The general idea is to recreate a famous painting, in whole, or in part, using only items you already have in and around your home. You are essentially composing a photograph to look like the painting. The overall objective of this assignment is to focus on the elements that make up a composition and to observe the design principles at work in the composition by working to recreate it. This project will be followed up with a graded critical discussion of the results.
This assignment is intended as a fun challenge that requires no digital media tools (aside from the ability to take and upload a photograph).
This project is directly inspired by an art project that emerged over the Covid-19 pandemic period when many people suddenly were not leaving home and had lots of extra time on their hands. The project originated with this Instagram site: https://www.instagram.com/tussenkunstenquarantaine/ (Links to an external site.)
It was adopted by the Rijks Museum (https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/ (Links to an external site.)) and widely publicized by the Getty Museum (https://www.getty.edu/news/getty-artworks-recreated-with-household-items-by-creative-geniuses-the-world-over/ (Links to an external site.)).
WORKLOAD
You are expected to spend about 4 hours on this project. This estimate includes time to: study examples of this project produced by other people, select a painting to reproduce, experiment with potential approaches for your reproduction, gather materials for your reproduction, construct and photograph your reproduction, write your written reflections on your process, and post your final photograph of your reproduction, original source painting image and your written reflections.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the elements and principles of design at work in the composition of the painting you are striving to reproduce.
- Observe the role that the framing of the image plays in the overall compositional character of the painting.
- Demonstrate your recognition of key design elements and principles by recreating those in your reproduction of the composition.
Instructions:
- Study examples created by others to get a sense of potential approaches to this project.
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/museum-asking-people-remake-famous-artworks-with-household-items-180974546/ (Links to an external site.)
- NBC News NOW – Recreating Classic Art with Household Items…
- https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/in-these-quarantine-tableaus-household-items-turn-into-art-history-props (Links to an external site.)
- https://www.instagram.com/tussenkunstenquarantaine/ (Links to an external site.)
- https://www.boredpanda.com/paintings-recreation-tussenkunstenquarantaine/ (Links to an external site.)
- (bonus example – this one is not directly related to this project but is very interesting and may be inspirational)
- Find a famous painting to reproduce.
- Here are a few great sources for artwork. Download an image to work from (you will need to upload this a part of your final submission).
- https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/ (Links to an external site.)
- https://www.metmuseum.org/art/the-collection (Links to an external site.)
- https://collections.lacma.org/ (Links to an external site.)
- https://www.clevelandart.org/art/collection/search (Links to an external site.)
- http://collection.imamuseum.org/ (Links to an external site.)
- https://www.artic.edu/collection (Links to an external site.)
- https://art.thewalters.org/ (Links to an external site.)
- https://images.nga.gov/en/page/show_home_page.html (Links to an external site.)
- Use your best judgement regarding the subject matter of the paintings you select. Keep in mind that your reproductions will be viewed and critiqued by your classmates. For the purposes of this assignment it is better to avoid content (nudity, explicit acts of violence, etc.) that would distract from the focus on design/composition.
- Realistic paintings might be easier to reproduce, but more stylized or even non-representational paintings could present fun challenges and rewarding results.
- Don’t worry too much about whether or not your selected painting is sufficiently “famous”. Paintings that are widely known and immediately recognizable work well, but this is not a high priority for the assignment.
- Here are a few great sources for artwork. Download an image to work from (you will need to upload this a part of your final submission).
- Study the composition. Review the elements and principles of design videos to refresh your memory of things to look for.
- Try to ignore the actual subject matter of the painting and focus on the design elements that are present (shapes, colors, lines, forms, spaces, textures).
- Look at the painting in terms of the principles of design:
- Balance
- Unity
- Contrast
- Focal Point
- Rhythm/Pattern
- Movement
- Proportion
- Variety
- Harmony
- Identify a few of the most important compositional elements and consider how you can reproduce them as accurately as possible.
- You won’t be able to reproduce every detail, so pick which aspects of the composition you want to focus on. You might, for example, focus on accurately replicating the shapes and line quality, but ignore the colors.
- If you selected a complex painting with lots of details, you might “zoom in” and reframe just a portion of the painting. If you do so, be thoughtful about how your framing produces a cohesive, balanced composition on its own.
- Construct your reproduction.
- Consider the best scale for your reproduction.
- If you are using yourself and/or other human bodies as part of your composition, then your scale is established by that choice.
- Working on a smaller scale might be better for some reproductions.
- Prioritize the basic compositional elements (shapes, colors, lines, etc.) over subject matter (the actual objects in the scene).
- Continuously compare your composition to the original.
- You can take photos as you develop your reconstruction to see where you might need to make adjustments.
- Make conscious choices about the lighting of your scene.
- Look at the original painting for hints about the best lighting for your reconstruction.
- Adding, moving or removing light sources can make a world of difference in your results.
- Consider the best scale for your reproduction.
- Photograph your reproduction.
- Once you are satisfied with your reproduction, photograph it.
- Pay attention to your cropping/framing.
- Double check your lighting.
- Make sure your image is in focus (or intentionally out of focus it that matches the painting quality).
- Once you are satisfied with your reproduction, photograph it.
Deliverables
- Your original source image (the original painting)
- Your final photograph of your reproduction (Upload as a jpeg / jpg image type).
- A brief text document (2 – 3 paragraphs in complete sentences) describing what you consider the most important elements and principles of design in your reproduction (Upload as a text file or word document).
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