Ashley C. Cline

Integration Series, 2009

As a part of the human experience, people imitate one another. Sometimes we are successful in emulating the thing we are trying to become, but many times we are not. The paint in this series is a physical embodiment of that idea. I wanted the paint to try to replicate what is in the photograph, but by simply being paint, it fails to become the very thing it is trying so hard to imitate. Instead, the paint begins to take over each image in an oppressive manner, dominating the image instead of becoming one with it. The photograph by definition is a direct representation of the natural world; when the paint tries to imitate this natural world it can only get as close as being an artistic interpretation but never an exact depiction. By forcing these two mediums to interact I want to explore the dominant nature of the paint and how I can successfully have it interact with the reality of each photograph. In the words of Friedrich Nietzsche, “Art is not merely an imitation of the reality of nature, but in truth a metaphysical supplement to the reality of nature, placed alongside thereof for its conquest.” Once the paint was placed onto the photograph the entire meaning on the photograph and the image it represented shifted. Now there is a definite dominant or submissive nature inherent in each medium. In order to add another dimension I have added the thin black lines and large red line running through each piece. These lines are intended to give the oppressive nature of the paint a sense of structure that was once present in the photograph but was lost once the paint was applied. Because the lines are drawn off of lines found in the photograph, they also help to create a warped sense of perspective within each piece.