Girl Art

Upon walking into the entrance of the University of Central Missouri Art Gallery in Warrensburg, Missouri, the first sight I was bombarded with was that of a specialized exhibit for a current student. Knowing I had to find something I could truly assess and write about, I was surprised when my pickiness was set aside as soon as I saw "Megan". Depicting friends in their everyday natural environment and making the viewer feel as if they know the subject; that is the work of a true artist. Although this portrait is beautifully done I suppose I have to ask myself what art is exactly. Is it something that someone uses as a form to express their creativity or do I personally believe there should be an explicit meaning or purpose to the painting, sculpture, or photograph? This particular pastel work is beautiful to look at even though I see no specific meaning other than to the person portrayed plastered on it's outside so that I don't have to inadvertently come up with my own meaning, explanation, etc. However, I have made the independent conclusion that this portrayal is indeed, art.

Soft, chalky pastel remnants cover the whole of the paper. I want to touch it. I want to feel the softness that has been left behind but I know I will inevitably take a piece of the art along with me on the tips of my finger. The pastel technique is reminiscent of the look one gets when a crayon is turned on its side and dragged across concrete when viewed up close. The colors do not necessarily blow me away since I am a fan of bright, happy colors and these are somewhat muted and toned down. It is almost as if the entire piece of artwork has a blue tint to it. Every aspect of the photo has had blue blended with it to create a sense of depth and dimension.

The photograph is that of a girl caught somewhere between adolescence and early adulthood. She is casually letting a cigarette float on her fingertips as she takes a drag from it. The seemingly blank expression on her face makes me think she has not a care in the world other then to reliever some stress with a sweet inhale of nicotine. The girl, Megan I presume, is leaning carelessly against a building looking nowhere in particular.

The jacket she is wearing is for the most part a blue color although I cannot tell whether it is meant to actually be grey with the blue being used for merely a shading purpose. There is also a subtle hint of red in the shading of the jacket. It fits the girl snugly and the hooded portion adorns her head. She wears what appears to be a solid green tee shirt which would suggest to me that she is a laid back girl who maintains an easygoing lifestyle. The girl also wears large red sunglasses.

Maybe this girl is someone who would rather blend into the masses than to worry excessively about trends and fashion and trying to stand out from the rest of the crowd. She keeps her hair short and out of the way. However, her bangs hang carelessly in her face across one half of the fly-eye sunglasses. She seems to have not a care in the world. Even her cigarette lacks the proper ashing it deserves.

I still find myself questioning whether or not I have actually figured out this girl. I feel I must recount things to try to assess this uncertainty. This girl is not your typical anorexic Barbie. She wears comfortable clothing for the sake of comfort rather than something to attract a guy. Much less would she dress just for the sake of just looking good. The sunglasses she is wearing maybe gives off the impression that she is they kind of girl who would rather obtain the extra hour to sleep in than to wake up earlier to spend countless time doing makeup. The comfortable tee shirt she is wearing makes me think that she is not the kind of girl who cares about labels and is just as pleasant with shopping at her local wal-mart as she is with going to the city mall. The fact that she is leaning up against some random building makes me think that she is also the kind of girl who occasionally just needs her private alone time.

I can relate a lot to this mystery girl. I find that I often feel like slinking back into the shadows of daily life and out of the spotlight. It is hard for a girl these days to try to keep up with trends, gossip and rumors. There is so much work the 'popular' girls actually have to put into being themselves. They spend countless hours getting ready and dressing themselves only to go do something pointless. I can not explain how many times I have seen a girl wear the hottest mini skirt she owns and heels only to go to a fitness center. To me that just does not make any sense whatsoever.

I am a firm skeptic and believer that works deemed as 'art' should convey a message and/or meaning. On the other hand I think this piece of artwork was something I could really relate to and find myself in. The girl depicted could have easily been any girl in my circle of friends, or even myself. Only when someone gets an emotional feeling or connection to artwork can they truly appreciate the work and personal value behind it.

Whether my opinions are different from those that I surround myself with or whether more people feel the same way I do about simple things such as art is pretty much unknown to me. Who knew that someone's weekend drawing of their friend could have such an effect on a naïve teenaged girl? So no matter any other opinion of someone else, I feel this pastel work is in fact, art.