Metaphoric Self-Portrait by Henry Bogle
My self-portrait uses M.C. Escher’s Metamorphosis II as a background to covey the idea of the teacher as an instrument of change. I knew I wanted to use an Escher image as a backdrop, for both aesthetic and metaphoric reasons, and chose Metamorphosis II. The motif of a rose is used as a symbol that shows both the flowering of intellect and teaching as an act oflove. The wise man shows the profession as a scholarly pursuit, the dragonslayer as a foe of ignorance, and the diviner as a seeker of truth. The falling man expresses the both the challenges and exhilaration of the profession.
Aesthetically, I wanted to contrast and complement the Escher print, graphic intermediaries, and tromp l’oeil images. The whole idea of popping out conveyed in much of Escher’s work is expressed in an illusionistic matter with dropped shadows and more realistic images. I did little fading, hoping that a continuity in graphic sensibility, composition, and color wouldgive the collage a pictorial and spatial cohesion. I decided that given the busiest of the background, I would be selective in the quantity and quality of images used.
Concepts
1. Change and metamorphosis
2. Love
3. Blooming rose
4. Knight and Dragon
5. Butterflies
6. The scholar
7. Falling man
8. The deviner
9. The ship
Sketches
Posts
This is a very good portrait. I enjoy the aspect of wondering in this, it keeps me interested.
ReplyDelete-Samantha Malzahn age 13
This is pretty cool. The guy with a beard in the background reminds me of a guy in a book I read for class. The guy is the Giver from the Newbery Medal winning book The Giver. The rose and butterflies are pretty cool too.
ReplyDelete- Janet, Age 13
This certainly is a rich, multi-textured picture. Your commentary was important in making me understand the symbolism and underlying logic in the picture.
ReplyDeleteKlark Khent, Age 47
I was touched by the way this self-portrait conveyed the idea of a teacher as an instrument of change. Using Escher and the various quasi-archetypal images/people was a great way of expressing this.
ReplyDeleteMary, Age 47
Henry,
ReplyDeleteI really like this project. My first thought when I was reading your analysis of your art was, "How can I use something like this for my middle school language arts students?" What program did you do this in? Great job and great analysis.