Visual Analysis on Book Review of Either/ Or
by Elif Batuman:
Observation:
This artwork by Dadu Shin covers a novel titled
"Either/ Or" by Elif Batuman. It is in portrait
format and the art mediums used for the artwork
mostly consist of colour pencils. A woman in a
white dress is standing in the centre of the
artwork, perhaps a protagonist of a novel is
facing in the opposite direction from the
viewer. Crowds of people are also passing by the
protagonist, expressed with scribbles and
hatches of coloured pencil strokes. The main
colours of the artwork observed are a
cream-yellow background with a slight cyan
undertone, and various other colours including
blue, green, pink, indigo, orange, and a few
shades of grey. Overall artwork gives a soft
impression with mixed layers of colours. (122
words)
Analysis:
A strong emphasis is applied to the protagonist in the
centre of the artwork, which is expressed
through the use of heavy layers of coloured
pencil strokes, leaving no translucent space
visible on her body. The use of
contrast is also added onto the
protagonist from the crowds by using a white and
black shade that stands out from the rest of the
colourful surroundings, as well as a solid
shadow being cast on her body compared to the
crowd only having a rather soft silhouette form.
Harmony is achieved through the use of
various hues of colours on the crowds– as well
as giving a sense of unity with
consistent use of vertical & scribble
strokes of coloured layers. Furthermore, the
idea of movement is projected
through the crowd's eye directions and depth is
created from the placement and the size of the
crowd. There is also a sense of
repetition carried out with the main
elements being human figures scattered around
the canvas. (165 words)
Interpretation:
The overall novel "Either/ Or" talks about the
contrast between the protagonist's way of living
an ideal life, whether to live an aesthetic life
or an ethical life (Grady, 2022). The novel's
overall theme shares about examining existential anxiety,
subjectivity, and the pursuit of meaning. The use of two complementary colours, a
cream-yellow background coloured over a cyan
undertone perhaps implies the two choices of
life the protagonist could lead onto. As
the protagonist longs to figure out what's best
for her, the element of people passing by her
could represent the choices of decisions as well
as a dive into the thoughts of people that she
has met throughout her experiences. Furthermore,
the protagonist's eye direction faces on the
opposite side from the viewer, suggesting the
viewers/ readers of the novel to think about
their own perspective of the choices that the
protagonist made in the novel as well as to
self-reflect on the viewer's life itself. (158
words)
(435 words)
REFERENCE
Grady, C. (2022). Elif Batuman’s Either/Or
is a portrait of the artist as a young
idiot. Vox. https://www.vox.com/culture/23153590/either-or-review-elif-batuman-idiot-sequel
Week 04
In week 4, Mr Vinod instructed us to create 3
sketches based on the chosen artwork. The
sketches are to be improved using the
knowledge of design principles gained from the
previous weeks. Below is the chosen artwork by
Dadu Shin which I based my sketches on:
Sketch 1
Fig 1.1 Sketch 1, Week 4 (1/03/2025)
The first sketch uses the idea of
harmony and unity. I followed the
scribble/ hatching style of the coloured
pencils drawn on the people to portray the
sense of uncertainty that the protagonist
faces. These elements are held together with
a tree (also shown in the artwork) that
represents the protagonist and her endless
thoughts on her life decisions branching out
into different ways. The growth
(movement) of the tree also
symbolizes the personal growth of the
protagonist throughout the story.
Sketch 2
Fig 1.2 Sketch 2.1, Week 4 (1/03/2025)
Fig 1.3 Sketch 2.2, Week 4 (1/03/2025)
Fig 1.4 Sketch 2.3, Week 4 (1/03/2025)
I used two complementary colours to visually
contrast her choices in life
symbolized through human figures. I
also used the idea of emphasis on the
sizing and the colours of the two human
figures in contrast to the protagonist
standing at the edges in colour black &
white.
Sketch 3
Fig 1.5 Sketch 3, Week 4 (1/03/2025)
Sketch 3 Reference
Fig 2.1 Golconda by Rene Magritte, Week 4
(1/03/2025)
For the third sketch, I took inspiration from
the artwork of Golconda by Rene Magritte,
where the main elements are placed in repeated
patterns. I thought that twisting the idea
of repetition on the crowds to the
protagonist would help the audience focus more
on her uncertainty and the theme of
self-discovery.
Sketch 4
This sketch uses a different point of view of
the protagonist, where there are overlaps of
shadows of the crowds on her face. I changed
the layout format to landscape to portray a
better view of the close-ups of her face and
the eyes that reflect the two contrasting
human figures which symbolize the two choices
in her life.
FEEDBACK
WEEK 4
Specific Feedback:
Try working on the interpretation part
without referring to the existing information
but rather focusing on your own thoughts.
Adjust the observation part as some sentences
include your interpretation.
WEEK 5
General Feedback:
The deadline for task 2 is
5/03/25, make sure to
complete all sections on the
blog.
When "improving" the
artwork, try to portray it
from your own perspective.
Specific Feedback:
-
In the second sketch,
try lightly infusing a
growing tree branch into
the overlapped human
figures to explore
further depths and
dimensions.
-
All sketches seem
interesting, try to
explore and extract bits
of elements from each
sketch to develop and
connect your ideas in a
more visually engaging
way.
-
Try adding more
contrasting/ different
elements in between the
repeated elements to
increase visual
engagement.
-
Retaining the realistic
art style of the
original artwork in the
details (eyes,
silhouette etc) can
convey the intended
message more strongly.
-
For the last sketch,
adding a tree element
could be interesting
too.
REFLECTION
Experience
Overall, this task was a fun experience where
I got to explore my ideas for improving the
chosen artwork. Trying out various layouts
also helped me to get a better grasp on which
points need to be developed further.
Observation
Completing the visual analysis helped me
tremendously in recognizing each visual
element by groups. The three stages of
observation, analysis, and interpretation
provided me with clear guidelines on how to
approach the chosen artwork and pay attention
to details. Comparing and extracting the key
points in my sketches was also a great way to
figure out a better way of portraying my idea.
Findings
Learning the novel's plot and empathizing with
the artist's intention in drawing their
artwork in a certain style/ way also supported
me in developing my initial ideas on
approaching the artwork from different points
of view.
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