CP.LIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
THE GRID OF LIFE
An abstract submitted in partial satisfaction of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in
ART
by
Mary Kathleen Laccinole
.Hay 1988
.
The abstract of Mary Kathleen Laccinole is approved:
California State University, Northridge
ii
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Approval ......... .
.ii
Table of Contents ...........•....•.•.•...•..•..•.. iii
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Illustrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
THE GRID OF LIFE
by
Mary Kathleen Laccinole
Master of Arts in Art
In life we move in diverse directions, like on a grid,
having encounters at each intersection and crossroad along
the way.
At these encounters we touch and are touched.
Impressions and images of others are made indelible on our
own image and character as well.
The more we encounter one
on the grid, the stronger the image of those encounters
remains.
Our image becomes one that is shared by others
with whom we travel more closely on the grid of life.
By synthesizing the images of individuals belonging to
groups of people into a single image, the common traits
that have been developed and established by close association will be revealed and a true group image will be
established.
(This, as opposed to the traditional group
portrait where individuals arrange themselves close
1
together and that group of individuals is then transcribed
by the artist.)
A true group synthesis reveals an image
that is actually representative of the group as a whole
and not merely a group of individuals.
With this method,
group emotions, attitudes, gestures, as well as shared
physical commonalities are discovered and identified.
As well, a telling portrait of an individual can be
developed by synthesizing images of his or her life at
several stages from infancy through adulthood.
The
innocence of childhood, the self-absorption of adolescence,
the cocky enthusiasm of the young adult, and the final
acceptance of mature adulthood combine to make a powerful
statement of the totality of a life itself.
An interest in the phenomenon of the commonality of
traits in people who have lived together for many years,
such as husbands, wives, and families, has been the
motivation for my pursuit of this method of working.
Also, an interest and aptitude concerning the order in
mathematical systems has allowed me to develop the manner
in which these portraits are conceived and assembled.
The finished portraits are made up of from four to as
many as twenty-five individual images, of various media,
most often an equal balance of photographs and paintings.
They are assembled following a preconceived mathematical
system in which, ultimately, each person is equally
represented.
After each image has been printed, painted,
2
dyed, or marked in some way as to ensure its uniqueness,
it is measured, numbered and cut up.
When they are all
reconstructed into the final assemblage the portrait
emerges in a mosaic grid of varying shapes, colors, and
sizes.
The process, which most often mixes alternately the
media of painting and photography, allows a fabric-like
textural quality to the surface of the works.
The close
networking of photography and painting enables the
portraits to take on an ambiguous quality -- the hard
specificity of the photography and the elusive and
romantic quality of the paint.
Occasionally, large
irregular parts are overlayed for a more individualized
and assymetrical composition.
Just as each image maintains its individual color and
texture as it weaves in and out on the grid, we, also,
maintain our uniqueness and individuality among our
various associations and groups.
Each of us is equally
important in creating the structure of the grid of life.
3
"Friends of the Family - Nine Individuals, Loraine, Bob,
Carol, John, Mary, Bill, Chris, Jackie, and Grace"
1986, 46 x 58 inches, mixed media
4
"The First Family - Nancy and Ronnie"
1985, 20 x 27 inches, mixed media
5
"The Descendants of William L. - Ten Individuals,
Bill, Mary, Bob, Damon, Robert, Andrea, Christine,
Kathleen, Adrian and Angela"
1987, 31 x 31 inches, mixed media
6
"Extended Family - Nine Individuals, Gill, Mandy, Tom,
Lynetta, Maurine, Mary, Lora, Bill and Andrea"
1988, 65 x 65 inches, mixed media
7
"Christine One"
1986, 20 x 26 inches, mixed media
8
"John"
1987, 22 x 28 inches, mixed media
9
"Gene Pool - Four Individuals,
Phyllis, Maurine, Christine and Patty Jo"
1987, 36 x'38 inches, mixed media
- 10
"Self Portrait"
1987, 15 x 19 inches, mixed media
11
"Kathleen"
1987, 22 x 28 inches, mixed media
12