Imaginary Worlds

All artists, in essence, are creating imaginary worlds. The process of creation invariably leads to thinking about logic, rules,  or systems.  Two "places"that often occupy our imaginations are at opposite ends of the spectrum- Heaven and Hell. Below we see the definition for the philosophical communities that occupy these ends of the spectrum.

Utopia (/juːˈtoʊpiə/) is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was coined in Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt to create an ideal society, and fictional societies portrayed in literature. It has spawned other concepts, most prominently dystopia.

The word comes from the Greek: οὐ ("not") and τόπος ("place") and means "no place". The English homophone eutopia, derived from the Greek εὖ ("good" or "well") and τόπος ("place"), means "good place". This, due to the identical pronunciation of "utopia" and "eutopia", gives rise to a double meaning.

A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian. Examples of dystopias are characterized in books such as Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Handmaid's Tale, The Giver andBattle Royale. The Iron Heel was described by Erich Fromm as "the earliest of the modern Dystopian"^[1]. Dystopian societies feature different kinds of repressive social control systems, and various forms of active and passive coercion. Ideas and works about dystopian societies often explore the concept of humans abusing technology and humans individually and collectively coping, or not being able to properly cope with technology that has progressed far more rapidly than humanity's spiritual evolution. Dystopian societies are often imagined as police states, with unlimited power over the citizens. The word derives from Ancient Greek: δυσ-, "bad, hard",^[2] and Ancient Greek: τόπος, "place, landscape"^[3]. It can alternatively be called cacotopia,^[4][5] or anti-utopia.

Bosch

Dana Schutz

Dana Schutz

Jeffrey Beebe

Jeffrey Beebe

Julie Mehretu

Sarah Sze

Ken Millington

YOur assignment is to go and gather inspiration/ research from the Natural History Museum. You will chose one object as an inspiration and develop an imaginary world from it. Think of the definitions above as a way of placing your world, think about light, mood, scale, etc. This does not have to be a landscape as the examples above prove.

FACIAL FEATURES

The eye is an important yet complex element within a portrait. A great deal of emphasis is placed in the eyes as they relate to likeness and psychology. Understanding its form is the beginning of depicting it properly. In words, think of its structure, a ball settle into a bone socket. The brow bone or ridge overhangs the ball slightly. This ball is then draped, above and below, with two lids that have thickness. To the center of the face and slightly below middle we find the tear duct. These lids do not make an opening like a symmetrical football, but rather peak closer to center on the upper lid, and slightly toward the outside in the bottom lid. In the eye ball we the sclera (whites of the eye) the iris (the eye color), pupil (dark spot the resides in the iris), and the cornea (the lens on the surface). While drawing the eye it is important to remember these structures as light falls across all differently.

In the mouth we find a structure that wraps around the cylinder of the teeth and head. It is composed of three masses in the upper lip, a center flanked by two wings. The lower lip is composed of two masses parted slightly in the middle. The upper lip tappers quickly at the corners and curls down. The upper lip is usually in shadow since its top protrudes and then rolls under as it meets the opening. The lower lip receives light, along the two masses, and sharply descends to shadow along the middle underside, yet descends to shadow slowly along the edges as the lip rejoins the facial mass.

The nose is often one of the hardest features to capture. Again think of its structure as an aid in depicting it properly. There are three basic masses to consider- the ball, nostrils and bridge. It has four basic planes- one top, two sides, one bottom.

LARGE SCALE PORTRAIT

Examples below demonstrate the scale we are attempting in this project as well as a concrete sense of form. This is the basis for your exploration into lighting the subject. A form and mass of the head must be indicated as you then begin to investigate light. Please click here to review Skull and Head Structure.

Olmec Heads from Mexican History

Kollwitz

Seurat

Lucien Freud

Andrew Wyeth

Chuck Close

Student Work 

Student Work

LIGHT in PORTRAITURE

Deploying light as an active agent in art making is one of the fundamental basis for expression and meaning. Orchestrating both lights and shadows as active spaces in a composition begins to indicate a subjective perspective. Clearly choices are revealed, through illuminating presence and darken absence, as to what is important - object, location, time, narrative. It is the interplay of these two forces (shadow and darkness are not somehow lesser or simply defined by the absence of light, but rather are an elemental force, the diametric opposite, that yield and advance in balance with light) that create an overall tone. Below we see examples of how some artists from various mediums have used light to portray the figure for their own purposes.

In the photo of President Obama we see an ambient light, not too powerful or dramatic. It tries to convey a sense of integrity, strength etc. Presidents are always cast in a light that will not be overt, but more timeless, more classical.

A John McCain Photo from a magazine article pre -Election. The photographer got in a lot of trouble afterwards. From the vantage point and dramatic lighting we can see a subjective perspective of the person. McCain is presented as an overlord, ominous figure, clearly not a flattering portrayal. Notice the light from below and shadow up and behind.

In this example of Jesus Christ, the light is eminating from within. It is a supernatural light that radiates softly outwards giving the sense of purity, kindness, godliness etc.

In this example we see a frame from the Blair Witch Project, a more Baroque use of light, the figure dissolves into darkness. This use of lighting enhances the terror aspect of the subject and provides an environment for the emotion of the film- terror.

In this example we see an image from Sin City, by Frank Miller. Clearly the graphic use of light enhances the drama and grittiness of the content of the graphic novel. Notice the use of silohuette and how the darkness enters the figure.

Again we see a similar approach in Miller's Dark Knight novel. Batman, a character who walks the line between light and shadow (metaphorically), is displayed in that context visually.

In this example by Luc Tuymans we see a portrait with a strong light casting strong shadows. As is typical in his palette, we notice a slight wan quality or paleness. In the following example, we see another painting of Tuymans, in which the contrast is even more obliterated and we get an overexposed light quality. The sense is that light (usually used to illuminate, give form to objects) is overexposured and hints at the destructive power of light as it dissolves away detail and form.

Rembrandt is known for his Baroque use of light and often used its narrative potential. In this example we see a portrait of the artist and the light hints at his interior space, a place of brooding assuredness. The colors indicate candle light or evening light.

Working in Delft during troubled times in Europe, Vermeer crafted these paintings. Exquisite light delicately falling inside on the working people. They convey a pure, cleansing light, perhaps early morning and definitely Northern European light. All expressed by his choice of light, color, setting etc.

FIGURE- GESTURE

Student Example

Student Example

Student Example

Gesture drawing seeks to capture the essence of the pose, its action, its distribution of weight, its dynamism. Expressive use of line , and a basic understanding of proportion and anatomy, accomplishes this. The idea is to observe and capture this through minimal but specific use of mark and not over doing it. It is NOT the goal to go after detail.

Bridgman's "Constructive Anatomy"

Here we see an example of the three masses of the body and how they inter-relate. The three are : Head, Chest, and Pelvis. They can be thought of as blocks connected by the spine." In their relations to each other, they are limited to three possible planes of movement. That is, they may be bent forward and backward in the sagittal plane, twisted in the horizontal plane, or tilted in the transverse plane. Almost invariably, in fact, all three movements are present, to different degrees." - George G. Bridgman

Bridgman's "Constructive Anatomy"

Luca Cambiaso- From Robert Beverly Hale "Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters"

Here we see an example of the board planes of the body. Very simply, imagining each body part as cubic will allow the structure to be constructed easier (and value applied). This allows the artist to see the front and side planes as well as up and down planes and directionality.

Francisco Goya

A good example of the dynamic action of the pose. Notice the point of the foreground figures's swing, highest , furthest back before the forward motion- the body in full stretch before release the potential energy.

Degas

A very refined yet simple drawing of the figure in repose. An example of a short pose and what can be accomplished. Notice the attention to anatomy, proportion, and the quality of line and slight use of value.

Raphael

Another moment of action in the pose. Note the relationship of pelvis to chest to head, the twist and tilt can be seen clearly. Also the concentration of values and lines indicating the pressure and compression in the pose.

SKULL and HEAD

The skull provides the basis for understanding the form of the head. The three large masses of the head are the cranium, the skeleton of the face and jaw. Consider the forms of these masses simply. The cranium as a sphere, the face as a flat plane that descends off the cranium and tapers toward the chin and the jaw as a horse shoe shape that hinges underneath. Notice where the skull protrudes to provide landmarks, where it recedes under the flesh. (Following two examples are from Szunyoghy's Human Anatomy for Artists)

The profile of skull. Notice the ear hole location, not centered but 2/3 of the way toward the back. Also see how the head rests slightly forward on the neck.

Below we have an example from Bridgman's Constructive Anatomy. Here he illustrates some of the muscles in the head. Good to consider as for developing from and gesture in the face.

BEGINNING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HEAD

In the construction of the head, it is better to begin with a cube in stead of the familiar oval. The oval is non -specific, the eye won't rest on a curve and cannot find a register point. The cube gives a sense of mass, perspective, foreshortening, angle/ tilt. Also importantly, it gives a sense of the third edge. From this starting point we can begin thinking of planes as they relate to the head - top, front, two sides, back, and bottom.

The basic measurements for the cube are 2/3 wide, 3/3 high. The side of the cube (profile) is 7/8 of the height. ( From the profile it looks ALMOST square, from the front (face) it is a tall rectangle.)

The basic proportions and location of the facial features can be constructed as the example demonstrates (Example is from the website Draw23.)

-A Vertical Line down the center from top of head to chin. Through this line we see the Bilateral Symmetry of the features.

-A Horizontal Line is placed at the halfway point. This indicates the lower lids of the eyes.

- The whole height can be again divided, but this time in thirds. The upper horizontal line indicating the middle of the forehead, the second the base of the nose. In the bottom third, two thirds of the way up to the nose is the center line of the mouth.

- The corners of the mouth line up vertically with the center of the eyes.

- The top of the Ear lines up horizontally just above the eye at the eye brow.

-The bottom of the ear lines up with the base of the nose.

Most of these guidelines can be drawn in on the cube, allowing you to place the head spatially and in perspective.

Below we see an example from Bridgman's Constructive Anatomy demonstrating the planes in the head. These are very basic, but a good way to begin to refine your head form.

Below is an example from Szunyoghy's Human Anatomy for Artists. It further illustrates some of the agreed upon proportions in the head. Included are the space between the eyes equals one eye width. The whole width of the head is five eye widths. Also illustrated is the top and bottom of the ear as they relate to the eye brow and nose (good marker). The width of the nose is also illustrated to be approximately the space between the eyes.

IMPORTANT NOTE*- All these proportions were largely agreed upon during the Renaissance, and are considered guides, not hard and fast rules. they do not necessarily account for the variation of people, races, ages, etc.

Below is another Bridgman example providing some insight into the neck and head the muscles track and connect with the skull. Of particular note is the Streno -cleido- mastoid (#8) a great reference point in figure drawing, spanning from the clavicle to behind the ear.

Student Example

Student Example

Student Example