Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mr. Little.

Welcome to today's lesson.

I'm thrilled that you're here with me today to learn art and design.

We're going to be learning about the artistic voice, and that's from the unit Finding Your Artistic Voice: An Introduction to the Creative Process.

Let's get cracking.

By the end of today's lesson, I hope you can understand and reflect on the influences that shape an artistic voice.

I want you to watch out for some key words in today's lesson.

Let's have a look at what they are.

First of all, artistic voice.

That refers to the unique expression, style, and perspective an artist brings to their work.

Distinctive.

That means, in art, having a unique quality or a characteristic that sets artwork or an artist apart from others.

Experimentation.

In art, that refers to trying out new ideas, techniques, materials, or styles to see what works well and what feels right.

And finally, influences.

In art, that refers to the factors that shape and inspire an artist's creative choices, style, and overall artistic voice.

Today's lesson is broken down into two parts.

First of all, we're going to look at understanding what shapes an artistic voice.

Take a look at this piece of art.

What do you think this artwork tells you about the artist, even though you don't know them personally? Here, my eyes are instantly drawn to the rainbow pattern, the dove, and the blue at the bottom.

An artwork featuring a white dove and a rainbow might suggest that the artist's voice might be one of hope, peace, or perhaps even unity.

The white dove there, it's got a twig in its mouth and I think in its claw as well.

And the white dove is a universal sign of peace.

The rainbow could signify inclusivity, diversity, or perhaps harmony.

And together, these elements might indicate that the artist seeks to convey a message of optimism or the importance of coexistence.

The artistic choice here reflects a voice that values shared humanity.

Imagine you're one of these two people looking at a piece of art.

Have you ever looked at a piece of art and felt like you've understood something about the artist, even though you might not know them? What do you think makes an artist's work feel so distinctive? Remember, distinctive is one of our key words and that means unique and where the artist creates their own style that's unique and distinctive to them.

An artistic voice is a term that can be used to describe what's behind an artist's distinctive art.

An artistic voice can lead to different choices about the materials they might use, the techniques they employ, the subjects they explore, or the themes they convey.

Let's check your understanding.

The artistic voice affects an artist's choice, such as, is it A, techniques, materials, subjects, and themes? B, materials, age, country of birth, and subjects? C, techniques, height, materials, and subjects? Well done if you got it right.

It's A, techniques, materials, subjects, and themes.

Let's take a look at Izzy here.

Like every artist, Izzy has her own unique and distinctive artistic voice.

She makes her own artistic choices.

It's up to her what she wants to create art about.

An artistic voice is not fixed.

Izzy's artistic voice might change over time and it can change like we do.

There's loads of things that might influence an artistic voice.

What do you think shapes it? What do you think influences an artistic voice? Okay, time for a check for understanding.

True or false? An artistic voice stays the same for the whole of an artist's lifetime.

It's false.

But why is that? Remember, an artist's voice isn't fixed.

It can change like we do.

Let's take a look at Alex's artistic voice and what it's shaped by.

Alex might have some internal influences, his thoughts or feelings that are internal to him, that go on inside his head.

Alex also has some external influences, for example, where he grew up, who his friends are, what he enjoys doing.

It's really important here to clarify the difference between internal things inside Alex's head, his thoughts and feelings, and external influences, things that are outside Alex's head.

There's also a third factor here that shapes Alex's artistic voice and that's the ongoing process of experimentation and discovery.

Alex can try lots of different things.

He can discover new things.

He can find out new and interesting things that might interest and influence him.

Izzy and Alex are discussing some of their internal and external influences that have shaped their own artistic voice.

Izzy talks about external things like wars or major social change that can influence her artistic voice and her artwork.

Alex talks about his internal influences and they are personal feelings, memories or mental states and they often shape or influence an artistic voice or Alex's artistic voice here and then the themes and the moods of his art.

Okay, time for a practise task.

I want you to discuss or list as many internal and external influences you can think of that might shape an artist's voice.

Remember, internal is all the things that goes on inside your head, things, thoughts, moods, whereas external things happen outside of your head.

There's loads of different responses you could have here because they're all personal to you.

I'm going to show you a couple of model examples, a couple of things that you might have said in this.

Remember, there's no right or wrong here and it's personal to you.

A possible response might be, when an artist receives from their audience some feedback and whether it might be supportive, so that's positive, like saying they've done something really well or how they like something certain in their art, or critical, to say they might not like that or they don't like something about a piece of art.

It can shape their voice.

An artist may refine or shift their work based on feedback.

Also, you might have talked about the knowledge of previous art movements and famous artists and how they can impact an artist's choice.

Whether they're working in response to tradition or they're pushing boundaries beyond what can come before, those are external influences.

I know when I create art, I'm certainly influenced by artists that I've seen and art that I like.

Also, an artist's cultural heritage, so that's where they're from and the background they grew up in and where their family might be from might influence them, their upbringing as a child and their personal history, and that certainly deeply influences their artistic expression.

These are internal influences.

And it also links to internal emotions like love or grief.

Joy can sometimes be conveyed through colour and composition and symbolism.

Okay, let's take a look back at Alex's artistic voice and notice how the diagram is slightly changed here.

The curved line symbol there is a link between the internal influences, the external influences and the ongoing process of experimentation and discovery.

So these aren't individual things that happen.

They all link together to influence Alex's artistic voice.

Something that might be internal, might combine with something that's external and then Alex might discover something new through experimentation and discovery that might change or influence his art.

Let's go back to Alex and Izzy's conversation.

Alex says it feels complex because external influences can influence my internal influences and then shape my artistic voice.

So things that happen on the outside can change how he feels on the inside.

Izzy thinks that it makes sense and it feels complex and it is complex.

Sometimes it's hard to define so it's hard to always justify or explain or describe how external influences and internal influences can influence each other too.

Izzy and Alex are discussing their ongoing process of experimentation and discovery now.

So Izzy suggests that by experimenting with different techniques, materials and styles she can innovate.

That means she can come up with and create new things and she can redefine her artistic voice over time.

Alex agrees.

He suggests how he likes experimenting with different mediums and methods, and that can lead to unexpected results.

This process often leads to his own distinctive style.

He goes on to say how experimentation allows her to embrace uncertainty, and uncertainty is sometimes where the most exciting creativity happens, Izzy tries not to be too fixed on getting a perfect piece of art, especially when she experiments.

Alex agrees.

You're right, he says.

Experimentation is not about trying something new.

It's an essential part of the artistic journey.

It helps him discover, refine, and expand his artistic voice.

Time for another check for understanding.

What role does experimentation play in shaping the artistic voice? Is it A, experimenting with different mediums and methods can lead to keeping the same artistic voice forever? Is it B, experimenting with different mediums and methods helps you to copy another artist's voice and style? Is it C, experimenting with different mediums and methods can lead to the same results you have always had? Or is it D, experimenting with different mediums and methods can lead to unexpected results and a distinctive style? That's right, it's D.

Well done if you got that correct.

Okay, time for the second part of today's lesson.

We're going to be reflecting on influences that shape artistic voice.

Let's go back to that first learning cycle and remember how Alex's artistic voice is shaped by a mixture of his internal influences, external influences, and remember that third one, that ongoing process of experimentation and discovery.

And remember that diagram shows they're not isolated, they're not there on their own.

They all combine and shape Alex's artistic voice.

Let's look at Alex's artistic voice now.

It's shaped by his internal and external influences and his artwork is often and obviously about his internal influences.

His art is often about his feelings and his memories and remember that's a mixture of his internal influences, external influences, and that ongoing process of experimentation and discovery.

Many artists throughout history have actively made art about their internal and external influences.

They have shaped their unique artistic voices and their distinctive art in obvious ways.

Some examples of artists whose artistic voice is obviously shaped by internal and external influences are Yinka Shonibare, Chila Kumari Burman, Amy Fenton, Delaine Le Bas, Alison Lapper, Liaqat Rasul, Nari Ward, Veronica Ryan, Ibrahim El-salahi, Peter Brathwaite, and Chris Ofili.

And check for understanding.

True or false, some artists make art that is obviously about their internal and external influences.

It's true.

Well done if you got that right, but why is that? For some artists, their influences have shaped their unique artistic voice and their distinctive art in ways that are obvious when you view their artwork.

Izzy's artistic voice is shaped by her internal and external influences.

However, her artwork is not obviously about those influences.

Although Izzy has internal influences, external influences, Izzy's ongoing process of experimentation and discovery influences her artistic voice the most.

Like Izzy, not all artists make it obvious how their internal and external influences shape their artistic voice and work.

Even when artists don't obviously make work about these influences, their backgrounds, their emotions, and surroundings still inevitably play a role in shaping their artistic voice.

Artists like Jackson Pollock, Damien Hirst, Brianna McCarthy, Amrita Sher-Gil, Eva Hesse, Frank Bowling, and Georgia O'Keeffe are examples whose artistic voice and work does not always have obvious links to their influences.

Time for a check for understanding.

True or false, all artists make art that is obviously about their internal and external influences.

It's false.

But why is that? Some do, but even when artists don't obviously make work about these influences, they still play a role in shaping their artistic voice.

Time for a practise task.

I want you to write a short journal entry or make a sketch reflecting on the internal and external influences that might be shaping your own artistic voice.

You could consider your internal influences.

What are your personal interests, passions, and experiences that affect how you view the world? How do your emotions and memories or cultural background influence the way you create art? For your external influences, think about how factors such as the media, history, or the works of other artists might influence your creative choices.

Who or what in the world around you has inspired your work so far? As this is a personal task, there are many different responses and your response will be personal to you.

Let's take a look at one example.

Externally I think my art is influenced by the works I've seen in galleries and museums. Artists like Chila Kumari Burman, who uses bright colours and layers of imagery to tell stories about cultural identity, have inspired me to be bolder with my materials.

I also draw influence from my surroundings, the trees and landscapes near my home.

I incorporate natural textures in my work, whether it's the roughness of tree bark or the softness of grass.

Let's look at a different response, and this one certainly combines internal and external influences.

I realise now that a lot of my artistic voice comes from the way I remember certain moments from my past, especially the feeling of comfort and peace I get from being by the sea.

Growing up, I would visit the beach with my family and it was a place where I felt most at home.

I've realised that this is a connection to the sea and it's showing up the way I use soft blues and calming tones in my paintings.

Let's look at this third response now, there's certainly external influences here.

I'm always looking at the world around me.

Right now, I'm really inspired by the idea of globalisation and how cultures merge and influence each other.

I see it in the clothes people wear, the foods they eat and the way people communicate across borders.

I love how artists like Ai Weiwei use their work to comment on human rights and social issues and I try to bring some of that activism to my art.

To summarise today's lesson, an artistic voice is shaped through both internal and external influences which produce a distinctive style.

Influences such as personal experience, memories and cultural background and societal factors help shape an artistic voice.

Experimentation is key in discovering and developing an artistic voice.

By trying new materials, techniques and subjects, artists push boundaries and refine their creative process.

Thanks for learning with me today.

See you soon.