I really struggled with the brainstorming part of this project. I wanted to do something simple and personal, but I honestly couldn’t find anything that felt right to me, or important enough in my day-to-day life. I decided to draw (from a picture online) a canal in Venice because I decided that I would really like someone on our planet 50 years from now to understand how much harm we (as humans) have done to the other life on Earth. I found the ideas that wildlife is returning to places like Venice and that the smog has lifted in many cities very telling of the harm we’ve caused, and the idea that it may be reversible. I finalized my idea pretty late in the week after trying out other drawings, and I think this drawing could probably be improved with more time. I like the idea but I think my execution could be better.
Lily, I think the idea that you chose holds a strong and important message during this time and think your execution deserves more credit. I think the perspective elements are done very well and allows for a striking contrast between those representation aspects and the more impressionistic qualities in the canal. That relationship to me is what makes the drawing/painting so effective. A possible way to make the contrast more distinct would be to make the buildings and perspective angles more clear and strict but I think you did a great job in getting your message across. I really enjoy the use of water colors and am very impressed with your work. Well done
I love this drawing and the idea behind it. I agree with Ian that your execution deserves more credit. When I look at your drawing, I see a deliberate use of color and type of mark made. In the city space, you use black and white color and a sketchy mark and, in the canal, you use vibrant colors as well as definite and clear marks. This does a great job of making these spaces distinct. It also does a good job of creating a tone. The precise marks that make up the biology of the canal as opposed to the sketchy marks that make up the city make me want to focus on the canal. Similarly, your use of color by completely blackening the windows makes the city feel deserted while the vibrance of the canal makes it feel energetic. Your use of color and line does an amazing job of creating a tone that accurately represents the idea you started the drawing with. This is a beautiful drawing. Well done.
I agree with your own assessment that you didn’t leave enough time to handle something this ambitious and complex—a cityscape with wildlife in a canal would have been a lot to tackle even if you had started much sooner. The perspective is there and we get the idea of wildlife in an abandoned city, but the buildings look sadly generic (especially for Venice), the fish don’t diminish in size as they go back, and so on.
The bigger question is your decision to approach this from so far outside your own experience. My hope with the Time Capsule project was to give people a chance to reflect on and share something of their personal experience (and by personal I don’t mean private—simply something about your immediate circumstances during this unusual time).
I suspect you undervalue what is familiar to you. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that we often reject our best thoughts simply because they are our own. Trust your more subtle instincts and don’t think you have to venture half way around the world to find something of significance to talk about—especially with only a matter of hours (minutes?) to pull it off.
I really struggled with the brainstorming part of this project. I wanted to do something simple and personal, but I honestly couldn’t find anything that felt right to me, or important enough in my day-to-day life. I decided to draw (from a picture online) a canal in Venice because I decided that I would really like someone on our planet 50 years from now to understand how much harm we (as humans) have done to the other life on Earth. I found the ideas that wildlife is returning to places like Venice and that the smog has lifted in many cities very telling of the harm we’ve caused, and the idea that it may be reversible. I finalized my idea pretty late in the week after trying out other drawings, and I think this drawing could probably be improved with more time. I like the idea but I think my execution could be better.
Lily, I think the idea that you chose holds a strong and important message during this time and think your execution deserves more credit. I think the perspective elements are done very well and allows for a striking contrast between those representation aspects and the more impressionistic qualities in the canal. That relationship to me is what makes the drawing/painting so effective. A possible way to make the contrast more distinct would be to make the buildings and perspective angles more clear and strict but I think you did a great job in getting your message across. I really enjoy the use of water colors and am very impressed with your work. Well done
I love this drawing and the idea behind it. I agree with Ian that your execution deserves more credit. When I look at your drawing, I see a deliberate use of color and type of mark made. In the city space, you use black and white color and a sketchy mark and, in the canal, you use vibrant colors as well as definite and clear marks. This does a great job of making these spaces distinct. It also does a good job of creating a tone. The precise marks that make up the biology of the canal as opposed to the sketchy marks that make up the city make me want to focus on the canal. Similarly, your use of color by completely blackening the windows makes the city feel deserted while the vibrance of the canal makes it feel energetic. Your use of color and line does an amazing job of creating a tone that accurately represents the idea you started the drawing with. This is a beautiful drawing. Well done.
Hi Lily,
My apologies for the delay in replying.
I agree with your own assessment that you didn’t leave enough time to handle something this ambitious and complex—a cityscape with wildlife in a canal would have been a lot to tackle even if you had started much sooner. The perspective is there and we get the idea of wildlife in an abandoned city, but the buildings look sadly generic (especially for Venice), the fish don’t diminish in size as they go back, and so on.
The bigger question is your decision to approach this from so far outside your own experience. My hope with the Time Capsule project was to give people a chance to reflect on and share something of their personal experience (and by personal I don’t mean private—simply something about your immediate circumstances during this unusual time).
I suspect you undervalue what is familiar to you. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that we often reject our best thoughts simply because they are our own. Trust your more subtle instincts and don’t think you have to venture half way around the world to find something of significance to talk about—especially with only a matter of hours (minutes?) to pull it off.