Annegien Schilling

Annegien Schilling

Project 1

The artist picked for this assignment is Annegien Schilling, who is renowned for her work in the collection of surreal self-portraits that express her abilities and the environment around. Schilling shot to fame when she was only 17 years old, and advancements in technology have catapulted her popularity through social media. Her presence is vibrant on Instagram, where she shares her self-portraits with her followers. Her prowess has seen her called to give TEDx talks on her process of creation as well as what the images mean to her. Through her work, she has inspired a lot of aspiring artists to take up their craft and make exceptions to artistic creations. Her works on self-portraits do cover not only her face but also uses other inanimate objects. Essentially, Schilling has perfected the process of making self-portraits from old techniques such as carving, sculpturing, among others. The use of photography to make self-portraits makes it more comfortable, convenient, and faster when it comes to making self-portraits. The process is also more secure when it comes to the safety of the output. It also allows the artist to include many other components into an image. For instance, the artist can manipulate the lighting, color, sharpness, among other elements, to improve the quality of the self-portrait. They also have the liberty to use different tools to merge images to increase the details of the final work. Such images appeal more to the viewers and communicate a lot more information as compared to simpler methods such as sculpturing, among others. The paper focuses on a particular self-portrait by Schilling, which inspires my creation of an inanimate self-portrait.

Schilling Self-portrait

The self-portrait of Schilling has garnered a lot of recognition globally as it expresses her expertise in making such images. The calm and collected face tells the story of an exceptional artist who can manage to capture the mood of a moment and express the same to the viewers. I chose the image because it expresses a deeper meaning of human interaction with nature. The image represents a core value of my personality. I am highly aware of the environment and believe in every little effort to conserve the same. Victories in safeguarding the environment allow nature to thrive. Other animals can benefit from a highly maintained ecosystem and reproduce significantly. The environment also benefits the animals that reproduce here as they get shelter and food from the same. Such a view reflects profoundly on my personality. The image, in this case, shows a human face with butterflies gracefully flying around while others have peacefully landed. In this case, humans and nature seem to interact harmoniously, with each benefiting from the company of the other. The image shows that the person cares deeply about the butterflies and endeavors to offer them a safer environment where they can thrive and reproduce successfully. The self-portrait, in this case, reflects on a deeper aspect of my personality, which regards all animals as crucial and worth protecting. I believe that safeguarding vulnerable animals, such as butterflies, benefit the environment greatly as they enhance the pollination process beyond being a sight to behold concerning scenic beauty. I believe in protecting all types of animals besides butterflies as their destruction brings about an imbalance in the ecosystem.

The image is also in black and white, which expresses the exceptional skills of the artist. Great artists make self-portraits that surpass the typical contemporary images. They establish creations that capture more than the bare image. The color, in this case, could reflect the time of night or the calmness of the picture. Such an aspect captures my personality in expressing standout pieces of art that reveal more than just the bare image. I endeavor to express moods, historical times, and other aspects of artistic work. I believe such images offer deeper meaning to the viewers and keep them interested in establishing new pieces of information from the same image.

The image at the time was captured to express the artistic prowess of Schilling in capturing moving objects on still surfaces. As seen, the face is calm and collected, while some of the butterflies are hovering above her. Such qualities reflect the experience of the artist and improve the technique of making self-portraits. The image at the time also expressed the beauty of nature whereby humans and animals interact amicably in the same space. It was meant to raise awareness regarding the need to protect vulnerable species such as butterflies, which are affected by the majority of human activities. The protection of the species according to the image presents humans with an opportunity to interact with the animals that provide more than scenic beauty. Their role in pollination cannot be understated and, therefore, the need to protect them. The view thus resonates with my personality of protecting these creatures for their overall impact on human life.

Personal Self-portrait

The self-portrait is a work of photography. The colorful image presents a close-up of a butterfly while it rests on a bright flower. I chose the picture because it expresses a part of my artistic skills that reflects those of Schilling. Much like her, I am compelled to self-portraits that reveal more than the image of the object but other hidden qualities that carry voluminous information on many issues. I also chose the picture because it represents sublime nature at its best where animals and plants interact to benefit each other. As the butterfly feeds on the flower products, it initiates the pollination process by depositing pollen grains from other flowers while it carries with it pollen to different other flowers. The image also represents a bright day in the field where the plants are thriving as much as the butterfly. Such a colorful representation shows that the ecosystem is thriving and that limited destruction has been done. At the same time, the material picked for the self-portrait is also readily available and does not require much technical know-how to capture such an image. Many other self-portraits, such as the one by Schilling, require a lot of technicalities to express the colors and the objects according to the artist’s perspective. My image, however, is still and resting on the flower, which makes the capturing of the same quite straight-forward. Upcoming artists are encouraged to take such still images as they do not demand a lot from the artist. It also helps them improve their craft with time to include more sophisticated elements such as motion different colors, merging of images, among many others.

I hoped that the image would capture the attention of the viewer to recognize and appreciate the scenic beauty of the environment. The image also aims at showing the symbiotic interaction of animals and plants whereby the butterfly benefits from the plant through the provision of food and shelter. The plant, on the other hand, benefits from the pollinating activities of the butterfly as it moves, feeds and rests on the flower. I hoped that the self-portrait would be more than an expression of art; instead, it would also educate the viewers on the intricate processes of nature that directly impact human life. Besides, the picture serves to pass the message of the essence of conservation of the environment. As seen, the image shows green plants with colorful flowers with a butterfly resting on the same. Such a view represents a well-taken care environment or rather one that has not faced destructive human activities. With an increase in urbanization and other industrial operations, the majority of the environment has faced destruction, which translates to the deaths of many species of animals as they cannot find food or shelter to survive. The image hopes to evoke the need for awareness regarding the conservation of natural resources. With increased protection, the environment can thrive and produce such scenic beauty, as seen in the self-portrait. The animals are at significant risk if more destruction of the environment continues. The butterflies and many other animals will lack their habitat and food alike, which threatens their extinction of these animals. Their absence also impacts other aspects of human life, such as food production as the insects that facilitate pollination will no longer be available. Given that many parts of the world face food problems, reducing food production could cause a lot of human suffering.