Composition and Symbolism in Alea Hurst’s “The Optimist”
By Camryn King, winter 2023 intern
Among the artwork selected from the museum’s permanent collection for this season’s exhibition at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, The Optimist by Alea Hurst stands out. This small print packs a big punch with symbolism, Pop Art style, and serigraphy techniques.
While the piece itself is small, only 13.5 inches tall by 11.5 inches wide, it is bold serigraph print with a bright yellow frame that complements the piece’s colors of yellow, orange, and pink. The Optimist (2019) depicts a woman wearing a pink dress and a monarch butterfly mask. The woman has her hand to her forehead, her elbow resting on her knee, and she is sitting in front of a geometric background featuring three patterns that resemble loud wallpaper. Alea Hurst, born 1990, used the technique of serigraphy for this series of her prints. Serigraphy originates in silk-screening, the now-popular method for printing graphics on media such as T-shirts and posters that was first introduced in England in the early 1900s. Serigraphy is the fine art version of silk-screening and came into popularity among artists beginning with Pop Art in the 1960s. To create a serigraph, an artist forces ink through a fine screen, made of silk or synthetic material, in the desired design using a stencil. Although the process is more cost- and time-effective as compared to other printing techniques, it comes with its own challenges; each color must be applied individually, for example. Thus, in The Optimist, Hurst had to print the yellow, orange, pink, and black layers separately to create the final, cohesive image. The bold effects of serigraphy are evident in the print due to the vibrant colors and clean lines produced by Hurst. These elements of the print read as Pop Art, a movement that began in the 1960s and is characterized by inspiration from commercial and popular culture; examples of popular artists from this movement are Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg. Hurst’s piece, with its bold lines and colors, is reminiscent of comic-strip art, like that by Roy Lichtenstein.
In addition to Hurst demonstrating her impressive colorwork and linework in The Optimist, she also includes symbolism through the monarch mask that the subject wears. “Butterflies,” says Hurst, “are deep and powerful representations of life. Many cultures associate the butterfly with our souls. The Christian religion sees the butterfly as a symbol of resurrection. Around the world, people view the butterfly as representing endurance, change, hope, and life.” With so many positive associations with butterflies, it is curious that the woman looks as if she is upset; the markings on the butterfly make her look like she is crying and her posture is closed off from the viewer. It is possible that the mask is a sort of comfort to the upset woman, representing the “change” and “endurance” in her life that is to come.
Composition and Symbolism in Alea Hurst’s “The Optimist”
By Camryn King, winter 2023 intern
Among the artwork selected from the museum’s permanent collection for this season’s exhibition at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, The Optimist by Alea Hurst stands out. This small print packs a big punch with symbolism, Pop Art style, and serigraphy techniques.
While the piece itself is small, only 13.5 inches tall by 11.5 inches wide, it is bold serigraph print with a bright yellow frame that complements the piece’s colors of yellow, orange, and pink. The Optimist (2019) depicts a woman wearing a pink dress and a monarch butterfly mask. The woman has her hand to her forehead, her elbow resting on her knee, and she is sitting in front of a geometric background featuring three patterns that resemble loud wallpaper. Alea Hurst, born 1990, used the technique of serigraphy for this series of her prints. Serigraphy originates in silk-screening, the now-popular method for printing graphics on media such as T-shirts and posters that was first introduced in England in the early 1900s. Serigraphy is the fine art version of silk-screening and came into popularity among artists beginning with Pop Art in the 1960s. To create a serigraph, an artist forces ink through a fine screen, made of silk or synthetic material, in the desired design using a stencil. Although the process is more cost- and time-effective as compared to other printing techniques, it comes with its own challenges; each color must be applied individually, for example. Thus, in The Optimist, Hurst had to print the yellow, orange, pink, and black layers separately to create the final, cohesive image. The bold effects of serigraphy are evident in the print due to the vibrant colors and clean lines produced by Hurst. These elements of the print read as Pop Art, a movement that began in the 1960s and is characterized by inspiration from commercial and popular culture; examples of popular artists from this movement are Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg. Hurst’s piece, with its bold lines and colors, is reminiscent of comic-strip art, like that by Roy Lichtenstein.
In addition to Hurst demonstrating her impressive colorwork and linework in The Optimist, she also includes symbolism through the monarch mask that the subject wears. “Butterflies,” says Hurst, “are deep and powerful representations of life. Many cultures associate the butterfly with our souls. The Christian religion sees the butterfly as a symbol of resurrection. Around the world, people view the butterfly as representing endurance, change, hope, and life.” With so many positive associations with butterflies, it is curious that the woman looks as if she is upset; the markings on the butterfly make her look like she is crying and her posture is closed off from the viewer. It is possible that the mask is a sort of comfort to the upset woman, representing the “change” and “endurance” in her life that is to come.
The Optimist
Alea Hurst
