Symbolic Self

Symbolic Self

Niki Ravari

For this project, I knew I wanted to create a piece with oil pastels because it’s a new medium I really enjoy working with. I also wanted to relate this project to the current situation and portray myself in a way that is consistent with how I feel now. Since I have been spending the majority of my time focused on creating art, I drew myself using vivid colors as a way to embody my creativity and how I feel rather than using a realistic skin color. I drew my body in poses that are withdrawn, in a way that the figures seem isolated, even though they are in the same piece. This theme of isolation also prompted my decision to make the background completely black. I wanted to go over the piece with a thin white paint pen to create highlights and outline the figures. I am hoping to still add this line-work once the materials arrive!

An artist that we learned about in the lecture that inspired me for this project is Juno Calypso. Juno Calypso is a photographer whose self-portraits speak to similar themes of isolation and loneliness. Her self-portraits are what sparked my initial idea to go in this direction with my drawing.