| abstract | This thesis defines my use of works by Willem de Kooning and Sigmar Polke to shape the presentation of my local.
This local makes reference to spaces in the cities I have grown up in: Sidney, Ohio; Easthampton, Massachusetts; and Madison, New Jersey. These three
cities have shaped me into the person I am today and I look to collapse the distance between these spaces in my paintings. Both de Kooning and Polke
have been helpful to me by assisting in solving problems within my own paintings. The work of these artists relate to my work because, their work also
suggests feelings of the areas in which they lived. The problems upon which they aided me include structure, composition, color, and source material.
After studying the works of both artists, I have come to make different stylistic choices in my paintings. I now think more critically about the
elements that go into each painting, as well as think about how the colors within the overall painting interact. De Kooning has influenced my work
through a variation of brush strokes, as well as thinking about how different colors blend on the canvas. Polke has influenced my work through how I
combine different images to create a work, as well as how I could change colors within my images to create a different effect. In future paintings,
I will take what I have learned from both de Kooning and Polke to continue to explore these ideas. I will not only work to create single landscapes
through considering elements, I will also vary my brush strokes so as to create movement throughout the painting. This research portion of a studio
art thesis has helped me by introducing artists with similar, yet different styles that have informed and shaped my understanding of painting. |
