ad267constructedphotographyemily: Creative Assignment 1

Portrait with Pizza

Appropriation of Portrait of Picasso

In my appropriation of the Portrait of Picasso, I was intrigued to try the Cubist style. I have come to appreciate geometric shapes and different shades that represent shadows. I chose this painting over other Cubist paintings because I felt the subject was more recognizable and I could alter the content slightly but keep it familiar.

The Portrait of Picasso is about Picasso getting ready to paint. I wanted to try a more humorous approach to this image by showing a person sitting around eating pizza in front of the television. In this way, people can relate to it in a modern setting. My appropriation is opposite to Picasso because Picasso is working while my subject is resting. They are similar in the way that both subjects are enjoying their activities.

In constructing this, I only used one photo as the background. The shapes and texture were all made using different layers in Photoshop. In my appropriation, I tried to keep everything as close to the original as possible in posture, color, and painted texture.

This project taught me how to visualize objects and depth in a 2-dimensional image by using shapes of different colors. I appreciated appropriating this style; it made me think in a unique way and work with a different mindset.

Studying

Appropriation of St. Jerome by Michelangelo

In Michelangelo’s painting, St. Jerome is in deep contemplation of life itself. It depicts him avidly researching and absorbing knowledge while trying to comprehend the mysteries of the universe. This is a very serious painting, still and silent. In terms of this, I based my appropriation concept. I wanted to express the stillness of someone who has studied so long that they have drifted off despite wanting to stay awake and learn. It shows someone as being thoroughly exhausted by the intake of knowledge. I wanted to keep this serious air and took up a similar pose, but tried to add a bit of humor by making it relatable to my audience of having the subject as a college student studying for exams.

I also appropriated the painting’s composition in pose and content. In my image I incorporated simple things that a student would be using while studying such as books, a pen, paper, a blanket, snacks, and technology like earbuds and a laptop. I wanted to express a correlation between the skull in Michelangelo’s painting and the laptop in my own. Both are simply containers that protect and display knowledge; the recognizable form of the abstract concept of intelligence.

Finally, I incorporated the dramatic lighting and colors expressed by Michelangelo. I have a dark background with dramatic light shining on the main subject. My main colors are browns, but I have red and orange accents throughout that balance the image and match the red cloth covering St. Jerome.

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Here are some of the images I am considering appropriating for the creative assignment 1. I am trying to narrow it down to the four best.

1. Abbey Road. Photographed by Iain Macmillian.