Victorian Visual Culture

I chose to look through the “Collection & Connection: Responsive Portraiture” virtual exhibition on the Mount Holyoke Art Museum’s website. This is an exhibition created by students in Gina Siepel’s “Art Studio 220: Drawing II: The Human Figure and Other Natural Forms” class during the spring semester of 2020. During this time, classes were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the shutdown, students were unable to be physically together for class, and also did not have direct access to the same art materials as they did while they were at school. Professor Siepel, while simultaneously being thrown into new unknown waters themselves, had to craft a home-friendly project for their students to complete. 

Professor Siepel, with the help of the museum staff, crafted a project in which they selected various artworks and paintings in the museum’s collection and had each of the students choose one. Then, each student created their own two art pieces in response to the artwork they chose, using materials available to them wherever they were. There is a diversity in projects, and each student took their own creative spin on the artwork they chose. The emphasis was placed on how they emotionally and personally reacted to their chosen piece, and then how those reactions can spur creations of their own. 

While looking through different projects, I was able to see a wide range of talents, opinions, and artistic methods. I was intrigued by the depths of the works, enjoying learning why and how they made what they did. I think this project really showcases the way in which perception is so personal, and how art spanning over many forms and time periods can impact people. One of my favorites was Piper Kilgore ‘23’s project, which was inspired by Edwin Child’s The Girl In White. For this student, the facial expressions and features of the main woman were the most key aspects of the piece. For their own work, that was the most important part as well. The student viewed the original model’s face to be portraying a feeling of mental escape or daydream. This model is wearing a fancy, luxurious white dress, and appears to be at  a higher-class social event. Kilgore’s inspired piece also focused on those same emotions, but placed their woman in a very opposite setting. This woman is still in white clothing, but it is more simple, and she is reading a book. I think it is really interesting how both portraits have the same values and emphasis, but are interpreted in vastly different ways. The women themselves are very different from each other, despite both being in white and in a state of escapism. I feel like this truly shows how personal art can be, and how an idea can be interpreted in multiple ways. 

Another piece that stood out to me was by Verity Boyer 23’, in which she based her artwork off of La Femme en jaune by Albert Besnard. The original piece is, from what I can tell, an older piece, and is of a woman in draped, traditional clothing in what appears to be her house. Boyer was mostly interested in how the environment around her shaped the woman, and what her relationship was to the environment. For her own drawing, she used the same artistic techniques to draw, what I assume is, herself at a table working on a computer, a depiction of the original piece behind her on a wall. Boyer took the original interest, how people view the woman and her role in the home, and turned it into a modern day interpretation. I think it is really interesting how Boyer kept the same emphasis, but made hers into a completely modern interpretation. Again, this shows how pieces can have the same bases and themes, but be brought to life in different ways. 

Charlotte Anderson 23’ also took a similar approach, basing their art off of Charles Dana Gibson’s Portrait of a Woman. The original is of a woman, dressed in fancy, traditional Victorian clothing, playing with what appears to be a string. She looks playful, content, and relaxed. Anderson based their piece off of their brother, and drew him sitting in a chair while smiling. He is wearing headphones and modern-day clothing. Similar to Boyer’s piece, despite the main subjects being from very different time periods, and doing different activities, both are presenting the same emotions. They are connected through their shared expressions, and Anderson also used the same artistic techniques as the original.

All three of these pieces, as well as the others in the collection, highlight the nuance of art. They all took the original themes and ideas they felt from the art they chose, and reformulated it to fit their personal values. I think this is a collection that emphasizes the emotions art radiates, and encourages students to be creative in how they reimagined them. On the whole, it shows how ideas can be brought to life in unique, various ways. Also, at this time, classes have never really been taught in this way online. It shows how art can be made from many different materials, and despite having COVID-19 limitations, students were still able to be artistic and show what they felt through what they had at home. I encourage everyone to check it out if you can!