Pan!c - The Art of Looking Okay: Art Analysis
Panic Attack: by kamokugaijin found on Deviant Art
First Glance:
This is a self-portrait charcoal and paper drawing. The first thing I notice when I look at this piece is how dis-formed the individual is. The reason this resonates with me is due to the nature of how my own panic attacks feel. The next thing that catches my eye is how the charcoal is slightly messy, now I'm mentioning this because it adds to the work. The use of grayscale and lack of color brings an honest truth to light, the reality of panic attacks is that they are messy and dark.
Facial Expressions:
If you look at the facial expressions notice how specific expressions are placed in accordance with the natural motion of human gestures. I can tell the artist put thought into each expression's relation to the body. See how the face angled down holds the most sadness and conveys almost a lost hope. This face also looks the most neutral which is fitting because most panic attacks don't look like a tantrum, they look like normal people not responding as usual. The hands grasping for the neck show a simultaneous feeling of self-love and hate. A love that drives the person to want to escape a negative situation by harsh means of denying themselves a future.
Then if you look to the top face we see a partial lack of emotion, known as dissociation where the girl is mentally removing herself from the environment she's in. But we also see her looking up, this can be seen as a sign for help because it relates to how a child might look up at their parent for help. In this case, the feeling I get is her looking to a universal being.
The screaming face, is what I would critique, because of the lack of emotion between the brows and eyes. I like how clean and easy it is to identify the teeth, and the proportions are sound for realism.
Technical View:
The overall view of the faces being held and torn with skin is a nice idea and it was shown well. But technically speaking when skin is stretched it is fairly flat and only has dimension based on the underlying structure. This work shows dramatization to give a clearer picture which is an artist's choice, I can see why they did it.
The hair is kept simplified in order to keep the viewer's attention on the faces. I like how the hair is separate from the background but at the same time being used as a transition to the background. I also appreciate how the artist did a layer of charcoal all over the paper first and then added darker tones second, it is done properly.
I do want to mention the jacket. Notice how the top sleeve is straight and stiff, it gives the impression of this being a jean jacket. The artist curled the collar and added more creases and wrinkles across the fabric in normal spots a jean jacket would wear over time. Lastly, see how there is some heavy black in a few spots. The contrast these few spots create is significant in not only how it gives the appearance of highlights, but an overall dark mood to the work.
Hey Ava,
ReplyDeleteI think your comparison to panic attacks and the art piece is an excellent one! I'm not sure I would have connected the two, but while reading your post, you explain very well how the art piece goes hand and hand with panic attacks. Something that I didn't notice until you pointed it out was that the hair is simplified to keep all eyes on the faces. That's a really unique technique used and I am happy you pointed it out. Well done Ava!
Ava,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this! Your interpretation of this piece and how you relate was very personal and made this piece meaningful. Your analysis was beautiful too. I could relate to it because I also have panic attacks. It is interesting how I intemperate this piece differently and in a very similar sense to how you did. Your knowledge of art definitely shows in this blog post.
Hi Ava,
ReplyDeleteBefore reading the caption my mind went directly to mental health/split personality so I appreciate the relation you made toward panic attacks. Although the self-portrait comes across as dark the line work the artist uses seems almost organic as the faces flow together but are all easily identifiable and are not lost in one another if that makes sense. It would have been interesting to see the drawing with a completely "neutral" face in the center surrounded by the different stages of the panic attack that this artist experienced.
I feel like it could have made a beautiful piece if there were some other colors like red to help represent the one that looks like its screaming and yellow. Before I started reading I only thought of the piece being of bipolar. I love how you understand the work and the shades so well and describe like the charcoal and the shades. It really helped me understand you and the in depth description of the work. The eyes and and the hand on the neck. I couldn't help but keep thinking about how to me it just looks like she wants to escape and is out of control. I see anxiety a little differently but mostly because I learned how to take charge of my anxiety and as I say "ride the wave" knowing the outcome will be okay no matter how I feel in the exact moment I'm having the attack. I learned little tricks to help myself and the triggers so I am sometimes better prepared for when I have the episodes. Thank you again for being descriptive.
ReplyDeleteMartha.