Grade 12 Art Report My series of paintings have the athestical concepts as Stephen Sprouse’s designs. I applied certain aspects of his style to landscapes in New York City that envoke the feeeling of the american dream. I had three reoccurring items in my paintings. One was the use of sequins, that symbolized the fashion side of Sprouse. The second was the bright neon colours. And the third was the Sprouse style graffiti. My first work, new york city in the early eighties… was created using an ariel photograph of new york city. The detailing on the bulidings was stripped away, and almost became cubist, as the perceptions were skewered, but the shading keep it from being that way. The colours used were major colours used in Sprouse’s fashions. The contrast between the bright colours and the duller ones gave the picture balance between normal and chaos. The neon paint really brought out the eighties feel. The addition of sequins throughout was to represent his fashion designs. Over top this, a quote from Vogue was put on with marker. This was done in his style of graffiti. The quote was the begigning of an article on him. It begins the series theory that you don’t need anything but luck and determination to make it. You don’t money, or connections, you just have to love what you do enough that you’ll make it. My second piece Don’t Stop Believing took a different approach to Sprouse’s style. I took the bright colour contrast and pared it down to just have the group of cars be bright. The windows of the cars were done in silver fabric, The rest of the painting was grey and black. The falling apart posters on the wall was done in sequins. The sequins were sewn on, in patterns that are reminsince of sequined clothes. The lyric, don’t stop believing, was chosen to show the problems that Sprouse faced with his fashion labels. He had a hard time keeping his labels afloat due to financial reasons. Although his collections were praised by the press, the market he was selling to could not afford his high end clothes. Every time he would go out of business though, he would always be back, doing something different. He never stopped believing in himself. My third piece, The Fantasy Corners of America, combined the two previous works. The bright block buildings and the silver windowed cars both were in this painting. The addition of graffiti in black marker and white pastel added to the downtown look of the painting. The photograph was of Wooster Street, where Sprouse had his store. The Andy Warhol quote on the sidewalk tied up the intent of the series. My goal was to create the sense of the allure of the big city. With it was the hopes and dreams of someone going somewhere new and exciting and making it big. And the quote is really what this series is about. There is this dream America that you have made yourself, and in some regard you do live in it. You live in it through your dreams and goals. Historical Works Each historical work is by Stephen Sprouse. The first, a sketch from F/W ’84 collection. This sketch captures the solid colours and graffiti lettering. Although at first it just looks like a rough sketch, the porporations and the movement are all quite accurate. The solid yellow dress is only broken up by the deep v-neck and the overlay of graffiti print. The seocnd, Blue Hard Core Boy, is an interesting mix of Xeerox, paint and marker. The bright colours and black outlining are classic Sprouse, and are also a little expressionist. This boy is a real representation to who he was designing for. These where the club kids who played in bands, stayed out late, and connected music to everything. The third, Iggy on the Cross, has the same Xerrox and bright colours as Blue Hard Core Boy. The figure in the art is Iggy Pop, crucified. It is a Christian pose, but since a rock star is Jesus, the intent is secular. Sprouse’s intent could have been that music is like relgion, or that reglion is outdated, and is being replaced by something new and exciting. Whatever the case may be, Sprouse was very infuleunced by rock stars. They were people he dressed and was friends with. The cross is a plain gemetric shape, while Iggy is very detailed and outlined. There is a contrast between minamalsim and details. Compare and contrast Although my works followed a similar style as Sprouse’s, there is a lot of differences. He used mixed media as I did, but used different media. His use of his Xerox machine is prevlant in most of his artworks, like Yellow Hardcore Boy. He used his Xeroxs as bases, and used paint and markers over top. Sprouse also had musical references in his work, Blue Hardcore Boy features an eighties punk kid playing a guitar, and iggy on a cross features Iggy Pop. None of my works really capture the rock music side of Sprouse. My second piece Don’t Stop Believing, has graffiti of a Journey song on the wall, but the painting is not about the music. I did not use outlines in my work, yet Sprouse used them all the time. My series was more uniform in lines and spaces. Sprouse’s work is more chaotic. His work is about the present, what was going right then, what he was experiencing. Mine is about imagining the possibilities of being in his position. Conclusion In conclusion, my series took the design styles of Stephen Sprouse, using bright solid colours, sequins, and graffiti, to create works that expressed the dreams of the big city. This series expressed the feeling of leaving what you know behind, going to the big city, and making a name for yourself in the world. Iggy on the Cross, 1987 Blue Hard Core Boy, 1988 Sketch, F/W 1984 Padilha, Roger & Mauricio. (2009). The Stephen Sprouse Book. Rizzoll International Publications Inc.