Midterm-Trapped Feelings Within

For my mid-term project I took inspiration from the Greek mythology, Cerberus, often called the "hound of Hades", well known as the three headed dogs. My project includes three different heads that are attached to me. The three different heads represent three different moods, which include (Left to Right) sad, happy, and angry/fear. Sad, the effect of my face melting off represents losing loved ones that were once close to me. Happy, I feel that being happy is something that people expect you to be at all times or show at all times. I chose to exaggerate the smile that represents me faking one. I give off this impression to those that I meet that I am the happiest person on this planet but I'm really not, thats why its behind the other two heads. Angry/Fear, represents being angry or holding on to things that have happened once that I have not yet to get over, the fear of what is going to happen in the future for me physically and mentally. Without making these heads as basic as possible; for example for sad, have a frowning face, I decided to make it less basic by editing them. I was recommended two very talented artist for this project, Francis Bacon and Francisco Goya. Most of Bacon's paintings had this grotesque style, where faces and bodies were deformed and others seemed to represent violence and suffering. I came across the painting "Study for a Portrait 1952" and that inspired me to melt the face off for the first head. As for Goya, his paintings are disturbing where some are scary to look at or give off that "I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight" feeling. I came across the painting "El Tio Paquete" that inspired me to exaggerate the smile for the second head. The last head there wasn't an artist that inspired the way it looks, I got the idea from a book that I was looking over during class. For the background, I used watercolors and painted it this grayish/faded color because gray often associates with loss or depression.