animation artist statement

                                                                                                                                   Jacob Galey

                                                                                                                           Project 2, Art 335

                                                            Artist Statement

            For this assignment I focused on the ideas surrounding the concept of intent. Through my animation project, I explored the difference in intention between two very different people. Through this animated project, i hope to foster some personal reflection in viewers; perhaps in his or her immediate circumstances or in a longer view.

            I chose to base my animation on a Buddhist legend called The Monk and The Hermit. I found this story to be the perfect vehicle for the message I hoped to convey. The legend concerns the meeting between a young, ambitious monk and a wise hermit. Through these two characters, i was able to explore my chosen concept and the differing aspects within.

            The character of the monk is a young man with drive and commitment to the academic study of a specific religious mantra. He gains sufficient knowledge of this mantra to believe he has attained a full understanding of it, and allows himself to believe he is something of an authority on the topic.

            The second character is an old hermit; a man who has devoted countless years to solitary reflection on the same mantra the young monk chose to study. Unlike the monk, the hermit has not taken an academic approach to his study, instead choosing total solitude in which to explore his personal understanding of the mantra.

            The meeting of these two very different characters is the confrontation between opposing ideas of what it means to have full understanding of an idea. The monk represents technical, academic knowledge whereas the hermit represents personal reflection and individuality. I was particularly  drawn to this legend because of its treatment of both characters, in that neither one is necessarily completely right or wrong.

I also thought the story had a great balance of wisdom and humor that i try to convey in my own work.

            I believe that at the end of the story, the idea of intention is admirably outlined. The monk became so focused on the technical study of the mantra that he seemed to have lost sight of the underlying idea of it being a vehicle to a much broader knowledge. The hermit instead was so focused on attaining  the broader knowledge the mantra represented that he had neglected the basic study of pronunciation and related academic concepts.

            Perhaps, in the end, the monk in this story is the one who is wrong. However, what I took from this story is the idea of finding balance. A greater middle road in which one does not need to be buried in study and minute details but also does not need to live in complete solitude without any sort of consultation or discussion.

            In line with the origins of this story, I chose to model the characters and scenery in my animation from traditional Buddhist artwork. I felt the minimal details and the clean, rhythmic line work found in this type of art lent itself well to the project.