Joaquin Seminario
Unit 1
Abstract Art
Section 1: Inquiry Question and Concept Exploration
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Explanation of the guiding question or concept
Inquiry Statement:
How can movement, intuition, and destruction be used as tools to uncover meaning and shape a more resolved abstract artwork?
The inquiry didn't make sense to me at first, however with each class and instrucion, I started realizin and finding more meaning in movement, intuition and destruction. Little by little I started trying new things, and being intrigued to certain parts, and emphasizing them, and destroying parts that I didn't like. This allowed me to finally realize what I wanted, and gave me a vision of how I wanted it to turn out.
Section 2: Conncetions
Cultural, historical, and artistic influences with critical evaluation.
David Choe – Toxic LA Sunsets (2019)
Jean-Michel Basquiat – Untitled (1981)
Image 1 Citation Link
Image 2 Citation Link
I've always preferred making realistic pieces because it is easy to visualize and depict how the final result will look. With these two artworks, I gathered some inspiration, such as including many layers of chaos and colors, as well as some features that will resemble eyes, teeth, and create a beast. For example, in image 1, there are countless colors and layers, with the figure of a person in the midst of the canvas. I really liked this style and wanted to employ it in my artwork. In image 2, the same type of chaos is displayed, and the use of black to highlight and make lines is something that I gathered into my artwork. Overall, the chaos and shapes that can resemble a beast or a living thing, joined with a variety of colors, is what inspired me, and made me realise what I wanted to portray. (148 words)
Section 3 – Video notes
Composition is the way objects are arranged in an artwork. By doing it successfully, it draws viewers into certain objects and parts of the artwork and creates an aesthetically pleasing harmony.
The rule of thirds is when the art is divided into a 3x3 grid, the points where the lines intersect is the area that bring more focus.
The golden ratio is also used to bring balance to an artwork.
In an open composition, the items in the artwork go off to the sides, but in a closed composition, they are inside the canvas.
Section 4 – Create
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
I began experimenting with shapes and colors, letting them move freely around the canvas without much worry about the result. Little by little, a creature with spiked teeth and a tongue started taking shape, which took inspiration from Jean–Michel Basquiat's Untitled (1981) artwork, where an abstract figure appears among various colors and shapes, with some features like eyes and teeth, and curious shapes appearing. At the same time, the explosive and chaotic energy with many textures was inspired by the street artist David Chloe because of his many varied color interactions, and human features among his work. Each day I refined the beast's form, sharpening the teeth, the toungue, and emphasizing the eyes until I reached the final product. (119 Words)
Section 5 – Final Artwork
Artist: Joaquin Seminario
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Title: Beast of the Beyond
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Size: 33cm X 43cm
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Date of Completion: 27 August 2025
The Why: It was kind of an experimenting unit, where I ended up interpreting this "beast" or "creature" like the dangers in life.
Section 5 – Final Artwork
Overall, this unit had many challenging and successful parts, which gave me a new perspective on abstract art. Before, I really saw abstract art as a means to no end, or in other words, painting to "paint" and call it meaning. However, I came to the realization that abstract art isn't paint on a canvas, it is a way to internally express feelings and emotions through things as simple as the movement of the brush, or coloring choices that come to mind in intuition. This is what I mostly learned in the experimentation phase of days 1, 2, and 3, where even the choice of letting us pick some of the colors we wanted was a subtle way of creating a parallel to the current emotional or physical state that would then be represented on the canvas. And, with the directions of making lines and shapes wherever were felt "right", it slowly helped me set up my vision for the final artpiece.
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The parts that I felt I succeded most, was having my ideas flow into me as the random shapes and lines the variate in thickness were made. Also the use of destruction helped me get rid of parts that looked off, and didn't look like what I was going for. Where I struggled the most was trying to fill parts that felt empty that I did not know what I could include. One example of this is the bottom right corner, which looked awkward thought the process, but I ended up trying to parallel it to some of the colors diagonal to it to balance the artpiece. As I move through highschool, and next year into IB, I really want to keep developing my abstract art skills that I didn't find that important, but now consider to be one of my favorite types of art, mainly becuase of the freedom. (313 Words)