My initial moodboard was full of blue colors. However, it didn’t have a specific niche. It was sort of like a rough draft. Some things that were included – nature, ocean, bag designing, water painting, sketching, blue eyes and “The Fallen Angel” painting by French artist Alexander Cabanel. As you can see, there is no concrete main idea you can get from the moodboard I made. After careful consideration and a discussion with my professor, I decided to revise my work.
I have put a lot of thought into my second moodboard. The theme is completely different. You can infer some concrete ideas of what my personal brand is about just by looking at the work, there is no explanation needed. The work for my second draft is much more detailed and each piece is carefully picked. I want my personal brand to be about paintings made from the 1500s to late 1800s.
All the way on the top, we have one of the most famous paintings “The Creation of Adam” by Michelangelo made around 1511. In this painting, Michelangelo wanted to show the “divine breath of life”. It represents “the creation of the first man with the Creator’s index finger ready to strike a spark upon contact with Adam’s hand.” I cut off most of the work and only included the hands. And this is proof that just by looking at a snippet of a painting the audience can recognize what they are looking at. Adam’s hand appears to be longing to receive energy from God hence why he is reaching out to Him.
The couple on the swing is a painting called “Springtime” made by a French artist Pierre Auguste Cot in 1873. From the first glance, it’s simply a painting of a young couple. However, these were not the full intentions of the artist. He made this art piece to showcase the beauty of spring. The young woman is the embodiment of spring, which makes the young man so drawn to her. This painting looks very innocent and refreshing.
Next to the couples on a swing is Aphrodite’s painting done by Frank Dicksee, c1895. Frank Dicksee is one of my favorite painters, amongst Gustav Klimpt and Francisco Soria Aedo. Aphrodite’s painting added a nice touch to the moodboard. The colors used in the image are mainly pastelish colors – white, creamy color, pastel pink and pastel blue. It blends in well with the rest of the paintings and gives the appearance of softness to the overall piece.
All the way at the bottom, I included a painting “The Fallen Angel” by Alexander Cabanel. Lucifer is referred to as the fallen angel since according to the Bible, he disobeyed God, trying to rebel against Him and therefore was casted away from Heaven to reside in Hell. Although it’s a nude painting, Lucifer is portrayed to be an innocent character here. He appears to be crying and covering his face in shame and guilt, which shows that he regrets his decision.
To fit the theme, I included some pieces from ancient history; starting with cartolina postale. It’s an Italian term which means a thick paper people used to write letters on without an envelope. It was created in the late 1800s which fits the theme I am trying to create perfectly. Next, I included pieces of newspaper to make a more historical and vintage impression. On the bottom right is the Colosseum; it adds a nice touch as well. Last but not least, there is a quote I included written by Marcus Aurelius (formal Roman emperor) “The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.” Finally, the background Renaissance sky painting was done by Denis Nigmatullin. It looks very dreamy and beautiful, which is why I decided to include it.
Bibliography:
Idalis Love, “Springtime by Pierre Auguste Cot: Detailed and Explained”, July 2, 2022, https://www.thecollector.com/pierre-auguste-cot-springtime-painting/
Sistine Chapel, “The Creation of Adam”,
Aline Maksimova, “Fallen Angel by Alexandre Cabanel: The story behind the provocative painting”, June 27,2023,
Wikipedia, “Postcard” ,
Sotheby’s, “Thomas Francis Dicksee R.A.”,
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