Erin Jung
Two months ago I was asked the question: What is the definition of a portrait? At first, I thought about giving the obvious answer: a portrayal of a person’s physical features, but I found that this was a limited definition. To me, a portrait represents more than just a person’s likeness, but also a representation of personality. My concentration attempts to go beyond the conventional surface of portraiture by revealing unseen aspects of personality, thought, and emotions within my subjects. I first started my concentration with my fascination of projections on the human body. At first, I had no intention in the way I chose my projected patterns. At first, I only used patterns to explore the idea of additive design on the body. As the year went on, I realized the real beauty of projections and how it can reveal much more about a person than just their outward physical appearance. I intentionally started to add graphic motifs to reveal something more about personality and thoughts. In one of my pieces, I overlaid broken glass to give expression and emotion to a stern portraiture. I wanted to show that there is always something imaginative working behind a serious expression. In another one of pieces, I started to introduce new motifs such as flowers and selective color. These designs were chosen to reveal my model’s interests and her bright personality. Towards the end of my concentration, I decided to extend my theme through the use of geometric shapes. I started to use geometric patterns to express the idea of varying emotions. The patterns were chosen to show a loose and spontaneous personality behind a distant expression. As my senior year now comes to a close, I hope to challenge each of my viewers to experience the wonders that I felt when painting at my pieces and to find the hidden meaning of personality in others.
