Elizabeth Peyton & Samella Lewis

Elizabeth Peyton

Elizabeth Peyton is an American painter who studied at the School for Visual Arts in New York. She graduated in 1987 with her bachelor of fine arts. In the early nineties, she drew prominent historical figures and celebrities such as Marie Antoinette, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kurt Cobain, and many others. She has a distinct style in rendering her models “with the same red lips, defined eyes, and pale skin, so that they all resemble an idealized, feminized version of masculinity that draws on gay iconography exemplified by artists such as Pierre et Gilles” (Grant, 2000). What drew me to her work were the colors she used. I like using a lot of bright colors in my work. I also liked how she uses a lot of prominent figures in pop culture history in a stylized way. I admire the way she creates depth and space in the room through value in Ludwig Riding to Paris (1992) and the way the shadows are cast behind Sid in Sidney (1995) to make him seem like he's leaning on a wall instead of floating in space.

Ludwig Riding to Paris, 1992, charcoal on newsprint

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation (June 1953), 1997, watercolor on paper

Sidney, 1995, charcoal on paper

Leonardo DiCaprio as Louis XIV, 1998, pencil on paper

Brian Epstein, 1998, watercolor on paper

Samella Lewis

Samella Lewis is an African-American artist working as a printmaker, painter, art historian, author, and educator. She was born in New Orleans on February 27, 1924. She graduated from Hampton Institute in 1945 and received her M.A. from Ohio State University in 1948, later receiving her Ph.D. in 1951 (n.d.). Her work is about self-identification and learning about one's roots, specifically tracing her African roots before slavery in America and the years following (Young, 2013, p. 53). Culture and ethnicity are central to her works. Young (2013) stated, "She documented how the issue of racial representation through art became dominant for African American artists in the first quarter of the 20th century. Self-expression, identity, and ethnicity as art themes vs. taking the security of reflecting and adopting the European artist traditions rested heavy in the minds and creative expression of African American artists" (p. 53). What interested me in her work is the use of lines and negative space to create depth and dimension. In I See You (2005), I admire the way she uses hatching and mark-making for the shadows and highlights in the model's face. I also liked how she captured the emotion in the person's face in Field (1968) and the linework used to create the scenery. Her work is very expressive and full of emotion which is something I am trying to do in my artwork.

I See You, 2005, ink on paper

Field, 1968, linocut

References 

Grant, C. M. (2000). Peyton, Elizabeth. Oxford Art Online. doi:10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t097161

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://libproxy.unm.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aft&AN=505190357&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Young, B. (2013). The Importance of Self-Identification in Art, Culture, and Ethnicity. Art Education, 66(4), 51-54. doi:10.1080/00043125.2013.11519232