Homework

Homework 6 – Perspective Readings and Videos

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What follows is a short list of takeaways from the readings and videos on perspective:

There are many more types of perspective than originally discussed in class.

Four point perspective exists when a scene that typically would be drawn in three-point perspective has components both above and below the horizon line, requiring an extra vertical vanishing point to accurately draw.

Photo perspective accounts for warp created by camera lenses.

Perceptive perspective reduces scene distortion by using bent lines, although I’m not entirely sure of the need for this method.

Arial perspective is different than the previously mentioned forms of perspective. Rather than using geometry to imply depth, arial perspective employs color shifts. For example, as an object moves further away, its tone tends to shift towards blue, it loses contrast and resolution, and it generally seems to become hazier. Think rows of mountains receding into the distance. Air molecules distort more light from further away peaks, allowing the human eye to perceive depth.

One video mentioned that reverse perspective, in which the vanishing points come towards the viewer rather than away, is truer to how people actually see. I did not understand this point; it seems to me that traditional perspective is more inline with how I process depth. This may be interesting to explore further.

The way fine arts masters draw in perspective is inconsistent. One well-defined, consistent set of rules cannot capture the myriad ways to view perspective. Artists use many tricks, including curved vanishing lines and multiple vanishing points, even in one-point perspective. Learning to draw well in perspective is no mean feat!

Homework 5 – GE Research

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Charles Gaines

Charles Gaines, born in 1944, uses mathematics-based procedures to create art. For example, he used a color by number system to vividly render prismatic trees against a monochrome background. Gaines procedurally generated music for an eight-piece ensemble from major political manifestos. Gaines is a prolific photographer and conceptual artist.

Eva Hesse

William Kentridge

Raymond Pettibon

José Guadalupe Posada

Illustrator José Guadalupe Posada was born in Mexico in the middle of the 19th century. He used his skills as a cartoonist to give political and social commentary. He is best known for his drawings of skeletons, closely associated with Día de los Muertos. La Calavera Catrina, initially drawn to mock Mexican natives who imitated Europeans, has become a true icon of the festival.

Kathy Prendergast

Amy Sherald

Amy Sherald claims to be, “an American painter painting Americans.” She is entirely correct in her assertion. She photographs people off the streets to paint them in vibrant clothing against a brilliant, single-tone background. She aims to use her art to help African-Americans see themselves outside of their ever-politicized context, as just people.

Homework 2 – The Secret of Drawing 1 The Line of Enquiry

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The following is my repose the the documentary The Secret of Drawing Episode 1: The Line of Enquiry:

I always suspected that drawing could enhance my abilities as an engineer. I am, of course, familiar with Leonardo da Vinci’s contribution to the science: his siege weapons, his obsession with flying machines, his beautifully rendered mechanical diagrams. Unfamiliar to me is the work of John Russell, and his elaborate studies of the moon, explicitly detailing it long before photography had the capability to match. George Stubbs also created accurate drawings of horses by digging beneath their skin to study their anatomy. Through drawing, Stubbs was able to record horses’ inner workings to inform his own work and to preserve the knowledge for future scientists. All three of these artists were ahead of their time in scientific documentation.

Today, computers can be used to generate drawings with far greater complexity and precision, beyond what any of them could have dreamed. I am sure that they would have leapt at an opportunity to use modern software and conduct their research in greater detail. Still, even with the best we have to offer, they would have had to put their drawing skills to use. Before technology can be employed, rough sketches need to be created and shown to other people for better collaboration. Francis Wells displays this mentality perfectly, using ink to describe his procedures before he must complete them. I intend to mimic his, and the others, use of drawing in engineering as a practical tool to take me further down my chosen path.