BLOCK PRINT
Isaaih y yo
Size: 22 cm X 15 cm
Medium: Block Print
Date: December 2017
Exhibition text:
This block print, Isaaih y yo, was done by Susana Flores in 2017. It draws lots of interests, since it contains aspects which are symbolic to Frida Kahlo. In this portrait, the subject is facing the viewer with a black background . On my forehead is a smaller portrait. This portrait is of my ex significant other. The expression is calm and solemn. This is a piece about my resurrection after a break up. The past with this person is dark but the future is bright without them, although they will always be part of you.
Medium: Block Print
Date: December 2017
Exhibition text:
This block print, Isaaih y yo, was done by Susana Flores in 2017. It draws lots of interests, since it contains aspects which are symbolic to Frida Kahlo. In this portrait, the subject is facing the viewer with a black background . On my forehead is a smaller portrait. This portrait is of my ex significant other. The expression is calm and solemn. This is a piece about my resurrection after a break up. The past with this person is dark but the future is bright without them, although they will always be part of you.
Artistic Inspiration: Frida Kahlo
Autorretrato como tehuana
"This self portrait is also known by two other titles: "Diego in My Thoughts" and "Thinking of Diego". Frida's husband, Diego Rivera, continued to be an incorrigible womanizer, and Frida's desire to possess him expressed itself in this portrait. Diego's miniature portrait on her brow indicates Frida's obsessive love for the fresco painter….he is always in her thoughts. She is wearing the traditional Tehuana costume that Diego greatly admired. She painted herself wearing it to attract Diego and entice him closer. The roots of the leaves which she wears in her hair suggest the pattern of a spider's web in which she seeks to trap her prey... Diego.
Frida began this painting in August of 1940, the year she and Diego divorced but didn't finished it until 1943." “Self Portrait as a Tehuana.” Self Portrait as a Tehuana, Autorretrato como Tehuana, Frida Kahlo, C0410, www.fridakahlofans.com/c0410.html.
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Diego y yo 1949Frida painted this self-portrait during the period when her husband, Diego Rivera, was having a notorious affair with the film star Maria Felix, a relationship which provoked a public scandal. The beautiful film star was also an intimate friend of Frida's as well, and though Frida pretended to joke about the affair, as she had about Rivera's other escapades, this painting reveals her true emotions. Wretched and weeping, she looks mournfully out at the viewer. Her long hair has wrapped itself around her neck suggesting that she feels strangled by the situation. As in many of her other self-portraits, her hair again becomes the vehicle through which she expresses her emotional anguish. Frida's obsession with Diego is symbolized by the small bust of him on her forehead…he being the obvious source of the distress reflected in this painting.
“Diego and I.” Diego and I, Diego y Yo, Frida Kahlo, C0575, www.fridakahlofans.com/c0575.html.
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Planning Sketches
For the brainstorming and planning portion of the process, many mediums were considered, with varying themes and subject matter for each. Once experimenting with ideas I settled on block print.
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In the beginning of the planning process after determining the medium, I wanted to stick to a more illustration type block print. After playing with this idea i determined that I was going to free hand the entire thing on the linoleum block.
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Reflection
The outcome of this project came out well. It was the first time I ever used this form of art medium. When I was introduced to the technique, I immediately thought that it was going to be easy, because it seemed like all you did was carve out your design and put ink on top of it. The carving stage was the hardest. It was very difficult to carve out tine details, seeing as though we had bigger tools to work with. In addition, carving was at times painful. I happened to cut myself a number of times. The inking process was also a struggle, because I had to do multiple prints until I get a clear saturated image. I didn't know how much ink to put on or how much pressure. I did multiple prints and I finally found a good ratio of the two components. After that I made more and more prints and they all came out clean and saturated, If I do this type of art ever again, I'll make sure I use what I learned in my experimentation and apply it to all of my future block prints. Looking back I realize that I should have focused a little more on a deeper meaning intead of focusing so much on making the piece a strong mix of the two art movements.
Connection to the ACT
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
There are certain aspect between the paintings that clearly resemble for example the portrait of her love Diego on her forehead. First of all, Frida Kahlo is a symbol of the Mexican culture which is why she is my main inspiration when talking about my own culture.
What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Frida Kahlo represented her culture with joy and pride, but in her paintings she always reflected upon two completely different worlds, the world happiness and the world of sadness. I decided to depict the world of sadness.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
My central theme and idea for this piece was to stay true to Frida's original meaning. She was going through a divorce and the paintings all had symbols of Diego and suffering. I personally went through something similar.
What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
There are certain aspect between the paintings that clearly resemble for example the portrait of her love Diego on her forehead. First of all, Frida Kahlo is a symbol of the Mexican culture which is why she is my main inspiration when talking about my own culture.
What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Frida Kahlo represented her culture with joy and pride, but in her paintings she always reflected upon two completely different worlds, the world happiness and the world of sadness. I decided to depict the world of sadness.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
My central theme and idea for this piece was to stay true to Frida's original meaning. She was going through a divorce and the paintings all had symbols of Diego and suffering. I personally went through something similar.
What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?