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| Drowning by Charles Chapman |
Charles Chapman is an artist that I hold in very high regard. He is a tattoo artist who inspired me to seek a formal education in art. He is not afraid to experiment, but also keeps several educational resources on hand. Charles is frankly, in my opinion, a phenomenal artist. This is why I decided to analyze one of his traditional art pieces.
In Charles' work, you will see that he does not rely on heavy lines for his work, especially when it comes to realism. Instead - like this piece - he relies form, value, and texture to tell a story. The vibrant use of colors, the asymmetrical break halfway down the canvas giving way to a new texture and reflection, speaks to me as someone who has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. This piece goes from smooth and almost sad looking to chaotic and disconnected. It is almost as if this woman has an alter-ego.
The use of texture in this piece can make this piece feel as if it is a vessel for the emotions anxiety can invoke. When the canvas breaks, to me it appears as if it is cracked ice that could break at any moment. You could walk on the "ice" and you could fall through, but you will never know. In the "ice" is the reflection of the woman, however it is distorted. The reflection includes two eyes, and the rest of the face is pointing slightly downward.
The only natural coloring in this piece is the eyes which are colored blue making the emotion she is protraying feel real and significant. The eyes do not reflect the warm tones in the piece, causing them to feel disconnected. The warmth of the reds, oranges, and yellows catch the eye while the blue and black of the hair frame the face with contrast to form a focal point.
In my opinion, the use of these main elements convey exactly what I feel Charles was trying to - the emotion of extreme anxiety. The chaos that comes along with self doubt, paranoia, and the way things tend to not make sense in your mind when experiencing these things.
You can view Charles' other works, as well as his tattoos here.
wow, I love your analysis. At first glance of the the painting i didn't even realize that the reflection had 2 eyes until you mentioned it. This is absolutely beautiful, i really like how you describe your perspective of the work. Mental health is not an easy thing to bear, I suffer from panic attacks myself so it takes a huge toll on you. Art has helped me cope with all my anxieties and it's so great you have found a way to cope as well. Great work here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! I've gotten a lot of progress with my mental health, but it's still a journey
DeleteI really liked how personal your analysis was, as art is something that we can connect to on a personal level, and is something that can help us cope with our struggles. I really liked how in-depth you were when describing how the use of colors and texture created such an emotional artwork, especially with your ice analogy, which offered a visual for us to imagine and to see how our emotions can simply breakthrough when we get overwhelmed. Overall, nice work and thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteRobert,
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing piece! I love your interpretation of this artwork from the meaning and break down of the details. I appreciate how there are no heavy line work in this piece. Her features are soft and feminine, but through the ice those jagged lines of cracking show the anxiety.It;s as if at first glance she's a soft person with a "rough around the edges" secret. In her eyes, they definitely tell a story. Above the ice her eye, in my opinion, looks as if she was crying but there's life there. It isn't until you really examine that third eye that you see a disconnect, almost as if that liveliness faded. I agree that the use of warm palettes catch the eye while the cool and black hair contrast making your eyes focus there on her face. I love how he used the red against the yellowish orange tone to create the contours and shading of the nose and around the eyes. I also used your link to look at his other work and they were amazing. I would let him tattoo me and I would own this piece in my home.Thank you for adding your personal connection to this piece as well.