Digital Collage
The Two Leslie's
Digital Collage
Size: 24x34cm
September 14, 2016
Exhibition Text
Leslie Sandoval focuses on portraying a similar piece of Frida Kahlo; it’s known as The Two Fridas. That piece expresses Frida's two different personalities. One is the traditional Frida in a Tehuana costume, with a broken heart and the independent, modern dressed Frida. The Two Leslies is a piece of great significance to the artist due to its meaning. It’s meaning is that she is stuck between two cultures; the one she was born into and one she grew up into. She is the same person in both, but is different at the same time.
Planning
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Artistic Inspiration: In The Two Leslie's, my artistic inspiration was Frida Kahlo's painting, "The Two Frida's". I have always loved Frida Kahlo, so I wanted to incorporate a piece of hers in my first art project that fit with my story and I thought "The Two Frida's" was a good suit. In her painting, there are two Frida's, and one is cutting the veins so she can remove herself from being connected from her other self. They're the same person, but they aren't and I believe that is how I feel. In my piece I put two of me and I included a rope that was cut in half like Frida had cut her veins in her painting. I was obviously not going to cut my veins in the image, because I would die so I just put the rope. I also incorporated clouds in the background like Frida Kahlo did in her painting. She has and will always be my artistic inspiration.
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Critical Investigation
The Two Fridas is an oil painting and is one of her most famous pieces, probably because it was created during the naive art. this painting was created after her divorce with the famous painter, Diego Rivera. Perhaps maybe this painting symbolizes new beginnings and that includes a new heart. If you look closely to the painting, the dress where her heart is broken is more fancy with fine embroideries, while the other dress is causal. After many years of curiosity she admitted that this painting represented the loneliness she felt after the divorce between her and Diego Rivera. This painting is currently in Mexico City and this was the painting that gave her the highest amount of money.
The Two Fridas is an oil painting and is one of her most famous pieces, probably because it was created during the naive art. this painting was created after her divorce with the famous painter, Diego Rivera. Perhaps maybe this painting symbolizes new beginnings and that includes a new heart. If you look closely to the painting, the dress where her heart is broken is more fancy with fine embroideries, while the other dress is causal. After many years of curiosity she admitted that this painting represented the loneliness she felt after the divorce between her and Diego Rivera. This painting is currently in Mexico City and this was the painting that gave her the highest amount of money.
Sketches
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The first sketch is the closest one I went with. The first sketch was going to be the same image of me but the image would be rotated in a way. The background would have clouds, like Frida Kahlo had clouds in her painting. She had her heart and veins cut with scissors, but that was too drastic for me so I decided to do something less complicated and not deathly so instead I applied a rope that was cut half on the sketch. I compared the rope and the veins and they looked very similar, so I kept that.
The second sketch would have been a dark background, I was planning for it to be a picture of a dark wall or a picture I took a while ago of the night sky at camp. I was also planning for it to be two different images of me. For example, one when I was a baby and one of now. I would have the rope in my hands with scissors. |
Collected Images
My cousin helped me take a picture of me for this project and we decided to go to her rooftop and take the pictures there. I had taken the lake picture this summer when I went camping and it was just breathtaking. I analyzed it and decided to use the clouds from the image. I then took a few pictures with the cut rope to have options when putting it together.
Process
I was able to do this project through a program that Reagan allows us to use; it contains photoshop and many other resourceful tools.
I was able to do this project through a program that Reagan allows us to use; it contains photoshop and many other resourceful tools.
- First, as you enter the website you have to put the measures in order to have a clear canvas.
- I added the lake image as my background as you can see below, and cropped it so it would only show the clouds.
- I then worked on the image of me and selected it with the lasso tool. I took off all the rough edges and smoothed them out.
- I then got the image that was on refine edge and applied it on the cloud image by copying and pasting it.
- I selected the rope image and smoothed it out and pasted it on the final product as well.
- I changed the opacity on the figures and that includes: the two Leslie's and the rope.
The Meaning:
I am hispanic; this means I am american and mexican. I am mexican by blood but born in the United States. Growing up was hard. I would visit México and all my little cousins would call me “gringa” which means white, but I was dark, just like them. It didn’t make sense to a seven year old. My cousins over there would always try to exclude me because I was born in the United States, they tried to made me feel bad? Anyway, when I came back from visiting my family, I would come home. As I grew, I picked up new traditions from America but still held the ones from México close to my heart. I stopped visiting México. In the seventh grade I went back and they tried but I didn’t really care anymore. That summer I went back home with a surprise; my mom had registered me to a new school. The population was mostly white. I didn’t really mind, until I started getting bullied for being different to them. A white boy in my class would call me horrific things because I was mexican. So I was stuck. My cousins in México would call me “gringa” because I was born on the United States and this white, racist boy would call me a “beaner” because I was mexican? I’m hispanic, which is a mixture of both.
I am hispanic; this means I am american and mexican. I am mexican by blood but born in the United States. Growing up was hard. I would visit México and all my little cousins would call me “gringa” which means white, but I was dark, just like them. It didn’t make sense to a seven year old. My cousins over there would always try to exclude me because I was born in the United States, they tried to made me feel bad? Anyway, when I came back from visiting my family, I would come home. As I grew, I picked up new traditions from America but still held the ones from México close to my heart. I stopped visiting México. In the seventh grade I went back and they tried but I didn’t really care anymore. That summer I went back home with a surprise; my mom had registered me to a new school. The population was mostly white. I didn’t really mind, until I started getting bullied for being different to them. A white boy in my class would call me horrific things because I was mexican. So I was stuck. My cousins in México would call me “gringa” because I was born on the United States and this white, racist boy would call me a “beaner” because I was mexican? I’m hispanic, which is a mixture of both.
Reflection:
Throughout this project, I learned that you have to very patient with photo shop because if you don't, you will mess up and its really hard to go back to how the image used to be. I also learned how to use photo shop and its techniques for future projects, analyzation and references. It was hard but worth the learning. I also learned that it's okay to ask for help, because sometimes you just need a little help and more for me due to it being my first time using photo shop. I feel very successful with my result. It came out very different to my original sketches and that's okay because in my opinion I modified it for the better. I really enjoyed this project.
Throughout this project, I learned that you have to very patient with photo shop because if you don't, you will mess up and its really hard to go back to how the image used to be. I also learned how to use photo shop and its techniques for future projects, analyzation and references. It was hard but worth the learning. I also learned that it's okay to ask for help, because sometimes you just need a little help and more for me due to it being my first time using photo shop. I feel very successful with my result. It came out very different to my original sketches and that's okay because in my opinion I modified it for the better. I really enjoyed this project.
ACT Responses
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork:
My inspiration, which was Frida Kahlo's painting, The Two Frida's had a lot of effect in my painting due to its meaning and representation. I believe that I have changed a lot these past few months. I was naive and now I know better. It's a way of representing me letting go of that part of me.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors overall approach regarding the topic of my inspiration is that it covers some of her highlighted work and one of her greatest pieces she has made, but its very vague.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Everyone has a side of them they want to cut off, like in Frida's painting and like in my digital collage.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research was melancholy, euphoria and just how happy I am now that I let go of all the negative damage that had been harming me for so long.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I believe that Frida Kahlo changed a lot in a small amount of time all the time due to her hectic life with her husband and her accident.
My inspiration, which was Frida Kahlo's painting, The Two Frida's had a lot of effect in my painting due to its meaning and representation. I believe that I have changed a lot these past few months. I was naive and now I know better. It's a way of representing me letting go of that part of me.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors overall approach regarding the topic of my inspiration is that it covers some of her highlighted work and one of her greatest pieces she has made, but its very vague.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Everyone has a side of them they want to cut off, like in Frida's painting and like in my digital collage.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my inspirational research was melancholy, euphoria and just how happy I am now that I let go of all the negative damage that had been harming me for so long.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I believe that Frida Kahlo changed a lot in a small amount of time all the time due to her hectic life with her husband and her accident.
Bibliography
"Frida Kahlo and Her Paintings." Frida Kahlo. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2016.
"Frida Kahlo and Her Paintings." Frida Kahlo. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2016.