LONDON

London is a place that I have always wanted to visit. I’m not sure if it is because I share the same name as the queen of because I am half English from my mom’s side of the family, but I have always felt had a slight connection London. When I was younger, I always wanted a British accent and would ask my mom why we didn’t live in London to which she would just think was cute and funny. I was extremely excited to arrive in London and get to experience the lives of those who live in the same city as royalty. I enjoyed all that London had to offer and felt that we got to spend just enough time there. Out of the museums that we visited, I think my favorite was the Tate Modern. I feel that that’s because the artists that created the works of art are more recent than those of other museums, so the subject matters that they felt with in their paintings were more prevalent today. Because of this, the art was easier for me to relate to, and even when I was unsure of what the artist was trying to convey, I could relate it to my own life.

I see the two paintings above as a set.  To my eye they represent the beauty in human differences.  There are several different ways you can look at these two paintings to get the same message that uniqueness is a good thing.  One way to look at it is that the top piece represents a short possibly larger person, and the bottom could be a taller, skinnier person. Another way to look at it is that the top could represent a shier and more reserved person because I feel that it appears to be more inside itself and not quite as open as the bottom piece. The bottom piece could then be a more outgoing and talkative person.  Whichever way I look at these pieces, I always see opposite views between the two, but the message is always the same: no one person is the same as anyone else and all of these differences between humanity are encouraged.    

In this painting, I see an expression of coming of age our society today. To my eye, the painting is horizontally divided into thirds.  The bottom third expresses innocence and adolescence. Between the ages of 0 to 12, at least for me, I was not yet introduced to social media and the stereotypes and expectations that come with it.  This bottom third of the painting expresses the innocence that you have before you really exposed to the world and social media.  The middle part, for me, represents the teenage years as well as the twenties.  For my generation, it is the time where almost everyone loses self – confidence because we are comparing ourselves to one and other.  Social media sets a standard that is almost impossible to reach, which in turn makes us question ourselves.  The top third of the painting represents middle age and old age.  At this point, you can see things from a different perspective.  When you look at your life as a whole, it doesn’t really matter that much about what other people think of you.  All that matters is that you meet your own standards, and that you are happy with yourself.  In this part of the painting, you regain your confidence and are happy with yourself.