For my formal analysis paper, I decided to analyze a statue named "Self-Portrait". It was done by Abigail Ott, and by the time I went to see the work, it was on display in the Artel Gallery at Downtown Pensacola. It is a mixed media work, with pieces of paper and shattered glass stuck on a mannequin of a woman's figure. Despite the many elements and materials used, they all combined to form a great work of art. The base of the statue is a mannequin with some of it's paint scratched off. The contours present in the mannequin is meticulously followed by the artist as shown by the placement of the glass and mirror shards used in the work. Some pieces may rise higher than others due to the layering of the journal entries and the glass, but the…show more content… The journal entries covering the statue are gathered from different points of the artist's life. Some of the paper appears to be more faded than others, which gives the work a gradient effect which can be perceived as the work's value range. If this was the value range, then it didn't have much. The glass, combined with the lighting, skews some of the papers' appearance. This work exhibits a humanoid form, which combined with the journal entries and glass shards, symbolizes a person who is covered, yet vulnerable.
At first glance, the work of art seems to stick out in its position in the Artel Gallery. It was in between paintings, both full of color. But the glass shards shone against the light and I thought it looked interesting enough. The assignment has said "work of art" and not strictly a painting. I knew better than to touch a statue with broken glass pieces on it, so I refrained from doing so no matter how smooth the glass looked. I only thought the statue was a good work of art aesthetic-wise, at first. I did not know the deeper meaning behind this statue until I read the artist's statement on a sign next to
