Student 13

(question 5) In your own words, describe your self-portrait and the style of art it represents. Please try to explain your use of line, shape, color and texture and what is conveys to you.

I did my self portrait on poster board. I used both side of the poster to convey the message that I have two sides of my personality. I think it looks like child art, but I tried to incorporate the meanings of the lines,shapes, and colors in with it. For example I used the lighter color side of the posterto show the way I see myself. I drew a stickman in the centerwith a square head, a cross for the body, and a triangle for the legs. These shapes show that I am a stable person, I am at a crossroads in my life because I am in college, but I am still down to earth. I drew many jagged lines on this side to show that I feel like I am an energetic person.

The other side is darker. I decided to use this side to describe the way I think other people view me. I don't think they view me as a dark gloomy person, but I think they view me as a very serious rational person. I drew everthing vertical because to me vertical things are stronger than horizontal things. I ! think people see me as a strong person. The person I drew on this side is the same as the other except he has a circle head to show wholeness.

(question 6)Please explain how you used ideas from the resources on the self we studied. Did you consciously use ideas from or react to any of the following resources in your self-portrait: the psychological theories of self? The Rilke discussion of "faces," "hands," or "costumes"? The Asian views of the self? The examples from art of non-representational self-portraits? Please clearly explain what ideas from these sources you integrated into your self-portrait and why.

Yes I think that the Rilke discussion of "Faces" is what I based my portrait on. Before the discussion on "faces I had thought about people being two faced, but I had never looked in the mirror and look at myself. This project made me think about the way other people view me as well as the way I view myself.

(question 7) In what ways do these different disciplinary resources agree with one another on the question of what is the self?

I think that they all agree that everbody has characteristics that make them unique to other people. I also think that they agree that the only one a person has to make happy is himself. It shouldn't matter what other people think of you as long as your inner soul is happy.

(question 8) In what ways do they conflict with each other on the question of what is the self?

They conflict because you do have to put on different faces when around certain people to make you happy.

(question 9) Does your self-portrait try to reconcile these ideas or did you choose a particular postion to convey? Why?

I think my self portrait tries to reconcile these ideas because of the way I used the poster board with two sides, people also have two sides.

(question 11) In our unit on the self, is there a right answer to the question of what the self is? If not, what is your reaction to our inability to provide a clear answer one way or the other on this issue?

I think that every answer is a right answer, because everyone has a little bit of every characteristic and emotion in themselves. I think it is great that there is no clearcut answer to the question because think of how boring the world would be if it was.

Explorations in Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning Home Page