Sustained Investigation #16

Sustained Investigation #16: “Donna Siciliana”

Pen and Pencil on Sketchpad

9” x 12”

During this sustained investigation I was ill and had limited supplies but did sketch several ideas for a future painting. On this page I explored the history, art and dress of Italian, specifically Sicilian, people in order to make a cultural portrait. I was drawn to this because I have family throughout Italy and Sicilia, a heritage which has played an important role in my life. Italy has a rich history in the arts, masterpieces dating back to the great Roman empire. For this piece, I wanted to demonstrate the richness of history by making the subject of my portrait reflective of the beautiful statues of ancient Rome. To make the artwork more personal to my heritage I decided to include the traditional dress of my region, used when dancing Tarantella Siciliana- a folk dance that dates back centuries. I also wanted to include some of the signature and timeless art styles into my work, such as the contrapposto. This asymmetric exaggerated walking movement is used in many Italian sculptures and paintings, such as David and Venus, to give an allure and timeless grace.