Annabelle Rogers

Should realism or idealism take precedence in our lives? My portfolio explores the balance between these opposing forces using one of the most fundamental elements of visual art: color. Color is the means by which I explore humankind’s perpetual inability to balance our mundane, day-to-day experiences with larger philosophical questions. Color is both defining and abstracting. Color enhances perceptions of shape, the superficial experiences in life, and evokes feelings, the larger thematic aspects of the human experience. Both photography and fashion design possess an inherent realism--the photo is of tangible scene and the garment assumes a defined shape and purpose on the body. It is through these mediums, therefore, that realism is communicated most effectively. And yet, because they are so bound in the real, philosophy is communicated as well in the breaking of the rules of the medium, in the exploitation of the abstract. The dual nature of these mediums inspires me to continue using color to toe the line between realism and idealism. Through my work I have found an answer to my previously unsolvable question of whether realism or idealism takes precedence in life. My work communicates its answer in inventive and provocative ways as I have found that color identifies the beauty in the mundane. It is the beauty in the mundane which enhances day-to-day experience, therefore also making you understand the larger meanings and priorities in life.