Rochester Institute of Technology
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Theses
Thesis/Dissertation Collections
5-1-1997
Depiction of portraiture, Likeness vs.
Representation
Mario Guarriello
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Recommended Citation
ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
A
Thesis Submitted
to the
Faculty
ofThe College
Fine
andApplied Arts
in
Candidacy
for
the
Degree
Master
ofFine Arts
'Depiction
ofPortraiture,
Likeness
vs.Representation
"Mario R.
Guaniello
ChiefAdvisor:
EdwardMiller/
_
Date:
J-'
H· f7
_
Associate Advisor:
Robert Dorsey/
_
Date:
5"//2/97
~
I
Associate Advisor:
Robert Cole
/
_
Fine Arts Department Chairperson:
LuvonSheppard/
_
Date:
-~'-f-'=-f-L.l--Date:
6
dd:,z
7
./
I, Mario Guarriello
, hereby grant permission to the
Wallace Memorial Library of RIT to reproduce my thesis in whole or in part. Any
wil not be for commercial use or profit.
--+-....L.i~.l.----OUTLINE
I.
Introduction
n.
Looking
Back
a.
Major
Decisions
b. Influences
c.
Visuals
m.
The Thesis Itself
a.
Process & Ideas
b. The Paintings
c.
Visuals
IV.
Looking
Ahead
a.
Illustrator
vs.Fine Artist
b. Style
vs.Substance
V. Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
So
the
dreaded
'Thesis
Paper'begins. I hope
this
paper canhelp
you,
the
reader,
understand
the thought
processbehind
this
body
ofwork.I
have
alwaysfelt
that
my
artworkshould standon
its
ownlegs,
unsupportedby
flowery,
artspeak.This
body
ofwork
is
completely different from anything I
have
attemptedbefore. This
paperis
as muchan experimentas
the
workitself.
I have divided
this
paperinto
three
majorsections;
Looking
Back,
The Thesis Itself
&
Looking
Ahead.
I have found
that this thesis
has
notonly
become
aboutthe
last
year,
but my
career as an artist.Starting
from
the
day
I
walkedinto my first RIT
drawing
class,
to
the
day
whenI finished my
Thesis,
I
amlooking
in
three
directions
at once.I
look
to the
past,
to
seehow I have
grown,
as an artist and a person.I
examinethe
presentto
understandwhat
I
have
become,
including
the thoughts
behind my
artwork as well asthe
work
itself.
Finally,
I
look
to the
future
to
see whereI
can and willgo,
andwhatI
willbecome,
the
endresult ofthis
journey.
I
have
chosenmy
advisorsin
keeping
withthe
idea
oflooking
at myselffrom
three
directions. Prof. Bob
Cole,
my freshman
drawing
teacher.
Prof. Robert
Dorsey,
my
undergraduate
Illustration
teacher.
Finally,
Prof. Edward
Miller,
my
graduatePainting
teacher.
Each Professor has been invaluable
to
my
artisticdevelopment;
past,
present&
MAJOR DECISIONS
I had decided
to
pursueFine Arts
Painting
asmy
graduatedegree
aftertalking
withProfessor
Luvon
Sheppard,
aninfluential
man,
in
my
education as well asmy life. Luvon
told
methat to
learn
more about myselfI had
to grow, then
look
back,
to
understand whereI
was.We had
talked
about various schools andtheir
respectiveprograms,
but
the
biggest
discussion
wasabout which majorto choose;
Painting
orIllustration. Luvon
then
told
mewhy he
thought
Painting
wasfor
me,
because I
was anIllustrator,
notaFine Artist.
I
rememberthinking
that
he
wantedmeto
spendthousands
ofdollars
to
do
something
that
hated
me,
aswell mehating
it,
painting.Shep
gavemehis
reasonsfor
his
outlandish
proposal;
I
wouldlearn
morein
anareathat
wasunfamiliar,
than
I
wouldpursuing
an areathat
I knew
and was comfortablein. As
an undergraduateI
alwaysthought
that the
Fine
Artists,
the
Painters,
aretoo
'out
there'for
me.I did
nothave
ascarring
family
trouble
or unresolved parentalconflicts,
therefore
what wasI
to
paint.I
wasconvinced
that
modernday
artists,
paintersin
general,
weremastersofBS.
However,
Luvon
would notback
down,
I
amgladhe did
not,
andFine Arts
Painting
became my
major.So I became
anIllustrator
in Painter's
clothes,
determined
notto
budge
in my
beliefs,
my definitions
ofIllustration
andFine
Arts,
andnotto
become
aINFLUENCES
I
am unableto take total
creditfor my development
as anartist.The
numerousteachers
andprofessors
along
the
way
certainly deserve
credit.I've
never met someofthe
most
influential
peoplein
my
education asanartist,
otherartists,
past andpresent.There
are so
many
artists,
I
cannotpossibly
nameorremembereachone,
however
there
aresomemajor
standouts,
illustrators
& fine
artists alike.Comic
books illustrators dominate
my
influences,
from history's immortal Jack
Kirby
to today's
Travis
Charest(fig-la),
comicbooks have
alwaysbeen
the
largest
influence in my
life.
I
tend
to
admireillustrators
that
bring
morethan
good anatomicaldrawing
skillsto
comics.Bill
Sienkiewicz,
has
fused
fine
artillustration
to the
comicbook
storyline,
books bred
ofthis
fusion
are calledgraphicsnovels.Sienkiewicz has
brought
anincredibly
versatile styleto
comics,
attimes
adark
sinisterlook(fig-lb),
as well as somequite playful
images(fig-lc).
Sienkiewicz'stalent
appearseffortlessandbroad.
Sienkiewicz'
s
illustrations
exude a confidence andlimitless
creativity,
acreativity I hope
to
equal one
day.
Gregory
Manchess(fig-l-d),
illustrator &
artist,
has been
essentialfor my
artisticdevelopment.
Manchess
has helped
changemy
aestheticattitudetowards
my
ownpainting.Manchess
provideda newdirection
for my
work.Manchess'
style
hit
anerve somewherewithin me.
A
revelationhit
me,
the
moreI
strivefor
realism,
the
more elusiveit
becomes.
I
was
painting
myselfinto
a corner(punintended),
the tighter
my painting
became,
the
less
tolerant
my
artisticideas became.
Studying
Manchess'
work
has
helped
rescue mefrom
the
tight,
realistic,
closed-mindedaestheticthat
I
washeaded
for.
When
it
comesto
my ideas
aboutpaintings, there
areatwo
painters
who stand outamong
the crowd,
Lucian Freud
&
Francis
Bacon(fig-lh). Lucian
Freud(fig-le),
the
depth
and colorwithin asinglebrushstroke is utterly
amazing.The
paintingsare sotactile
and sopainterly(fig-lf). Freud'
s(fig-lg)
portraitshave
such apresence whetheryouare5
or
25 feet
away.Freud handles
the
paint as amaster,
he does
notbend
the
paintto
his
will,
but
ratherworksin
conjunction withpaintitself. Freud's
skill,
cooperating
withthe paint,
aconcept
that
I have
tried to
adoptin
my
own work.All
these
influences
have
helped
to
createthe
artistbefore
you.These
artists,
andnumerous
others,
have
notonly
helped
to
develop
my
artistic stylebut my
sensibilitiesaboutart as well.
Although
unseen,
the
changein my
artistictemper, is
by
far
the
most"FORTHE/ttTBW/WWF
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D
76
Three Studies for Self-Portrait. 1 972. Smalltriptych.
Oil
oncanvas,each panel 14x12 in. /35. 5x30. 5 cm. Privatecollection.
77
Self-Portrait. 1971. Oil oncanvas,
14x12 in. /35. 5x30. 5 cm.
PROCESS
&
IDEAS
The
portrait.The
simplest explanation ofmy
thesis
work.I
set outto
identify
the
rules of
conventional
portraiture,
discard them,
and redefinethem
in my
ownterms.
I
wanted
to
create a sense oftension
ordrama
withinmy
portraits,
to
distance my
workfrom
the typical
boardroom
portrait.It
wasimperative
that
I
attackmy
work.When
I say
'attack',
I
meanto throw
myselfinto
the
process of painting.Considering
how I
usedto paint,
I
neededto
redefinemy painting
process,
to
match
my
newfound artisticreasoning.The
prospectofredefining my
artworkitself
wasdaunting,
but
to
reinventhow I
approachpainting,
has been
a struggle.I
discarded
previousnotions about
painting; preparation,
process&
overalldevelopment. I
wasforced
to
develop
a methodofworking according
to
my
updated artistic sensibilities.I
workedstrictly
withthe
paintbrush.I
refusedto
sketchin
the
basic
composition onthe
canvasbeforehand.
Without
anunderlying
sketch,
I had
no outlinesto
follow,
my
paintbrush wasfree
to
roamas needbe. I
could sitbefore
apainting
withnothing but
ageneralvision ofthe
completedpainting,
unhinderedby
adrawing,
free
to
let
the
painting
develop
itself.
Then I
startedapplying
the paint,
pure andunmixed,
letting
the
color relationshipsform
themselves.
Color
and colortheory
have
alwaysbeen
oneofmy
weakestpoints,
soI
stopped
obsessing
aboutthem,
and paintedby
mixing
the
colors onthe
canvas.As
the
colorsmix
themselves, I
am relievedofduty,
nolonger
pressuredby
color andits'millionsof
theories.
This is
notto
say I have
nounderstanding
of color orthat
my
colorpalette
has become
garish; the
canvashas become my mixing
palette.Visibly,
my
application of paintontothe
canvasis
the
mostdominant
changein my
work.
Instead
ofworking
withthin
washesofcolor,
to
build
a realisticrendering,
I
choseto
apply
paintdirectly.
I built my layers
withfull fledged
brushstrokes,
wetinto
wetwithin
the portrait, then
went andbuilt
planes of color withinthe
original planes.By
constructing my
portraitsthis way,
wetinto
wet,
I
amableto
unify
the
colors.The
natureof oil
paint,
andit's
slowerdrying
time, lends itself
towards
this
end.Each
successivebrushstroke
mixesit's
colorwiththe
coloronthe canvas,
thereby
giving
the
painting
anoverall unified
look. Each brushstroke is
a singlefacet,
andmy
paintings arebuilt
uponthousands
ofthese
facets,
combining
to
form
animage.
To break
the
conventional rules of portraitureI first
neededto
understandthe
rules.I
setoutto
disregard
these
rulesandto
invent
aset of successful new rules.After scouring
Rochester
arealibraries,
I
cameto
my
ownconclusions,
aboutthe
generalrulesoftraditional
portraiture.'How-to
Books',
'Techniques
for',
andsimilarbooks
resideeverywhereon
the
shelves.They
formulate basic ideas
aboutcomposition,
color,
andtechnique.
These
rulesare soformulated,
sounbending,
its
asif
artis
a mathematicalequation.
If painting
'A7
has both 'C
and'D',
then
it is
conect.However,
if
the
painting
includes
either'B'
or
'E',
it is inconect. I
ask;
whereis
the
learning
or personalinterpretation in
this
approach?There
aregeneral guidelinesandboundaries,
setto
help
people understand
aesthetics,
sothat
they
canchooseto
disregard
these
ideals if
they
wish.I
have been
taught
that
aviewerseesthe
portraitin four
stages.First,
the eyes, the
viewer
is
immediately
drawn
to
the
eyes.Secondly
comesthe
head
as a wholeunit.Then
the
body
and orclothing.Last,
if
applicable,
the
hands. This is how
your average viewerperceivesaportrait.
I
challengedmyself,
as wellasthe
viewer, to
devise
aless
formulated
way
to paint,
andviewthe
portrait.The
human figure is
the
fundamental
principleofmy
painting.I
find nothing
moreinteresting
than the
endlessmultitude of expressionsthe
body
canconvey.Either in
the tilt
of
the
head
orthe
subtleflick
ofthe wrist, the
human
body
is
the
mostamazing
creationin
not
to
portray
the
exactlikeness
ofanindividual.
The
full
renderedphoto-realisticpainting
certainly has
merit as atechnical achievement,
but lacks
soul,
andis
nothing
morethan
THE PAINTINGS
With
my
setof unbreakable portrait rulesin
hand,
I
setoutto
createmy
newrules,
and
break
asmany
ofthe
old as possible.My
first
attempts atthe
thesis
paintings wereafailure.
I
was underthe
'thesis
spell',
abelief
that
I
wasto
createsuch masterful worksofart,
I
putan unreasonable amountofpressureupon myself.So I decided
to
do
some warmup
paintings,
small8"
x 10"
portraits,
to
get rid ofthe
preciousness.So I
satdown
andbegan
to
work,
withoutsketches,
to
paint portraits.The
results astonished even myself.I
was able
to
accomplishmy
originalgoals,
withoutany
undopressure.Why? I look
back
and see
that
I
wasableto
relinquishthe
precioushold
onmy
work andto
experiment.The
series,
andpainting
itself,
"Rogues
Gallery" wereborn.
In
these
paintingsI
believe I
wasthe
most experimental.I
challenged myselfto
create
9
to
12
originalcompositions,
within an8"x 10"frame,
using
the
head itself. So I
began
to
vary
the
position ofthe
head,
relativeto the
dimensions
ofthe
canvas,
andthe
angle
by
whichit is
viewed.In
most ofthe
"Rogues
Gallery"series,
as well as"Isolation"and
"Epiphany",
I decided
to
eliminatethe
first
stageof viewing.I
eliminatedthe
eyes.I
wanted
the
viewersto
make a connection withthe
portrait.A
connectionto the
portrait notbased
onthe
unionanindividual
makeswith anotherby
eye contact.I
choseto
stimulatethe
unease people experience when anotherindividual
willnot makeeyecontact,
especially
in
conversation.I
cannotfathom,
at whathidden human
level,
why
eyecontactis
soimportant.
I
wantedto
tackle
compositionin
an unfamiliarway.I
choseto
placethe
heads
uncomfortably
closeto
someedges,
eliminate parts ofthe
face,
and reanangethe
point ofview.
Lastly,
I
choseto
paintunflattering
portraits,
by
that
I
mean nottaking
artisticlicense,
boxers
ormug
shots.Comments I
am morethan
happy
to
receive.I
wantedmy "Rogues
Gallery"
to
be just that,
a collection ofswarthy, rugged,
attimes
leery
individuals. After
all,
the
title
"Rogues
Gallery"is
adirect
result ofthese
comments."Isolation"
and
"Epiphany",
aretwo self-portraits,
direct
resultsofmy
experiencesin
the
Graduate
Painting
program."Isolation"
is
the
first painting I did
for
my
thesis
work.Isolation,
my
first
feelings,
atR.I.T.'s
off campuspainting
studio.I
was anillustrator
among fine
artists.I
felt
cut offfrom
what was comfortableto
me; the
R.I.T.
campus,
illustrators
andillustration in
general,
and people oflike
mind.I
was alonein
aroomfull
ofpeople.
With
"Isolation",
I
tried to
capturethose
feelings,
andI
turned
myselfaway from
the
viewer.I
turned
from
the
viewerbecause I didn't
wantto
confrontthe
viewer,
but
rather
to
representintrospection.
"Isolation"is
a representation ofmy first
yearofgraduatework.
"Epiphany"
represents
the
second year of graduate work.After
taking
the
summeroff
from
schoolI
cameback
to
my
studio.So I
startedto
paintagain,
but I
was unableto
recapture
the
previous year'sstyle.I had
to
reinventmyself again.After
two
months ofpainting,
something
seemedto
click,
andeverything fell into
place.I became
comfortablewith
the
idea
ofpainting
andmy
personal style."Epiphany",
is
meantto
captureamoment,
the
momentofunderstanding
and acceptancein my
painting. "Contemplation"differs from
the
restofthe
paintings.The
rest ofthe
paintingsused awarm
palette,
ofcolors,
heavy
with oranges andbrowns.
I
wantedto experiment
withacool palette.
I
wantedthe
viewerto
be
confrontedby
anindividual
withinthe
painting itself.
The
image inside
the
painting is
deep
withinthought,
miredin
the
black
ofthe
background,
somewhat revealed.I
painted"Contemplation"
for
viewersto
seeaaWVl
ILLUSTRATOR
VS.
FINE ARTIST
Perhaps
the
mostsignificant
revelationin my
two
years ofgraduatework,
has been
the
understanding
ofmy
two
artistic selves.I
graduatedfrom
R.I.T.
anIllustrator,
I
willgraduate
in
May
'97
as aFine
Arts
Painter,
but I
am morethan the
sumofthese two
degrees.
I
am ahybrid
ofmy
two education's,
withtwo
different
points ofview,
ableto
view
the
world of art with an enhancedawareness.There
weretimes
thatI felt
aninternal
struggle,
two
artistic selvesandtheir
respectiveaesthetics,
warring for dominance.
I
enteredmy
graduateworkanIllustrator. I
waspreparedto
undergoachange,
oneI
wantedto
welcome,
but
soon cameto
disgust. At first I
was open mindedto
a changetowards
Fine Arts but
soonbecame
uncomfortable withthe
process.I
felt
assailedby
students,
by
Fine Art itself
and attimes,
professors.I
wastold to
loosen
up,
paintlarger,
and
do something
unorthodoxin my
process of painting.If I
spreadmy
canvas onthe
floor,
spilled paintonthe
canvas,
then
walked onit,
I
couldbecome
an painter.Luvon
Sheppard
alwaystold
methat
I'll
learn
more whenI'm
uncomfortable and provokedto
question
my
sunoundings.If I did my
graduate workin
Illustration,
what more wouldI
learn,
andhow
muchmorecouldI
grow?I
neededto
be
thrown to the
wolves andfend
for
myself.
I
did just
that.
I
fought my fellow
students,
Fine Art
and professors.I
was anIllustrator,
anIllustrator,
not aPainter
orFine Artist.
For
the
first
yearI
questionedpainting;
process,
ideas,
and subjectmatter.I
defined
painting
andillustration,
with regardsto
my
personalideas,
and startedto
understandwhatI
wantedfrom
my
graduate education.I defined
the
illustrator
as'Style'
and
the
Painter
as'Substance',
ideas
I'll
explainin
the
next section.I
felt
the
Illustrator
andPainter
to
be
two
sides of
the
samebeing;
the
commercial artistandthe
personal artist,the
Illustrator
createswork
for
others,
turning
their
ideas into
reality,
sending
their
message.The Painter
createsSTYLE
VS. SUBSTANCE
style
(noun)
1:
distinctive way
ofspeaking, writing,
oracting
2:
elegantorfashionable
way
ofliving
style
(verb)
1:
name2:
giveaparticulardesign
or styleto
As
anIllustrator
I
wasconcerned withthe
output ofmy
labor,
the
final
artwasofthe
utmostconcern,
notthe
processof creation.I
was wonied about whether a client wouldbe
satisfied withthe work,
if my
work wasvisually
impressive,
whetherI
was proud ofthe
work andcreating my
ownmarketable visual style.After
allI
wantedto
be
a successfulcommercial
illustrator. I
needed clients and prospective clientsto
find my
workcreative,
visually impressive
and original.In Illustration
their
is
noneedfor hidden
messages andinterpretation
by
the
viewer.Clients
want visualimpact,
artworkthat
will sell aproduct,
orconvey
a message.Sometimes
the
Illustrator
is
ahired
hand,
a professional artistbrought in
to
create a piece ofartwork,
nothing
more.The gallery is
notthe
goalfor
the
Illustrator;
book
covers,
magazines,
or posters arethe
vehiclesfor
display.
Mario
Guarriello,
the
Illustrator,
was not concerned withthe
substanceofthe
piece.There
is
no needto
godeep
beyond
the
surfaceofanillustration. I
wasengagedby
the
surfaceof
the
artwork andI
wantedothersto
be
as well.I
wantedmy
artworkto
makepeople
look
twice
andsay "That's
amazing",
nothing
more.I
felt
the
Painter
wanted peopleto
be
provokedby
his
orher
artwork.The
Painter
was concerned withthe
'Why' of painting.There
wereideas,
thoughts,
and conceptsbeneath
the
surfaceofa painting.Painters
wanted viewersto
explorethis world,
the
Painter's
world.I did
notneedto
substance
(noun)
1:
essence or essential part2:
physical material3:
wealthTo Mario
Guarriello,
the
Painter,
I
was concerned withthe
processofcreation.I
needed
to
understandthe
'how's' and 'why's'behind my
work.I
wantedthe
provokethe
viewer either
into
actionorthought.
I
was uninterestedin
the
commercial success ofmy
work.
I
waspainting for
myself and aselectaudience.The
audience wouldbe
peopleinterested
enoughin
art,
as awhole,
to
comeandviewmy
work oftheir
own volition.My
work wouldnot
be
abook
cover,
amovieposter orotherimage
unavoidablein
today's
society.
These
paintingsaremeantto
grabaviewerandpullthem
into my
work.Then
the
viewer could
interpret
the
painting
asthey
sawfit. The
workwas meantto
be
discussed,
interpreted,
andeven arguedover.It
was undesirableto
create workfor
another personto
sell
their
message ortheir
product.I
wantedto
be
noone'shired
hand,
I
wantedto
be my
own art
director,
to
setmy
ownpath.I've been in
the
Illustration
room enoughto
hear many
conversationsabout'style'.
How C.F. Payne
createshis
work;
first
the
drawing,
then
alayer
ofink,
then
an oilwash,
then
etc."How
do I
createthese
effectslike C.F.
Payne";
it
was all students wereconcerned
with,
traveling
abeaten
path.In
that
paththere
lies
nodiscovery,
nolearning,
and noself-exploration.
Influences
arevery
important,
but
there
mustbe
apoint ofdeparture
from
them,
to
become
your own person.Sometimes
artwork mustbe
morethan
CONCLUSION
I've
cometo the
end ofthis
dreaded
thesis paper,
but
notthe
end ofmy
education.I
trust that this
paperhas helped
enlighten youto the
methodbehind my
madness.I
wantedyou
to
understandthat this thesis
is
morethan
just
abody
of work andapaper.The
mostcriticalpart
has
been
the
journey,
from
the
beginning
Illustrator
andPainter
to the
hybrid
Illustrator/Painter
I've become. The
journey
has been
the
most worthwhile experience ofmy
graduate years.I've
grown morein
the
pasttwo
years as anartistthan
I
couldhave
believed. This
graduate workhas been invaluable in
itself,
aswellasmaking my
undergraduate education more valuable.
I
am ableto
look back
atthe
Mario Guarriello
ofMay
1995
and understandexactly
whereI
wasthen.
I
canlook
atMario Guarriello
oftoday
andhave
a clearer view ofthe
roadI
amon.I
understandthe
invaluable
supportmy
advisorshave been
andI
hope
they
canbe
proud of
my
growth andmy
work.Special
acknowledgment goesto
Luvon
Sheppard,
the
man who pushed me
into
the
fire,
andhelped
to
mold meinto something
better,
strongerBIBLIOGRAPHY
Ballinger,
James K. Frederic Remington.
New
York, N.Y.,
Abrams
in
associationwith
the
National
Museum
ofAmerican
Art,
Smithsonian
Institution,
1989.
Daugherty,
Charles
Michael. 6
artistspaint aportrait.Alfred Chadbourn. George
Passantino.
Charles Reid. Ariane
Beigneux.
Robert Baxter. Ann Toulmin-Rothe.
Westport,
Conn.
:North Light Publishers
;
New York
:distributed
by
Watson-Guptill
Publications,
1974.
Hughes,
Robert. Lucian Freud
paintings.New
York,
N.Y.
:Thames
andHudson,
1987.
Lampert,
Catherine. Lucian Freud
: recent work.New
York,
N.Y.
:Rizzoli,
1993.
Leiris,
Michel.
Francis Bacon, full face
and profile.New York
:Rizzoli,
cl983.Sylvester,
David. Francis Bacon. New York
:Pantheon
Books,
1975.
The Artist
by
himself
:self-portraitdrawings
from
youthto
old age.New
York
:St.
Martin's
Press,
1979.