Robertus Darren

Radyan
9th grade
Life Skills Class
ART CRITIQUE : THE FLUIDITY OF GENDER
Teddy, Ryan Wilks, 2016, oil on canvas. I see a trans man in the
painting without clothing but pants siting on a red couch. I see the person put
"their" right hand on their back of the head so that their elbow is going
upwards and their head look to the right. This person have breast and the
nipple is exposed and we can only the upper part of the body. Th background
is painted by light grey and the person sits by their self. One side of their hair
is purple ish and only on top of heir head have mixed black and purple color.
The couch is a kind of gradient of red because it's dark at the bottom
corner of the painting but then it lighter when it comes near to the person. On
top of the red couch is the gold thing that is like the border of the couch. It's
not really good but it's shiny brown. Also the background is the gradient of
gray and on the corner top of the painting is little bit dark gray and it gets
brighter towards the person. The color of the trans men mixture of cream,
pink, yellow, black, and other colors that makes it so realistic. The color of the
couch is so contrast to the person's body color and it harmonize so well with
the background too. I think The gray background is made up of long smooth
brush because it looks so smooth. The negative space really makes the trans
men in the middle stand out because that is the emphasis point of this
painting. There's no really pattern in the painting. The value and balance of
the painting is so perfect because it makes the person in the spotlight and it
have a good amount of brightness and darkness. The body of the trans men
itself is also proportional.
I think that the artist is trying to convey that transgender people should
be proud of their self and don't let any judgement let you down. You need to
be true to yourself and not to close yourself. Show the world that " This Is Me
". I am who I am. The artist also wants to say that people or especially trans
people should enjoy their self and no one should let you down just because of
your personality and sexual preferences or sexual identity. I think that
because I can connect he theme of this show gallery but more than that is
how the world change so much and this thing is become a problem to people
about trans. Some of them oppose the idea of being a transgender and from
this painting I can see the message appear in a few seconds after looking at it
for the first time. The artwork makes me feel empower and motivated and just
peace looking at someone happy living their own life. It reminds me of one of
my friends that is trans but got expelled. He lives his life joyfully and proudly
and it's just made me happy that he can live based on what he wants in life
and no one can make him down.
I think this work is successful because it is so compelling and thought
mindfully. The elements and the functions of designs or in this case a painting
really goes along and it brings such powerful message in a simple but
amazing masterpiece. The trans man that looks so proud with their self or
himself really makes me happy and I think all of the viewers too. By only
having 2 simple objects on the painting, the trans man and the gorgeous red
couch, really shows the motivation for the trans to really do whatever you
want to your body and be proud about it. I want to emphasize on the message
of the painting but also the mixture of the trans man that successfully makes
the human being is real. This work is really well organized and catch the
viewer's attention. The realism of the work really draws my attention and you
can more relate to a realism painting rather than a cartoon or abstract painting
that personally for me I can't really connect to it. The slow and straight but
also the technique that the artist use to paint the person is just amazing. This
pictures reminds me about this is your life and you are the one who in charge
of it and do whatever you want and always be true to yourself and be proud
about that. Your life is yours, it's not others', and BE YOU.