1. What techniques I have learnt?
- The materials needed to produce an etching:
- Pre-soaked
printing paper
- A plastic
plate
- A dry
point needle
- An ink
dabber
- An
oil-based printing ink
- An etching
press
- Newspaper
- Blotting
paper
- Soft cloth
- Various ‘rules’ regarding appropriate conducts
whilst etching:
- Copying a
drawing onto the plastic plate, before scratching.
- Avoiding
scratching mistakes, as the ink penetrates all scratches and lines
- Dipping
the printing paper in water very quickly, and then gently blotting it to
eliminate any excess moisture.
- Turning
the wheel of the etching press only once.
- Types of etching lines:
- Fine,
delicate lines
- Dots
- Thick,
broad lines
- Shallow
lines
2. Why are my choices reflective of contemporary
influences?
- The title
of my work is produced from the direct translation of Alighieri ‘Purgatory’, in which its meaning
provide further evidence of the harsh being of those guilty of both sins and
goodness, yet, biblically, do not have a place to go.
- The
salient image of the skull is a direct adaption of Otto Dix’s ‘Der Krieg’.
- The rose
represents the goodness in individuals, (e.g., the element of people that is
appropriate for heaven)
- The weeds
and worms represent the sinfulness of individuals, (e.g., the element of people
that is appropriate for hell)
- The
decaying teeth that is representative of the harsh verbal abuses that people
commit against each other.
- The
destruction and overgrowth of the upper part of the skull, symbolising the
sinful taint to one’s thoughts and actions.
- The decay
to one eye, exhibiting a view of the world through ‘rose tinted glasses’. The other eye displays a normal appearance,
thus contrasting perception’s have the world that contain both good and sinful
elements.
3. What worked well?
- The Rose
- My
personal design of the rose is a very salient image of the goodness in people.
- The large
size and intricate detailing of the rose allow for a contrast between both good
and sinful views, yet it is attached to the skull to therefore prove a point
against the ‘sin consuming the goodness’.
- The Decayed Teeth
- I have
made several adaption’s and inclusions to the image of the decayed teeth. I
have increased the number of the teeth and designed its appearance to be more
gruesome and mutilated.
- In turn,
the mouth itself proves an absence of space within the image, to allow the
audience to focus on each individual tooth and fully grasp its symbolism of the
type of abuse (verbal) that can lead to the production of sin.
4. What could I have done differently?
- The Skull
- The design
of the skull is both technical and elaborate, which suit the concept of my work
quite nicely.
- Unfortunately,
I believe that I have made too close of an adaption to Dix’s original work, and
therefore I cannot claim the work as my own. I take pride in this image,
although I would prefer a more independent creation of this piece, as it would
bring more a satisfying sense of accomplishment after its completion.
- To design the skull differently, I would;
- Diminish
any presence of the worms and rotting weeds, and use different elements to
present decay, such as bone degradation of the skull.
- Change the
angle of the skull from a portfolio view to a straight view or even an upward
view. A change in angle would
produce different perspectives of the image, which should be embraced in order
to exemplify the meaning of this work.
- Make the
skull smaller and add other elements into the image background. For example, I
could include three gateways extending from each corner of the page,
representing a path to heaven, purgatory and hell.
