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Senior Thesis

Jeanna Jerde Art 488: Senior Thesis 11 April 2014

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. -Henry Ward Beecher

My artwork is a reflection of my truest self; of my breathing soul; of my deepest thoughts. I do not attempt to hide this reality but have rather learned to embrace it. I create that which I believe needs to created. These are the concepts and questions that shake me to the core: How can I find meaning? How do I feel connected? How should I live? I aim to create the truest, deepest depiction of my meditation on these spiritual and philosophical questions. My artwork is physical, visual evidence- an artifact- of this meditation and reflection.

Comparative Review
Similar to the beginning of art-making, I believe a thesis should also start with inspiration. There are three artists that I particularly admire and identify with. I have studied their art and have been influenced by each artist extensively. These artists all create art that is introspective and explores the spiritual connection between humanity and nature. These artists are: Frida Kahlo, Kiki Smith, and Ana Mendieta. Kiki Smith is an American, feminist artist. Her primary fields are sculpture, printmaking, installation, and drawing. She is recognized as a

Figure 1. Smith, Born, 2002.

leading figure among artists addressing the philosophical, social, and spiritual aspects of human nature. 1 I find the truthful, visceral, and intimate nature of her work compelling and inspirational. Though our primary materials differ, our subject matter is incredibly similar. For example, we both explore the connection between humanity and nature. Kiki Smiths sculpture, Born, presented in Figure 1 fully depicts this theme. In this piece, a small deer gives birth to a woman. The combination of a woman and deer represents the roman goddess Diana who is often depicted accompanied by a deer. Also, deer are an important part of the spiritual beliefs of many Native American cultures: they reflect the importance of our ties to the natural world. Another artist that greatly inspires me is Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Kahlo's use of human anatomy as symbols and depiction of the connection between her figures and nature influenced me greatly. Also, similar to my own artwork,

Figure 2. Kahlo. My Nurse and I. 1937.

each of her paintings are

Engberg, Siri; Nochlin, Linda; Tillman, Lynne; Warner, Marina. Kiki Smith: A Gathering, 1980-2005. Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 2005.

autobiographical and illustrated using symbolism, figurative imagery and vibrant color schemes. The painting presented in Figure 2, My Nurse and I, depicts a mother-child bond between the artist and a mother earth figure. 2 Ana Mendieta, Cubo-American performance artist, sculptor, painter and video artist, has also largely influenced my work. She is best known for and I am most inspired by her earth-body artwork. In her Silueta Series, Mendieta created female silhouettes in nature with natural materials such as leaves and blood. She also would make body prints, paint her outline, or place her own body in the work consequently making it performance art. A piece in this series called Abrol de la Vida (Figure 3) is a performance piece that celebrates the notion that women have a deeper identification with nature than do men.3
Figure 3. Mendieta. Abrol de la Vida.1976.

My artwork has many of the same themes of

Mendietas art. I share a focus on the spiritual and physical connection people, especially women as life-givers, have with the earth and nature. I am also interested in the themes of life and death. And like Mendietas art, my work is often feminist and autobiographical.
2

Lozano, Luis-Martin; Monsivais, Carlos; Rivera, Diego; Saborit, Antonio. Frida Kahlo. Mexico: Landucci Editores. 2000.
3

Marilyn Stokstad, Art History (New Jersey: Pearson, 2011), 1101.

Formal Analysis
I am drawn to creating three-dimensional, acrylic paintings. I primarily use acrylic paint on canvas or hardboard and an additional material- embroidery, clay, found objects- that are intended to support the content of the piece. I am pleased with the ambiguous quality of my work and relish in the notion that it cant be labeled simply as painting or sculpture. Painting is my first love in art. Im skilled at rendering two-dimensional forms and I enjoy the freedom of painting; I feel that anything I can imagine, I can paint. I am very interested in color theory and color symbolism and I believe that painting is the best medium in which to explore color. I prefer to use acrylic paint specifically because my style of rendering usually requires layering and glazing. Also, I often make spontaneous additions or reductions to the painting surface which makes the fast-drying time and relatively easy clean-up of acrylic paint appealing. I am also drawn to the visual impact of sculpture. The extra dimension that I will often add to my work contributes another level of interest, impact, and drama. I find it very visually-pleasing that my three-dimensional paintings are diverse and attractive from several angles. This aspect further engages the viewer with the piece as it prompts them to move around the artwork. In addition, three-dimensional paintings are relatively rare which adds intrigue and makes it more difficult for the viewer to compare the pieces to other works of art.

Using the Third Dimension to Convey Meaning

The piece presented in Figures 4 and 5, To Sing: To Reveal, is an example of one of my three-dimensional paintings. I believe this painting is especially attractive from a

Figure 4. Jerde, To Sing : To Reveal, 2012.

Figure 5. Jerde. To Sing : To Reveal. Detail. 2012.

variety of angles. The sculptural feature of this piece is essential to the concept. To Sing: To Reveal conveys the spiritual, revealing nature of the act of singing. The vibrations, represented by the star shapes, literally burst out of the chest, opening the ribcage to reveal the singers soul. This revealing bares the singers chest cavity leaving it defenseless to infection much like expressing oneself through art bares the artists soul, leaving it vulnerable to harsh critique or worse, apathy. I believe the expressive and emotional quality of the voice is enthralling and exciting. This passion for singing inspired me to create this piece. In addition, To Sing: To

Reveal was created as part of my lecture recital entitled: Art Inspires Art. In this lecture recital, I explored the connections between the three arts: visual, performing, and literary. I regularly search for connections between music and art; I believe their combination is incredibly powerful and intriguing.

Using Fiber Arts to Convey Meaning

As mentioned before, I will frequently add more meaningful materials to the painting surface. Fiber arts- such as embroidery, beading, coil basketry, weaving- are appealing to add to pieces that have feminist or emotional subject matter in order to reference the feminine history of these art forms.

Figure 6. Jerde. Wallflower.2013.

Figure 7. Jerde. Wallflower. Detail. 2013.

The piece entitled Wallflower in Figures 6 and 7 above exemplifies my use of fiber arts media. The embroidery floss and needle are essential to the meaning of this piece. My goal was to create the illusion that the figure was stitching these flowers into her skin in order to blend into the background. This illusion references the destructive nature of hiding oneself, of acting timid and humble, in a society that rewards assertiveness. Wallflower is a reaction against the patriarchal society that I was raised in. Growing up, I was indoctrinated with the idea that women and children should be quiet and polite at all times-seen and not heard. I was trained to be silent, stoic and perfect. Over the years, I have become frustrated with my deeply-rooted timidity and anxiety that I believe may be at least partially linked to this oppression. I feel that a lot of people struggle from a similar oppression and, by creating this piece, I hope to provide empathy and empowerment to the viewer.

Using Natural Materials to Convey Meaning

In pieces in which explore the connection between humanity and nature, I will frequently add natural materials such as clay, rocks, soil, wood, etc.. The piece in Figure 8, Transcend and Transfer, demonstrates this use of natural materials. Again, these materials are not supplemental or decorative, but wholly support the spiritual concept of the piece.

Transcend and Transfer depicts an idea about the afterlife that I find to be comforting and supportive of a biocentric philosophy in which all species that inhabit the earth are held in equal regard. A brief summary of this spiritual and
Figure 8. Jerde. Transcend and Transfer. 2014.

philosophical concept is necessary to fully understand the piece. After a living being dies, its soul transcends to a parallel plane of existence. Afterwards, the soul returns to this plane of existence in some non-specific time and space (in this theory, time is not linear but rather simultaneous or cyclical). The soul is then transferred into a new mortal vessel. This vessel can be human, animal, insect, bird, etc., thus, incorporating the idea of reincarnation. This cycle of transcendence and transference is never-ending, inferring that the soul is immortal. In Transcend and Transfer, the cycles of life and death are represented by the layers of painted hardboard and the use of radial symmetry. The gold paint on the face and the outline of the animals represents the possibility of transference from one vessel to

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another. I used clay, soil, rocks, and foliage to reference the natural and earthly process of life and death along with the contribution of the decomposed human body to the ecosystem.

Subject Matter and Content

My work has three main themes: connection between humanity and nature, connection between outer and inner self, and connection between people. My work is often a meditation on the connection between humanity and nature. In addition to exploring life, death, and the afterlife, as in Transcend and Transfer, my work in correspondence with this theme also includes social commentary on the environmental crisis and animal ethics.

Connection between Humanity and Nature

My piece presented in Figure 9, The Consumer, calls into the question the morality of over-consuming, processing, or wasting the organic substance of animals. In this piece, the figure is represented as an

Figure 9. Jerde. The Consumer. 2012.

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ambiguous silhouette that is in a state of torment or anguish. The animals faces shroud the figure visually and psychologically. In the part protruding from the piece, the animals form assembly lines into the figures stomach. This assembly line of animals references the number of animals that a person consumes and, hopefully, causes the viewer to consider the quantity of animal meat they should consume (if they feel the need to consume it at all). My purpose of creating art with this theme is stated well in Kiki Smith: The Gathering. In my artwork the abject and lowly (animals, women, the disenfranchised) are repositioned and revalued within the order of things. Within my artwork, I work to [redraft] the map of creation, where man no longer lords over it and where humans must acknowledge their kinship with animals."4 This kinship that humans have with animals is described well by James Brabazon in his description of Reverence for Life, the only thing we are really sure of is that we live and want to go on living. This is something that we share with everything else that lives, from elephants to blades of grassand, of course, every human being. So we are brothers and sisters to all living things, and owe to all of them the same care and respect, that we wish for ourselves." 5 Another theme of my work is introspective and analyzes the connection between outer and inner self. These pieces investigate human psychology and our reactions to

Engberg, Siri; Nochlin, Linda; Tillman, Lynne; Warner, Marina. Kiki Smith: A Gathering, 1980-2005.

Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 2005.

5

Brabazon, James. Albert Schweitzer, A Biography. Syracuse University Press, New York, 2000.

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societal constructs. This theme was already thoroughly describe and demonstrated earlier by the pieces Wallflower and To Sing : To Reveal. Lastly, in my work, I also investigate the close relationships between people. Im interested in the different types of bonds that strengthen relationships and the ways that those bonds are formed.

Connection between People

Figure 10. Jerde. Connected. 2012.

Figure 11. Kahlo. The Two Fridas, 1939.

An example of my work that analyzes the relationships between people is presented in Figure 10. Connected is a very personal piece that conveys the close relationship that I have with my sister. Despite the future that will inevitably pull us in different directions, the biological, emotional, and spiritual bond between us will never break. I reference feminism in this piece by incorporating fiber arts in the woven yarn and rope braids. Again, the use of fiber arts evokes the feminine history of this media. Also,

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using an angle grinder, I carved the faces out of hardboard. This was done mostly for greater visual impact and emphasis. This piece was inspired by Frida Kahlos painting, The Two Fridas, presented in Figure 11. Overall, I attempt to convey a message of empathy and compassion throughout my work; compassion and empathy for ones self, for other people, and for other species. I search for solutions, structure, and harmony in a world that I find oftentimes to be chaotic and overwhelming. My message is to reflect and focus on true, deep connections instead of obsessing over disconnections or differences. I believe this reflection could create a more peaceful existence not only for humanity but also for the other species that inhabit this earth.

Visual Themes
Much like the recurring subject matter and content in my work, there are certain returning visual elements and themes in my work. Firstly, my work is almost always figurative or contains figurative elements. I believe Kiki Smith describes the allure of the figure well when she said they have real power in them, they take up some kind of psychic space.6 It is interesting to note that my figures are almost always alone, which I believe reflects my solitary and introverted nature. In addition, a mother earth figure is a repeated character that is often present in my work, either intentionally or unintentionally.
6

Close, Chuck; Smith, Kiki. Kiki Smith. BOMB (1994): 38-45.

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I also often use patterns, repetition, and rhythm in my artwork. I find these visual elements convey the meditative process well while also creating a very balanced and harmonious composition. Again, Kiki Smith describes this notion well when she said, I think there's a spiritual power in repetition, a devotional quality, like saying rosaries."7 While I painstakingly paint each part of a pattern, I am devoting myself to the pattern and the symbolic importance and unique quality of each part. I also believe that the amount that a symbol is repeated is directly related to the degree of symbolic importance. I have a profound interest in symbolism. I will use either figurative elements or other natural elements for symbols. These symbols will usually be present in patterns. One of my recurring symbols is the heart. I find the realistic heart visually and symbolically interesting. It is the lifeblood of the body and the lifeblood of the soul. The heart is synonymous with love, passion, and pain- which without, life would be meaningless. Finally, some other visual trademarks of my artwork are a rich and vibrant color scheme, a wide range of value and high contrast, radial symmetry, and mixing flat and voluminous rendering.

Close, Chuck; Smith, Kiki. Kiki Smith. BOMB (1994): 38-45.

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Use of Visual Themes

Figure 12. Jerde. My Heart Aches for that Figure 13. Jerde. My Heart Aches for that Figure 14. Jerde. My Heart Aches for that Which Will Be. 2013. Which Never Was. 2013. Which Is. 2013.

The painting triptych presented in Figures 12, 13, and 14, My Heart Aches.series, superbly represents both recurring visual elements and content. In this triptych, I provide social commentary on the pressing environmental crisis. I accomplished this by depicting two dystopias, on either end, contrasted with a utopia in the center. Figure 14 represents the current environmental disaster of the oil spill. Figure 12 represents a possible future environmental disaster of devastating deforestation. The painting presented in Figure 13, while utopian, is also foreboding. It is as if the mother earth figure can foretell impending environmental disaster and is attempting to warn the viewer. This sense of foreboding is mostly communicated through the figures facial expression presented in Figure 15. This example further demonstrates the power of the figure and its gaze in my pieces.

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The border pattern is representative of the animals indigenous to the utopian or dystopian setting. I painted a heart in the center of these borders containing the representative landscape. As I said earlier, I believe the heart is a powerful symbol of lifeblood or essence. In this case, it represents the soul of the landscape-the heart of the mother earth figures. The hearts also connect to the beginning of

each title, My Heart Aches

Figure 15. Jerde. My Heart Aches for that Which Never Was. Detail. 2013.

This painting series displays my interest in rich color schemes; in each painting I use a different triadic color scheme and painted and mixed many variants of the three colors that I chose. Lastly, these paintings are also three dimensional. The figures and borders are about one inch higher than the background. I did this mostly for aesthetic reasons and greater visual impact. However, I am fond of the idea of separating the figures from their settings in order to support the notion of spiritual distance between the mother earth figures and the landscapes; they exist on an unseen plane of existence that parallels and supports our earthly one.

Viewer Response
Although my artwork is undeniably a reflection of myself, I attempt to find a balance between personal truth and accessibility. While I believe that my best artwork

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has been the result of deep reflection, I also believe the only way that my art can have true purpose is to impact the viewer in some meaningful way. This impact could be in the form of an empathetic response, a catharsis, a reconsideration, an empowerment, even an answer or solution. I hope that the viewer will experience a meditative and reflective process regarding the main issues of my work. My aspiration is to pull the viewer into the piece with provocative juxtapositions of content, unique and aesthetic forms, and rich color schemes. From there, I hope to offer a platform for viewers to securely consider the subject matter and message. Ive taken a subtle approach to conveying concepts in the hopes that this would yield open and reflective responses. This subtle approach is very much reflective of my personality and in reaction to past experiences that I have had. Obviously I possess strong opinions about and interest in this subject matter and have very much wanted to discuss these concepts with people. However, I have been met with very defensive and reflexive responses from many and, being a non-confrontational person, have drawn away from discussing the subject matter with those whom might strongly oppose my ideas. Besides these conversations being very uncomfortable for me, I have also found them largely ineffective due to the knee-jerk, defensive reaction. Therefore, by utilizing a subtle approach in conveying my subject matter, I hope to sneak around the reflex, defense system in the viewers mind in order to strike the subconscious. I want to make my viewer think instead of react. At this point, using my

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artwork as a buffer, I look forward to holding an open-minded dialogue with the viewer on the content of my pieces. Ultimately, even if the viewer does not agree with the content of the piece, I feel that if the content isnt portrayed in an offensive manner, the viewer can at least enjoy the piece aesthetically if not conceptually.

Conclusion
Ultimately, I believe that through my art I can combat self-loathing and guilt by rebelling against forced societal restraints. I can contest religion by promoting spirituality and kinship between animals and human. I can fight patriarchal oppression and resulting timidity and anxiety by presenting strong female figures to serve as role models. Lastly, through my art, I can resist stoicism by embracing and celebrating emotion in its power to evoke truth. These compelling, impact-making concepts combined with an aesthetically pleasing, visually interesting composition, transforms art from an object that is simply pleasant to look at to something innovative and exciting, valued and loved, or mindblowing and miraculous. This is the art that I am passionate about creating.

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Works Cited
Brabazon, James. Albert Schweitzer, A Biography. Syracuse University Press, New York, 2000. Cabanas, Kari M. Ana Mendieta: The Pain of Cuba, body I am. Participation: Documents of Contemporary Art (2006): 160167. Close, Chuck; Smith, Kiki. Kiki Smith. BOMB (1994): 38-45 Engberg, Siri; Nochlin, Linda; Tillman, Lynne; Warner, Marina. Kiki Smith: A Gathering, 1980-2005. Minneapolis: Walker Art Center, 2005. Impelluso, Lucia. Nature and Its Symbols. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum. 2004 Lucie-Smith, Edward. Symbolist Art. New York: Praeger, 1972. Lozano, Luis-Martin; Monsivais, Carlos; Rivera, Diego; Saborit, Antonio. Frida Kahlo. Mexico: Landucci Editores. 2000. McDaniel, Craig; Robertson, Jean. Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980. New York: Oxford. 2010. Siberman, Robert. Kiki Smith. New York. The Burlington Magazine (2006): 887-878. Skestos, Stephanie. Untitled, 1988 by Kiki Smith. Art Institue of Chicago Museum Studies (1999): 64-65 +103. Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. New Jersey: Pearson, 2011.