Studio+Project+13

INDEPENDENT PROJECT 7

Workbook Pages (IWB):
media type="custom" key="21715042"

Description
This is an oil pastel on canvas board piece, intended to complement Studio Project 5 as a pair/series. The idea is to have two side by side pieces, one showing traditional urban life in Egypt (in villages, etc.), and this one showing traditional rural life in Egypt. The setting is Upper Egyptian Nubian life.

What were the artistic and/or cultural influences for this project? Who/what influenced either the composition and/or the style.
There are four primary artist influences for this piece. Firstly, the architect Hassan Fathy who influenced the designs for the buildings in the background. Secondly, the artist Hussein Bikar, who influenced the the felluca shape. Thirdly, the artist Ragheb Ayad who influenced the figure drawing. and Fourthly, the artist [|Tahia Halim]who influenced the composition. She showed buildings in 2D in the background, and the figures in 2D in the foreground taking up most of the space, she was strongly influenced by historic and biblical representations.

What materials/media/processes did you use and or experiment with, and how?
I didn't really experiment with any new mediums, since this was intended to be part of a series with Studio Project 5, however in SP5 I used oil paint over the oil pastel, here I decided to leave the oil pastel layer as it is, and I didn't cover it with paint, or at least not yet, until I've analyzed the piece enough, since in SP5 I partly regretted using the paints. I have however noticed that layering oil pastel and oil paint, helps give me the professional color palette I'd been looking for in recent projects.

How do you think you have responded to advice and criticism during this project (and during the term), both from fellow students and the teacher. Did you actively seek advice? If so, was it useful?
I spent a lot of time discussing what sort of composition I should use, since I wanted it to match SP5, but the proportions for figures in the first piece is actually much smaller, so this means that now the first piece shows a zoomed out scene, while this one is extremely zoomed in. I took advice from my dad, who told me that the simple composition with one or two large figured dominating the piece was the best, and from my art teacher, who told me that they didn't necessarily have to be the same, so I did as is, so that I could examine them finished. I have decided now retrospectively that it would be best to make them both the same, somehow, so I intended to rework the first piece, so that they match.

What could you take through to the next project and develop further? This could be anything, from a technique to an idea, not necessarily just the theme?
Oil pastel is now going to be my primary medium for my canvas works, and I intended to combine it with oil paints. Layering these two together will give me the professional color palettes I have been looking for.