Liked By You and 317 Others
Statement:
For this project, I wanted to make a statement about the influence of social media and how it is so strongly equated with feminine perception. My art tends to be centered around perception, in all capacities. The Italian influence of Tantardini- who so fondly portrayed women from his perception, paired with a representation of the vanity and validation that social media perpetuates was something that I felt had a strong presence in my own life. I chose to include a pink gradient to bring focus to the idea of traditional femininity and how it is represented. Personally, I grapple with how to situate myself among traditional roles of femininity and how they are represented in media of all mediums.
Previous Iterations:
Annotated Bibliography:
“Antonio Tantardini: Bust of a Woman: 19th and 20th Century Sculpture: Sculpture.” Sotheby’s. Accessed March 7, 2022. https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/19th-20th-century-sculpture/antonio-tantardini-bust-of-a-woman.
This website depicts photo, condition status, and catalogue note of Antoni Tantardini’s “Bust of a Woman”. This link was helpful because I had stumbled upon this image when brainstorming for this project, but I had no idea what the original artwork was. I found this through a reverse image search.
“Anya Kielar.” Rachel Uffner Gallery. Accessed March 7, 2022. https://www.racheluffnergallery.com/artists/anya-kielar.
I was inspired by Anya Kiehlar’s use of sculpture in her mixed media works. Using a traditional style in a new artform gives it new life and meaning, I wanted to do something similar with this project.
Digital, Start. “The Psychology of Being ‘Liked’ on Social Media.” Medium. The Startup, January 27, 2018. https://medium.com/swlh/likes-on-social-media-87bfff679602.
I read this article for another class, and it truly embodies what a lot of my art centers around- the perception of self. It explores why being “liked” on social media is so consuming, hence the inspiration for the swirling likes.
“Mickalene Thomas: July 1977 (2019): Available for Sale.” Artsy. Accessed March 7, 2022. https://www.artsy.net/artwork/mickalene-thomas-july-1977.
Mickalene Thomas’ use of color, paired with traditionally feminine aesthetics (floral, patterns) inspired me to reflect on the feminine perception in modern times, which led me to social media. Although traditional feminine influences are strong, femininity is largely subject to the tides of social and mass media.
“Rafael Varona: Illustration and Animation.” Rafael. Accessed March 7, 2022. https://www.rafaelvarona.com/.
Rafael Varona is an animator whose work has incredible range. I was especially drawn to the simplicity of many of his gifs, and the use of more than one moving part within the animated loop.
