Student 28

(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.

My self portrait was abstract. It used the colors I learned about through the Yoruba lecture and worked it's way from the outside in. With a shoe box turned on its side I placed black paper , cut it down the middle and covered the opening, cutting horizontal lines, which represent a shy and quiet personality, and the black color representing down to earth.

When you open the black slits, a clear, plastic cover is next cut in vertical strips. This says that once you get to know me, it isn't hard to figure out what type of person I really am, the vertical strips stand for dependability and reliability. The next thing you see is a triangle made of blue ribbon. The triangle represents stability, but my ability to be calm in any hectic situation and take one thing at a time, represented by the blue color. The two big wavy green lines in the background represent my nurturing spirit and tender and loving personality. The final thing in my box is the chaotic color! ful background. This represents my very busy lifestyle.

(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.

I can't find the sheet now, but I used the theory of the lines and shapes the most. I felt it had a lot more hidden meaning than using actual objects to present my self-portrait.

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

There is an almost universal meaning and interpretation of colors and shapes.

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

I guess I did focus more on how other people view me rather than how I view myself in my project. So I took the position of the outsider or friend rather than my personal opinion, even though they are almost the same.

(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?

No, everyone has their own interpretations in any situation or subject. There never will be a clear cut answer in this subject.

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