Student 31

(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 chose to do my self portrait as a box, because I think that people see me as a very down to earth girl. I also seem to make practical decisions whenever i can. I painted the outside light blue because i think that people see me as a very calm person. I painted it all one color because I am a very simple person. I chose to put a smiley face on the outside because i think that people see me as a very happy person. The smiley is also significant because it is round, which represents wholeness--a characteristic that i think people see me as having. Inside, is the way i see myself. The cross on top is a symbol of the crossroads which i am at in my life--making the transition from high school to college. The lines of the cross are wavy because I see myself as a very gentle person. I lined the inside with cotton because i like to think of myself as a very warm and cozy person. The objects that i placed in my box have significance also. The tissue signifies ! that I am a very emotional person. The candle is representative of my warm and glowing personality. The sweet tart symbolized my sweetness for other people. The flower signifies that I am always growing and changing everyday.

(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 basically just used to ideas of color, shape, line, etc that were discussed in class. I used the outside of my box to show how people see me, and the inside to show how I see myself.

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

They agree in that the outside or costume is how people perceive you and how you want them to perceive you. However, under the masks or costumes there is usually a totally different person. This is usually the real you.

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

I didn't find any ways in which they were different.

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

I chose to do the outside/inside approach. The inside of my box if reflective of how i see myself, whereas the outside is reflective of how others see me. In many cases, these two are very different.

(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 dont believe that there is a right answer to the question of what the self is.

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