Olivia's Ireland
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Personal Art From Ireland
Below is a gallery of selected works from the art portfolio I created while in Ireland. I chose these specific works because they were related to the female perspective that I found prevalent throughout my experience abroad.
Click on each image for a full view and caption.
This is my interpretation on a piece of street art that I found while walking around Dublin. Because the woman in the piece seems distressed, I incorporated pieces of an article about violence against women and the forced silence of women who want to speak out about these issues. Because it was street art, I added the words "Women Must Speak" in graffiti, which is juxtaposed with the words and image of not having a voice.
I was fascinated by the keening culture in Ireland, where women mourn the loss of male family members by wailing. I found the passion and agony of the women who keen sublime. While in Ireland we also visited graveyards, in which there were beautifully decorated headstones. These images provoked an emotional response that I shared through my piece.
We visited the Pirate Queen, Grace O'Malley's tower, and learned a bit about her adventurous life as a pirate. I was deeply interested and empowered by Ms. O'Malley non-traditional life and her fiery personality. Therefore, I created a piece that played on the word Grace, because of her ability to use her mind and body to accomplish her goals.
I design jewelry and created a sketch which incorporates my interest. We met the artist Dorothy Cross, and her conviction to create interesting art and her passion for using non-traditional material resonated with me. For this reason, I created a piece that showcased a necklace that would be worn by a woman as daring as Ms. Cross
In literature class, we read the poem "Leda and the Swan," by W.B. Yeats. This poem depicts the rape of Leda and her conflict about the attack, during which she felt some pleasure during the horrific assault. This poem described the emotional distress that women feel after being raped. Because this is an important issue, that is often ignored, I created a piece to illustrate this emotional poem.
In Dorothy Cross' studio, there was a statue of a nun facing the wall and also a broken statue's face on the book shelf. I felt that this imagery represented the church turning its back on certain people. From my perspective, I related this to the church's ignorance towards women's issues.
In this drawing, I depicted a nun with her back to the boys of Letterfrack, a religious school that turned its back on its students. Though these crimes were committed by priests, I illustrated a nun so that the words "if only" could also relate to religions who turn their backs on women.
Poet Tony Curtis said, "Did you ever do a handstand on a cliff to see the world upside down?" I was inspired to draw a woman inverted because I felt that it represented women seeing the world from men's perspective...a viewpoint that is totally different from their own.
I was blown away by the colors and patterns in the Irish landscape which was the inspiration for this piece. Additionally, the artists and writers that we studied prescribed the female gender to land. For this reason, I combined a female face cut from a map of Ireland, with the colors and patterns of Ireland's landscape representing her hair.
Much of the literature we read focused on the theme of love, and specifically, the love women feel, including a sister looking after her younger sister, a mother caring for her daughter, and a married woman in love with another man. I depicted romantic love which many women think of as the strongest form of love, even though there are many types of love.
This is my interpretation of a painting that was in the National Gallery in Dublin. This woman appeared to be high class and fashion-forward. I incorporated a newspaper article about the burqa, and whether or not it can be fashionable as a poignant contrast.
I was drawn to the beauty of this female sculpture. She looked pensive, but serene, and from the way that her head was turned, she seemed to be listening to something. I connected this with a woman being in touch with her feelings and understanding her body. Therefore, I added a line from W.B. Yeats' poem, "The Lake Isle of Innisfree," because I felt that it connected with her powerful emotion.
While I was in Dublin I witnessed a women's marathon. Inspired by this event I decided to juxtapose a feminine image with the athleticism of the runners. Women are chameleons and each woman has her own personal interests, that should be celebrated. However, women are often negatively labeled based on the personality and style that they choose.