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5-1-1978
A synthesis: mood, creation and theory
Sfona Pelah
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ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
A SYNTHESIS:
MOOD, CREATION AND THEORY
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY
OF THE COLLEGE OF FINE AND APPLIED ARTS
IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER
OF FINE ARTS
DEPARTMENT OF PRINTMAKING
BY
SFONA PELAH
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK
MAY, 1978
CHIEF ADVISOR
LAWRENCE WILLIAMS
ADVISORS: DAVID DICKINSON
TABLE
OF
CONTENTSILLUSTRATIONS
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
iv
INTRODUCTION
1
Chapter
I. THE APPROACH
2
II. THE TECHNIQUE
4
III.
INFLUENCES
8
SELECTED
BIBLIOGRAPHY22
ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure
1
14
2
15
3
16
4
17
5
18
6
19
7
20
8
21
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This
thesis
is
dedicated
to
my
parents, Hannah andIsrael
Pelah,
for
their
supportiveness. I would alsolike
to
thank
Dr.
R.H.Johnston,
without whom this wouldn'thave
been
possible. Avery
specialthanks
to
my
dearest
friend,
Lois
R.
Shaffer,
whocontinually
inspired
and encouraged me.INTRODUCTION
There
are severalfactors
that
I
have
takeninto
consideration
in writing
this
thesis.
Evaluating
why
I
create was themain and most significant
factor.
I exploredthe
influences
of other artists who are
important
to
me andthe
synthesis ofthese
factors
culminatedin
the
printsI
created. I touchedon
the
technical
aspects andthe
advantages anddisadvantages
of
intaglio
asmy
working
medium.This
thesis
gave methe
opportunity
to organize andclarify
my
existence as an artist,and
to
examine myself andmy
work-the
mannerin
whichI
CHAPTER
ITHE
APPROACH
Creation
is
expression. I createto
express myself.I
expressthoughts,
but
mainly
feelings
and moods.There
is
a sense of excitement and elevation
throughout
the
creationof
the work,
and oftenthe
completed piece gives me an overwhelming
sense of satisfaction.It
is
thenthat
my
creationand
I
have
a separatereality
in
which we merge.In
thesefew
moments of elevation, Ifind
justification
for my
existence.There
is
so much I can stilldo
and createwith so
many
environments, new worlds, places, and scenes. Ifreeze
slices ofmy
moods andhave
themforever
statedin
away
which canbe
interpreted
differently by
each viewer.My
intent
though,
is
to please andsatisfy
only
myself,
to
expressmy
innermost
feelings
andmoods,
whichdirect
andguide me
from
the
start of anidea
to
its
completion.Mood as
defined
by
Webster's
NewWorld
Dictionary
is
aparticular state of mind or
feeling
or a predominantfeeling
or spirit.
This
state orfeeling
governs me.Reasoning
seemssubordinate to
feeling,
andimages
occur spontaneously.When
I
think ofcreating
animage,
I perceive a synthesisof reason,
logic,
andfeeling.
They
achieve an equilibrium.Sometimes I
feel
totally
merged withmy
prints.I
seemto
lose
my
physical appearance as ahuman
being
andbecome
invis
I
become
an unseen elementin my
print. I amthe
spirit,the
mood,
and atmosphere ofthe
print.I
have many
emotions, each of whichis
expressedby
one of
my
prints. Icomfortably
dispose
ofthe
others andquietly
settleinside my
print. I producemy
own world, apleasing
environmentinto
whichI
can escape asit
is
part ofme,
part ofmy
feelings,
and part ofmy
fantasy.
Working
to
utilize moodis
very
demanding
asit
requirestotal
involvement
and seclusionfrom
outsidedistractions.
In a studio situation
privacy
is
scarce, and sinceetching
is
a
long
processit
takes an enormous amount ofenergy
andconcentration to maintain an appropriate state of mind.
Work
ing
at nightin
unscheduledhours
helps
me retainmy
peace ofmind.
The
quiet outdoors which surroundsthe
studio allowsme
to
relax and,therefore,
focus
and converge onthe
moodthat
guides me.I
am not alwaysfully
satisfied withthe
final
mood ofthe
print,but
I continueto
strivefor
perfection. Ifeel
my
workis
improving
andI
know
my
limitations
and capabilities.There
is
progressfrom
plateto
plate withthe
accumulation ofknowledge.
As a printmaker, technical
disciplines
mustbe
consideredto achieve the
desired
effect. The mediumdictates
and modulates
the
chosen subject, and yetthe
basic
approach remainsCHAPTER
II
THE
TECHNIQUE
In
etching,
there
aremany
techniques
ofworking
aplate. I use
five:
line
etch,
openbite,
aquatint, softground,
and sugarlift.
Everything
is
based
onthese
fundamental
techniques
and their variations.I
do
nothave
a standardway
ofapproaching
my
plates.But
lately,
especially
whileworking
onmy
thesis,
I seemto
start with an open
bite.
I use openbiting
for
several reasons.The
main reasonis
to
create another physicaldimension
whichtakes
full
advantage ofthe
medium ofintaglio
by
creating
amore varied surface. Through
the
use of extremedeep
biting
ofthe plate, I can create and emphasize
the
effect ofdistance.
The
distance
of an objectis
literally
felt
by having
closerobjects raised and
farther
objects sunken. Another effectachieved
by
openbiting
is
the
difference
in
platetone;
the
longer
the
plate remainsin
the
acidthe
more variedthe
tone.I utilize
this
tonal effect often since an openbite
is
muchmore
durable
than
an aquatint through printing.An
openbite
also acts as a
base
for
an aquatint.An
aquatint applied on asurface with an open
bite
is
much richer andfuller
in
quality
than an aquatint applied
to
the
clean surface ofthe
plate.Open
biting
utilizesthe
plate surfaceto
its
fullest
spatialI
use avery
limited
amount ofline
etching
in my
work.Unlike
in
earlierphases,
whenI
started withlines,
I
amnow concerned with
larger,
massive areas-clean and
free
ofextraneous
detail.
Therefore,
I start with openbiting
whichconcentrates on
the
more generalrelationship
of partto
part.The
mostsignificant,
delicate,
and critical stagein my
work
is
the
aquatint.It
is
very
important
that
the
first
aquatint
be
successful sinceaquatinting
is
adelicate
process,
whichis
difficult
to
duplicate
with precisionthe
second
time
round.There
aretwo
ways ofattempting
aquatint.One
way
is
rosin
dust
whichis
evenly
distributed
onthe
plateto
be
melted and
then
placedin
the
acid solution.The
other methodis
spray
lacquering
the
plate surface. Igenerally
work withspray
lacquer
as Ifeel
Ihave
greater control overthe
concentration and
direction
ofthe
spray.Soft
ground and sugarlift
are usedto
alesser
degree
in
my
prints. I use soft groundonly
when anexisting
physicaltexture
is
requiredin
the
print.Sugar
lift,
used as a methodof open-biting,
is
utilizedfor
smaller moredelicate
areaswhich
rarely
appearin my
prints.Many
mistakesin
the
plateimage
canbe
corrected or modified
withoutusing
the
acid again. The platescraper,
burnisher,
and roulette are tools
by
whichthe
etched surface canbe
physioften utilized
to
makecorrections,
andto
create effects ofits
own which cannotbe
achievedsolely
by
aquatinting.The
burnisher
can create a morecontrolled,
harsher
and moredramatic
gradation oftones.
The
tones
have
a velvet-likequality,
very dream-like
andstriking
in
nature.The
photo-etching
processhas
allowed meto
expand onmy
subject matter and
to
get more varied effects.Photography
combined with
my
owndrawn
imagery
is
quiteexciting
asit
suggests a contrast
between
the
stillness andreality
of aphotograph,
andmy
owndynamic
and energeticdrawing.
Thecombination of
the
two creates a surreal effect. I also usephoto-etching
if
I planto
do
a multiple plate print whichneeds accurate registration. I make
the
originaldrawing
onacetate and expose
it
to
a number of plates.This
allows melater
to
modify
elements within each plate to achieve thedesired
effects.Etching
is
a medium ofvery
little
confinement;the
outcomes are
infinite.
Ienjoy
the
"magical"
effect created
by
the
raised areas ofink,
whichis
uniqueto
this
medium.The
inked
surfaces add mood and aseemingly
mystical airto
animage.
A printis
different
from
other art productsin
that
it
has
atime-consuming,
back-breaking
effort putinto
it,
which seems
to
makeit
more serious andsubstantial,
qualitatively
speaking. The effortfinally
pays offin
personalsatisfaction.
I use
this
mediumin my
work.I
wantto
do
much moresuits
my
taste
andway
ofthinking.
Technique andthe
control ofit
liberates
mefrom
mundanethings
by freely
allowing
meCHAPTER
III
INFLUENCES
As
anartist,
I
am notisolated
from
my
environment; Iam
strongly
influenced
by
my
surroundings and experiences.These
influences
are not alwaysdirect
and recognizable;they
may
be
quite subtle and emerge whenleast
expected.I
realize,
however,
that
there
are certain artists whohave
made adeep
impression
on me. I cannotspecify
whattheir
direct
influence
on meis,
just
as I cannot alwaysrealize
the
direct
effects of environment onmy
life,
but
Ican express
how
their
workis
relatedto
my
own work. I choseto
concentrate ontwo
painters and afilm maker,
althoughthere
are a number of other artists who are also meaningful
to
me.The
two
painters arethe
Surrealist,
Salvador
Dali,
andthe
Realist,
Andrew
Wyeth.
Thisis
my
own view of their workand
how
I relate toit.
Ifeel
that
these
artists achievedperfection
in
their work, since one can gobeyond
the
immediacy
of
the
image
and absorbthe
mood.Dali
went throughmany
variations of stylethroughout
his
career
but
his
work retained a "moody" quality.Since
childhood,
Ihave
been
drawn
to the paintings ofDali.
There
areendless
interest
pointsin
his
work and a strange atmospherewhich
fascinates
me.I
relate to Dali andenjoy
his
work sinceatmosphere
is
soimportant
to
mein my
own work.fantasy;
objects arefound
in
unrealjuxtaposition
to
oneanother.
Dali
gavehis
paintings a photographicfinish,
notunlike actual photographs.
He
wantedto
depict
the
unrealwith such extreme realism
that
its
truth andvalidity
couldno
longer
be
questioned. Itry
to
do
the
same thing. Itry
to
create a contrastbetween my
owndrawing
and a "real"photographic
image.
However,
I am nottrying
to
create suchextremely
surrealimages
asdoes
Dali;
yetby
striving
for
contrast
between
drawn
and photographicimages
, I create amildly
similar mood. Dali even went sofar
asto
paste realsubstances,
photographs, and engravings onhis
canvasses to2
create contrast. Dali materializes
the
images
of concrete3
irrationality
withthe
mostimperialist
fury
of precision.Dali' s aim
is
to
emphasizethis
contrastbetween
real andsurreal
to
its
extreme, while Imerely
enjoy
the
subtle andmilder effects of
juxtapositioning.
In Andrew Wyeth1
s work, apparent
reality
is
surpassedby
universal reality.
He
achieves so much moodin
his
paintingsthat
the viewerfeels
the
thickness
ofthe
air,the
tension,
and
the
silencein
the
piece. His workis
onthe
verge ofbeing
surreal.The
compositions areunusual,
colors aresubtle and real,
but
onerarely
is
confronted with suchimages
from
his
point of viewin
everyday
life.
James Thrall
Soby,
Salvador Dali(New
York:
Arno
Press,
1968)
, p.10.
2
Ibid.
, p.10.
3
10
It
is
notthe
pure representation of an objectWyeth
is
after;
it
is
the mood,
the
spirit ofthe
subject matter, andthe
meaning
it
has
to
him.
Before
the
opening
ofhis
Retrospective
Show
atthe
Metropolitan
Museumin
New
YorkCity,
he
was
interviewed
by
Thomas
Hoving,
Director ofthe
MetropolitanMuseum
ofArt.
Wyeth
said ofhimself,
"People
say,
wellhe
uses
too
much subject matter.But
actually
the
subject matterbecomes
unimportant to me.I
finally
getbeyond
it;
for
it
4
means
many
morethings
to methan
just
one object."Wyeth
's
realisticpainting
of actual objectsdoes
notdis
tract
from
the
atmosphericquality
ofhis
work. Careful consideration
has
been
givento
the
placement of each elementin
his
paintingsto
createthe
mood which willbe
appropriateto
that
object. In thepreviously
mentionedinterview,
Wyeth
commented about
the
image
capturedby
the
camera."Reality
is
more
than
that
to
me.That's
why
I neverfelt
any
competitionbetween
the
camera andthe
reality
I'mstriving
for."On
the
same subject
he
said,"You
areforgetting
onething,
youknow,
and
that's
the
spirit ofthe
object, whichif
you sitlong
enough, will
finally
creep
through theback
door
and grab you." Wyethfeels
that
the
spirit ofthe
situationdictates
the
outcome of
the
painting
and I relateto
this
concept strongly.The
mood ofthe
subject matter overwhelmsthe
subject whetherit
be
reality
orfantasy.
Katherine Stoddert
Gilbert,
andJoan
K.
Holt,
ed.Two
Worlds of Andrew Wyeth: Kuerners andOlsons
(New
York:
Metropolitan Museum of
Art,
1976),
p.22.
5
11
Earlier,
I
described
my
feelings
whilecreating
-my
loss
of physical appearance and
identity.
I
wasvery
happy
to
dis
cover while
reading
the
Wyeth
interviews,
two
quotesthat
reflected similar
feelings.
Wyeth
said,
"So
he
(my
friend)
lets
me wander all overthe
house
and paintin
any
room. Ihave
the
key
to
the
house
and come and go as I please.He
doesn't
think
of me asbeing
aroundthere
half
the
time.So,
Idon't
exist as a person."Wyeth
also said,"I like loose
ends.It's
part ofmy
creativity. Idon't
think
I exist as a person7
particularly.
I
really
don't,
andI'd
rather not."Dali
andWyeth
have
different
backgrounds.
Theinspira
tion
for
their
work comesfrom
theirenvironments,
but
theirconcepts
transcend
the
confines of place andbecome
universal.The
features
seenin
the
work of Dali andWyeth
arecombined
in
the
work of FedericoFellini.
Fellini's work
is
on
the
borderline
between
the real and the surreal. Hisworking
medium
is
different
from
the
two artistspreviously
mentionedbut
his
creations are still conceptual art.As
an artist, Federico Felliniis
limited
by
factors
suchas
time,
location
andlight,
due
tothe
nature ofhis
medium.He
began
his
careerby
making
realisticfilms
and advancedto
the
more surreal. Hisfilms
containthe
fluctuation between
the real and
the
surreal throughouthis
career,
but
the
surrealvein prevailed.
His
movies containshockingly
real environments6Ibid.,
p.40.
7
12
that
transcend
mundanereality
andbecome
a symbol of universaltruth.
The
emotionsFellini
choosesto
represent arevery
authentic and all
embracing
-the
audience canenjoy
aninvolve
ment on a
purely
emotionallevel.
Not
unlikeWyeth
andDali,
Fellini
goesbeyond
the
simple visual content andthe
movie onthe
wholeleaves
its
viewers withsomething
to
think
about.Fellini
's
approachto
creating
a movieis
very
muchlike
my
approachto
printmaking.Fellini
says,
"'The birth
of afilm
starts with a spontaneousbut
vaguefeeling.
Afilm
neverbegins
in
acalculated
intelligent
way. 'He
insists
in
spiration
is
all.(Inspiration
equalsartist's
ability
to makedirect
contactbe
tween
conscious and unconsciouslevels
ofhis
mind) .
'The
healthy
artistis
one whotrans
lates
whatlies
in
his
depths
into
forms
ofhis
art withthe
least
interference
from
the
rational side of
him.
Unfortunately,
because
of
the
artist's upbringing,his
art oftensuffers,
for
the
movementfrom
the
artist'sunconscious
to
images
on celluloidinvolves
some
degree
of manipulation.Consciousness
cannot
help
but
containintellectual
biasses
which threaten creativity.
Hence,
the
finished
work of art
is
never as good asthe
dream
film
in
the
artist's mind.When
animage
remainsin
the
unconsciousit
possesses allthe
charm ofthe
infallible.
Its
vagueness makesit
exciting.
When
animage
finally
appears onthe
screen,
however,
it
has
lost
its
mystery.'"8"There
canbe
no art-as opposed to
dream
-without conscious
9
interference."For
Fellini, ideas are muchless
important
than
feelings.
He
is
so concerned withfeeling
in
amovie,
q
Edward
Murray,
Fellinithe
Artist,
(New
York:
Frederick
Ungar
Publishing
Co.,
1976),
p.20.
9
Ibid.
, p.30.
13
that
this
surpasses all other considerations.He
chooses actorsaccording
to
their
facial
features.
"Faces
onthe
screen arehuman
landscapes."The
choice oflocation
is
also significant."Other
than
the
authenticity
(of
being
filmed
onlocation)
it
is
done
for
metaphorical and atmospheric purposes.They
(the
loca
tions)
acquire a place ofmeaning
beyond
their existence as mere12
sites wheresomething
can happen."It
is
hard
to
equatedifferent
media; yetthe
validity
ofthe
work andthe
truth
it
proclaims canbe
evaluatedusing
the
same criteria.
On
such alevel,
art canbe
evaluated no matterwhat medium
is
being
approached.A
creationis
eternally
acreation.
I
have
alwaysfound
inspiration
in
the
works ofFellini,
Wyeth,
andDali.
They
have
enabled meto
escape andtranscend
to
another world-the
world within their art.I,
in
turn,
can create
my
own worldsin
which I contemplate and expressmy
own
earthly
andunearthly
moods.Ibid. , p.
21.
12
22
SELECTED
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gilbert,
Katherine
Stoddert,
andHolt,
Joan
K.
ed.The
Worlds
ofAndrew Wyeth
:Kuerners
andOlsons.
New York:Metropolitan
Museum ofArt,
1976.
Murray,
Edward.
Fellini
the
Artist.
New York: FrederickUngar
Publishing
Co.,
1976.
Rosenthal,
Stuart.
The
Cinema of Federico Fellini. SouthBrunswick: A.S.
Bares
andCompany,
1976.
Soby,
James
Thrall. Salvador Dali. New York: ArnoPress,