Art Blog #3

I feel like I have to mention Edward Hopper when talking about artists that influence my work. So I'm going to talk about him first.

I like the feeling of simplicity and solitude that Hopper's paintings evoke. In his paintings, the subject is usually by themselves or simply not interacting with the people around them. The subjects in his paintings frequently have their back turned to the viewer as well, making it seem like the subject is even further detached from the world. I always felt his paintings were very sad to look at, but in a good way, like there's some sort of underlying peace.

I like Edward Hopper's paintings because I think my big idea is the same as his: solitude. I frequently have only one subject in my paintings as well, usually with their back turned. I included two examples of my work that I think are somewhat influenced by Hopper. I always liked Hopper's style as well. The colors and shapes are really simple, but he's able to invoke this sort of sad mood with his paintings that I always liked and wanted to emulate.

I'm not sure what I want to do for my final project yet, but I already incorporated my own big idea of solitude in my midterm. There's only one person in it, with their back turned to the viewer. I didn't really intentionally include my big idea in the midterm. Those kind of Edward Hopper-like sad scenes are just what I usually feel inspired to create. I'm sure my personal big idea will come through in my final project as well.

I think what I can learn from Hopper is to more intentionally incorporate my big idea into my art. I haven't really put much thought into it before now, and my big idea usually just comes out naturally (or accidentally?). Although maybe it's a good thing that it comes out naturally without thought...

As for another artist that inspires me, I would have to say it's Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki is a Japanese animator who founded an animation studio called Studio Ghibli.

Miyazaki has a lot of big ideas in my opinion. The two biggest ones being humanity's relationship with nature, and the blurring of the line between good and evil. His movies frequently pit humans against nature, and he does not always define who the "villain" is. This is especially true is his movie Princess Mononoke. When there is a more, they usually have redeeming qualities, or have their own good reasons for doing what they're doing, even though they're pitted against the main character. I've always preferred this type of "villain" instead of the typical Disney villain that just wants to take over the world.

Miyazaki's work also usually has that tinge of sadness that I find appealing in Hopper's work, as well as a underlying feeling of hope. I like mixing sadness and hope in my art. I'm not sure if it comes off like that to other people, but it does to me at least.

I always admired animators and their ability to tell a story with their art. I would say I am influenced by Miyazaki in that I try my best to tell stories with my artwork too, even though it's just a static image and not animation. Even if it doesn't come through to others very well, I at least usually have a story in mind behind the image when I create art. Same goes for my midterm, but I'll explain that later in my artist's statement.

Again I'm still not really sure what my final project is going to be, but I will most likely have a backstory in my mind when I create it. I'd like to learn how to incorporate stories into my art. Miyazaki's stories are always deep, emotional, and thought-provoking. I would say that is the kind of story I have always wished to incorporate into my art. Of course, I'd say that everyone wishes their work to be thought provoking. If a viewer doesn't think at all about the meaning behind your art that would be sorta sad.

I can't really show Miyazaki's work as easily as I can Hopper's, since Miyazaki's work is all movies and copyrighted and such. But I included some movie trailers from youtube in the links below.

Links:
Edward Hopper
Spirited Away Trailer
Princess Mononoke Trailer