Painting People: Hu draws her peers
Before senior Margaret Hu begins to draw the subjects of her portraits, she gives them a multiple-choice test. Each question involves two drawings, and the subject must instinctively choose which one they prefer. This process is how Hu determines what kind of pattern and color to use for each person, and in her experience, the test works.
Hu’s AP Studio Art portfolio concentration is “people.” “I think people are awesome, and I love to do portraits, and it [my concentration] is basically centered by the fact it’s people’s choice to make up who they are,” Hu said.
Hu dedicates herself to art in all of her extracurricular activities, which include being president of Central’s Art Club president and interning at the Museum of Contemporary Art. At her internship, Hu is a member of the Teen Creative Agency that curates art at the museum.
“We’re trying to prove that teens can have ideas and find a way to express them,” Hu said. She will be helping curate the 21 Minus event in May, featuring art created by young artists from all over the city of Chicago.
Hu approaches art from more than an aesthetic perspective. “When you make art, there is some art you just do because [it] looks awesome, like ‘Wow, that looks really pretty,’ and there is some art you have to really think hard about, and I think that’s the art that is somewhat better because I feel like art is a form of communication that portrays things that can’t be done via words,” Hu said.
Last year, Hu’s portfolio was awarded a Silver Key from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and her other artwork has won many prizes and scholarships. For now, Hu’s artwork can be seen at the Hinsdale Public Library along with the works of those students enrolled in AP Studio Art.
