Illustration (Positive) |
|
Title: Wedding Reception
Size: 38 cm x 25.2 cm (14.9 in x 9.9 in) Medium: Colored pencil and archival ink on illustration board Completion: November 2017 Wedding Reception conveys the tradition of the after party of a wedding in a modern day setting. This illustration is a modernization of the famous painting, Peasant Wedding done by Bruegel the Elder in 1567. This is meant to show the similarities of modern day society to past society and the joys and memories that have been passed down through generations. |
Critical Investigation Research:
Peasant Wedding, (16.4 m x 11.4 m), Oil on Wood Panel, 1567
"PIETER THE ELDER BRUEGEL." pieter bruegel the elder. https://www.pieter-bruegel-the-elder.org/
"Pieter Bruegal the Elder" Google Arts & Culture. https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/entity/%2Fm%2F0h6nl |
Bruegel the Elder - full name, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, - was a renowned, Northern Renaissance artist from the Brueghel Dynasty. Bruegel was from a town in the Netherlands called Breda and became the apprentice of an artist named Pieter Coecke van Aelst. Bruegel is most famous for his "Genre Painting" which are paintings that depict scenes from everyday life. His most famous works include, The Wedding Dance (1566), Landscape with the Fall of Icarus (1558), and Peasant Wedding (1567).
Researchers have questioned whether this painting could possibly represent the higher importance in the indulgence of food rather than celebrating the actual ceremony of holy matrimony. But, in my interpretation, it does not have to look that way. I took it more as a cheerful reception celebration for the couple after they are wedded; something positive and uplifting that occurs in our society. I also wanted to show through my modern version of the Peasant Wedding, that there are still traditions - like marriage - that are still being passed down from the era of Bruegal the Elder and beyond.
|
Inspiration:
I inspired my piece after the whole structure of "Peasant Wedding". I took all of the figures and put them into the same positions in my illustration as they are in the painting. I also tried to stay true to their intention; instead of having men carry a door that held the wedding food on it, I drew chefs carrying out a wedding cake on a utility cart. I replaced the peasant bowls and baskets with tables and decorated plates, replaced the benches with round, wooden chairs, and the decorations on the wall with curtains covering windows. What I could have done also was inspire the clothes of the modern people after the peasants, trying to stay true to style or the color of the clothing but also modernizing it a little. I could have researched more into who every person at the table was so I can transform them into who they would have been in today's world.
I wanted for my figures to be as realistic and detailed as the figures in the original painting. In order to do this, I thought, I should stipple the whole Illustration. I thought stippling was the best technique to use in ink to make my illustration look realistic. I should have experimented with different ways of inking before deciding. The element in my art piece which I wanted to change from the original piece was the colors and the lighting. In the sixteenth century, there were no overhead lighting or electricity, but, in modern day, there is electricity to make artificial light sources, so I wanted the coloring to look different. The hues in Peasant Wedding are more yellow and brown as for the hues in my Wedding Reception are brighter and more white.
I wanted to stay true to how the original people were, 'peasants', so I made the hall which the wedding reception is taking place in very humble, simple and modest since the room in which the original is a barn. If the original art piece was not in a barn and rather in a castle or a manor, I would've created a more upper class dining hall for my illustration.
I wanted to stay true to how the original people were, 'peasants', so I made the hall which the wedding reception is taking place in very humble, simple and modest since the room in which the original is a barn. If the original art piece was not in a barn and rather in a castle or a manor, I would've created a more upper class dining hall for my illustration.
Planning:
To start off, I was given an illustration board 38 cm x 25.2 cm and the freedom to choose any media I wanted to use. I decided on making my piece using inking pens and colored pencils. But, before I started any of that, I printed out the reference painting "Peasant Wedding" onto a sheet of printer paper that I'd use to transform the image into a modern setting. I sketched out the figures into my sketch book to get a general idea of their shape, position and their correlation with the room. Then, underneath the sketch, I began to sketch ideas about what each person's clothes would look like and how I would replace objects in the original painting- like the door with the food that the men are carrying in the foreground or the instruments that the others are playing to the left and how I'd replace the jugs, the hairstyles, the benches and the entire look of the building. This was the only sketch I did. I could have looked for other inspiration but I was intrigued and inspired by Bruegel the Elder's work.
|
Technique & Experimenting: One of the kinds of techniques I planned to include in my illustration was a 'stippling' technique. I used this to draw mainly the outlines of the people but also to sometimes show gradation value of shadows. When it came to the hair, I decided not to stipple, but to draw thin, sometimes thick, lines that went with the movement of the hair. After awhile, I stopped stippling altogether and began to outline everything like the clothes and the hands on the people. As I look back, it looks weird and would've looked better if I stuck to the method I started. I rushed the project.
|
Process:
Drawing: I used the grid method in order to transfer the image of the Peasant Wedding precisely as it is onto the illustration board 38 cm x 25.2 cm. I created a grid on the reference image on the printer paper which had 12 squares in total from the two vertical lines and three horizontal lines. I drew these lines on the illustration board, carefully making sure they were all symmetrical in measurement. Then, when that was done, I began to copy the "Peasant Wedding" onto the board. At first, I didn't modernize them, I sketched them on with their old, peasant clothing on just to get a general idea of how I can change it. I didn't want to change the clothing as I was transferring the image onto the board.
After I transferred the image onto the board, I began to replace the people's clothing with more modern wedding apparel like tuxedos and dresses. As I drew their clothes, I kept in mind how I wanted to stay true to how the original people were 'peasants' and not very wealthy, so I didn't make the modern wedding look too fancy. I began to slowly replace all of the objects in the drawing with modern day objects also. My original idea was to create a finished and clean drawing with very clear value in it first, and then to start inking over the drawing next. But, I saw how that would take me awhile and I needed to get this done quicker, so, I started to ink early on.
After I transferred the image onto the board, I began to replace the people's clothing with more modern wedding apparel like tuxedos and dresses. As I drew their clothes, I kept in mind how I wanted to stay true to how the original people were 'peasants' and not very wealthy, so I didn't make the modern wedding look too fancy. I began to slowly replace all of the objects in the drawing with modern day objects also. My original idea was to create a finished and clean drawing with very clear value in it first, and then to start inking over the drawing next. But, I saw how that would take me awhile and I needed to get this done quicker, so, I started to ink early on.
Inking: When I first began inking, I stippled everything. I started with the man bending over the garbage in the lower left-hand corner. But, as I went on with the process, I saw how that would take up too much time, so I began inking in strokes. For the men wearing black tuxedos, I inked in thick lines. For men and women's hair, hands, and the ripples in their clothing, I drew very thin lines. I did not stipple a lot within areas of darker light as much as I did with my negative illustration, I relied heavily on the colored pencils to shade in shadows for me. I learned this from my critique at MIAD (Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design). As I stippled, I learned how to control whether the stipple dot would be dark or light, big or small. If I pressed down very lightly, the dots came out light and small. I also experimented and tried stippling holding my pen farther back. I found out I had a better grip when I held to the front of my pen. To hurry up the process of this illustration, I began to erase over areas which were already inked in and began to color them using Artist Loft and Crayola colored pencils.
Coloring: The texture of the colored pencils did not come out the way I wanted them to. You can easily see the white board behind the color of the piece. I attempted to use value through the colors I used. For the curtains in the background, I would press harder on the colored pencil when the curtains wrinkled and then lighter on the round parts to show their form and highlight coming from a light source. I could've added a yellow glow to everything as if there was an incandescent light source which would also show something of modern society. I would mix my black colored pencil with the shading underneath the tables, in the folds of clothes and in shadows. The colors of the original are way more vibrant and dark than the colors I created. I'm not very skilled in using colored pencils, so this project was very helpful and made me more knowledgeable on how to handle them.
|
Reflection:
Upon reflecting on my work, I regret not looking further into the other works of Bruegal the Elder or the meaning behind his pieces. In hindsight, I also should have experimented more with the materials I used to create the Illustration. I don't like the texture or the weak colors the colored pencils came out to look like and more experimenting could have changed the result. My colors aren't full or solid, and it's hard to distinguish some of the figures I drew. Also, I could have paid closer attention to the perspective in my work. When I look at my Illustration, the proportions seem off. The people who originally in Breugal the Elders, Peasant Wedding are sitting in the back seem closer to the foreground in my Illustration.
My illustration, in my opinion, has a very bad color palette. I really want to redo this illustration and redo the perspective, the inking, the color and maybe even the materials or art supplies I use for them. I was imagining what it would've looked like if I used watercolor instead. I'd also want to include more symbolism within the illustration or more connections between the original to the modern one to create more depth.
My illustration, in my opinion, has a very bad color palette. I really want to redo this illustration and redo the perspective, the inking, the color and maybe even the materials or art supplies I use for them. I was imagining what it would've looked like if I used watercolor instead. I'd also want to include more symbolism within the illustration or more connections between the original to the modern one to create more depth.
ACT Questions:
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
I used the same figures and positions of people in my piece which were directly inspired from "Peasant Wedding".
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author approached Bruegel the Elder's work with close examination and thoughtful reflections.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I inferred how traditions are passed on and which cultures influenced the celebrations people still practice today.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme was everyday life events during the 16th century; genre painting.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I made an inference of how researchers observe every detail or possible symbol within a painting or artwork to find connections.
I used the same figures and positions of people in my piece which were directly inspired from "Peasant Wedding".
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author approached Bruegel the Elder's work with close examination and thoughtful reflections.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I inferred how traditions are passed on and which cultures influenced the celebrations people still practice today.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme was everyday life events during the 16th century; genre painting.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I made an inference of how researchers observe every detail or possible symbol within a painting or artwork to find connections.