After OH senior Ava DeSanto won the Best in Show Award for her 2d digital painting, “Comfort in a brief silence,” (pictured below) at the Annual Art Show, a showcase of Panther artistic talent, on Wed., April 15, she reflected on her growth and the meaning of her art.
In DeSanto’s piece, the focus of the artwork is on two characters. The dynamic between them conveys a soothing theme. However, close examination reveals more elements of the story left unclear. What is the truth behind this artwork?
“Truthfully,” DeSanto said, “my artwork is a commentary on what it means to be human.”
Art is a fundamental part of human nature. It’s one of the many things that separate humans from all other life forms. For DeSanto, creating her pieces for the OH Annual Art show was a whole different experience from her previous works.
OH Fine Arts Department Chair Michael Skura explained why DeSantos’ award-winning work is different from her previous works, demonstrating her growth as an artist.
“I think the older you get, the more aware you are,” Skura explained. “The visual voice [changes]. It’s just… greater awareness, also greater confidence in your art, and you’re building up new dimensional materials [and] work[ing] with [your new] skills.”
Skura isn’t simply stating that experience alone improves art, “…overall, everyone is gradually [improving],” said Skura. “It’s just a matter of confidence, and hopefully artistic awareness.”
Additionally, OH junior and art show competitor Prisha Gupta said artistic awareness translates into her own similar improvements. “I think I’ve improved not only in technique, but also just in trying to translate what I’m feeling into what I’m creating,” Gupta shared.
She suggested applying newly-acquired skills with one´s emotions to create more impactful and aware artwork. These elements contributed to her 2D painting being awarded Best in Show.
Looking at it for the first time, the painting might make the viewer feel uncomfortable – and that’s just the point. Instead of looking for geometric perfection, Gupta let her technique and emotions blend into one and influence the creation of her artwork.
Similarly, DeSanto said, “Artwork is fundamentally a melting pot of people’s lived experiences. And I think the more in touch you are with your own past, and what you’ve experienced, the better artwork you can create.”
Skura and his fellow art teachers shared how proud they are of the growth of their students, and now students like DeSanto are seeing an end to their high school art careers, causing significant reflection.
DeSanto mentioned that while she is incredibly sad to leave OH and all the wonderful art experiences behind, she is excited to start a new chapter of her life and begin college – yet with an apprehensive eye on the future of art.
“Support human artwork, especially in the era of AI,” said DeSanto. “Please continue to fund the arts, advocate for funding in the arts. It is so incredibly important. If you have an open elective slot, please enroll in art.”
Modern artists like DeSanto urge the community to keep artwork human and not offload their thinking to any AI model. Lest the rewarding human experience of artwork be lost.
Fellow award-winning artist Gupta advises something similar.
“Don’t do art for others. Do art for yourself,” Gupta said. “And if it happens to win something great, [or] if it doesn’t, that’s okay. Because you’ve always got second chances, and the beauty of our artwork is ours to behold.”
Art is one of the few subjects in school where there is no wrong answer to any of the questions. It’s the class that promotes personal growth, exploration, and new perspectives through artwork. There’s no need to rush it all for the sake of a competition.
“I stopped tying my worth and the worth of my artwork to what I win. I separated myself from the idea of just winning and celebrated the artwork process instead,” Gupta shared. “That makes me happier than receiving any award.”
Below, a video of the OH Annual Art Show display showcases the hundreds of pieces shared by the talented artists.
Hello! My name is Tristan Acosta and I'm a junior at Oswego High School, this is my first year of being on the 42Fifty staff. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
