noun ( pl. -ries)
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one : Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the spiritual journey.
• the genre to which such works belong.
• a symbol.
For your final homework project, you are to create an allegorical self-portrait-- a self-portrait that is comprised of objects invested with personal meaning that, when taken as a whole, speaks to who you are. The meaning need not be clear to an audience, but the meaning certainly needs to be clear to you. There should be a great deal of thought and planning put into the assembly of your image, as you need to choose objects for your still-life that are not only meaningful, but have a strong visual interest as well. In other words, if music is important to your life, then do not simply place an iPod or a CD into your still-life. Think about what music really means to you-- a specific song, musician, composer, and think about the resulting emotional/intellectual reaction, and find an object that speaks to that. We are all an accumulation of life experiences that pass into and through us and transform us into the individuals that set us apart from one another. Therefore, try to avoid generic and easy forms. This project is, in some ways, a depiction of a tiny, private museum, in which you are curating, cataloging, rendering the evidence of a life lived thus far.
You must choose at least 16 objects. You must consider their arrangement very carefully. Think of your picture plane as if it were a cabinet or a theatrical space, and how you place your objects within that space determines relationships between those objects, new meanings. In other words, object A placed next to object B, has a meaning that is different from object A next to object D.
Since this is your final homework project, it will be treated as the second half of your "final exam" grade, and you will be given a generous amount of time to complete your images.
You will be graded on your use of compositional space, proportioning, understanding of perspective, value and certainly ambition-- how complex is your project/how much effort and time did you put into it/how much thoughtfulness is present.
You are required to use charcoal or graphite and you may, if you wish, purchase a sheet of charcoal paper to work on. It must be white or off-white paper, but charcoal paper has the added advantage of a slight tooth, or raised grain/surface, that can assist with the subtle application of charcoal in the building of value.
DRAWING FOR NON-MAJORS: Your final homework project will be due at the time of your scheduled, individual final critiques on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8. A schedule will be created at the beginning of next week.
BEGINNING DRAWING: Your final homework project will be due at the time of your scheduled, individual final critiques on MONDAY, DECEMBER 12. A schedule will be created at the beginning of next week.
You must choose at least 16 objects. You must consider their arrangement very carefully. Think of your picture plane as if it were a cabinet or a theatrical space, and how you place your objects within that space determines relationships between those objects, new meanings. In other words, object A placed next to object B, has a meaning that is different from object A next to object D.
Since this is your final homework project, it will be treated as the second half of your "final exam" grade, and you will be given a generous amount of time to complete your images.
You will be graded on your use of compositional space, proportioning, understanding of perspective, value and certainly ambition-- how complex is your project/how much effort and time did you put into it/how much thoughtfulness is present.
You are required to use charcoal or graphite and you may, if you wish, purchase a sheet of charcoal paper to work on. It must be white or off-white paper, but charcoal paper has the added advantage of a slight tooth, or raised grain/surface, that can assist with the subtle application of charcoal in the building of value.
DRAWING FOR NON-MAJORS: Your final homework project will be due at the time of your scheduled, individual final critiques on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8. A schedule will be created at the beginning of next week.
BEGINNING DRAWING: Your final homework project will be due at the time of your scheduled, individual final critiques on MONDAY, DECEMBER 12. A schedule will be created at the beginning of next week.
Here are some examples of allegorical self-portraits from previous students of mine:
See also, the work of Jeffrey Abt (WSU art faculty) and this work, by former WSU student Ed Fraga:
Some works by Jules Kirschenbaum (American, b. New York City, 1930 - 2000):
