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ArtbyAlex, New York, NY (2026)

05/24/2023

This is a New Project that Alex wishes to share with the world Right Now! :)

Final Project- 11th Grade 2023

DAIR Critique of The Mercies of Knowledge

Describe
The Mercies of Knowledge is an 11’’ by 14’’ Canson paper-based composition that contains a circular logo at the center of the piece. The logo is watercolor-based and has been cut out from a print out of the watercolor paper it was originally colored on. That logo, and the composition in general, are both inspired by Destiny 2 and my previous logo-heavy works like Egyptian Lore, Remastered. This piece also has an hourglass shape that serves as the backdrop of the logo at the center. In addition to that, there are four corners of intricately-drawn shapes, each connected using the chaotic, irregular lines that have defined my style thus far. The entire composition, barring the watercolor logo, was traced using a bright white pencil.

Analyze
The Mercies of Knowledge guides the viewer through the use of leading lines; each shape in the four corners is positioned around other Van Gogh-like marks in order to maintain a radial balance; the circular logo in the center serves as a focal point. However, it is also fair to point out that the piece has asymmetric balance in addition to being radial. The left side of the composition is enhanced by the hourglass in the backdrop of the logo – the hourglass is slightly off center, and as such it leads the viewer to the more dominant background on the left side of the piece. In addition to symmetry, The Mercies of Knowledge relies heavily on pattern. The inner arc of the logo features rectangles connected together by lines; a key example of the continuous repetition of shapes in this composition. These patterns help cement the logo as the central idea of the entire composition as repetition, which is one of the key art principles, is only viewable in a dispersed manner throughout the rest of the composition. That has deliberately been done to make certain that the dense line work that embodies the four corners does not upset the overall radial balance of the entire piece.

Interpret
While The Mercies of Knowledge was inspired by Destiny 2 at-large (Influence images below), the logo remains hand drawn, as are the shapes that make up patterns across the inner and outer arcs in the logo and the four corners in the background of the piece. This is not an original work because no image in postmodern art can be, but it is one of my most original works in comparison to previous pieces that were somewhat appropriated. However, this composition is still appropriating in a major way – the theme. In the central plot of Destiny 2, the battle between light and darkness takes center stage. Similarly, this is on display in two ways through my work; literally, as the dark Canson paper contradicts the light marks of the white pencil. The addition of the main logo in watercolor serves to enhance this battle; the colored logo provides some light amongst the despair and bleakness of the rest of the piece, which is outlined in white amongst a black background. This same theme can be applied figuratively, too. The Mercies of Knowledge is one of my few experimentory works that will eventually lead me into a path of graphic design; I am only using traditional work as a means to move in such a direction. This composition is only part of a long, eye-opening journey towards graphic design, which is also a journey that is constantly changing. In comparison, the four separate areas of the watercolor-based logo are meant to symbolize four different expansions in the lifetime of Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, Beyond Light, The Witch Queen, and Lightfall In the end, The Mercies of Knowledge is a composition documenting great change, and to a level, continuity; both in my direction as an artist and that of Destiny 2.

Reason for Significance
To me, the significance of The Mercies of Knowledge ultimately has to do with the documentation of my continually changing artistic direction. When I finished my AP Art & Design 2D Portfolio, I felt that some conclusion was finally unearthed in relation to my previous visual work. And perhaps I will return to that previous style of art sometime, but that’s not the direction I need to go after finishing this artwork. In this composition, I was able to use Destiny 2 as a means to begin working with graphic design, even if it was as disconnected as importing an image from graphic design into a medium I felt confident in. The significance of The Mercies of Knowledge shines greatest when in light of my final work for the AP Program, Idealism and Pragmatism for Beginners. That composition was a photography-based, multi-artistic media composition that was quite personal to me – In that piece, I took everything I learned from 3 years of creating traditional artwork, and then applying those skills to a very touching composition. The Mercies of Knowledge is the exact opposite – it was created using a singular medium and was extremely disconnected in terms of emotion. Despite that, there is a real way in which these two very distant compositions are connected – at their core, they are both passion projects. I began embracing traditional art through my love for history and then, more specifically, Red Dead Redemption II. I produced chaotic images, showcasing the discomforting reality of the American West. Likewise, I am beginning yet another journey in art using the same medium I am so passionate about – videogames. The Mercies of Knowledge is one of the most significant art pieces I have created in my short artistic career because it represents change in style and medium, but also continuity in its similarities to my American Reprise Series documenting Red Dead Redemption II. And through all that, there remained an element of continuity in my art: I base all my art off of other mediums that I am so passionate about and, through the synthesis of those mediums, am able to explore deeper meanings in those mediums. In conclusion, I hope I can continue to unearth those different meanings by continuing to create artworks based on other mediums while changing my style to fit the realm of graphic design and digital art.

05/02/2023

DAIR Critique of “Not As It Seems,” 2021

Describe

This piece is titled “Not As It Seems” and is directly influenced by Pablo Picasso’s cubist portraits. The media used in this composition are colored pencils and sharpie on an 11 by 14-inch bristol board. The image shows a huge head of many color layers, supported by a strip-like background of different shades of red. The image also includes the upper body, which has many different patterns, divided into distinct sections.

Analyze

The composition includes a host of many different art elements and principles. For example, the image includes a very clear focal point of the head itself, but where it becomes somewhat convoluted is the two very distinct sides of the actual head. Both sides include various different layering of colors, and that is no mistake; it is directly inspired by Franz Marc and many other artists that heavily relied on layered colors in the expressionism era. The left side of the head, which has the perspective of a side view, has a theme of very warm colors such as the different shades of yellow, a light red, and an orange. Although there are some cool colors present, such as the aquamarine blue near the left eyebrows and nostrils. This is all then complemented by the very thick lines of sharpie; an outline that is widely known as a key component of Picasso’s cubist portraits. But the right side of the face tells a completely different story that is dominated by cool and dark colors. There are leading lines that remain present throughout the right side such as the lower far right where green and different shades of blue extend upward into the ear and then spiral to the other side of the face. In addition to that, there is also a very rough texture in the right eye area, where there is a dark brown color. This is all done to create a certain theme in this Picasso-inspired portrait; that there is a distinct difference in age when it comes to both sides of the face; Where the right side of the face is very dark and old, the left appears as very vibrant and young. The right side of the face is outlined by a jet black pencil instead of a sharpie, and that is done to make the image have a certain balance, which is asymmetrical due to the left side having fewer colors, but much more weight in the sharpie outline. The main background of the head uses very solid shapes that extend further and further outward to showcase a movement down into the patterns of the upper body. Speaking of that, the upper body also continues the theme of youth vs old. The far left section includes mostly warm colors and a cooler violet background, which all end up connecting as these are very “soft” colors. Meanwhile, this is not at all what the patterns show on the right side of the upper body, where the colors are very grounded in purples and browns. Some of these colors are also drawn in a rough texture and that is to, once again, continue the difference in the two sides. The middle pattern includes Picasso’s infamous harlequin pattern, but this time with a slightly different take on it; this continues the battle of cool and warm colors, and this pattern is where they finally meet. Although, unlike in the rest of the composition, the warm and cool colors do not blend in this pattern. But that is for a reason, as you’ll see soon.

Interpret

Picasso’s works have always been very interesting for the fact that it is really an evolution of himself. For example, his Blue Period (c. 1901 - 1904) had represented a time in which he was very depressed over the death of his friend, Carles Casaguemas. The period after, known as the Rose Period (c. 1904 - 1906) would represent a time when he was much more joyful as his drawings were very vibrant and it’s where he first introduced the harlequin pattern. From there, Picasso would grow more and more into the cubist style that we know today. In many ways, the interpretation of “Not As It Seems” is very similar to Pablo Picasso’s timeline of works. The two sides of the face that are shown in this drawing are almost a blend of the core principles of the Blue & Rose periods. In addition, it can be interpreted that this is a piece about the internal hate that one side can have for another; that is expressed in the face but even more in the harlequin pattern. As noted in the analyze portion, the warm and cool colors do not come together, specifically in the harlequin pattern to further express this theme of hate, and the thick sharpie line separating the face further puts that theme front and center. Its almost as if these two sides are breaking apart the face itself. This is truly the general theme of this composition; two sides that are tearing something apart. It’s an idea that remains very relevant as this very concept is happening in many countries at this moment.
Reason For Significance

Pablo Picasso was a major influence in the modernist movement and to the point that he even created a new art style, that being cubism. Though there could be some debate as to if some of his paintings were completely new. As an example, his early compositions that are mostly from the eras mentioned in the interpret section were not similar to cubism at all. They were somewhere between general abstraction and complete surrealism. Now, as his life did go on and he went completely into the cubist style, his paintings did become something that had not been seen in the art space ever. But Picasso had never appropriated any works, he only took influence from other pieces in his early years of drawing. Picasso also had many setbacks in his life as a painter, one of them causing him to go into that blue phase of his career, but he was always trying something new and different with art. His African-inspired cubism was different than his collage-esk cubism. That is really the real significance of Pablo that a lot of people can and should learn; he tried something new with every period in his art career. He is a man that had never given up from his setbacks and always continued to do something new in such a crowded art space as the 1900s. He never stuck with specifically cubism, surrealism, or any other type of art. He was a different type of artist with a different type of mindset, and ultimately had a different type of success.

A. S

04/25/2023

DAIR Critique of “The Revival”,
October 2021

Describe
This composition is an attempt to capture Vincent van Gogh’s varying art styles that he developed throughout his life. It’s also an attempt to show van Gogh’s depression as it developed in several stages; from the eye in the upper left to the seemingly unorthodox shades of colors on the right, this is my take on what Vincent’s view of the world was during his final days. The media used in this composition is shockingly simple: an 11’’ by 14’’ bristol board with a palette of smooth colored pencils is all that’s in use here. I did heavily consider the idea of going digital, especially for such complex and time-consuming skills that need to be attained when making a Van Gogh piece, but I ultimately decided against it. The composition shows an eye in the middle of the upper-left section, with abstract mountains and grass in their respective areas on the left side. The right side can be considered even more abstract with a great balance of both solid and light colors. In general, this is a very “light” piece in appearance and presentation when compared to something such as my Piccaso Appropriation or Rome, Revived from Art 1B. But there is a sole reason for that - it’s not supposed to be my best art piece to date. It’s experimental, and it set my vision for the rest of my projects in Art Portfolio.

Analyze
My composition shows a variety of new skills learned, and I feel that’s exactly what an experimental piece like this should strive for. The most challenging part of the piece for me was the upper left. This part of the composition can be considered the defining factor in making this piece an experimental one. Not only did I have to learn new skills related to the iconic lines of Van Gogh’s style, but I had to refine them in this piece, which I only did in my later shading that’s seen in the abstract grass on either side of the composition.

The Leading Lines are of critical importance to making such a composition of various styles work; through very rigid marks, there is a sense of movement from the upper left, down, and over into the upper right side of the piece. In the middle stands the Focal Point of the piece, a tree that was directly appropriated from one of Van Gogh’s later, more abstract, works. One of the more challenging aspects for me has been the combining of warm and cool colors. This has been a momentous challenge that I finally overcame in Rome, Revived, but this piece showed a secondary way of blending these colors. With the light but rigid marks that I have used for much of this composition, I’ve achieved a way to naturally blend these colors beyond the style that I’m comfortable with. While tones are mysteriously missing from this composition, what I’ve achieved in terms of an asymmetrically balanced, out of proportion piece that takes inspiration from all of van Gogh’s style and works, as well as combines them with what I’ve learned in the realm of solids through the last two semesters of art, is legendary. The way the piece is able to combine elements and principles in a natural manner, while still holding true to my and Gogh’s respective styles is a major accomplishment. This will never be my greatest piece artistically, but it could be considered one of the deepest in the way it’s able to successfully combine such radically different approaches to art.

Interpret
The only way to go about interpreting this piece is by fully understanding the depressive life of post-impressionist Vincent van Gogh. His life story is one of the saddest in art history, but it also might be the most important one. After all, he was one of a select few artists that influenced modern culture and civilization to a degree never seen or heard of in art history. Perhaps the most interesting fact about Van Gogh’s iconic images is that they’re all from his last 2 years of life -- he made 860 iconic oil paintings that were all different in aesthetic, but still held his characteristics of strong, dramatic strokes on the canvas that each had reasoning, evoked emotion and showed character. This same idea of such depth and detail, during Van Gogh’s time, is very missed in Contemporary Art. Van Gogh’s story is rich in themes of perseverance, mental issues, and a deep passion for art. He’s the superhero that never got the happy ending, the supervillain that failed to prove his worth. Unlike a superhero, though, his origins are not filled with mystical suits of armor and radioactive spiders. In fact, he was simply an art dealer trying to earn his keep. Then he felt called to be a Protestant Missionary in Belgium and eventually began to draw in 1881 after Gogh moved back with his parents. Many art historians have gone to speculate that this was around the time the art virtuoso showed the first signs of his anxiety and depression; and that he started painting in the first place to cope with that feeling. Gogh first involved himself with the act of painting dull-colored landscapes and stills, but he would progressively move into the direction of Total Abstraction as his mental health continued to deteriorate. Soon after, Vincent moved to Paris, where he would have altercations with the Avant-Garde faction, a group that was opposing the Frankish Impressionist Movement. During his stay in the city of Arles, Van Gogh developed brighter paintings, which included his newly-found inspiration for painting olive trees, sunflowers, and wheat fields. Although he seemed to be doing the best work in his young career as an artist, his mental health and anxiety continued to worsen rapidly. In the later months of his visit to France, he would confront his best friend, Gauguin, in the highly popularized event where Van Gogh severed his own ear in an act of rage. During this stretch of time, he was also having delusions and psychotic episodes regularly. Although he got treatment from a hospital once he came back from his visit, all his problems persisted. So, on the fateful day of July 27th, 1890, he was believed to have shot himself in the chest and died 2 days later of bleeding and infections. Indeed it is a sad story, perhaps even dramatic, but it is also one of great triumph: Van Gogh, while having an unsuccessful art career during his time, did become popularized when Fauvism and German Expressionism would take on elements of his style in the 1900s. People that saw Gogh as a failure and a madman would end up viewing the artist as a genius who was plagued with personal issues. Much of this change in the public view of Van Gogh was due to his sister in law, who heavily promoted his works. The Dutch artist’s pattern of popularity is present in many of the arts; just like William Shakespeare became popularized after the invention of the romantic genre, a similar situation would play out with Van Gogh. Van Gogh’s life would become a definitive statement to the foundation of modern art. It would become a golden beacon for questioning art and revealing what art was and how far the medium could be pushed. Historians still question if Van Gogh was a madman or a genius — but maybe that’s for you to decide.

Reason For Significance
When I wrote the Reason for Significance in relation to Rome, Revived, I explained how it was a culmination of Art 1A & 1B in terms of what I was able to achieve. In many ways, this piece is also a culmination, a revival, but not of what you’d expect. This art piece was a step out of my comfort zone and into the world and the style of Van Gogh. This may be an appropriated work, and it may never become iconic, but its significance to me is essential. This is one of the greatest pieces I’ve ever made for the precedent it set; it’s a culmination of my skills as an artist and taking on new skills with Van Gogh’s appropriated style. Many parts of this composition are lacking the usual flare of complexity and layering that I had with many of my previous compositions, but that is totally intentional. This piece is meant to tell a story of modern art history, both in relation to Van Gogh’s story and mine.

04/19/2023

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