Final Art History Inspired Project

Artist's Statement:

Jillian Wight

Medsker

AP Art History

10 June 2022

I was inspired to create this piece by a road trip that I went on over April break. I spent a lot of time on the highway and began to think about the landscape in an artistic manner. I realized that in some ways, the highway cuts through beautiful mountainous settings like a scar. However, in other ways, it fits into the natural setting. It emulates peace, tranquility, consistency, and unpredictability, just like nature. I think the highway, as well as the people on it, can be very symbolic. I chose to base this piece around the theme of highways and truck drivers in a natural setting. I drew inspiration from Thomas Cole’s The Oxbow, an oil painting created in 1836. The themes of national pride in this work are strong and depicted by a change in lighting that suggests a bright future for America. I, too, wanted to emphasize development as a nation, but not necessarily in a positive manner. I depicted a highway stretching across the piece and into the distance, dotted with numerous large trucks speeding by. The friendliness of the truck drivers humanizes them and separates them from the machinery of the scene. However, everything else about the highway suggests a sort of blind march in the direction of consumerism and a generally manufactured state. This image is juxtaposed with a glorious scene of nature, upon which the highway seems to intrude, but simultaneously seems to mesh with. This work is very evocative and symbolic to me, and I think that there are numerous conclusions that can be drawn by the viewer, based on individual interpretations, from the puzzle pieces that are given.

I used needlepoint to create the natural aspects of this scene. However, it took much longer than expected, as I tend to focus on details in my work. In the end, I decided to switch to painting to finish the piece. I think the paint ended up being a wise decision because the change in materials suggests not only the difference between the organic landscape and the manufactured road but also the deterioration of nature under such conditions. I brought in some needlepoint at the bottom to balance the piece. The use of these materials, especially needlepoint, can be connected to the Bayeux Tapestry, created in 1070 with embroidered wool on linen. The tapestry depicts a narrative and a journey, much like my piece does!

This piece was so fun to make, and I learned a lot throughout the process. I had never tried needlepoint before, and I absolutely loved it! Over the summer, I hope to create a fully needlepoint version of this work. However, the chance to experiment with paint was undeniably beneficial. I try to avoid painting as much as possible because I don’t really know how to manipulate it and I find it doesn’t allow me the control I would like. However, I’m really happy with my use of paint in this final product, and I’ll certainly be more open to the idea going forward. I had to experiment a lot with this work, whether it was playing around with materials (I tried sewing fabric and even attaching organic material to the canvas before resorting to painting), exploring new subject matter (my works almost never include men in them, and they also rarely focus on a setting that isn’t predominantly natural), or even exploring color themes and techniques with texture. In the end, I think the piece synthesized elements of irony and symbolism and translated ideas about America from the 19th century into a modern context. I had so much fun during the process, and I’m so excited to expand further on these themes going forward!

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