Understanding the Bodies Natural Emotive Responses

[IN PROGRESS] 

Over the past number of years I have been interested in the form of the body and how, without verbal interference, one can interpret a figures emotion through language of the body and its expression.

When we speak, we sometimes do not know what to say. Especially when we need to express how we feel. We also do not speak honestly of our feelings or so it is a tradition in the mentality of the human to hide and secure our emotions. In everyday life we can hide our emotions though to the people we are closer to, the acknowledgement in the differentiation of our body language and expression can be identified clearly.

(End of draft one)

Historically dance is a creation of bodily expression and performed it can display a narrative as clear as any play. However contemporary dance movements have successfully achieved very translucent experiments without a chronological narrative allowing the voyeur and performer alike an entry point and personal interpretation. 

(End of draft 2)

http://www.historyguide.org/europe/dio_apollo.html

Movement & Expression Explored - Semester 1 Yr 2

Caravaggio; A Sub-Conscious Influence

Left: Caravaggio; David with the head of Goliath - Detail (1609-1610)

Right: Eamonn B. Shanahan; Studio Emotive Performance (2011) 

Ultimately I am a huge fan of the great master Caravaggio. His beautiful attention to detail and life-like qualities amaze me. However when I was shooting my Performance Art Work, I had not intended to have a Caravaggio-like relation attached to my work.

This acknowledgement came to me in a lecture on Caravaggio by Vera Ryan on Monday 21st November 2011 and also from comments and observations from my colleagues. However in the lecture Vera Ryan spoke about the early works of Caravaggio in which the master created self-portraits, moreover she stated that there was an 'irrelevance of time and space' in these early paintings. Currently, as my work is based in an environment that is neutral, I would like to believe that this influence has much duplication from Caravaggio though in the medium of photography.

Furthermore in the continuation of my studio work I hope to develop the irrelevance of time and space and push it to its limits incorporating my own response to movement and emotive response.

An Introduction to 'A Mystical World'

The beginning of a Mystical World

The formation of my new world is now underway. My inspiration comes from the modern day film makers including that of Tim Burton, with his quirky and dramatic set work and multimedia animation; Disney for what he is, a master of the film world but also an artist in his own right. The Socorers Apprentice shows this exactly like many other of Disney's films - Beautiful, positive, musical and magical all describe his work and I want to try and achieve these very aspects in my work.

I wanted the underlay of this painting to be dark for one primary reason - to highlight and emphasis the lighter features in the painting. The trickling water in the far background is the focus in this painting. However it should lead the eye swirling around the soft blue tones of the painting to reach the foreground - the red and darker pigments.

 

 

I have not achieved what I want to achieve as of yet. The point of 'magic-ness' and musical mystery is not as evident as it should be. However what is present and what will be carried forward is the movement. Movement is certainly illustrated in this painting through the large brush strokes, the direction and flow of colour and the falling of water. This will be further emphasised in the future and I hope that the influence of the figure and natural aspects will aid this also.


The combination of my performance work, the addition of textures such as sand and plaster to give dimension and with the idea of the mystical world is the direction that I'm aiming towards.