Christine johnson

Visual Arts 103

Writing Exam (504 words)

The Wire Relief artwork “Hair” created by Kari Jones is an exuberant piece. The function

of this artwork is personal. The reason I say it is personal is because the artist created this art-

work out of a need for self-expression and gratification. She expresses her inner thoughts on

beauty and in my opinion is giving gratification to the woman in her art works features. She

communicates her thoughts and point to the viewers throughout this artwork. When making this

piece of art the artist provided an aesthetic experience for herself and the viewers by focusing it

on the appearance of this woman.

The form and content of this artwork is very precise. The artwork displays a woman

with strong features, big curly hair, and when observed closer you see the woman has on some

sort of necklace that resembles a tribal ornament. The mass 3-D element of this artwork empha-

sizes the hair on this woman which is curly and big. The volume and curliness of the hair shows

excitement and vibrance. The distinct features of the woman in the artwork shows that she is

African- American. The author gave this artwork a white canvas but splattered different colored

paint on the background of it. This different colored paint on the woman’s face can symbolize

that women of color are unique and extraordinary. The meaning behind this artwork may be to

send a message to the viewers that black is beautiful, and to give gratification to African-Ameri-

can beauty.

This piece of art work is representational because the artists intentions was to represent

a particular subject which was a realistic portrayal of a woman. The visual elements of this art-

work are the different colored paints on the canvas of the art, the form of the jawline, the organic

shape of the artwork, the open space background behind the wire, the texture of the woman’s

hair, and the value of light to dark with the black wire against the white paper. The key princi-

ples of this artwork is the curl pattern of the wire, the proportion of the face from one side to the

other, the balance of the hair on both sides of the woman’s head, the unity of the wire and how it

all structures together, and the emphasis on the woman’s features such as her full lips, nose struc-

ture, and eyes. These elements and principles build up the artworks character.

The theory I feel would most appropriately work with the understanding and description

of the artwork I've chosen is expressive theory. The artist expresses herself and her feelings to-

wards beauty and power within this artwork. This piece of artwork has a powerful personal

meaning and deep psychological insight behind it. The artist made this artwork based off of what

she had bottled up inside thus expressing her insight and passion towards the artworks subject.

She expressed that African-American women are a work of art and are powerful. The emphases

on the hair expresses her love for thick, curly, and volumed hair.