Inspiration
I used this technique and idea in my paintings to convey the historical and current issue of segregation in Milwaukee. I wanted to use his idea of "capturing the essence of cities," especially. The strong lines and blocks of color align with the lines of division and separation of race in the city.
Historical Inspiration
In 1938 Milwaukee underwent the process of redlining by the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC). Through this the city was divided into four different types of sections. Green "Grade A" neighborhoods were wealthy all white neighborhoods. The green neighborhoods were declared by HOLC safe to loan to. Older white neighborhoods were labeled blue, according to HOLC they were still safe to loan to. African American neighborhoods were labeled Red "Code D", Hazardous HOLC declared these neighborhoods unsafe to loan to. This resulted in poor neighborhood slums or ghettos with little infrastructure support and poor housing. Surrounding the red neighborhoods were yellow poor white neighborhoods, these were declared unstable because of the close proximity to African Americans. This heightened segregation in Milwaukee and shaped the issues we see today. I wanted to represent this redlining map as accurately as possible in Mondrian's style.
Today Milwaukee is the most segregated city in the country. This can be seen in the census map above. There are clear lines of division between race concentrations. My second painting reflects the extremities of the division within the city.
Today Milwaukee is the most segregated city in the country. This can be seen in the census map above. There are clear lines of division between race concentrations. My second painting reflects the extremities of the division within the city.
Planning
The planning process began with research to find the two pictures (seen in the inspiration section) which show a map of redlining in 1938 and a 2018 Milwaukee racial census map. From these two maps I began my sketches trying to find the clearest lines of division while maintain the atheistic of Mondrian's works. The 2018 census sketch was clear because the current racial division in Milwaukee is extreme, clear lines exist, clear lines can be drawn. I reached some difficulties with the 1938 map of redlining. I wanted to capture as much detail as possible in sketch 2 but the sketch came out feeling to chaotic with little balance. Sketch 2 didn't relay the idea I was trying to portray. I wanted the two paintings to be cohesive and the simplicity of the census sketch didn't align with the complexity of the second redlining sketch. I used my first redlining sketch due to the strength in its simplicity.
Process
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Compare and Contrast
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Contrast
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Reflection
These paintings reflect my initial idea but could've been executed with more precision. I learned late in the painting process that I was using a substandard painters tape which left my lines less crisp and needing touch up. Upon completion I realized I was using two different areas of Milwaukee. The 1938 map was a zoomed out view of Milwaukee while the 2018 census was a more zoomed in area of Milwaukee. This reflected in the composition of each piece. The similarities that were supposed to be visible post simplification of the maps are unclear . Overall I like each of the paintings individually but the composition of the two pieces do not balance well. It leaves the piece as a whole looking incomplete and unintentional. The paintings individually have nice balance and a strong sense of unity which is why I like them on their own. The message I was trying to send of the similarities of the cities segregation in 1938 and now was also poorly conveyed due to the lack of unity and balance between the two paintings. Outside of the message the technique grew better with the progression of the piece. My lines grew cleaner and the colors bolder. If I were to redo this piece I would focus on the planning process more to ensure the two sketches look cohesive before painting. I also would add a third painting to create more of a balance.
ACT Questions
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
Piet Mondrian directly influenced the background of my piece. My work was meant to mimic his use of line, white space, and primary color to abstractly represent a city and its culture. The pop art movement directly affected the stylistic aspect of my stencil. Pop Art also influenced my decision of utilizing a key public figure as the point of inspiration.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Milwaukee culture is old and diverse but also highly segregated which prevents the integration of culture in a potentially great city. Milwaukee has had the same level of segregation since the 1950's. In contrast to other diverse larger cities in the US there has been no integration efforts since the beginning of segregation. This segregation leaves Milwaukee underdeveloped. People of different cultures can live their whole life without interaction.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea around my work was abstract expression. How could I express my idea without making it a direct reference. I wanted to show the idea of Milwaukee, it's diversity, along with its segregation. This lead to the Piet Mondrian being my inspiration as he had a similar idea in his city works, he would take the feeling of a city along with key elements and portray them through abstract line art.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Researching Mondrian along with previous art history knowledge led to the conclusion of the abstract artistic process. Most famous abstract artists throughout time went through similar phases. They begin with realism, perfect the process, then move on to portraying life through ideas and feelings, focusing on elements of art over the realistic representation.