INFLUENTIAL ARTISTS ESSAY

One artist which has had the most influence on my creative work is Michelangelo, arguably the most famous artist of the Renaissance period. Despite primarily being a painter and sculptor, he was also very well known for his architecture and poetry. The Italian artist was heavily influenced by religion which is demonstrated in nearly every piece of his work, my favourite being the marble statue of the biblical figure “David”, which was a great inspiration to me throughout A-level textiles. He achieves extreme realism within his sculptural work by applying intense detail and intricacy whichI think is one of his best qualities. I have referenced Michelangelo as my influential artist in previous projects due to his ability to work with such a variety of mediums. The Sistine Chapel ceiling is a great example of this, the painting displays a story narrative which represents the life cycles of both Moses and Christ. In addition to the story behind the piece it also shows the great use of colour, the painting is made up of mostly more muted tones and pastel shades which is typical of fresco painting and also another feature I love most about this work.

(Photo of the "David" sculpture and drawings I did when studying Michelangelo)

The other person who has had the most influence on both my textiles and written work is fashion designer Alexander McQueen. Not only was he an incredible technical designer but he also had the skill of finding inspiration in everything. My favourite collection is the first one he did for Givenchy in 1997 called “Search of the Golden Fleece” which derives from a Greek tale in which the fleece symbolises ‘authority and kingship’. This collection was evidently inspired by Ancient Greek Mythology which is made apparent in the gold clothing and head pieces imitating ram horns, and angel wings much like those seen on the Greek mythological princess ‘Psyche’.

I took a lot of inspiration from McQueen when designing my final piece under the topic of ‘Ancient Greek Mythology’, keeping in mind his use of 3D design and incorporating different materials into couture such as metal, wire and more embellished pieces.

(Images of the "Search of the Golden Fleece" collection followed by my final piece on the topic of Greek Mythology)

Although this is far from the time of The Renaissance, McQueen and Michelangelo do share certain similarities when it comes to the execution of their work. McQueen takes a very sculptural approach to couture, his extravagant head pieces and accessories are unwearable and impractical but still create a surreal and dramatic effect on the runway. And although Michelangelo is an artist of the 16th century, his work is often known to mimic Greek mythology such as in the painting named “The Last Supper” in which he includes figures from both Greek mythology and Christianity. 

Despite being from two very different periods of time, both artists are equally influential to me and millions of other people around the world. It is undeniable that Renaissance and Ancient Greek Mythology have had an immense impact on today's society, not just in terms of art and fashion but culturally too- which is why I think these particular topics have been the most valuable to me and helped me progress the most in finding my own style of work.