UoE Art & Design 2020

ART AND DESIGN Thinking Through Drawing Portfolio 2020 Jiayi Liu B177824

Content Project 1

WEEK 5 Exercise

Small Architectures Great Spaces Orthographic projections: • Plato, the Allegory of the Cave

2-3

• Aldo Rossi, Monument to the Resistance in Cuneo

4-5

• Capturing Contrasts

18

• Abstracting Reality

19

Project 2 Experiencing Space Paraline drawings (axonometric drawing): • Curzio Malaparte and Adalberto Libera, villa Malaparte

6-7

• Washing the Windows Close to My Home - mass and void

21-23

• Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Farnsworth House

8-9

• Shopping for Texture in Huaxi Shopping Centre- materils

24-26

• Drawing Depth as Colour in the Huaxi Shopping Centre-

27-30

Perspective (collages):

level of platforms

• Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona pavilion

10-13

• Philip Johnson, Johnson House / Glass House

14-17

• A Montage of Moments of the Beijing Subway- natural and artificial elements

31-35

PROJECT 1 SMALL ARCHITECTURES GREAT SPACES I learned basic drawing skills and standards in the first project of Art and Design, including orthographic drawing, axonometric drawing, and perspectives. Various medias are experimented during the artwork-making process. The skills I learned helped me to express my idea effectively.

The following drawings are include in the first project: Orthographic projections: • Plato, the Allegory of the Cave • Aldo Rossi, Monument to the Resistance in Cuneo Paraline drawings (axonometric drawing): • Curzio Malaparte and Adalberto Libera, villa Malaparte • Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Farnsworth House Perspective (collages): • Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona pavilion • Philip Johnson, Johnson House / Glass House

Art and Design Portfolio

Jiayi Liu B177824

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Plato, the Allegory of the Cave

Project 1

Development

First Approach: I focused on the projection of shadows on the cave wall and the position of fire during the first approach.

The projection of shadows will be at the walls above the prisoners, which creates a horrifying atmosphere.

Orthographic drawings effectively show a 3-D structure to viewers.

I used a tree diagram to show the elements that should be included in the design.

Reflection: However, I think the cave’s opening’s design is in the wrong position that the guarders cannot enter the cave, and the light can directly illuminate the prisoners’ situation. Therefore, I start the second approach.

Art and Design Portfolio

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Plato, the Allegory of the Cave

Project 1

Final Outcome

Second Approach: After the discussion with professors and classmates, I changed the layout of the cave. The tree diagram shows the relationships of elements I considered.

I move the opening behind the fire so that people can enter the cave freely. I also shrink the area and the height of prisoners’ location to make the space more terrifying.

The expressive drawing is produced based on the orthographic drawings to show the horrifying atmosphere in the cave.

Art and Design Portfolio

Jiayi Liu B177824

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Aldo Rossi, Monument to the Resistance in Cuneo Development

Project 1 Roof Plan

Aldo Rossi is an Italian architect and theoretician. He used simple forms and materials to express his understanding of the building context. The Monument to the Resistance in Cuneo also reveals his idea, which composites simple geometric shapes but effectively uses light to appeal to every viewer.

^ —

First Approach:

Entrance Elevation

^ —

The simple cubical geometric structure makes the Building an excellent example for students to study basic orthographic drawing methods. In this assignment, the plan, sections, and elevations expressed of the Monument to the Resistance in Cuneo are drawn by utilizing various drawing techniques.

A

A'

Section A to A'

Back Elevation

Following the direction, I drew Monument’s orthographic drawing to the Resistance in Cuneo (designed by Aldo Rossi in 1962). The architecture looks simple, but it took me a long time to find the stairs’ slope and the openings. After drawing all the sections on A2 paper using pencils, I scanned the drawing and organized different sections carefully.

Reflection: However, the orthographic drawings are not expressive enough to illustrate the solemn atmosphere. The concrete walls’ materiality and their thickness are not clearly shown.

Plan Showing both the Stair and the Room

Scale 1:100 Art and Design Portfolio

Jiayi Liu B177824

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Aldo Rossi, Monument to the Resistance in Cuneo

Project 1

Final Outcome Second Approach:

I produced three more representative drawings. The building’s mass and void inspire me to use charcoal to express the solidity of the concrete walls. I laid some paper with texture, like watercolour paper, to leave some unique texture on the background. I also used pencils to distinguish the environment from the main object.

Art and Design Portfolio

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Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Farnsworth House Development

Project 1 Farnsworth House is a single-story architecture designed by Mies van der Rohe. The unique characteristics of the house are the eight I-shaped steel columns and the floor-to-ceiling windows. The structure allows visitors inside to enjoy the beautiful scenery around. The steel framework is strong enough to support the roof so that a free arrangement of interior pieces of furniture is possible. This exercise intends to use axonometric drawings to show various features of the house.

First Approach: Several elements are considered during the first axonometric drawings: • Interior structures • Supporting Columns • Windows • Doors • Stairs

Second Approach: I used markers of various thicknesses to outline the structure of the Farnsworth House. However, the different levels of the platforms cannot be presented in the drawing.

Scale 1:100 Art and Design Portfolio

Jiayi Liu B177824

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Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Farnsworth House

Project 1

Final Outcome

Third Approach: I intend to use shadows to show the solidity of floors and the relationship between light and the structure. Thus, I started to use different techniques to produce expression drawings. Markers are still used to outline the design, and pencils are used to draw shadows.

Although the axonometric drawing can accurately show the building 3-dimensionally, the expression drawings with thicker outlines and shadows can emphasize the geometric structures.

Art and Design Portfolio

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Curzio Malaparte and Adalberto Libera, villa Malaparte

Project 1

Development

Villa Malaparte was built in 1938 by architect Adalberto Libera in Punta Massullo on the Isle of Capri. The architecture was located on the top of a cliff, which is beyond the city. The red walls and roof contradict the vegetations surround the Building. The side with 32 pyramid stairs and the curved white border on the top is the building’s symbolic structure.

First Approach: I drew a conventional axonometric drawing to show the dimensions. Several elements are considered throughout the drawing process: • Position of the openings • Relationship with the mountain (rocks) • The unique stairs

Reflection: Second Approach:

The lines are not expressive enough to show the unique characteristics of the Building. Therefore I decided to use watercolour to deliver the Building located in its environment.

I used water colour to pain the building and the cliff. Several elements are considered: • Colours of environment • The red colour of the building • The white wall at the top

Third Approach: I added the environment (without vegetation) to the axonometric drawing using tracing paper.

Scale 1:100 Art and Design Portfolio

Jiayi Liu B177824

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Curzio Malaparte and Adalberto Libera, villa Malaparte

Project 1

Final Outcome Final Piece:

To combine the second and third approaches, I used another tracing paper and used watercolour to create the environment and painted its red colour.

Reflection:

I think the white wall should be painted either; maybe it can be painted by applying acrylic.

Art and Design Portfolio

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Philip Johnson, Johnson House / Glass House

Project 1

Development

Inspired by Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House, Philip Johnson designs the Glass House. The simplicity of the structure and the materials make the architecture one of the most admirable modern architecture. The floor-to-ceiling windows are 18-feet-wide, which allow people to enjoy the beauty of nature. The round room disturbs the triangular shape and forms a dynamic asymmetrical balance. I use two collages to represent the house's features by considering the relationship between architecture and nature.

Architecture & Environment

The first painting focus on the relationship between the Building and the environment. It was drawn according to a photograph. Based on this painting, I made the first collage.

I used the same picture repetitively in the background to demonstrate the environment. The structure of the architecture was represented by black cardboard. Several magazine covers and wrapping paper are used to illustrate other details.

Art and Design Portfolio

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Philip Johnson, Johnson House / Glass House

Project 1

Final Outcome

Art and Design Portfolio

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Philip Johnson, Johnson House / Glass House

Project 1

Development

Openings & Nature

The second painting shows the opening’s size and the number of nature people can enjoy inside. Based on the second painting, I made the second collage, which also indicates the windows’ opening size by putting tracing paper on the collage’s top. Still, a large scenery photograph was used as the background, and the printed textures are used as roof and ground. The house was cut vertically to show the closeness to nature.

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Philip Johnson, Johnson House / Glass House

Project 1

Final Outcome

Art and Design Portfolio

Jiayi Liu B177824

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Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona pavilion

Project 1

Development

The Barcelona Pavilion was designed by Mies van der Rohe. The architecture is a representation of the modernism movement and the modern culture of German. The materiality and the free-flowing space are carefully considered in the project. The elements include material, nature, and artificial structures in the exercise, are considered and collaged in two A2 pieces.

Mass & Void

The painting above shows a perspective containing three void spaces: the sky above the walls, an open-air space below the roof, and the swimming pool. I intend to catch the right perspective of the final collage.

I turned to use some magazine cover to produce the collages. Markers and wrapping paper are also used in the. Some of the pictures are printed because the size of a magazine cover is not big enough. Different patterns are used on other walls, and the textures of the sky and ground are painted with watercolour and markers. Therefore, they are effectively distinguished by applying various media forms.

Art and Design Portfolio

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Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona pavilion

Project 1

Final Outcome

Art and Design Portfolio

Jiayi Liu B177824

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Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona pavilion

Project 1

Development

Vertical & Horizontal

I illustrate all the vertical elements with black and horizontal pieces in white in the second paint. I used watercolour to produce the second piece.

Continuing with the differentiation of vertical and horizontal elements, I made the second collage of the Barcelona pavilion. I am satisfied with the second collage because the contraction between blue and yellow demonstrates the relationship between walls, sky, and ground. Four different magazine covers are used for various walls. Repetition is used for columns, and all the walls are warm-toned.

Art and Design Portfolio

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Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Barcelona pavilion

Project 1

Final Outcome

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WEEK 5 EXERCISE- Capturing Contrasts

Week 5

Rhythmic and Random

Johannes Itten create the Capturing Contrast for his students at the Bauhaus. The intention of the exercise is to use abstract forms to represent two contradict abstract words. This practice is a good method to practice the skill of capturing abstract beauty from complex reality. I got Rhythmic and Random as two opposing qualities, I experimented with different materials to reinforce the theme.

Final Outcome:

I combined geometric forms of the first and the second approaches together organically to generate the final piece.

First Approach: I used pencils to draw lines follow the same path to show the word ‘Rhythmic’ while the word ‘Random’ is represented by lines randomly drawn on the paper. A thick black line was put at the middle to emphasize the contrast.

Reflection: The line at the middle is useless and disturbing. The abstraction of the practice should make the contrast easily captured by viewers.

Second Approach: The second one was inspired by the link between rhythm to music and electrocardiograph. I used different colours and various rhythms to demonstrate the sequence, while in the second picture I used same series of colours but no sequence can be find in any line to represent the word ‘Random.’

Art and Design Portfolio

Jiayi Liu B177824

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WEEK 5 EXERCISE- Abstracting Reality

Week 5

Quaratine Life

By Mohammed Shajahan

The intention of Abstracting Reality is to reproduce a picture (photo) by extracting key forms or patterns from it. The final outcome should be recognizable without reproduce every elements on the picture. Therefore, the key elements should be firmly identified and abstracted.

I chose to depict Quaratine Life photographed by Mohammed Shajahan. I think the there are three key elements that should be include in the final drawing: • Grey walls • Black shadows • Colourful clothes I used black cardboard to represent the black shadows and put it at the back. Then, I cut the brown paper into triangular units and past them onto the black paper to represent the grey walls. Finally, I used colourful chalks to depict clothes.

Art and Design Portfolio

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PROJECT 2 EXPERIENCING SPACE In the second project, I accomplished four pieces of work using distinctive medias. All the pieces focused on the experience of spaces and the abstraction of the experience. The sites and architecture I chose varies from my neighborhood to the downtown of Beijing. The subtitles shows the main idea I intend to focus on.

Four drawing from the closest to my home to the farest are demonstrated in order: • WASHING THE WINDOWS CLOSE TO MY HOME- mass and void • SHOPPING FOR TEXTURE IN HUAXI SHOPPING CENTRE- materils • DRAWING DEPTH AS COLOUR IN THE HUAXI SHOPPING CENTRE- level of platforms • A MONTAGE OF MOMENTS OF THE BEIJING SUBWAY- natural and artificial elements

Art and Design Portfolio

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Washing the Windows Close to Home- Mass and Void

Project 2

Development

The first piece, "Washing the windows close to my home," is a collection of windows in my neighborhood. I find the repetitions and variations of windows told me stories about families, so I intend to find a proper technique to illustrate them. I finally settled on using ink to depict the void spaces and shadows, so I called the piece washing the windows.

Map of my Neighborhood Position 3: I simplified a building and its repetitions of the opening structure to make the theme “repetition” clearer in this drawing.

I mainly used charcoal with a different hardness to draw this.

Reflection: The repetition structure is too simple and boring, and the extraordinary stories behind the windows are unreadable from this piece.

Position 1: The top floor was on fire one day. I took this photograph, and I found both the repetitions and the variations on each floor are engaging. Therefore I drew this kind of window in the final picture.

Moreover, that accident inspired me to give the name “washing the windows” because the windows after burning are filthy.

Position 2: The photograph and the ink painting both show an elevation of an old building.

The burglary-resisting structures and the possibilities of their variations attracted me.

I used ink to control the lightness and darkness, and I found it’s much more interesting than using charcoal, so I decided to cooperate with the technique in the final painting.

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Final Outcome

Washing the Windows Close to Home- Mass and Void, Ink, 594mm*420mm

Project 2

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Jiayi Liu B177824

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Washing the Windows Close to Home- Mass and Void

Project 2

Reflection

In the first piece, I painted with ink and I chose to draw the building with an elevation drawing to show the dimension of the windows. The mixture of ink and water successfully gives the ink varying degrees of saturation, from white to grey to black. Traditional Chinese ink and wash are also an essential part of my inspiration to create this painting.

Chinese painting has a long history and is an essential part of Chinese culture. It takes ink brush and lines as the skeleton, combines realism with ideogram, emphasizes the artistic conception and verve of the painting, which is concise, broad, and profound, forming the Chinese painting's unique style. Using lines and blanks in the painting is the essence of Chinese painting. They are the skeleton to express the structure of objects and images.

I left blanks space contrasting with dark ink to show the mass and void structure of the window.

However, my skill is not mature enough, which some brush strokes mixing the ink. It can be improved by doing more practice and sketches before the production of the final piece. However, I believe the painting effectively demonstrates the theme “Mass and Void” and echoed with the title “Washing the Windows Close to My Home.”

Art and Design Portfolio

Jiayi Liu B177824

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Shopping for Texture in Huaxi Shopping Centre- Materials

Project 2

Development

The second piece was inspired by the spaces and architecture in Huaxi Shopping Centre. I intend to stress the materiality of the architecture by abstract textures on the walls and grounds.

I called this piece ‘Shopping for Texture’ because the collecting process is similar to that of the shopping for clothes.

• Step 1:

• Step 2:

I took a walk around the Huaxi Shopping Centre and found several interesting geometric structures.

I combined several platforms of building together to form the perspective of the final drawing. The textures are applied to various faces and their shape are manipulated by PhotoShop.

This is a part of the stone walls around a garden.

A place under the container with iron gauze.

This is the pattern of the marbling ground.

Map of Huaxi Shopping Centre

A wall made of wood.

A corner between two little shops with concrete walls.

This is the structure of a concrete wall in front of a toy shop.

Pattern on a wall near Addidas shop.

Art and Design Portfolio

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Final Outcome

Shopping for Texture in Huaxi Shopping Centre- Materials, Collage (pencils markers), 594mm*420mm

Project 2

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Shopping for Texture in Huaxi Shopping Centre- Materials

Project 2

Reflection

In the second project, I successfully used all the sketching and collage skills I learned this semester.

All the materials are drawn in Huaxi Shopping Centre with pen and paper, so they have a high degree of authenticity. Although the perspective I used in the painting is somewhat divorced from reality, it is also adapted and compressed based on the actual site. I make this a perspective drawing because I want to show the diversity and possibility of materials to the greatest extent. The bottom half of the image is filled with all kinds of materials; only the sky is left blank, which makes my theme stands out.

The sketching assignments in Architectural Design courses inspired the creation of this painting. In my opinion, daily sketching and material collection are the most critical steps in the artwork making process. I will continue to develop this method in my future study.

I think the only thing worth improving is that I can restore the building's structure to the real scene.

For example, draw a corner of a complex structure and then assign materials to each plane.

Art and Design Portfolio

Jiayi Liu B177824

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Drawing Depth as Colour in the Huaxi Shopping Centre- Level of Platforms

Project 2

Development

The third drawing is also inspired by the sketches I collected at Huaxi Shopping centre. I called it ‘Drawing Depth as Colour in the Huaxi Shopping Centre’ because I want to use various colours to show the platforms’ levels. The final axonometric drawing was closely related to the real space as it was drawn according to the satellite map.

The shopping centre is an open-air space, with various shops spread both underground and aboveground. I love the difference between their height, allowing people to experience space composition variations during shopping.

Step 1: I collected various structures in the shopping centre and draw a unrealistic space with various platforms.

Container shops

Resting area for visitors

Roof of a building Art and Design Portfolio

Jiayi Liu B177824

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Drawing Depth as Colour in the Huaxi Shopping Centre- Level of Platforms

Project 2

Development Step 2:

Then I used Procreate to colour the platforms on the same levle with the same colour, to make the level difference more obvious. I want to create my media and blocks to show the depth of spaces.

Inspired by Monument Valley (a game), I make a simple but unrealistic shopping centre map.

Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 Ground Level Level -1 Level -2 Level -3

Step 3: • I decided to use the colour series below to show different levels of platforms.

• I believe the contrast between purple and green can make the representation of levels more clear. The ground floor with yellow colour will distinguish the underground plane from the above.

• I also simplified some of the building blocks around the shopping centre to stress the outcome’s underground structure.

Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 Ground Level Level -1 Level -2 Level -3

Reflection: Space should be more realistic, so I screenshotted the shopping centre’s satellite map (shown above) and took similar steps to produce the axonometric sketch on the right.

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Final Outcome

Drawing Depth as Colour in the Huaxi Shopping Centre- Level of Platforms, Markers, 594mm*420mm

Project 2

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Project 2

Drawing Depth as Colour in the Huaxi Shopping Centre- Level of Platforms

Reflection

In this third work, I use the Axonometric Drawing skill because, in this style, all the lines are parallel and regular, making it easy for the reader to see the building’s structure and layout. I used different colours to show the planes of different heights to show the sunken form of Huaxi Shopping Centre and the connection relationship between different plates. At the junction of the space, such as the stairs, I used a gradient colour, while on the floor plan of the ground and underground building, I used two different colours, blue and purple.

I think the height of spatial diversity is impressive. In Beijing, one part of the city is full of skyscrapers and shopping malls, while the other part of the city centre is full of neat quadrangle courtyards. This diversity is one of the most attractive features of my hometown. Therefore, I chose this open-air shopping mall with various spatial height to understand the urban layout.

I can further develop the drawing’s grey sections, where the traffic and taller buildings are located. I may use the black marker to outline cars or facilities’ structure to contrast the shopping centre and its surroundings.

Art and Design Portfolio

Jiayi Liu B177824

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A Montage of Moments of the Beijing Subway- Natural and Artificial Elements

Project 2

Development

I took a subway from the station near my home to downtown. At the two stations called “Wukesong” and “Tiananmenxi,” I found two impressive structures and sketched them.

The distance between the two stations is about 10 kilometers. I blended the synthetic forms of the two places and contrasted them with artificial and natural elements.

The first picture shows the details of the Line 1 Beijing subway. There are nine stops between the Wukesong and Tiananmen. The Gaode Map shows that the distance between the two places is 9.85 kilometres (about 10 km).

Art and Design Portfolio

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A Montage of Moments of the Beijing Subway- Natural and Artificial Elements

Project 2

Development

A Amusement Park for Children at Wukesong Station

I love the roof structure, which people can see through the interval of the colourful triangles and squares.

Extracting the colourful squares and the blue sky out, I made two abstract sketches.

Combining the two elements in a new perspective, I found that the contrast between nature and artificial ingredients is interesting.

Art and Design Portfolio

Jiayi Liu B177824

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A Montage of Moments of the Beijing Subway- Natural and Artificial Elements

Project 2

Development

A Passage in the National Theatre

I looked at the contrast between natural and artificial elements in the National Theatre.

I found a passage with a regular frame structure, and I sketched it out.

I manipulate the structure a little bit to show the distortion and mixing of two spaces, which I plan to use the roof of the amusement park on this roof.

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Final Outcome

A Montage of Moments of the Beijing Subway- Natural and Artificial Elements, Chalk and Markers, 594mm*420mm

Project 2

Art and Design Portfolio

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A Montage of Moments of the Beijing Subway- Natural and Artificial Elements

Project 2

Reflection

The fourth work is a montage of Beijing's urban space. As its name "Montage" shows, I combined two buildings 10km apart in Beijing from my perspective. In a children's park, I found the colour difference between the roof and the sky; in the National Centre for the Performing Arts, I found a glass corridor structure with the beauty of repetition. I combined these two structures, and I contrasted this human-made structure with natural beauty. I've used Markers and Technical Pens. I chose to use the colours used in sketches: blue and green represent nature, black and red, and yellow are used to describe human-made structures.

I think this painting is one of my favourite images. It matches the title "Montage" perfectly. Besides, the sharp contrast of colours vividly shows the differences between natural and artificial elements. Still, the use of marker pens integrates them into one, which reveals my understanding of architecture's ideal theme: a combination of industry and nature.

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2020 Art & Design Jiayi Liu

Jiayi Liu University of Edinburgh 2020 Art & Design B177824 s2038689@ed.ac.uk