The sculpture I describe in my thesis will be what I show in DAAP Works. The opening is on April 22nd at 5:00 p.m. Please come and support the Fine Arts class of 2014!
There comes a moment in every college students life when they have reach a moment where they can see the end result of all those years of education coming together and I have found that moment. It is terrifying and exhilarating all at once. I cannot express with words how difficult it is to put one's art down on paper. It is truly one of the most personal difficult things an artist can do, like laying your naked heart out for everyone to view and judge. But this is my art and this is who I am. Enjoy. (Note: I apologize for any changes in font or weird spacing. Transferring this from a word document to the blog was quite interesting.)
Two-dimensional
Expressions in Three Dimensions
Makeup has been around for nearly 6,000
years with the Egyptians using lead ore as the first cosmetics (WebMD). As the worlds view of beauty changed, the
cosmetics changed with it. For
centuries, women have gone out of their way to achieve societal beauty, going
to such extremes as leeches to gain a paleness of their skin. In modern times, makeup is far from
dangerous, however, with the advancement of medical technology makeup is no
longer necessary to visually alter a person’s features. Plastic surgeons can literally change
facial features. Makeup is the application
of a medium to a three-dimensional subject, not just cosmetics to the face, to
create a substantial visual change in what currently exists, to bring forth the
extraordinary from the ordinary.
Makeup is a fascinating subject because people
alter their facial and bodily features, three-dimensional surfaces, with two-dimensional
substances to make them look different, sometimes to the point where they
become unrecognizable. For
instance, adding a dark pigment halfway down the cheek in a horizontal curve
can sharpen the cheekbones and make the person appear thinner. The face is the most prominent part of
the human body used for identification.
Thomas Morawetz examines the significance of faces in his book, Making Faces, Playing God: Identity and the
Art of Transformational Makeup,
“Faces
matter insofar as they are natural, not artificial. Identifying persons and holding them responsible for what
they do depends on the fact that they have one and only one unique and natural
face for life.” (Morawetz, 4)
People
rely heavily on faces for recognition—one rarely looks to someone’s hand or feet
to figure out who they are; it is the face that assures identity and helps gain
individuality. The world would
function very differently if every male looked identical, as did every female. It is natural for the human race to
accept identification through visual information. A study at MIT concluded that people take notice of a person
before visually processing the features they see and are able to identify the
individual; which is why people confuse other people’s identities at a
glance—they did not have enough time to visually process who they were seeing
(Grill-Spector/Kanwisher, 159). However,
small changes to the face such as a piercing do not create a lasting visual
confusion to the observer.
“And
our powers of recognition go beyond our powers of imaginative recall. We know that we can recognize Jones
even if we not sure he still has his mustache and still wears glasses.” (Morawetz,
4)
In
other words, small changes to the face can occur, such as the loss of facial
hair, and people can still be recognized.
Often, makeup applications do not alter a person’s looks so much that
they are unidentifiable, but the power to do so exists.
Makeup is a temporary alteration to
appearance that can be easily removed and therefore does not cause a lasting
change to one’s identity. Plastic surgery, however, is a permanent, physical
change to a person’s appearance and therefore, by its very nature, a change to
a person’s identity. (Or in the case of gender reassignment or transition, a
way for a person to express their true, internal identity in a physical
manifestation.) Contemporary artist Orlan uses herself
as her medium for Carnal Art, the act
of getting surgeries completed to modify her body to create a dialogue about the
standards of beauty towards women (Orlan’s Surgeries).
“From 1990 to 1995, she underwent nine plastic surgery
operations, intending to rewrite western art on her own body. One operation
altered her mouth to imitate that of François Boucher's Europa, another changed her forehead to mimic the protruding brow of Leonardo's
Mona Lisa, while yet another
altered her chin to look like that of Botticelli's Venus.” (Stuart
Jefferies, 2009)
The
act of her art is so unnerving because she is capable of altering her features
beyond ‘normal’ visual identification, threatening what society finds familiar
and safe. She no longer looks like
the majority of the world’s population and her face is literally unnatural. The intense commitment this artist has
to her purpose is astounding, and to many it is also ludicrous. Jane Addams Allen wrote about Michelangelo’s
Last Judgement once being considered
“the great progenitor of “offensive” works of art” in “The sacred and the
profane: A continuing story in western art”. (Page 18) Michelangelo’s Last Judgement was controversial before it was even unveiled and was
considered by a critic from 1545 that the masterpiece was too obscene for a
church and belonged where a comedy would be performed (Allen, 18). Orlan is always conscious during her
surgeries, has music playing in the background, and wears costumes during the
live broadcasts (Orlan’s Surgeries). The process of the surgery itself is unnatural since
surgeries are typically carried out in silence with a patient who is
unconscious, and is dressed in a hospital gown. Her main goal is to change what people see as beautiful and
believes so strongly in her purpose she is willing to permanently lose the
appearance she was born with (see Figure 1). Michelangelo was never considered
a master during his lifetime and it is possible that Orlan will never be seen
as beautiful or normal in her lifetime. Makeup gives me the ability to transform myself into whomever
I want to look like for a brief moment in time without a serious lifetime
commitment. There is a freedom
with makeup that plastic surgery does not permit and that is the flexibility to
change one’s mind about whom he or she want to be. Self-image is very important
and makeup empowers its wearer to feel how they look on the outside.
Contemporary photographer Cindy Sherman
creates work that is far less unnerving than Orlan’s to viewers because her
transformations are not permanent.
Using her face and body as her canvas, Sherman creates the illusion that
she is someone else entirely. To
build upon the visual illusion, Sherman chooses the backdrop, articles of clothing,
and accessories to support the makeup application and the overall
transformation she goes through.
Sherman proves that a narrative is necessary to create a successful
illusion. In her untitled series Society Portraits, she dresses herself
up in clothes, uses props, and applied makeup to represent the women of California
such as the Divorcee and the Personal Trainer and is so successful to the point
that her audience at a gallery could not recognize her (see Figure 2). Not only does she transform herself
physically but she also acts the part with a pose and a fitting facial
expression for whom she is portraying.
This series is significant because the women she portrays in her work
are often exemplified in her audience at the gallery. Sherman is commenting on the roles her subjects play in
society and the obstacles they face with just a glimpse into their lives with
just one portrait. When I look at
this series, I feel a wonderment that one woman can represent so many other
women and lose herself in each image.
Sherman and Orlan are not the only female artists to use their body as a vessel for her art. In an art review about Cindy Sherman’s work over the years, Leah Ollman gives examples of other female artists, specifically during the mid-70s, whose art shared the manipulation of their appearance in their art,
Sherman and Orlan are not the only female artists to use their body as a vessel for her art. In an art review about Cindy Sherman’s work over the years, Leah Ollman gives examples of other female artists, specifically during the mid-70s, whose art shared the manipulation of their appearance in their art,
“Eleanor Antin had charted her weight loss in a
photogrid and began to assume alternate identities on both ends of the gender
spectrum — king and ballerina. Suzy Lake photographed herself applying masks of
makeup to impersonate her friends. Lynn Hershman adopted an alter ego, Roberta
Breitmore, who carried on an alternate life in the real world. Martha Wilson
made videos transforming her face into what she said represented her best hopes
and her worst fears and also created a composite character together with Jacki
Apple.” (Ollamn, 1)
To
build upon what has already been archived in contemporary art for makeup and
using visual transformations, I wish to contribute by going a step further and
use makeup techniques with a medium that will act as makeup on a three
dimensional subject that represents the human figure. Makeup artists use colored pigments, shading and perspective
to be deceptive with their work.
Each face is a sculpture of it’s own creation. The skin is a malleable entity that adapts to weight gained
and lost, exposure to weather conditions, and shows the tracks of age over
time. Through the exploration of
the medium of makeup, when added to the skin, I have discovered that it shares
the same qualities of fine art mediums such as oil and chalk pastels when
applied to paper. The steps when
applying makeup to the face are reminiscent of using oil paints on a
canvas. First you begin with a
base coat, or foundation, and then continue with layers of paint or makeup
until you have built up a finished product. Makeup artist Valeria Kutsan recreates works of art with
makeup (see Figure 3),
“Rather than using oil and canvas, Valeriya Kutsan
recreated iconic works by top artists Leonardo da Vinci, Andy Warhol, Roy
Lichtenstein and Piet Mondrian with face paint and make-up. Through the clever use of bold colours
and outlines, her creations appear to be two-dimensional.” (Alex Ward)
My
body of work is the exploration of taking what would be applied to the face and
using makeup on surfaces such as paper.
Advancing my investigation has led me to using colored pigments that
could read as makeup on sculptures.
The makeup as the medium plays a role in various degrees whether it is
accompanying a larger sculpture or is the only element on paper.
In February of 2013, I was presented with
the opportunity to design a character for a local high school production of the
operetta The Pirates of Penzance (see
Figure 4). After the life changing experience I made the decision
to pursue a career in theatre makeup and simultaneously my art began to reflect
my career choice. To begin my artistic journey with
makeup I focused on becoming a makeup artist and applying the medium to a model
of my choosing. For a film
photography class I photographed models with makeup that I had designed. But I felt that I could use makeup for more
than what it was intended for. I
was looking to connect visual art and theatre by using art materials in place
of makeup in a headshot. Experimentations
began with the Clay Reacts series (see Figure 5), a photography based
project of five images of a female with clay on her face in place of makeup. To further engage in proper research and
education about makeup, I signed up for the spring semester of Intro to
Costuming and Makeup at the College Conservatory of Music. This course covers stage makeup
techniques and styles using Ben Nye company makeup, basic costuming for a
character in a performance and visual research portfolio methods. I became the model and the makeup
artist for this class since we are required to apply the style of makeup we
learn to ourselves since we know our own faces best. Theater makeup styles covered in this class include
corrective male and female makeup, age makeup, anger makeup, sad makeup, and
round face makeup. This led to a
better understanding of a makeup artist being like a portrait painter—finding
the highlights and shadows, bending them to the artist’s will to achieve the
desired illusion. I began to view
makeup as more than something that can be used on the human face, since it
shares the same qualities as other art media. I asked myself, “why not use makeup as I would any other art
material on a piece of paper?”
Thus, I borrowed a technique from printmaking and soaked Lenox paper in
water and then pressed it to my face to absorb the makeup I had applied there. The transfer was successful and the
paper held an imprint of my face.
This led to thoughts of using makeup on objects, in sketchbooks, on canvas,
and beyond to more abstract options.
I found myself unable to dislodge the
connection between faces and makeup; I wanted to push the boundaries of the
human face and still keep makeup in close relation. Orlan served as a strong source inspiration as did other
individuals such as the ‘human Barbie’ Valeria Lukyanova who go to such extreme
lengths to alter their physical appearance beyond the means of makeup (see
Figure 6). Wanting to push the
physical boundaries of the human form through sculpture I developed the concept
of the human merged with an animal’s bone structure. This goes beyond the plastic surgery of Orlan as it combines
the skeleton of another species with that of a human. The focus of the piece is to show
alterations to the human face and show the impermanence of what should be
familiar, which is now foreign. People should be made aware of how adaptable the human figure
truly is whether it is temporary or permanent. There is a lot that can be taken from a person—jobs, loved
ones, homes, and money, even freedom.
The way a person looks, the way they were born, should not be taken away
from them without their consent. Women
typically are the most targeted in digital alterations of the body.
“Essentially, “the feminine ideal is tanned,
healthy slenderness, with no unsightly bumps, bulges or cellulite, and bodily
and facial perfection that results from hours of labor: exercise, makeup and
hair care” (Coward, 1985) – and 30 years later, plastic surgery and Photoshop.
This unrealistic form is consistently represented across almost all media
forms, along with blemish-free, wrinkle-free, and even pore-free skin, thanks
to the wonders of digital manipulation as an “industry standard” that is openly
endorsed and defended by magazine editors and media makers the world over.”
(Beauty Redefined Blog)
Technology
has advanced to the point that identity and privacy have become
threatened. It is now impossible
to trust an image in the media because everything is airbrushed and Photoshopped. Performing artist Lady Gaga is the
embodiment of temporary alterations to the human body. Gaga wears multiple outlandish wigs,
costumes and makeup in each of her music videos, performances and public
appearances. She has done everything from adopt a
male alter ego, Jo Calderone, and performing as him to wearing a dress made out
of raw meat. Sometimes she wears
prosthetics to enhance and alter her features temporarily such as triangular
cheekbones or horns (see Figure 7).
I consider Lady Gaga to be one of the greatest artists of our generation
because she uses performance art to take her music to the next level and every
look she wears has meaning and purpose to her. Gaga is proof that alterations to a person’s appearance can
impact and be temporary.
For the sculpture that would combine both
makeup and physical alterations, I started with carving a bird skull so that it
would match the size of a human skull out of wax and cast it in bronze. I took partial molds from a male model
and sculpted a life size male bust in wax with the bronze bird skull implanted
in the face and cast that in aluminum.
Both metals can be brought to a bright shine by buffing out the
surface. This allowed myself the
opportunity to create and accentuate the highlights and shadows of my choosing
by using patinas, a chemical compound used to color bronze, aluminum, copper,
etc. on the metal as “makeup.”
Makeup does not necessarily have to be pigments safe for the human face;
a painter uses paint when painting the makeup on a clown, not actual makeup. By using colors to create depth,
highlights and shadows on the piece, the patinas will act as makeup would and I
will contour the face and the avian features this way. My goal is to use what I have learned
about makeup for the face and apply it to the sculpture of a human but not use
actual makeup. I will use the other
medium that will act similarly to makeup to see if I can achieve the same
effects that I would with a real person using actual makeup. Ultimately, I will be using not be using
makeup but employing makeup techniques with a medium on a sculpture of a human
that has been disfigured and is not considered ‘normal.’ I have thus created artistic plastic
surgery to mutate into the ideal sculpture of the human form. Additionally I will be using another
medium besides makeup to serve the same purpose.
Makeup is a large part of present day
society in the United States. In every
day life for many women and some men, it is a daily ritual. The theatre industry, the fashion
industry and the movie industry all rely heavily on makeup’s transformative
qualities—so much so they give out prestigious awards for its application. Makeup has been used for thousands of
years. For the majority of that time frame, it was dangerous to use the various
pigments and techniques that were used to achieve certain beauty
standards. Dr. Aimee Marcereau
DeGala’a dissertation entitled
“Dangerous Beauty: Painted Canvases and Painted Faces in Eighteenth-Century
Britain,” found that 200 years ago, the makeup the women wore and the paint the
artists used for painting these women were both deadly. In an interview DeGalan points out, “Both
substances contained lead and mercury.” Women knew their “pursuit of beauty”
was potentially fatal, she adds, and yet “they continued it with abandon.”
(Pamela Polston)
“The make-up they used caused the eyes to swell
and become inflamed, attacked the enamel on the teeth and changed the texture
of the skin causing it to blacken, it was also not uncommon to suffer baldness,
and for a time it became fashionable to shave the front hairline. It was known
that heavy use of lead could cause death.” (Emma Chambers)
Today, the most common side effects of using certain cosmetics are
rashes, change in skin texture, clogged pores, and acne (Livestrong.com). I was unaware of these facts about
cosmetics when I constructed my sculpture out of aluminum and bronze. However, I knew from the beginning that
the patinas I would use for makeup on the sculpture are dangerous and
impossible to be used on humans. This
was not an intentional decision on my part, it just so happens that my choices
of medium reflect and exemplify the unsafe past of makeup.
Women, and some men, go out of their way to change
their appearance to the extreme in the forms of sex changes, eating disorders,
drag, plastic surgery and use makeup to achieve the final look, hide the
circles under their eyes, add color to their cheeks, or hide the scars from
their physical alterations. Makeup
is the accompanying factor to finish the puzzle, not the main piece. Tutorials flood the Internet of how to
do makeup to get that flawless contour look, how to use bronzer to look tan,
how to use tissue to look like a wound so as to resemble a zombie, etc. Convenience stores, grocery stores,
online shopping websites, and mall makeup counters create easy access to makeup
for the ‘natural look’ all the way to highly saturated pigment makeup created
to last for hours at a time. All
of makeup is used to either cover up what already exists or enhance it. At the moment, for the majority of the
world, what already exists is generally considered normal. However, with technology’s constant advancement,
it is likely that someone will attempt to alter his or her bone structure with
more than just the help of makeup.
For
the past ten years, I have developed my makeup skills through the personal
application of trial and error.
Until just over a year ago, makeup had been a very private experience. I have always found the medium to be
empowering when used correctly and often received positive responses from
others. When I was younger, my
makeup was very subtle and repetitive; I wore only green or purple eye shadow
for the first three years. Gradually
more colors were added to my repertoire and it became necessary to purchase a
piece of furniture dedicated solely to storing my makeup and supplies. The ritual of applying makeup is deeply
personal because I want my exterior to reflect how I feel inside.
“Do not let
your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold
jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person
of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which
in God's sight is very precious.” (1 Peter 3:3-4)
I have always wished to be more than what I am and makeup is the
instrument that makes me feel powerful.
My confidence abounds when my makeup is brightly colorful and flawless
because I become more than who I am underneath. My personality becomes visible on the surface of my skin as
my makeup often reflects my mood before it compliments my outfit. This process has improved both my
skills as a fine artist and a makeup artist, the similarities between makeup
application and drawing/painting the face are far greater than I had ever
believed. Most importantly,
makeup, like art, is an outward expression of the inner being.
Gene
Simmons was once quoted, “The
makeup is simply an extension of the personality and colors, clothing, makeup
all express something.” (Confessions of a Doll) Makeup is a
beautiful medium; the material gifts people with the chance to look different,
to be someone else for a brief moment in time, allowing for individuality and
self-expression. Over the past
century, the art world has expanded its horizons and has no limits—plastic
surgery is now a performance art. Applying
makeup is a daily ritual for myself and art gave me the avenue to push my
understanding of what makeup means to the world and me. The word makeup broken down is simply
“make up.” When this word was
created, was the meaning to make up for something that was not there? Or was the definition meant to make
people believe what they see is there and that it truly exists? I believe makeup is more of a verb than
a noun; it is the act of applying a medium on a three-dimensional subject to
alter the appearance. Therefore,
makeup is not required to be cosmetics, the medium used is required to visually
alter the three-dimensional subjects appearance. I believe that makeup is highly powerful for anyone who uses
it. In the dichotomy of an
individual being who they are versus being who they want to be makeup is the
element that makes that possible.
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Figure 1
Orlan
Fourth surgery
1991
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Figure 2
Cindy Sherman
Self Portrait
2008
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Figure 2
Cindy Sherman
The Divorcee, Society Portraits
2008
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Figure 3
Untitled
Valeria Kutsan
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Figure 4
Pirates of Penzance
The Pirate King before and after
2013
|
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Figure 5
Clay Reacts iv
Digital Print
2013
|
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Figure 6
Ukrainian model, Valeria Lukyanova
The human Barbie
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Figure 7
Lady Gaga
2011
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