Elizabeth Gaus Museum Visit

I was inspired by Jess T. Dugan’s work, found in the Grand Rapids Art Museum, entitled “Self Portrait with Mom(Mirror).” The piece features two nearly identical images, side by side. The first image depicts an older woman, with grey, cropped hair and a pale purple top staring into a bathroom mirror, with her left arm rested against the wall, beside the mirror and her right hand rested on the vanity underneath the mirror. The woman is staring intently at her self, seeming to look deep into her own eyes almost as if they are the eyes of another, as if she is searching for something that she can not find. The second image depicts a younger person, presumably her child, standing in exactly the same manner, one hand rested on the wall, the other leaning on the counter, mirrored, so that the mother’s arm rested on the wall frames the left side of the exhibit, and the child’s left arm is mirrored to frame the right side of the exhibit. The second person has several tattoos and is shirtless, evoking some sort of vulnerability that you do not find in the mother.

Both images convey a sense of searching and reflection, as if each individual is reflecting upon years of life lived. The images are both very light and soft in tone, yet very dark at the same time. The images are photographed in an even, cool soft light, but the vignette used around the edges and the story told by the subjects faces creates a darker, heavier mood, despite the relatively soft, airy lighting.

I enjoy the use of both light and dark qualities in this image to create a very dynamic story. One just doesn’t quite know how to feel when viewing this piece. There is a sense of clarity and focus, but as you continue to stare into the eyes of the subjects, you realize there is much more to the image than you first see. I enjoy the sense of deep searching the image gives me, i want to know more about the subjects and why I see the things I do in them.

I think that this series of images is a very well put together combination that create a dynamic range of emotions for the viewer, I think they were created with a story, and they cause me to want to know the story, making them very good pieces.

I was inspired by these images to create a similar image, depicting Anna looking through her wardrobe mirror at her room. My goal was to create a mood of reflection, to depict her reflecting on a year lived in this room, a year of laughter, tears, growth and learning.

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