HUMN 303 Week 3 Art Creation & Reflection – Sculpture, Painting, or Drawing

HUMN 303 Week 3 Art Creation & Reflection – Sculpture, Painting, or Drawing

Name

Chamberlain University

HUMN-303: Introduction to the Humanities

Prof. Name

Date

Week 3 Art Creation & Reflection – Sculpture, Painting, or Drawing

Art serves as a powerful medium for expression, allowing artists to convey a multitude of concepts and emotions. Inspiration for art can stem from various sources, including emotions, experiences, environments, or muses. Art transcends mere aesthetics; it communicates narratives that artists wish to share. Interestingly, each viewer brings their unique perspective, interpreting artworks in diverse ways and often crafting their own stories.

My Inspiration

For my inspiration piece, I selected Paul Cézanne’s oil painting titled Mont Sainte-Victoire, created between 1886 and 1887. This artwork depicts the iconic mountain near Cézanne’s hometown of Aix-en-Provence, France. The mountain, often regarded as a sacred site in local lore, served as a prominent muse throughout Cézanne’s landscape work (Martin & Jacobus, 2018). Viewing this painting evokes a sense of tranquility within me, attributed to its harmonious blend of green, yellow, and blue hues. Nature has consistently been a source of joy and peace for me; witnessing its vibrancy represents hope in our world.

The emotional resonance of colors and textures in art profoundly influences how viewers feel. For instance, brighter colors typically elicit positive emotions (Sutton & Altarriba, 2015). In contrast, in Week 2’s assignment, I analyzed Pablo Picasso’s The Old Guitarist, a work steeped in melancholy, characterized by somber tones of gray, dark blue, and black. Cézanne was held in high regard by Picasso, who referred to him as his “one and only master” (The Art Story, 2019). The divergence in their artistic styles illustrates the peaceful life Cézanne led, contrasting with Picasso’s experiences during his Blue Period.

My Creation

Inspired by Cézanne’s landscape, I created a drawing entitled “Just 3 Flowers.” In my work, I illustrated rolling hills, with smaller hills receding into the background to create depth. Utilizing colored pencils and a black marker, I employed distinct lines to delineate the hills and flowers. I chose various shades of green for the hills, reminiscent of Cézanne’s landscapes. The flowers in my piece feature blue petals and orange centers, symbolizing the sky and sun, respectively. Though my drawing includes only three flowers, they embody the themes of peace, hope, and happiness that I hold for myself, my loved ones, and the world.

Connection

Both Cézanne’s Mont Sainte-Victoire and my drawing are united by their thematic celebration of nature, representing positivity, peace, and hope. While both artworks depict landscapes, they differ in line precision, shape, and texture. They highlight various elements of nature, such as hills, mountains, trees, and flowers, creating a visual representation of beauty. The most notable difference lies in my self-perception as an artist; I have never considered myself skilled in drawing or painting—perhaps abstract art is the best I could achieve. In contrast, Cézanne is regarded as one of the most influential artists of his era, inspiring many, including Picasso. His reliance on real-life landscapes imbued his creations with profound significance, a contrast to the simpler meaning I have ascribed to my work. Nevertheless, I find solace in my drawing, seeking to replicate the calmness I experienced while viewing Mont Sainte-Victoire. As I navigate nursing school during a pandemic, I long for that sense of relaxation and tranquility. My 30 minutes spent on this drawing provided a much-needed respite, revealing to me a new hobby that can offer peace amidst stressful times.

HUMN 303 Week 3 Art Creation & Reflection – Sculpture, Painting, or Drawing

References

The Art Story. (2019). Pablo Picasso. Retrieved from The Art Story: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/picasso-pablo/

Martin, F. D., & Jacobus, L. A. (2018). The humanities through the arts (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Sutton, T. M., & Altarriba, J. (2015). Color associations to emotion and emotion-laden words: A collection of norms for stimulus construction and selection. Behavior Research Methods, 48(2), 686-728. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-015-0598-8

HUMN 303 Week 3 Art Creation & Reflection – Sculpture, Painting, or Drawing

Visual Art. (n.d.). Mont Sainte-Victoire paintings (1882-1906). Retrieved from http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/paintings-analysis/montagne-sainte-victoire.htm