Drawing II project completed!

This is a completed project for my Drawing II class. I am pretty happy with how it turned out! 

Double Self-Portrait: A Conversation with Myself

          The narrative of my piece works on two levels. One level being my interest in Art History and borrowing elements from Masaccio’s The Holy Trinity and another level working with my personal connections with Saint Mary.

       In my piece I have drawn myself as Mary from Masaccio’s piece. I have tried to give myself her expression from the painting. She is the interlocutor in the painting, meaning she is making eye contact with the audience and pointing out the main focus of the piece, in that case it was Christ… in my piece however “Saint Mary-Mary” is directing the viewer to the schematic, colored-pencil drawing of myself. This version is supposed to represent the “real me.”

       My original thought for this piece was going to be a straight objective piece combining portraits of myself with the Masaccio narrative, but as I thought more about the piece I realized I have much more connection to the overall story.

I collect St. Mary pillar candles just as a unique collection type hobby. I have included these in the piece. I like these candles because they are inexpensive, but hold such a sacred image for people to use while praying or to hold vigil with. I like that juxtaposition. The “St. Mary-Mary,” “the real me,” and the candles create a holy trinity of Marys in the piece going back to The Holy Trinity idea.

     There is more to it though… I was named after a Catholic nun named Sister Mary Faith. My full name is Mary Faith Arnett and I was called Mary Faith all through grade school because I attended grade school at a Catholic school where my mom taught for many years. Sister Mary Faith is an incredibly kind woman, who I am honored to be named after. Going to Catholic grade school was a bit odd though because I am not Catholic. So while all the other kids were learning what they needed to learn for their First Communion, first confession, etc., it didn’t really apply to me. But on the flipside, at the Wesleyan church my family and I attended… almost every Christmas I would play the part of Mary in Christmas programs.

   I have included the memento mori (reminder of death) of The Holy Trinity (“I once was what you are and what I am you also will be”) to bring the piece full circle. I say full circle because I believe all these connections to St. Mary have somewhat influenced me. These connections have influenced me by making me aware that I was named after someone much more than myself; the name Mary has made me conscious that my name reminds people of goodness, saintliness.  But I am my own original person. I am a Mary who is completely unique to me. From birth till now I have been myself, Mary Faith Arnett and from now till death I will be me, Mary.