EphemeraBattle of life and deathDecember, 2016
Exhibition Text"Battle of life and death" is an ephemera piece made out of flowers on a white background that was inspired by Vincent Van Gogh. I created this to show people that your life soon comes to and end but you can still make the most out of your life. Also you can still be the best you can. The flowers represent that your life is still beautiful and even when you die your life will still be remembered as beautiful and full of life and color.
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Artist Inspiration
My artist inspiration was Vincent Van Gogh and his painting of Irises. Van Gogh painted blue Irises dead and alive. Van Gogh Irises showed me the idea or life and death and how you still have beauty and life even though you died over time. Van Gogh painted Irises in an asylum focused around Japanese wood print. Van Gogh finished the piece in the first week of the asylum and his brother submitted the piece to Salon des Independent. While his brother submitted it the work caught the attention of Felix Feneon. After Felix seen the work some people feel the lone white iris was Van Gogh while in the asylum and the blue irises were the detachment from the staff and the rest of the inmates.
Meaning
The meaning behind this piece is that you an't chose between life and death, but while you are alive you can make your life member able and beautiful like the flowers. Also that even when you are dead your life will still be remembered as amazing and beautiful when you were alive.
Planning
This was the first sketch I drew. I wanted to go with this idea but after completing it I decided that it didn't have really a meaning behind it and it didn't tie with any artists. After re thinking I decided to draw up another sketch that I know has a meaning behind it. This sketch would of been good if I had a more bigger meaning behind it.
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This is the sketch I decided to do because I felt like it had more of a meaning behind it and I could tie it to an artist like Van Gogh. This piece didn't take me that long to do but i wanted to make sure it looked the way I wanted it to. This sketch was one that had a big meaning behind it and I could relate to the meaning very well. This was a piece I knew I was confident about.
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Process/Experimenting
My planning started when I understood what ephemera meant and I began to think about what I could do to show that this piece over time will end up dying or fading away. I made two sketches to show what I wanted to do but after trying the first one I decided I didn't like it and I decided to change it and make one that would look better and show people the meaning. I took alive flowers and let them dry over the day and the next day I put them into a circle and decided to have dead and alive flowers to show life against death. I took dead flowers for the outside, still alive but dying flowers for the center and for the middle I added an alive flower. I wanted to show the battle between life and death.
Reflection
My piece looks better than what I planned it to look like. I made it look like the outside dead flowers are trying to get to the alive flower in the center and the piece looks like death battling with life. After a couples tries to set it up I finally got it the way I wanted it to and it looks like what I pictured it to look like. It was hard to make sure the flowers all aliened and the flowers created a circle. I also had to make sure the flower in the middle was alive and looked amazing to show life and the flower slowly dying and showing the battle between life and death. "Battle of life and death" really ties around Van Gogh's painting of Irises and the way life is, mainly showing that you can't live forever but make the most of what you can do and make your life amazing and beautiful. I did have another peice but I didn't like the way that one turned out and it really didn't have a meaning behind it. I decided to make another one that has a big meaning behind it and this piece I could relate to very well. It was also one that I could tie and artist to like Van Gogh. Van Gogh painted Irises and I knew I could tie it to the piece because he painted one white flower that represented him and all the blue ones represented the workers and the other people at the hospital.
ACT Connection
- My work was inspired by Van Gogh's painting Irises. I was able to relate to it beacause the one live flower in my piece represents life and all the other flowers represent death and how death could come into your life before you know it.
- You shouldn't be afraid of whats going to happen to you. Just make your life the best you can make it and live the way you want to because before you know it death could come any time.
- People believe that death can come anytime and causes people to be more aware of things in life. Also some cultures pray that death wont come until the time is ready and that death wont be upon anyone before its time to go.
- Make your life the best you can and make sure you live the way you want to live. Death can come anytime and you need to be aware of things around you.
- I seen that there is more respect for life than death. People respect the fact that someone granted you life and it can easily be taken away from you.
Citations
"Native American Culture." Native American Culture - Religion, Beliefs, Rituals and Ceremonies ***. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2016.
https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-culture/
"Vincent Van Gogh: The Paintings (Irises)." Vincent Van Gogh: The Paintings (Irises). N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2016.
http://www.vggallery.com/painting/p_0608.htm
https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/native-american-culture/
"Vincent Van Gogh: The Paintings (Irises)." Vincent Van Gogh: The Paintings (Irises). N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2016.
http://www.vggallery.com/painting/p_0608.htm