. I feel like it does not do justice to the harmful effects of

hyper empathy.
 Whitaker 2

The second painting I chose was Color of Emotions by ArtofMind. I chose this piece

because I felt it symbolized the negative effects that the first piece did not. I chose this by using

Artpal, a very underrated website that allows people to sell their own art. On the older side, but

very trustworthy, another website I used frequently, and keywords help a lot when looking for

specific works.

The third piece I chose because it literally emphasizes hyper empathy; in my opinion,

there is no way around it. I found this piece through searching articles about empaths on google

before I came across an article on VICE about it. An excellent way to discover art is by using

websites with articles of some sort because they explain the thing you are searching for. I believe

the artist made this piece for VICE because I can not find the piece anywhere else.

For the next piece, the fourth one, I chose Dystopia by Michel Donze. A piece depicting a

dystopic world, with run-down buildings, mud roads, and blatant oppression. I chose this piece

because this is how I visualize the gated community and the outside of it in the text. The only

take away is the law enforcement in the painting. Throughout the text, the police or portrayed to

barely do their jobs and take fees. With that being said here and in the text, this painting's

portrayal of law enforcement is not on par with the book's portrayal.

For the next piece, I chose a classic painting, Two Travellers by Jack Butler Yeats. This

piece dates back to 1942, which I also found 2 years ago while searching for art wallpapers. I

came back to this because I enjoy the art style, and I like the way it connects to how the main

characters were traveling. I know the name of the piece is Two Travellers, but the painting is so

beautiful and so relative I felt the need to add it.

For the next piece, I chose another ancient but extraordinary painting. I chose Wheatfield

with Crows by Vincent van Gogh. For this section, I wanted to find something that accurately
 Whitaker 3

portrays my perception of the fields traveled across during the text, but due to the fluctuations in

mood between each day, I wanted to represent each side. This side being the unnerving side, the

side that does not feel safe, the side where you have to make sure your gun is visible so nobody

tries to rob you. Coming across this painting was not hard either; I almost immediately picked

this painting when I heard we had this project.

The next piece I chose is titled Dark Clouds Over Corn Fields by Domenica Brockman. I

chose this oil painting of a field to show the somber side of the traveling done. I felt like there

were many times where the story would just get very sad and almost lonely from a reader, giving

me this monotone, somber perception of the fields. Finding the piece was not a struggle either,

Domenica Brockman has been one of my favorite oil and abstract painters since 2016, so it was

basically a reunion of sorts.

For the last field piece, I chose another work by Van Gogh, Cornfields Near Arles. This

piece is not nearly as famous as his other pieces but in my opinion. It portrays the lighter side of

the journey. It is quite self-explanatory as to how but even without the factory and farm in the

back, the color scheme used would still mean the same thing for me. Finding this painting was a

bit harder for me. I get picky with these types of things, so I really had to find a piece to speak

for me, and this piece did just that.

For the final piece, I chose You Never Walk Alone by Cousineau Art. I chose this

piece because I feel it accurately represents how the book ends. The group walking

towards something that seems inevitable and essential, but you do not know what it is. I

also love the art piece; I genuinely do not see stuff like this these days, but maybe I'm not

looking hard enough. Regardless, finding this piece was very hard, and I do not regret the

lengths of getting it.

 Whitaker 4

Works Cited

Mind, Art Of. “Color Of Emotions.” ArtPal, 2016, www.artpal.com/wilcoxmichelle?

i=94002-1.

Benjamin, Joel. “Unknown.” Vice, 2016, www.vice.com/en/article/dp3jva/what-its-like-

to-be-an-empath-hsp-psychic-new-age.

Donze, Michel. “Dystopia.” Artstation, 2014, www.artstation.com/artwork/L34aA.

Yeats, Jack Butler. “Two Travellers.” Tate, 0AD, London,

www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/yeats-two-travellers-n05660.

Gogh, Vincent Van. “Wheatfield with Crows.” Van Gogh Museum, 0AD, Van Gogh

Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands, www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0149V1962.

Brockman, Domenica. “Dark Clouds Over Corn Fields.” Artfinder, 2017,

www.artfinder.com/product/dark-clouds-over-corn-fields/#/.

Gogh, Vincent Van. “Cornfields Near Arles.” Art, 0AD,

www.art.com/products/p10032621-sa-i846869/vincent-van-gogh-cornfields-near-arles.htm.