Art and Inspiration (Sheriff)
By Mohamed Sheriff.
I seek art for inspiration because it transports me to another place, touches perception into something I would not have previously seen, and gives me the opportunity to compare that experience to something else. Historical museums that I have visited such as the British Museum and Louvre Museum allow me to travel to different eras or locations while still being in the present time.
Art in these museums expresses society as a whole during this era. Many paintings were portraits of White rich high-class figures, mostly of royalty. Although I am an African-American, I still appreciate art for what it is. I pay attention to the details of the shading, realism, expression, brush strokes, lighting, or dark background.
While I’m analyzing these paintings, I begin to let my imagination flow . . .
While I’m analyzing these paintings, I begin to let my imagination flow. I start by replacing the person with modern people of color but still keeping them in expensive attire because I believe everyone is royalty. My favorite artists are Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kehinde Wiley, both artists portray similar attributes but also tell a story for minority groups.
I also visited the Tate Modern Art Museum in London. Modern Art combined with mixed media is my favorite genre of art. Although the word Modern refers to a broad spectrum of genres, modern art is defined by the following guiding principles: the rejection of conservative and historical values, such as realistic subject representation, creativity, and experimentation with the work’s shape, colors, and line, the ability to abstract and focus on tools, methods, and procedures.
Additionally, a variety of social and political concerns have influenced modernism.
A belief in progress and idealized views of human existence and society are characteristics of modernism in general. Modern art allows me to create images with my mental camera on a physical canvas and it makes me alive and enables me to view life from a new angle. Since the dawn of civilization, art has always played a significant role in human society. Art has been employed as a means of expression, instruction, and cultural exchange.
I appreciate all types of art and when I see a piece that makes me feel a type of emotion, I am inspired to recreate something similar but through my lenses to give someone else a type of feeling. For example:
This sketch references a character named Radio Raheem who wears 2 large rings that say Love & Hate in the movie Do The Right Thing. Love & Hate stood out to me because I believe everything, every being and every object are loved and or hated. In modern/pop art, I love vibrant colors and mix medias which to the eyes can be puzzling. On the other hand, some people may hate or not prefer this type of art because it can be seemed as basic, childish or have no meaning. Also, throughout CIV there has been Love & Hate with popular locations like the British Museum and the archives that they have in it which leads to a difficult question of should those items be returned? Answer vary but both sides have valid points. In general, Love & Hate is attached to everything because of people feelings, ideals, interest and history.
