Title

Storytelling

Creator

Kainourgiou, Foivi

Abstract

This is a self portrait in acrylic paints. It shows a close-up of my face, the face of the artist, looking up, optimistically but also melancholically. The picture is surrounded and even choked in a way, by a past work of mine, “The Mind”, which is a soft, wearable sculpture. The result portrays my suppressed feelings, desires and fears.

Artist Statement

“Storytelling” is a 35x50 acrylic painting on canvas. It is a self-portrait, featuring my face and neck, as well as a previous work of mine, named “The Mind”. When tasked with a self-portrait, I began pondering about what exactly can represent and express myself and how I could achieve it. I soon decided that I wanted to base it off the fact that I have changed quite drastically this past year, but my roots are still the same. That is when I found a picture of me wearing the garment I made two years ago, titled “The Mind”. “The Mind” describes my idea of how the human brain works, something very intriguing to me. It is split into two sides, one is shining, beautiful, eye catching and glittering while the other is just a plain ragged cloth. The extravagant side is meant to represent our beautiful and positive thoughts; the kind that improves us and leads us to beneficial outcomes, while the dull side is meant to showcase evil, negative, harmful thoughts. Both sides have spikes on them from both kinds of cloth. That is because I believe that the mind functions in a way that almost all thoughts have something positive or negative in them and because one cannot exist without the other. Moreover, the garment is meant to be worn around the shoulders, so it can be close to the head, the mind. At the same time however, I measured it to be almost as tall as me so that it can reach my whole body. That is because the brain controls the whole body, both physically and mentally.

Seeing my old self wearing this garment, it made me realize exactly how much I have changed but how my base as a person is the same. This realization also led to my understanding that these changes have happened because my mind has produced endless thoughts, positive and negative, both so strong that they often consume me; and that consumption eventually leads to some sort of change within myself. That is why I chose to paint my face and neck enveloped by the garment. After I noticed the similarities of my composition with “The Kiss”, I was inspired by it. The way the golden garment envelops the people and only parts of their bodies are protruding from it. In similar fashion, my mind, the garment, is quite literally enveloping me, consuming me. I chose the neck to be the place of primary contact since my neck is quite sensitive, a way for the mind to invade into a weak spot of mine. The spikes of the garment are also pointing close to me, in an aggressive manner since mental change is often a painful and intrusive process. In response, I am looking up and away from it, but in a sort of passive and accepting stance. I might be looking away from it, which implies that I am seeking refuge away from the painful thoughts, but at the same time I am not moving, I become mindful, I let this process happen and I watch peacefully no matter how agonizing it may be. Looking up also implies that no matter what, I always strive for the best, I always keep expectations high and aim for greatness. Additionally, I made sure to emphasize my hair, since it is a characteristic I know I, and many others greatly recognize and identify me with. As for the background, I kept it simple because the rest of the painting already has a lot of visual information. I colored it light pink because that is one of the colors of the lotus, a flower I associate myself as and strive to be like. A lotus is a beautiful flower that blooms in the middle of a swamp, a dull place where flowers are usually not expected to be seen. The swamp is society, and the lotuses are the shining people who manage to come out on top and stay diverse and kindhearted, and I see myself as one of them. It is important to note that Frida Kahlo’s self portraits have also inspired the way I painted my face, with thick eyebrows and a dramatic expression.

As for the technical part of the painting, I first studied my face through a photograph to make a solid sketch that showcases the proportions of my face and its shapes. Then, I composed the garment in a way that both of its sides are showcased so it can cause visual intrigue. For the face, I applied many layers of paint, working around it slowly with base color coats and then differently colored shadings for the highlights, midtones and dark spots. I then worked on the background, which was simple strokes of layered light pink. Afterwards, I painted the garment. The dull side was layered with black and light brown and then the black lines, while the colorful part was made by applying many colors with paper, and then adding the highlights as the shine of the glitter. Lastly, my hair was made with a big brush and loose, expressive brush strokes to make it all fuzzy and curly.

Keywords

painting

self-portrait

identity

Subject

Visual Arts

Date Available

May 22-23, 2025

Type

painting

Course

AR3025 Painting

Instructor

Halivopoulou, Effie

Session

Visual Arts Exhibition

Location

Art Center Gallery

Event

Year 2025 | 9th Annual Student Research and Creative Arts Symposium