Student 30

(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 made my self-portrait out of a wooden box. The outside is stained, this represents how people first see me. I try to act like they want me to act. The golden triangles around the corners represents stability. When I look into the triangles I see a reflection of who I really am. At this time in my life there is no one that really knows everything about me, so this is why the top of my box will only open so far.

The inside of my box is unstainned and this is how I see myself as an individual. The wood is very rough and you will get a splinter if you rub it the wrong way. On one side of my box there is a bad spot and this represents the stuff I don't let anybody see. On the underside of the top is a yellow spiral, this represents the growth and changes in my life. The yellow is for happiness. The orange triangle which the spiral is on is the stability that I am searching for. The yellow high lighter stands for the happiness that I like to spread. The ! big red triangle represents all of my dreams and hopes in life. The red stands for passion and love and I believe that if you want your dreams bad enough they will come true. The piece of blue fabric stands for the calm side that I have. The softness of the fabric is the love that I share with everyone. The green bouncy ball stands for the unity that I have with the people around me and the green shows that I can be down to earth.

(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 used the colors from the Yoruba bead art project. I used the universal meanings of the five shapes.

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

The meanings of the shapes and colors.

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

The different styles in which they are used to represent art.

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

No, because I wanted to be my own person.

(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. I think that everyone has to find it in themself what the meaning is to them, because everyone is different.

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