Details of I Am by Helen Thomas Robson (2012)

Jade Johnson

Art Appreciation Extra Credit

11 April 2018

Mr. Thomas Sturgill

Details of I Am by Helen Thomas Robson (2012)

Acrylic paint on a canvas

Viewed at Contemporary Art Gallery, Luke 2 Collection, April 11, 2018.

Helen Robson’s piece titled I Am in her Luke 2 Collection presents a child in the hands of whom is assumed to be God, holding the child while the child looks to Him. This piece was made in 2012 as a represents the new presence of a new being. This painting is symbolic to the idea that children are not their parents’ actions or decisions, but that we are our own. The imagery is the child looking upon God as the words spill down the side of the painting stating, “I am not the experience nor actions of my parents. It matters not how I became but that I AM. I AM courage. I AM hope. I AM strong and I AM here. You cannot define me as I Choose who I become. I AM the future.”

My reaction to this work is that it creates an intense light in the minds of those who might feel they are constantly compared to their parents’ actions and decisions. Or someone who feels they are compared to a person in their life who might be seen as better than them. I was drawn to this work due to the words and the baby who seems as if he/she is looking at someone who knows they are not judging nor criticizing. The baby has an innocent look as if he/she is looking for instruction from the hands and face that is holding him/her. It personally reminds me of being young and looking to my father when he would speak. I would just look at him and listen, even if I did not always understand what he was saying or what he meant, I would just hear his voice and want to continue to hear him speak.

My opinion of this work is that it is delicately created. The lines are not distinct, due to the painting having the real, abstract look to it. The lifelikeness of this work, in my opinion, is what draws an audience’s attention. The darker colors of the empty space surrounding the infant is visually deep. So, it carries more weight than the lighter colors of the actual baby. The hands holding the baby are not as