Reading 1 Notes - January 18th

Color and Light - chapter 1: Tradition

Old Master's Color:

Light and color were precious to the old masters - they didn't have hundreds of available pigments.
Example:

Jan Vermeer, The Lacemaker

The Academic Tradition:

1.  Science of Perception - Colors can only be understood in relation to one another.  No color exists in isolation.
2.  New Pigments - New colors required artists to seek out new subjects to show of new colors to their full advantage.
3.  Plein-Air Practice -  "...in painting the first thing is to look for the general impression of color..."

Open-Air Painting in Britain:

Working out-of-doors was essential to capture the truthful effects of light and atmosphere.
Example:

Stanhope Forbes, A Fish Sale on a Cornish Beach

The Hudson River School:

Focused on the study of close observation of nature and a fascination with nature's sublime moods.
Example:

Asher Durand, Landscape with Birches

Plein-Air Movements:

Combining a knowledge of outdoor light with a powerful sense of composition.
Example:

Arthur Streeton, The Purple Noon's Transparent Might

Symbolist Dreams:

Used light and color to create images that stirred the imagination and evoked strange states of mind.

Example:

Adolf Hirschl, Ahasuerus at the End of the World

Magazine Illustration:

Color gradually was included in magazine illustrations and had a strong impact on readers' imaginations.

Walter Everett, The Loneliness of Peter Parrot

Graphic LA - pgs 5-17

Drawing IS symbol making.

What abstract shapes can be used to represent what we see?

An image can be made using only geometric shapes and abstract textures.

Try to reduce everything you see into simple geometric shapes and the fewest values.

The initial tones and colors are crucial to setting the "illusion" of reality.  The tonal/color relations define the "realism."  The shapes can be any graphic representation of the subject as long as the value relationships are correct.

100 Tuesday Tips

Composition 101:

Rule of Thirds - Place focal point in any of the "thirds" spaces.

Thumbnails:

1.  Do them small and quick first.
2.  Pick several you like to do a "clean version."
3.  Pick a few to do variations and see which one you like the most - then do your final.