impressions

This idea sprouted from a verse that I came up with: "I am a Cezanne still life; my fruit almost spilling to the floor." From there, the rest of the poem basically wrote itself and I decided to interpret it in comic form.

Impressionism remains one of the most important artistic movements due to the artists' blatant disregard for the rules of academic painting. Like the radical impressionist, I sometimes ignore my classical training and just do whatever I want. Although the period focuses on the usage of light, I added chiaroscuro to the pieces to reflect tone of the poem and to represent my personal style. It feels a little contradictory to adapt these paintings into drawings since the artists used paint for very particular reasons, however, the purpose of my inky pen is to acknowledge the artists that inspire me with my favorite medium.

"An unexpected transformation takes place. I become one of Monet's water lilies, charming from a distance, yet distorted up close."

I almost picked Claude Monet's Impression Sunrise (since it marked the dawn of Impressionism), but I wanted to focus on the "messy" part of Monet's art so I chose Water-Lilies (1914). My plan was to have the character's face reflected in the water, but when the lily-pads formed a face, I just went with it. This panel depicts the common philosophy that one must examine something closely to gain a true understanding. We are all mysterious beings, and glamorous facades often shield the sordid secrets that lie beneath.

"This sudden disconnect alters my balance. I am a Cezanne still life; my fruit almost spilling to the floor."

I used Paul Cezanne's Apples and Oranges (1899) and Pyramid of Skulls (1901). This was by far the most difficult of the drawings, but I am pretty happy with the outcome. I love the way Cezanne's still life appears on the verge of falling off of the table, so I do not mind that my proportions seem a bit off. Drawing fabric is the bane of my existence, and it remains particularly arduous when using ink. Capturing the light and shadows on the skulls was another challenge. I felt like falling fruit lacked the impact that I wanted, so their presence signifies the looming despair of the piece.

"I walk these restless streets at night. Van Gogh's cafe terrace seems inviting, where I can lose myself in faceless strangers."

Vincent van Gogh is my favorite Post-Impressionist and The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles at Night (1888) was my first choice out of all of his iconic paintings. This is the only section that I attempted to draw fully (making a few changes here and there). I have painted this piece a couple of times when I worked at a paint-your-own-pottery studio, so this part of the comic seemed less daunting than the others. I imagine that most people experience similar feelings to mine when viewing the actual painting. On a lonely night, The Cafe Terrace looks so alluring and bright, and the people watching seems first rate.

"I break! I shatter! I burst in the air! Then, Seurat pointillizes the pieces that once belonged to my shape."

Georges Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-1886) inspired the last part of the comic. For some reason when I see this painting I think of "the end of the world." I imagine an apocalyptic wave (like in Terminator 2) destroying the peace of the island, and causing Seurat's painstakingly planted dots to scatter. I know that seems little bit morbid, but Seurat painted this scene many times before he perfected his masterpiece. So even if the end of the world interrupted this island, Seurat would attempt to match the beauty of his piece again. Also, I am not sure if "pointillizes" is a word, but I trust poetic licence to back me up. I realize that the protagonist is not exactly a representation of true pointillism, but I wanted her to embody a middle-ground of my style and Seurat's. It basically reiterates the point of the piece (pun not intended).

Disclaimer: I do not own the following... Claude Monet's Water-Lilies, Paul Cezanne's Apples and Oranges and Pyramid of Skulls, Vincent van Gogh's The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles at Night, and Georges Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. These artists and their masterworks were the muse for my original poem/comic titled Impressions.