One of the greatest pop performers of all time: Michael Jackson
With the release of the albums Thriller and Bad in the 1980s, he rose to fame. The racial barrier that predated the Thriller album was dismantled in the music business at this time. With estimated global sales of 65 million copies, the record is the best-selling album of all time. In addition to his artistic talent, Michael Jackson was a successful solo touring performer who drew audiences from all walks of life to his performances. His ability to perform very complicated dance techniques, such as the famous moonwalk, and his distinctive style and sound, has been an influence on many contemporary artists and music genres.
Michael Jackson and his struggles with identity
My creation tells a story of a successful African-American pop artist, who even with all the success and achievements, still struggled to find his identity and understand his race. The painting is in black and white to show his mixed reaction towards race. Michael Jackson, at the top of his career and popularity, underwent facial and skin transformations, causing mixed reaction from the African-American and whites alike. By lightening his skin to appear white, many African Americans felt betrayed and concluded that Jackson was not proud of his heritage. He also underwent facial reconstruction to make his nose pointy, a trait associated with the white community. Although his doctors credited the skin change and facial reconstruction to medical complications, many saw this as a portrayal of someone who does not know and is still struggling with his identity. Many critics argued that Jackson went through all these transformations to gain acceptance from his white fans across the United States and Europe.
The enduring impact of Michael Jackson
I chose to do this painting because of the ability of Michael Jackson to attract attention and criticism at the same time. He is an obsession to many even after his death, with many conspiracy theories surfacing after his death. His albums also sold millions of copies around the world after his death. Even presently, there are people, particularly fans, who believe Jackson is still alive, with various videos appearing on the Internet trying to prove his existence. This ability of Michael Jackson to attract attention all the time influenced my decision to create this painting.
The artistic elements in the painting
I have used different styles to tell the story of racism, resilience, and the search for identity in the painting. First, doing the paint in black and white shows the theme of racism and search for identity. Fans from all races accepted Michael Jackson, blacks and whites alike, hence, the use of black and white colors. There is also the element of light dynamics that brings out his nature of resilience, being able to bounce back from difficulties, such as the accusation of child molestation, and being gay. That is why the background is bright, thereby making the portrait more attractive to the viewer and bold, to reflect this trait (Vieira et al. 118). The long hair portrays Jackson's uniqueness, as it was rare at the time to spot an African-American male keeping long hair. The use of black and white shows his inability to identify with any particular race. Even though he was an African American, his decision to change his skin color showed his discomfort in a black skin. Therefore, by incorporating black and white colors, the painting portrays Michael's indecisiveness and search for his identity.
Significance of the painting to the artist
The painting has a deep meaning to me. The assignment gave me the chance to immortalize one of my idols in a painting. I am a big fan of Michael Jackson and have been since I was twelve years old. Therefore, to be able to do an assignment that involves my idol was exciting and a great honor. Second, being able to incorporate all the course work into my creation, and being able to produce an outstanding piece, means a lot to me. It shows that my sacrifice and time spent in class is paying a dividend, and this is dear to my ambition and aspirations as an artist. Through this painting, I can assess my progress, and it shows a positive trajectory. Therefore, the ability of the work to show my progress in the coursework, and offer me the chance to celebrate my idol, makes it important to me.
Lessons learned during the painting process
I learned a couple of things about myself during the process of making this painting. One major lesson I learned was the progress I have made over time in the artwork. As compared to a few years back, the painting reflected my improvement in the art of painting. The portraits are now more vivid and incorporate stories within them. I, therefore, learned of my improvement in painting. As compared to earlier works, this work took relatively a shorter time to complete. One of the reasons for the shortened time was due to the motivation behind the project. I learned that I am not slow at painting, but rather lack motivation at times to complete the task. Therefore, with a little motivation, which I should strive to find in every piece, I can complete the task within the time limit.
The emotional journey of Michael Jackson
During completing the piece, I learned a few things one of them being that Jackson had the emotional depression earlier in his career. Starting out at a very tender age, he never went through the normal development as any other child. At eight years old, he was already performing all year round, at adult clubs, spending time with adults most of the time, and never getting the chance to play and interact with other children his age. Due to this, Michael was always emotionally depressed during his adult life. His desire to live a normal life as a kid would later reflect in his adult life. He would remain emotionally depressed during his career, which some critics blame for his addiction to sleeping pills and his early demise.
Work Cited
Vieira, Vilson et al. “A Quantitative Approach to Painting Styles.” Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and Its Applications, vol. 417, 2015, pp. 110-129.
