SantiniFinalProject3

[cmsantini]

Statement:
For my final project that I have included in the SRISA showcase, I have created a video-selfportrait featuring my digital painting in front of a background in which the seasons gradually change. The foreground of this work, the self portrait, is inspired by Sandro Botticelli’s famous tempera paintings, the Primavera. The background, shows the changing seasons, from the green bright leaves of summer, to the colorful, falling leaves of autumn, falling snow in the winter, and the spring, when the leaves begin to grow again and the flowers bloom. To create the self portrait, as well as the assets (the sky, trees, leaves, flowers, etc.), I used the digital painting software, Krita. To bring these elements to life, I used Adobe After Effects, which allowed me to animate the assets, such as the simulation of the wind blowing the leaves, the autumn leaves falling to the ground, the falling snow, and the reappearance of the leaves and flowers.
This project was an extension of my first project I created in SRISA’s Interactive Media and Design course. In my initial project, I chose to create a digital self portrait depicting myself as the primavera. I chose this subject following my visit to the Uffizi, where I found my love of Botticelli and, more specifically, his work Primavera. This subject was personal to me as I was born in the spring, which is my favorite season, and resonated with Botticelli’s vision of the Primavera as a representation of life and rebirth. When I began my third project, I wanted to create a background for my painting that added meaning to my still portrait to create a representation of the ways I have changed during my time in Florence. As the seasons change, I too have changed, as spring marks the end of my simulation as well as my time here. I chose to end my simulation with the leaves and flowers blooming again as it signifies a rebirth of life, which is the ultimate underlying meaning of my work. I hope the ideas of growth, change, and rebirth resonate with those who view my work.