BOLD Self-Portraits.

One major goal in art education is for our students to be offered opportunities that encourage a richer understanding of themselves and outlets for their personal expression. We, as artists/ teachers, have an opportunity to help our students reflect upon, and understand, their adolescence. We can offer them a symbolic introspective mirror that looks at the diversity of their thinking, moods, and emotions that they experience on a daily basis. In doing so, we are offering our students opportunities for greater understanding and personal expression.

My specific goal for this visual problem was to make a connection between the thinking and emotions of the adolescent while increasing the level of student expression. This meant tapping into students' psychological knowledge base and encouraging them to draw upon their introspective knowledge to create reflective self-portraits.

Visual Problem

Students will use the language of art as expression to develop a larger-than-life, bold self-portrait that reflects both their physical qualities and their unique internal psychological structure.

Pre-Activity

Begin with a general discussion about the significance of expression through the use of artistic materials. Remind students that, as human beings, we are multifaceted and unique in our personalities and perceptions about life. Because of this, we have many varied ways of self-expression as well as thinking.

Share that our human minds are very complex and that through adolescence this can feel like trying to put together puzzle pieces that don't fit together naturally or easily. Complex struggles can ensue as the individual wrestles with the significant growth changes, both physically and psychologically. Another major influence that impacts students is their home-life and those people that affect them in the most dynamic ways.

Explain to students that we, as human beings, have an internal universe locked inside each of us. This universe is filled with complex feelings, emotions, cognitive thought processes, and spiritual energy. We allow only a small portion of all these personal aspects to come to the surface to be expressed. It is through both that expression and our reaction to that expression that we gain understanding about ourselves and others. Artists are some of the fortunate few who have an outlet for their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. It is through introspective thinking, reflecting, and expression that we grow and become the complete people we are intended to be.

Using Exemplars

Show examples of the visual changes seen in the portrait work of Vincent van Gogh. Also share examples of the work of Frida Kahlo, whose work expresse both her physical and emotional wounds. Matisse's portraits will show how color can have emotional impact. Picasso's work offers powerful emotional impact through varied styles. Continue by sharing any other expressive contemporary portrait images that you feel will motivate the students.

Process--Part 1

Students begin the cognitive process of this self-portrait study by creating two written lists. The first list will describe their physical qualities as they look into a mirror. The second list focuses on the more subjective qualities that describe who they are as human beings.

Students often use words that describe their physical characteristics--easily identifiable qualities such as color of eyes, hair, etc.--but they should also include details that are more specific to them, such as glasses, pierced ears, dark eyes, length of their hair, etc.

Next, they list their personality traits, values, emotional strengths, and weakness. This list can be comprised of single words, such as thoughtful, considerate, loyal, angry, positive, creative, etc. Encourage them to allow the adjectives to flow freely and to choose words that describe and define who they are as a person. This list is confidential and will only be shared in terms of how they apply the information artistically to their work.

Part 2

Students are then asked to translate this written language into symbolic, artistic images using line, color, texture, form, or shape. This is a symbolic, not literal interpretation. Students are not permitted to use hearts, flowers, lightning bolts, question marks, etc.

Offer some examples: an angry or aggressive personal quality might be represented by bold lines, angular shapes, strong colors, rough textures, etc.; a friendly quality might be represented by using rounded forms, soft, warm colors, flowing line, smooth texture.

Ask students, "What kind of lines could represent you? What are the varied colors, shapes, or textures that best describe you? Is only one kind of visual representation in any given area enough to share your unique qualities?" In answering these questions, students are to think and explore varying qualities of line, shape, and texture, as well as mixing colors and changing the density of the color. This part can be completed in the student's sketchbook, which will also add a degree of confidentiality to the visual thinking.

Continue by asking students, "What makes a successful self-portrait? What do you want to say about yourself that will give the viewer an indication of who you are?" When visiting art museums or looking through art books, it is those images that are engaging that invite the viewer to want to revisit them to see more.

Part 3

The drawing process begins with a light line drawing of a larger-than-life self-portrait. Provide each student with a mirror to observe his or her features, and begin to draw on 18 x 24" (46 x 61 cm) newsprint paper. The student's image of their head should fill the space and include their neck and collar. Instruct students to be as honest as possible, encouraging them to exaggerate any dominant features. This process is not intended to be either a realistic or fully developed portrait study, but an expressive, loose first draft. This newsprint image can be used to experiment with oil pastels before beginning the final image.

Students begin on the white vellum paper, using a light pencil line to draw their image as a guideline for further development in oil pastels. Oil pastels, by nature, are an expressive medium, offering fluidity in the expression of line, color, and texture. The image will be a combination of expression, connecting how the person looks from the outside with symbolic visual information of how they see themselves on the inside. These two elements coming together on this large paper will create a bold and highly personal self-portrait.

My perceptions about adolescence remain consistent with my previous understanding. Adolescents are in a process of trying to put all the puzzle pieces of their lives together and are therefore filled with divergent feelings. They feel secure and insecure, profoundly happy and sad, and balanced and unbalanced all in a relatively short amount of time. Their visual work and evaluative writing reflect this thinking.

Conclusion

Students understand that really great self-portraits are both expressive and personally revealing. The success of this visual problem is a combination of factors beginning with seeing a wide range of portrait examples. The problem results in impressive and engaging expressive images, in part because of the students' reflections on both their physical and psychological attributes. And finally, reflective writing offers insight into the student artists creative process.

Evaluation

Have students use reflective writing to respond to the following questions. This is not part of the grading assessment, although it is intended to have the students understand the depth of their thinking. Ask students, "How Does your image best represent your unique characteristics (both physical and psychologically)? Which aspect of your portrait is eye catching? Why? How did you apply your specific knowledge of your personal attributes and qualities to enhance your self portrait?"

MATERIALS

* 18 x 24" (46 x 61 cm)
  newsprint paper

* 18 x 24" (46 x 61 cm) white
  vellum paper

* 12" (31 cm) square mirrors
  (one per student)

* Oil pastels (24 per box)

NATIONAL STANDARD

Students reflect analytically on various interpretations as a means for understanding and evaluating works of visual art.

Ken Vieth is an art teacher at Montgomery High School in Skillman, New Jersey.