Priscilla Hernandez '20
I plan to merge elements of both traditional art techniques and contemporary content and topics. In the art pieces, I’d like to highlight mundane aspects and individuals of Latinx heritage, including my own family members. To showcase the population and create an ode to their struggle, I’d like to combine my love for portraiture photography, drawing and painting to create large scale canvas pieces that emulate the grandeur of Baroque Painting.
I plan to photograph individuals, such as grandparents, shop owners, custodians; working people etc. and their families from my hometown in and around Los Angeles. I will be posing them and their family members in the style of classical Baroque paintings. I am fascinated by the detail and methods of painting of the 17th century and hope to revitalize the characteristics of the classic period with contemporary people in underrepresented social groups. Using photographs, I will create a series of large scale drawings that will become paintings. The pieces will share the themes and traditional motifs of painting in the 1600s, and will be a play on the social structure and wealth. Using heritage, genealogy and Latinx culture as my focus, my goal is to highlight individuals who are overlooked for the hard work and sacrifices they have made to provide for themselves and their families in America, and specifically the Los Angeles area.
Over the summer, I began my research portion of my project. During this time, I took photographs all around Los Angeles and looked into various artists whose work I can draw inspiration in completing my project. I was also able to speak to potential models for my paintings and have three interested individuals that have caught my attention because of their presence and story.
The artists that I chose to further research are the photographer Star Montana and Kehinde Wile. Both of these artists are contemporary, working artists and hope to capture marginalized people in beautiful paintings and film photography. The artists work in areas that they call home and the people that occupy those places, Montana working in Los Angeles and Wile in New York. These artists strive to construct a narrative untold and that is the purpose of my project.
