HUMN 303 Week 3 Art Creation & Reflection – Sculpture, Painting, or Drawing

Student Name

Chamberlain University

HUMN-303: Introduction to the Humanities

Prof. Name:

Date

Week 3 Art Creation & Reflection – Sculpture, Painting, or Drawing

Art offers a diverse and meaningful medium for expression, reflecting emotions, environments, experiences, or muses. It serves as a form of communication, narrating stories the artist wishes to share. The captivating aspect of art lies in its openness to interpretation; each viewer may derive a unique perspective, often crafting their own story from the artwork. This fluidity of meaning allows art to resonate with audiences in deeply personal ways, further emphasizing its transformative power.

My Inspiration

The oil painting Mont Sainte-Victoire by Paul Cézanne served as my inspiration. Created between 1886 and 1887, this piece depicts the serene beauty of Cézanne’s hometown, Aix, France, showcasing a view of a sacred mountain that deeply influenced his work. This mountain, rich in mythology and revered as a dwelling of the gods, became a recurring muse in Cézanne’s artistic journey (Martin & Jacobus, 2018).

The painting’s calming palette of greens, yellows, and blues inspired a sense of peace and hope within me. Nature, with its vibrant colors and textures, often brings joy and tranquility, illustrating the life that surrounds us. Research has shown that bright colors evoke positive emotions, further enhancing this connection (Sutton & Altarriba, 2015). Reflecting on another iconic artist, Pablo Picasso, I noted how his somber tones during the Blue Period contrasted sharply with Cézanne’s serene compositions. Notably, Picasso regarded Cézanne as his “one and only master” (The Art Story, 2019). The distinct approaches of these artists highlight how individual life circumstances influence artistic expression, with Cézanne’s peaceful life contrasting Picasso’s melancholic experiences.

My Creation

Drawing inspiration from Cézanne’s work, I created a landscape drawing titled Just 3 Flowers. Using colored pencils and a black marker, I sketched rolling hills stretching into the distance. The distinct black outlines emphasized the shapes, while varying shades of green brought the hills to life, mirroring Cézanne’s landscape style.

At the forefront of the drawing are three flowers with blue petals and orange centers. Symbolically, these flowers represent the sky and sun, respectively, with each flower signifying peace, hope, and happiness—emotions I cherish for myself, my loved ones, and the world. Despite the simplicity of my creation, it holds profound personal meaning, serving as a source of calm amidst the challenges of nursing school during a pandemic.

Connection

Both Cézanne’s painting and my drawing explore the beauty of nature as a representation of hope, peace, and joy. While my work lacks the precision and mastery evident in Cézanne’s art, the thematic connections between the two are undeniable. His painting captures a majestic mountain, while mine portrays rolling hills and symbolic flowers. Despite the disparity in artistic skill, both pieces celebrate nature’s calming and inspiring essence.

Creating Just 3 Flowers offered me an unexpected source of solace and a newfound appreciation for artistic expression. Though I am not an artist by trade, this experience taught me that art can be a therapeutic hobby, fostering relaxation and mindfulness during stressful times.

Table Comparison of Inspiration and Creation

Category	Inspiration (Paul Cézanne’s Mont Sainte-Victoire)	Creation (Just 3 Flowers)
Medium & Style	Oil painting with soft hues of green, yellow, and blue	Colored pencil and marker, with distinct lines
Theme	Nature as a symbol of calmness and hope	Nature as a symbol of peace, hope, and joy
Symbolism	Sacred mountain tied to mythology and inspiration	Flowers symbolizing the sun, sky, and positivity

References

Martin, F. D., & Jacobus, L. A. (2018). The humanities through the arts (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

Sutton, T. M., & Altarriba, J. (2015). Color associations to emotion and emotion-laden words: A collection of norms for stimulus construction and selection. Behavior Research Methods, 48(2), 686–728. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-015-0598-8

The Art Story. (2019). Pablo Picasso. Retrieved from https://www.theartstory.org/artist/picasso-pablo/