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I started this project with a very specific image in my head that I believe stifled my work slightly because I was so adamant on it looking a certain way. I wanted to try to step out of my comfort zone and use color to create a feeling of nostalgia as that was the theme I was trying to achieve. I was really proud of my reference photo and sketch, but I was not very happy with how the water color turned out if I'm being honest.
Lee K, also known as Lee Killust, is a contemporary artist who is based in Seoul, South Korea, most known for his expressive grayscale paintings that display human emotion, feeling, and struggle. He was born in 1983 and grew up expressing his emotions through images rather than words, surrounding himself with art. He has held many solo exhibitions, participated in the FOCUS Art Fair, and has been published twice by HongLee Company. One of his most famous solo exhibitions was his "Denial of Language" exhibition at the Lamina Showcase in Seoul which featured many colorful pieces that he claims encapsulates his artistic identity and represents his work through a chronological structure, almost like a "personal confession" he states.
This piece is apart of his "Denial of Language" series. I especially like this piece because it holds so much emotion yet leaves so much room for interpretation and abstraction to allow the viewers to make it personal to themselves without losing the theme. The colors go very well together and appeal to the visual aesthetic of the piece; I personally believe the pink highlights create an interesting touch. I love how the face is almost melting away, making the emotion stand out through the strokes rather than the expression itself. I also love the hatching toward the bottom and the various line strokes that bring this piece together in a way that is quietly creative but not underwhelming. Overall, I think this is a unique way of transcribing feeling through art, it is visually individualized and interesting and very well done.
This piece is very special to me because it was the first piece of his I had been exposed to on Pinterest. I thought this composition was especially interesting to the point I could maybe reference it or gain inspiration from it in my future pieces to come. The way the two faces are wrapped within one another yet so individualized and distinct make this piece so fascinating to look at. The connection through the eye is also so incredible to me. I think the line work really pulls the whole composition together and emphasizes the feeling and emotion put into it. I love how the marks toward the bottom get messy and thicker, it makes the piece feel more human and almost angry. The use of different mediums is also so interesting, I had never thought of using multiple mediums in the same piece so I hope I can try to incorporate that into my art as well. The touches of blue make this piece more complex to me, I interpret it as slight tinges of sadness within bouts of anger-- making this piece representative of a breakdown or harsh stage in life where things can feel conflicting.
I started out by taking my reference photos, which was rather difficult as I had to take a video instead and snap screenshots of various parts in the clip to get the exact pose I wanted for this piece. I ended up getting a good reference after some time, but the composition was a bit difficult to get around and have it be interesting, but also work with the idea. I ended up creating a composition that was too centered. The process of sketching out the reference was a little complicated as it included consistent overlaps that were slightly confusing to work with. After the sketch was complete, I went in with charcoal and I hadn't used charcoal in a while, so it was hard to get back in the groove of using it again. The charcoal proved to be difficult and did not turn out as smooth as I had hoped, because I wanted it to look like the subject was moving. I feel that I achieved my goal somewhat, yet there was definitely room for improvement.
