Portraits of a humdrum life : an exploration of domesticity
Authors
Victor, Sara.
Issue Date
2014
Type
Thesis
Language
en-US
Keywords
Undergraduate research. , Undergraduate thesis.
Alternative Title
Abstract
"My paintings are snapshots of daily life, fleeting moments that are neither tragic nor euphoric. While representing various decades of American family life, they are ordinary. Whether it is my sisters dressed up for Halloween, my father with his first guitar, or my wonderful grandparents attending a party, they all reflect the same notion of simplicity. Through my oil paintings, I hope to display the beauty of real life. They are not dramatic, not quite cookie-cutter, but they are home. Oil paint, in the same sense, can be freeing, frustrating, unpredictable, and therapeutic. With a medium to match, these illustrations identify the imperfect perfection of my family through time. These images fall onto the wall as if spilled from an overflowing shoebox of aged photographs. When the dust settles, the faces and figures take form to create interconnected characters from my life. Their expressions and demeanors make them buzz with a tangible vibrancy. It is this energy I seek to portray, in hopes that the honesty of this collection will inspire viewers to feel familiarity and comfort. With life as complex as the oil paint on the wall, it’s nice to know there will be thousands of humdrum days when life simply is. There is an understated and peaceful equilibrium to be found in those moments. I can only hope that these paintings of home evoke that same harmonious balance."
Description
i, 41 leaves.
Bibliography: leaf 41.
Bibliography: leaf 41.
Citation
Publisher
Wheaton College (Norton, Mass.)