The Novice Painter: One Day I Floated Away

One day I Floated Away was an assignment where I was meant to replicate the style of a certain artist, or use a specific kind of theme. So I used some of my favorite aspects in Gustav Klimt’s art, as well as a use of symbolism.

One thing I noticed about Gustav Klimt’s pieces was his heavy use of gold and ornamental patterns, as well as a focus on the figures face in his paintings. So I decided to use gold, bronze and copper in my own piece and have the main focal point fall on the face. I also noticed he typically used women in his paintings and sketches, so to differ it a bit I decided to make my figure rather androgynous. So depending on the viewer, they can be presented as male or female.

Initially, I was going to make this piece on anxiety, but as I painted, it felt far too light and airy for that subject alone. So I decided to make it based around a day dreamer instead, (which daydreaming can tie in with anxiety depending on what ones day dreams are about)!

The brick wall in the background of the piece was meant to represent hitting a standstill, a creative block, “hitting a brick wall”, ect. Everyone knows the feeling, whether an artist, musician, writer or whatever! However, there is a reason I made everything else in the foreground, which was meant to be taken on a more positive note—these blocks happen, and they can last a while, but they don’t last forever. The twisting gold pattern was meant to represent good vibes, or a creative flow. The small, broken pieces below it are meant to represent the same, but perhaps when it’s not coming as steady as one would like. The tidal waves represent ideas, which come in varying sizes—ideas can start out small and grow bigger with time! It’s hard to see, but there is also a silhouette of a shark within the waves—it had no real meaning, but perhaps (depending on the person), it can be taken as a bad idea—or a badass one! The bats (as much as I love them) and the fog can represent negative or unsure thoughts. They are semi-transparent as these thoughts aren’t always made known to outsiders. Bat’s as a totem animal however, can represent rebirth. Sometimes these kinds of thoughts can motivate us to work harder, (example: anxiety for a test can make you study harder), resulting in a better outcome. The bell on the figures hat is just a symbol for the phrase “Bats in the Belfry”.

One day I Floated Away was definitely one of my favorite paintings to do this semester. I had no issues with it and it was just really fun to make. However, if I were to make any changes, I would probably add more streaks within the waves, as they seem over blended compared to the harder lines and texture in the rest of the painting! I might also go back in and add more gold accents at a later time to balance it out more.