Conflicted | Teen Ink

Conflicted

March 31, 2009
By Beth Halem, Roslyn, New York
Beth Halem, Roslyn, New York
0 articles 1 photo 3 comments

Conflict between the desire to reach out but the hesitation of being exposed


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This art has 12 comments.


bmf22 BRONZE said...
on Jun. 1 2011 at 5:22 am
bmf22 BRONZE, Meadville, Pennsylvania
1 article 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
"No matter what I'll always be an outcast!"

wow. so pretty.

on Nov. 15 2010 at 11:11 pm
TheGreightGutzby SILVER, Brooklyn, New York
8 articles 10 photos 55 comments
Wow this is amazing. I love the color of this. Its like the hands are dreaming.

on Aug. 14 2010 at 3:19 pm
kiwi12 PLATINUM, Austin, Texas
28 articles 10 photos 365 comments
This is amazing. Beautiful.

on Jun. 16 2010 at 11:13 am
(Nightsinmycar21 is me by the way- I just changed my sn)

on Jun. 16 2010 at 11:11 am
Yes. :) It's fun to see peoples' comments because they come up with very creative ideas as to what pieces "mean" and things like that. This was a very conceptual piece having to do with the conflict of wanting to reach out vs. wanting to be isolated. It also has to do with the hands being very energetic- hands have power, energy running through them- the hands do what they want regardless of what the person wants in their heart/mind. So in this painting, the hands are opening up to the outside, but the arms are crossed, again, reinforcing the concept of being conflicted. Hope this helps everyone!

on Apr. 11 2010 at 8:21 am
Marie-Meyers GOLD, St. Louis, Missouri
15 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
\"Sometimes, the bluest part of the sky always seems clearest, so that you may always strive to reach it.\"

I was reading the comments made, and, Ms. Beth, I have a question. Was your goal to draw attention to the hands?

wsbsss said...
on Nov. 8 2009 at 1:18 pm
wsbsss, Sunnyvale, Iowa
0 articles 0 photos 10 comments
I love the color used in the piece.

on Apr. 16 2009 at 10:05 pm
MantonWright SILVER, Montclair, New Jersey
7 articles 44 photos 22 comments
Beth, it was not my intention to either discredit your artistic merit or to come of in any way as harsh. I apologize if my tone conveyed a sense of personal degradation. My comment was formed simply to create balance between unimaginable, indescribable depth and brief moments of fault. Your piece is indeed very interesting, and I would not spend the time commenting and critiquing your work if I did not respect it. My suggestion was not for you to create photo-realism (which I find to be quite boring), but merely to look for any possible means of improvement. Again, the majority of my previous comment was aimed at the critiques of others, not what I believed to be your artistic intent. Your concept of hesitation vs. motivation is relative to almost anyone, adding another level of interactivity to a visually captivating piece. Please do not allow my tone to discourage or frustrate you, for I sometimes enjoy playing the devil's advocate.

Beth Halem said...
on Apr. 14 2009 at 6:33 pm
Beth Halem, Roslyn, New York
0 articles 1 photo 3 comments
Luke, I accept constructive criticism but what you have mentioned to "improve on" wasn't exactly what I was going for when I made the piece. I was not looking to make it proportional or photo-realistic.

I was simply going for emotion. I think you may have been a little harsh, seeing as what you mentioned is in no way what my piece was about.

on Apr. 14 2009 at 4:05 pm
MantonWright SILVER, Montclair, New Jersey
7 articles 44 photos 22 comments
Compositionally, your piece finds it's greatest success. The technical quality, however, is lacking. The hair has been drawn rather awkwardly, and the face consists of precious little quality. Proportionally, the eyes you have added are noticeably too small and close together, positioned strangely on the head. The hands/arms were drawn well, but in a very different style from the rest. The unnatural sheen works well for you, and the face and hair would benefit from the same light source. In reference to basilnana's comment, the gender of the subject is hardly cloaked in ambiguity. You regularly refer to the subject as "her", and "she". Beware of constant and undue psychoanalysis, as it becomes easy to make mistakes. Teen angst barely ever makes for "very raw emotion". The piece itself has fallen victim to overbearing analysis, removing any true mystery or ambiguity.

Doff1952 said...
on Apr. 12 2009 at 1:55 pm
jumps out at me. very raw emotion.

basilnana said...
on Apr. 1 2009 at 8:53 pm
The depth of this image can't be captured with words but comes through in feelings. The ambiguity of ethnicity and gender simplifies the emotion that the blue figure is experiencing in a way that makes me immediately relate. Her arms not being able to hide her eyes, perhaps because she doesn't really want to hide them, this momentary hesitation that I've felt before... whenever the thought comes up, of going against the current in a way that my gut says is right. Just... Very powerful.