"Foolish" Perseverance
Sixian Wang
Illustration (School of Graduate Studies)
About this Item
- Title
- "Foolish" Perseverance
- Date
- 2023
- Summary/Artist's Statement
- I started learning how to draw when I was six years old. Even though I didn't get into a specialized art school and studied product design at a comprehensive university, I seemed to have no interest in modeling software. Drawing disappeared from my life for three years. I felt I had no talent. In my senior year, I took a course related to comics. Although it was an elective, it was the course I spent the most time and energy on. I was obsessed with it. The teacher told me not to imitate Western painting styles, but to explore many elements in China for innovation. It wasn't until then that I learned about the profession of illustration. So I found my goal. I want illustration to be my lifelong career.
- Because I was very unfamiliar with all electronic software and afraid to try it, I started drawing illustrations by hand at the beginning, using pencils or needle pen . I tried black and white drawing for a period of time, and found confidence in my painting from it. It wasn't until I started formal illustration studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology that I began to make up for my shortcomings in digital painting and improve my ability to match the color. I gave my all in every course and each assignment because I knew that these opportunities to make mistakes were very precious. During this time, because my thesis was related to the Chinese traditional painting style of Gongbi, I also studied Gongbi painting for a period of time. I was crazy about absorbing knowledge and techniques. I learned watercolor to improve my ability to match colors and persisted in sketching to improve my control of lines. So, I am not a talented person, I just persevere.
- In my visual thesis, I wanted to showcase what I had learned and experienced in the past three years. So I drew both hand-drawn (brush, dip pen, needle pen) and digital versions. My visual thesis is based on the theme of "perseverance," which I call “Foolish" perseverance. The reason it is foolish is that perseverance cannot guarantee success, but for ordinary people, perseverance is the only reliable path to success. Each painting describes my understanding of perseverance:
-
Perseverance involves starting preparation as early as possible and persisting for a long time.
Perseverance means not making excuses for your environment, but rather focusing on your own goals.
Perseverance entails not overlooking any details or opportunities.
Perseverance means not following the crowd or caring about the opinions of others, but instead remaining focused on your own goals.
Perseverance involves finding your own rhythm and avoiding comparing yourself to others.
Perseverance involves believing that all limitations and challenges can promote personal growth. Perseverance represents the countless possibilities of an ordinary life. -
Perseverance is a beam of light in the lives of ordinary people. It not only brings hope, but also illuminates the road to the future. Only love can persevere, and only perseverance can succeed.
- About this work:
- In my visual thesis, I drew both hand-drawn (brush, dip pen, needle pen) and digital versions. My visual thesis is based on the theme of "perseverance," which I call “Foolish" perseverance. The reason it is foolish is that perseverance cannot guarantee success, but for ordinary people, perseverance is the only reliable path to success.
- Medium
- Brush, dip-pen, Adobe Photoshop
- Course/Degree Information
- Program/Degree: Illustration MFA
- Academic semester: Spring 2023
- Professors: Dennis Dittrich, Anelle Miller
- Rights
- In Copyright
- The copyright for this work is held by its author/creator(s). Usage of this material beyond what is permitted by copyright law must first be cleared with the rights-holder(s). This work has been made available online by the Fashion Institute of Technology Gladys Marcus Library strictly for research and educational purposes. If you are the copyright holder for this work and have any objections to this work being made available online, please notify us immediately at [email protected].
- Identifier
- FIT Repository ID: mi_000002
Citation
Wang, S. (2023). "Foolish" Perseverance. FIT Institutional Repository. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/120134
Wang, Sixian. "Foolish" Perseverance. 2023. FIT Digital Repository, https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/120134
Wang, Sixian. ""Foolish" Perseverance." FIT Digital Repository, 2023. https://institutionalrepository.fitnyc.edu/item/120134