Choice Piece
Title: Ms. Independent
Size: 60.96 cm by 60.96 cm
Medium: Acrylic paint on canvas
Date: April 2021
I wanted to create something that would defy what used to be known as feminism and show that women shouldn’t follow standards. I was inspired by John Singleton Copley. Back in his time women took orders. In my piece women can do and be anything-even a blacksmith. My piece still features Mrs. Richard Skinner, but she is more than just an object of admiration and isn't married. Feminism is important because many women deal with mental illness as a result of being treated unfairly.
Artistic Inspiration
Inspiration Behind The Painting:
I chose this piece because of the sophisticated way this woman was portrayed to create a look of a
married woman with "manner." This was what feminism was considered to be in the time this piece
was created and I wanted to create something that would defy it. I wanted to keep the posture to
show that this was always the same woman, but now she is capable of pursuing her interests and
skills without feeling the need for a man's permission. I also thought it would be perfect to take this
portrait and remove the ring from her finger to show that she doesn't marry for status and can take
on life independently. I wanted to create a piece that would empower women and I felt like taking
a piece painted by a man and reversing the meaning would be a perfect way to achieve this goal.
About John Singleton Copley:
John Singleton Copley-born in Boston, Massachusetts-was a well known American Neoclassicism artist. His work got recognition in America in 1760, but he moved to London to continue his study in 1774. While most pieces and illustrations of this period often depict tales from ancient history or mythology, Copley’s art was famous for relating to his subjects’ lives. Copley’s stepfather had access to an extensive collection of prints after old masters and English portraits, which were a starting point for Copley’s early works. He worked with various mediums including paintings, pastels, and miniatures. His subjects modeled as personae they wanted to portray, helping Copley create persuasive fictions that could create a look of social position. When he briefly painted in Boston, New York, a person would have a great social status for owning English-style works of art by successful artists like Copley. His work became centerpieces in settings that had Chippendale-style furniture, Rococo tea sets, as well as other fine items in places such as halls, parlors, and dining rooms of homes.
John Singleton Copley-born in Boston, Massachusetts-was a well known American Neoclassicism artist. His work got recognition in America in 1760, but he moved to London to continue his study in 1774. While most pieces and illustrations of this period often depict tales from ancient history or mythology, Copley’s art was famous for relating to his subjects’ lives. Copley’s stepfather had access to an extensive collection of prints after old masters and English portraits, which were a starting point for Copley’s early works. He worked with various mediums including paintings, pastels, and miniatures. His subjects modeled as personae they wanted to portray, helping Copley create persuasive fictions that could create a look of social position. When he briefly painted in Boston, New York, a person would have a great social status for owning English-style works of art by successful artists like Copley. His work became centerpieces in settings that had Chippendale-style furniture, Rococo tea sets, as well as other fine items in places such as halls, parlors, and dining rooms of homes.
Planning
Planning Sketches
For this piece, I knew that I wanted to paint Mrs. Richard Skinner, but make her single and have a job. It took me a while to think about what job I wanted her to have and how to dress her for it. I originally thought of making her a nurse, but even though it was rare for women to have jobs back then, I knew that it wasn't completely unusual for a woman to be a nurse so I wanted to choose something more "manly." I ended up going with making her a blacksmith to show that women can work with tools and in dangerous environments too. Although there are many women blacksmiths now, the point was to defy feminism from long ago. My painting ended up completely following my final planning sketch, except for the background which I didn't plan out until the last minute.
Process & Experimentation
To make this piece, I started off with an outline which was a little challenging because I had to freehand it. I started by painting the face and neck followed by the hair. To make the skin tone, I blended a peach color, with a vanilla color, and brown. I blended these colors on the canvas instead of the palette to save paint and use a bigger variety of tones. I also think the consistency turns out better when blended on the canvas over the palette. I then painted the arms and tank top. While the tank top was a plain black, I blended white in curves to create the shape of her upper torso and chest. I then painted the tattoos with a very thin brush to make sure I didn't smudge or ruin any of the tiny details. For the table, I decided to paint it just a dark blue. For the hammer, I blended black and white on the canvas. I started off by adding the lightest greys, then the darker ones followed by thick layers of white to create the highlights. I then painted the handle black. Besides her arm, the hammer was probably one of my favorite parts to paint because as I have said about previous pieces, I love working with value and the gradation scales. I painted the sheet of paper white but had to add an extra layer to both the table and the paper because I kept on painting outside of the lines. For the background, I didn't originally plan what I wanted to do so it took me a while to think about it. I ended up only using one shade of brown, but instead of my usual straight lines, I painted in messy circular motions to try and create a similar background as the one from the original piece. Another thing I loved about this method, is how certain areas were darker than others and the splotches that I created looked natural.
Reflection
What I loved about this project, was the inspiration I felt throughout the entire process. I felt that I was telling a story that needed to be told and empowering women and that kept me motivated to continue painting. I used the blending on canvas technique that worked for me while painting my self portrait and found it once again successful. As for the background, the messy circular brushstrokes worked for me and created something that looked natural and meant to be instead of messy. I plan to use this brushstroke for the backgrounds of future pieces. My favorite parts to paint were her arm and the hammer because I loved working with the gradation scales and value. I also got to experiment with blending on the canvas for these parts.
Compare & Contrast
Similarities:
-Both feature the same woman which is significant because they represent different versions of her -Both are positioned the same because they both show what it means to be intelligent in different ways |
Differences:
-Copley painted his with the intention of creating a neoclassical piece, while I didn't -Copley's piece portrays women as objects of admiration, while mine portrays women as independent beings capable of working |
ACT Responses
1. Clearly explain and describe how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
Copley's portrayal of women and what feminism was in his time inspired me to defy it. My piece focuses more on the independence and empowerment of women, while his shows classy wives with "manners."
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
It is an educational website that gives an in depth biography of Copley's life as well as his influence on the neoclassical movement and art in his time.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc., while you researched your inspiration?
Women of this time were considered classy and sophisticated if they were married, kept their mouths shut, relied on men, and didn't work.
4. What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
My idea was to defy what Copley and the people of his time considered feminism creating my theme of women empowerment. The goal was to take the same woman and show that she was capable of more than looking pretty, including handling a job that men thought they owned.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Many of Copley's neoclassical pieces featured women of higher status, and most of the time they were married. This makes me think that women of higher status were what he considered to be classy and sophisticated parts of a neoclassical movement.
Copley's portrayal of women and what feminism was in his time inspired me to defy it. My piece focuses more on the independence and empowerment of women, while his shows classy wives with "manners."
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
It is an educational website that gives an in depth biography of Copley's life as well as his influence on the neoclassical movement and art in his time.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc., while you researched your inspiration?
Women of this time were considered classy and sophisticated if they were married, kept their mouths shut, relied on men, and didn't work.
4. What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
My idea was to defy what Copley and the people of his time considered feminism creating my theme of women empowerment. The goal was to take the same woman and show that she was capable of more than looking pretty, including handling a job that men thought they owned.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Many of Copley's neoclassical pieces featured women of higher status, and most of the time they were married. This makes me think that women of higher status were what he considered to be classy and sophisticated parts of a neoclassical movement.
Bibliography
"John Singleton Copley (1738-1815)." The Met, Oct. 2003, https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/copl/hd_copl.htm