Mariel II

Working with Impressionist masters helped me to understand that painting and drawing are more alike than I had made them out to be. It's definitely a goal of mine to use more expressive line work and movement within my drawings now that I've come to this realization. 

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These are the drawings I've done within the past two weeks. I see them as practice to loosen up. Most of them are memories from time with my family in Mexico. I felt the need to document this experience so that I could remember the emotions and the atmosphere later on in life. I think I like to do that with a lot of my work. 

For our Renaissance/Contemporary piece, I chose to work with The Arnolfini Wedding by Jan Van Eyck. He painted this piece in 1434 of Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife. Jan Van Eyck was a Flemmish painter during the 15th century who painted with high detail and lucious colour.
This painting is a symbol of wealth in many ways. The dog is painted in order for us to see their fidelity to one another. The fruit suggest to us that Giovanni's wife is fertile and healthy. The decor and attire clearly show us their wealth within the community. However, he also incorporated himself into the composition. Jan Van Eyck's attention to detail makes it extremely difficult for us to see the self-portrait of the artist without a magnifying glass.
I see this as almost a random move on the artist's part. I can't tell if he was just having fun with this or if there is an actual meaning to him asserting his presence. For my contemporary piece regarding The Arnolfini Wedding, I intend to photograph a modern couple in their home with some of their most valued items. To infuse this piece with my work, there will be a mirror behind the couple in which my self-portrait will appear with the camera.