Gregory Gillespie’s Self-Portrait (Torso), 1975, depicts Gillespie’s aging body and the physical characteristics, including the flaws and flesh of the body. The work of art depicts a realistic portrayal of the artist’s interpretation of himself. This portrait relates to the human condition overall, with the emotions that are conveyed, the stage of life that it depicts, how this work of art and my analysis of it relates to my experience as a human being. The emotions that are conveyed by the person in the work of art is that the he appears to be suffering. The person in the portrait appears to be suffering because of the droopy appearance of his eyes, sitting on top of his layered bags that are visibly puffy. The color in his face seems to
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Similar in that the portrait and our understanding in the U.S. is that this is a moment that we are to face, but different in that the portrait is realistic, does not exaggerate and is a personal, specific experience. While in the U.S. I think that we tend to exaggerate the experience of the midlife stage. In the midlife stage we think that it comes instantly and the experience is generally the same for everyone, when it is not. For some people this stage is understated and short, for some it could occur over several years, while for others it may lead to an outcome of living with depression and anxiety. Also, I think that in the portrait (and the artist) is directly confronting his mortality and life. While, I think that in the U.S. people generally are afraid to confront their mortality, because the subject and the thought of death is ambiguous. Consequently, I think that generally Americans are comfortable and able to interact with tactile or tangible subjects, entities that we can grasp with proof (whether it is bias or not); Thus, the subject of death is filled with vagueness that we fear it because it is something we do not know or really can understand. Although, it is a normal part of the human condition and existence we avoid talking about death (Sugar). We discuss death in the abstract and use euphemisms such as …show more content…
I was impressed with the realistic quality of the painting and how somber the portrait looked when I first saw it. Furthermore, when deciding to choose a painting to analyze, I walked around the entire museum and this portrait kept coming up. Although the portrait at first to me was very simple as I began to look at it more it became more complex when I considered the human condition. Henceforth, the way this work of art and my analysis of it is relevant to my experience as a human being is that it allowed me to face my own mortality and what my future could look like. Currently I am in my second year of college and although I am a psychology major I am unsure of what I want to do after I graduate. Whether it is to directly go to graduate school, to take time off and work, or just settle with a bachelor’s degree and find a job, I am unsure of. Also, the painting’s concepts of mortality and ageing is relevant to the current society that I am living in. This portrait made me think of the current political climate and how this administration will greatly affect me, my education, finances, physical health, mental health, family, and whether I can or will be able to eventually face the midlife stage depicted in the painting. As a human being, I have struggled and continue to with my own mortality due to my experiences with depression, anxiety, personal family members’
Similar in that the portrait and our understanding in the U.S. is that this is a moment that we are to face, but different in that the portrait is realistic, does not exaggerate and is a personal, specific experience. While in the U.S. I think that we tend to exaggerate the experience of the midlife stage. In the midlife stage we think that it comes instantly and the experience is generally the same for everyone, when it is not. For some people this stage is understated and short, for some it could occur over several years, while for others it may lead to an outcome of living with depression and anxiety. Also, I think that in the portrait (and the artist) is directly confronting his mortality and life. While, I think that in the U.S. people generally are afraid to confront their mortality, because the subject and the thought of death is ambiguous. Consequently, I think that generally Americans are comfortable and able to interact with tactile or tangible subjects, entities that we can grasp with proof (whether it is bias or not); Thus, the subject of death is filled with vagueness that we fear it because it is something we do not know or really can understand. Although, it is a normal part of the human condition and existence we avoid talking about death (Sugar). We discuss death in the abstract and use euphemisms such as …show more content…
I was impressed with the realistic quality of the painting and how somber the portrait looked when I first saw it. Furthermore, when deciding to choose a painting to analyze, I walked around the entire museum and this portrait kept coming up. Although the portrait at first to me was very simple as I began to look at it more it became more complex when I considered the human condition. Henceforth, the way this work of art and my analysis of it is relevant to my experience as a human being is that it allowed me to face my own mortality and what my future could look like. Currently I am in my second year of college and although I am a psychology major I am unsure of what I want to do after I graduate. Whether it is to directly go to graduate school, to take time off and work, or just settle with a bachelor’s degree and find a job, I am unsure of. Also, the painting’s concepts of mortality and ageing is relevant to the current society that I am living in. This portrait made me think of the current political climate and how this administration will greatly affect me, my education, finances, physical health, mental health, family, and whether I can or will be able to eventually face the midlife stage depicted in the painting. As a human being, I have struggled and continue to with my own mortality due to my experiences with depression, anxiety, personal family members’