Student 8

(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 is in a star shaped box which is a light blue in color an the top of the box has gray colored snow flakes. I used a star because it is made up of triangles which symbolize stability, the color and snowflakes represent my distant personality. On the outside I appear icy, or removed, and I am in my own little world. On the inside of the star box, it is lined with aluminum foil which represents the reflection of my inner self. For the bottom of the star boxed I used five different fabrics to represent five characteristics of my personailty, placing one fabric in each corner. In the first corner, is a hard fabric which is actually material that you make table clothe out of, this symbolizes me as a serious, kind of uptight person. Next, is a red veil fabric, this symbolizes my temper. The color red is used to show anger, and under the red veil is a yellowish- orange felt fabric, so where it resembles fire, since I have a hot temper. In the t! hird corner, is a a shiny silver fabric, that is gaudy. This fabric shows the side of me that likes to have fun. In the fourth corner is a yellow fabric, which symbolizes a caring, friendly person. Finally, in the fifth corner, is a piece of hunter- green velevt, which is used to symbolize a warm, kind of practical person. The fabic is simple and elegant like me. The five pieces of fabric meet in the center to come together and create me. The tin foil star in the middle also reflects my inner self, and shows stability with the triangles formed by the star.

(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.

Rilke's discussion of "faces" was used in creating my self- portrait. "Faces" discusses how people have many faces, not just one. Rilke's points out that even though one wears out a face, others simply put on another face. This shows that people are ever hcanging and one face would not do them justice to explain their personailty. I feel like toward some people I tend to act a certain way compared to how I act toward people I know very well. It is the same thing as putting on different face, to kind of please the people you are with.

(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 these differect disiplinary resources agree wiht one another on what the self is in that figuring out what the self is, is something that is hard to achieve. Figuring out who you are is not something you wake up and are able to tell, it happens over a long period of time, and once you have had many different experiences, but some still are unsure of what they are.

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

Rilke discusses the self as something that is always changing, whereas the Asian view sees the self as something that can be achieved.

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

My self- portrait conveys the message that I have many different "faces". The way people see me differs completely from the way people I know personally. The impression I give and the person I am are somewhat two different people, in an aspect they are two different faces.

(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 there is not a right answer to what the self is, because I feel that a person is always changing, and therefore their self will change and so it makes it hard to really know who you are.

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