DENA BERNSTEIN ART
INQUIRY: how can I use art and acedmic interests to uncover what lies beyond overlooked history to gain insihts on human conditions.
EXPLAINATION: From foreign history to personal past; the most impactful history, to me, involves looking beyond surface level. As an exploration of myself, I want to deeply explore what, for some reason, sticks with me. Similarly, to connect with the history that inspires me consistently, I want to understand it fully--especially the misunderstood parts.
DEVELOPMENT: I started this portfolio in my junior year of high school. At first I was interested in historical figures, and what taught history neglects to tell us about them. as my portfolio progressed, I realized I could not limit my inspiration to historical figures alone. I explored the past broadly, and developed an interest in the disparity between "surface level" and the unseen. Throughout my exploration, the history most impactful to me is often the most misunderstood.
01
specimen
size: 20x28
materials: watercolor paper, watercolor
ideas/how it fits inquiry: Reversing roles, eugenics advocates (Jordan, Roosevelt, Mussolini) are painted as specimens in jars, critiquing dehumanization.
processes:
created background with blue wash, painted on top
02
gambler
size: 24X18
materials: gell medium, gold leaf, paper, spraypaint, acrylic
ideas/how it fits inquiry: Dostoyevsky reflects a global struggles with addiction, and perpetuates the notion that profound art derives from hardship.
processes:
created background from scrap paper, painted on top
03
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size: 18x24
materials: Oil paint, wood board
ideas/how it fits inquiry: reflects the relationship between war and women in the search for opulence, with a central woman as a moon atop Notre Dame. Referencing violence across eras: pitchforks, cavalry, tanks, jets.
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processes:
later oil paint
04
marylin
size: 18x24
materials: gell medium, gold leaf, paper, wood, acrylic
ideas/how it fits inquiry:Marilyn Monroe- represents the fallacies of the American 50's and surrounding years. the human tendency of glorification to distract from a grey background.
processes:
created background from scrap paper, painted on top
05
Magritte
size: ~8x10
materials: acrylic, spray paint, pastel, cardboard
ideas/how it fits inquiry: Magritte’s Son of Man inspires this piece, reimagining the apple as a heart to reflect the invisibility of emotion. The gray,connects to colorful figures through childlike scribbles.
processes:spray paint background, acrylic figures, glue main figure, finish with pastel scribbles
06
evolution 1
size:8x10
materials: acrylic, spray paint, pastel, cardboard
ideas/how it fits inquiry: about cave paintings, Picasso remarked "we've learned nothing". presenting a more optimistic interpretation of Picassos remark: we've learned nothing, because creativity has and always will be a beautiful staple of the human condition.
processes:
spray paint background, acrylic figures, finish with pastel scribbles
07
evolution 2
size: 5x8
materials: acrylic, spray paint, pastel, cardboard
ideas/how it fits inquiry: while many people believe new technology is an affront to art and art history, I wanted to portray how the past, present, and future are tandem.
processes:
spray paint background, acrylic figures, finish with pastel scribbles
08
dreamscape
size:
materials: cardboard, acrylic, oil pastel
ideas/how it fits inquiry: the floating images representing the dream butterfly parable, Jacob's latter, and michaelangelos dream, exemplify the disparity between our outer life. contrasting the childish nature of dreams with their sophisticated applications
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processes: acrylic on coardboard, pastel scribbles, gold leaf soon)
09
khmer rouge
size: ~8x10
materials: acrylic, spray paint, pastel, cardboard
ideas/how it fits inquiry: Again,
this reference to the Cambodian genocide grapples with the idea that violence permeates innocence, exploring the disparity between inside and to through what seems to be a typical high school (a bright and hopeful place, where the scribbles again represent childlike positivity) was used as a tool for mass murder.
processes:spray paint background, acrylic figures, finish with pastel scribbles
10
pearl earring
8x6
digital, ink
references Vermeer's the girl with the pearl earring, relating the girl with the pearl earring to to women in indian slums and revealing the simple universal desire to feel beautiful, despite desperate circumstances. inspired by slumdog millionaire and girl with pearl earrings, there exists beauty in the most desolate and unexpected places
process: Skectched then digitally marked up​
11
wip
size: ~15x20
materials: acrylic, spray paint, pastel, cardboard
ideas/how it fits inquiry: history of laborers and immagration that underpin America.
processes: layer vibrant patterns and images of laborers over string. paint American fag and pull cup string to reveal under layers .
12
process
use of collage, sketching, and referencing atlas holding the globe to reflect social issues
13
wip
the inverted american flag represents the unside down sense of "american" as immagrants are both an integral part of the american image and shunned.
14
Fiasco 1
size: ~8x10
materials: acrylic, Fiasco by Thomas E. Ricks
ideas/how it fits inquiry:
Analyzes the surrealist movement. As the pendulum swings from desperate to fantastical, and people find an escape from reality during hard times. ​
processes: sketched with white acrylic, annnotated, painted.
citations:
Magritte, dali
15
Fiasco 2
size: ~8x10
materials: acrylic, Fiasco by Thomas E. Ricks
ideas/how it fits inquiry:
Analyzes the surrealist movement. As the pendulum swings from desperate to fantastical, and people find an escape from reality during hard times. ​
processes: sketched with white acrylic, annnotated, painted.
citations:
​Max ernst "Le'Ange du Foyer"