Artistic Inspiration from South of the Border!
Ah…the Renaissance. What a time to be alive, huh? After a mere 50% of Europeans survived one of the most deadly epidemics in human history, what else is one to do except usher in a profound movement filled to the brim with art, literature, science, philosophy, and more! Wait, doesn’t this entire scenario sound a tad familiar? Well, ladies and gentlemen, make sure to get your easels and notebooks out in anticipation; however, you may be a little late to the party, as Señora Zoller’s amazing Spanish students have been working on artistic masterpieces of their own.
According to Señora Zoller herself, “my students were tasked with taking a work of art by a prominent Latino or Spanish artist and reimagining it and creating a poem about it!” Taking inspiration from legends such as Picasso, Salvador Dali, Zosen, Rufino Tamayo, Lita Cabellut, Okuda San Miguel and more, kids had to really take their creativity to new heights, experimenting with different color palettes, styles, and even some writing.
Luckily enough, I had the opportunity to talk to some of these imaginative students to get their unique takes on their own art pieces and the work that went into it. Noelle Caswell, a junior as of this year, highlights that her main inspiration was Zosen. His art “is closely linked with pop culture styles that are bright and very eye-catching. I gravitate to art like his, so it was a natural fit! Based off of some of his more famous paintings, I chose the characters I liked the best and incorporated them into my work with a personal spin, of course,” according to Noelle. As for the required 3D pieces, Noelle highlights that “they just came to mind one day and I tirelessly got to work. However, I just wish I spent more time on the poem.” As you can see, Noelle truly captured the essence of an artist through a modern-day lens. More power to you, girl!
As for another budding artist, Adeline Carder (a current freshman), a different creative route was taken. “The process of creating the art was really enjoyable,” exclaims Adeline. “I spent a lot of time on it, which is quite unusual for me; even so, the incorporation of art into a subject that I’m not too passionate about ironically made me want to take more time and effort for the piece. It was a great opportunity to research artists that I wasn’t very familiar with!” Her piece was inspired by Okuda San Miguel, and, more specifically, his piece Conjuros y Santerías. She notes that “the instructions were to make the piece uniquely our own, so I used many different mediums such as canvas with gouache, clay, and even some other techniques that were incredibly new to me. Overall, this was an amazing experience that really allowed me to push the limits of my creativity. For that, I’m grateful.”
Well, Knights, my advice here would be to expect to see your peers’ names on the vast walls of elegant art galleries. If you see some of these students online or on campus, make sure to give them some much-deserved props! Remember to strive for the impossible and be extraordinary.
