Hello fellow art enthusiast, as you can clearly see, Hollow Will is an melancholic exhibit,which presents humanity at its lowest points. The first point in Hollow Will is internal struggles (from Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh) because personally I feel that self-loathing and undernourished egos are more damaging to a person than external forces. However, external forces ( in this case,affects a person physically and mentally) is the next lowest point because while a person might overcome his/her internal pain, he/she can't wash away problems that affected an entire population as well as his/her self like poverty, war, and hunger, yet sadly, there is one other low point in Hollow Will. The last lowest point in Hollow Will is grieving over a dead companion (lovers, siblings, parents). Even though there's a saying about moving on after losing someone close to you (formal), those who are the surviving members sometimes cling on to the best aspects of deceased on other people, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but still one shouldn't project a deceased person's likeness on another. Finally, a great rational philosopher once said that "Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition of benevolence, confidence, justice", hopefully the human race (our species) will figure that out, and the Hollow Will will be a reminder for avoiding dangerous consequences.
Melancholy Woman, Pablo Picasso, 1902, From the collection of: Detroit Institute of Arts
Melancholy Woman depicts a young woman alone in an isolated location. This painting was painted by the main pioneer of Cubism,Pablo Picasso. However, this painting is not abstract, but a simple painting of a woman with blue and green colors. What I found interesting about Melancholy Woman is that it was painted during Picasso's Blue Period (1901 -1904). Finally, the reason why I chose this painting is because I dealt with depression during my teenage years, and I want to choose a painting that reflected my pain.
The Frugal Repast (Le repas frugal), Pablo Picasso, 1904, From the collection of: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
The Frugal Repast is a painting of a poor blind man and a equally poor woman sitting on a empty table. Like Melancholy Woman, The Frugal Repast was pained by Pablo Picasso during his blue period. Unlike, Melancholy Woman, this painting has no primary/secondary colors, but instead looks lifeless. However, while The frugal Repast doesn't have the cool blue/green combo,it does display two people sharing their misery together )negative * negative = positive). Finally, the reason why I choose The Frugal Repast in my Hollow Will exhibit is because I want people to come together in peace.
Dr Paul Gachet, Vincent van Gogh, 1890, From the collection of: Musée d’Orsay, Paris
The Portrait of Dr. Gachet was painted by Vincent Van Gogh, and this was painted few months before Vincent Van Gogh committed suicide. The portrait itself shows a sickly looking man, who seeks help for Mr. Gogh and himself. According to Vincent Van Gogh, Dr. Gachet's face was the main factor in this painting because it carried "the heartbroken expression of our time (Gogh)". In addition to Dr. Gachet's countenance, his blue velvet can represent our wounds. Finally, the reason why I choose this painting is because I noticed that this painting in particular is a self-portrait meaning a personal project.
Blind man in Belsen, Alan Moore, 1947, From the collection of: Australian War Memorial
The Blind man in Belsen is an anti-war painting by Alan Moore (not be confused with the comic book writer Alan Moore), showing a blind crippled man searching for survivors. An interesting fact about this painting is that Alan Moore, before he came up with this bleak artwork, witness those who were liberated from the Belsen concentration camp in then-Nazi Germany. Then after witnessing one of the most grueling acts in human history, Alan Moore wanted to display the soldiers reactions to corpses and major injuries of innocent civilians. The reason why I chose the Blind man in Belsen is because I wanted to see how far our hated for one another can push us (formal). After finding this artwork, I know now that without human connections, humans will cease to exist.
A Funeral, Frants Henningsen, 1883, From the collection of: SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst
A Funeral is a painting by Frants Henningsen, which shows family members and close companions of the unnamed deceased's funeral. In Frants Henningsen's painting, you will notice that the characters are walking through a cold, snow weather, which reflects their inner pain. An interesting fact about A Funeral, is that according to Denmark's conservator Pauline Banke, the original painting had no cracks in the white (snow) color, and that Frants Henningsen used white lead for the snow (for the viewer: go to Pauline Banke and Frants Henningsen on youtube). The reason why there are cracks in A Funeral is because the white lead reacted with air humidity. The reason why I chose this painting is because not too long ago, I lost a family member, and I wanted a painting where the focus was on the grieving survivors with a cold background.
Civil War (Guerre civile), Edouard Manet, 1871, From the collection of: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Civil War (Guerre civile) is a famous anti-war painting by impressionist Edouard Manet. The Guerre civile was a peaceful attack against the Franco Prussian War, which left over 20,000 men, women, and children dad in the streets of Paris. In order to capture the hearts of the general public, Mr. Manet used a sketch that he actually had done before (Seige of a corpse)to complete his mission. The reason why I chose this painting is because I wanted to see another war painting that emphasize the crowd, and personally I like it more than my other war painting.
Hunger in stomach isn't sweet (Grangou nan vant pa dous), Andrea Baldeck, 1996, From the collection of: James A. Michener Art Museum
Hunger in stomach isn't sweet is a political photograph by volunteer physician Andrea Baldeck. In this photograph, a young boy, from Haiti, can't contained himself with his ration, and needs a physician to help him. Andrea Baldeck came to Haiti because she was interested in third world medicine, and when she arrive, she found out that Haiti was a bleak, depressing nation, so taking a picture of a starving boy will bring enough sympathy from the general public. The Hunger in stomach isn't sweet is documented in Mrs. Baldeck's book: The Heart of Haiti where it tells the native inhabitants' struggles,and how they cope with their problems. The reason why I chose this photograph is because the look of this starving child means that his problem is a small fraction of an entire nation.
Dalziel Brothers, Until her Death, a wood-engraving after Frederick Augustus Sandys, 1862/1862, From the collection of: British Museum
Dalzier Brothers, Until her Death, is a illustration of a loner looking at a decomposed dead body. This illustration was completed by a collaboration between wood-engraver Dalziel Brothers and draughtsman (drafter)/ painter Fredrick Sandys. In the Until her Death illustration, Mr. Sandys gave the Dalziel Brothers instructions which mostly are thick lines. As for the Dalzier Brothers, they were famous Victorian engravers who had a successful career (highlighted in The Dalzier Brothers, A Record of Work, 1840 - 1890), and Until her Death is a good example of their work. According, to the details of this illustration, Until her Death is a religious symbol (Christianity), which can enlighten those who are Christians. The reason why I chose this illustration is because I believe that this painting can be evaluated as a psychological study, but also to the hollow atmosphere in Until her Death.
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