Personal Project: By Ross Dawson Critical and Contextual Studies
• I am beginning to explore the symbolism of time in art; to carry this out I will start looking at paintings with the theme of time and how it is displayed. • Time is the single, most precious commodity in existence and art is created on the basis of capturing a moment to remain static. Techniques such as scale and proportion are include to create the look of motion or portray the passing of time in static visual artwork.
To Start off, I will be looking at paintings that are related to the theme of time. I will be analysing them down to the finest detail, including the composition, the story it depicts, and the formal features such as; the layout, use of colour and medium.
The Allegory Of Venus And Cupid 1545
Angolo Bronzino Bronzino lived the entirety of his life in Florence and modelled his painting style so meticulously to that of his mentor, Jacopo Pontormo, that art historians today still dispute the credit of several paintings. Bronzino took the ideologies established by Pontormo and ran with them. The result was portraits that were spotlessly realistic in detail, with his focuses displaying blank, passive expressions, but with a sense of nobility and snootiness Oil on wood 146 cm Ă— 116 cm (57 in Ă— 46 in)
Mannerism in art Mannerism originated as a response to the pleasant classicism and the flawless naturalism of High Renaissance art as exhibited by Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael in the first two decades of the 16th century. In the interpretation of the human nude, the principles of formal complexity had been set by Michelangelo, and the type of idealized beauty by Raphael. But in the work of these artists’ Mannerist successors, an fixation with style and technique in figural structure often outweighed the significance and meaning of the subject matter. As Bronzino began to be renowned for his portraits, the nobleness in Florence took note. He became the approved portraitist for the Medici and soon went to work painting the portraits of the ruling family members, which he is now mainly known for, and which is Bronzino's greatest impact to Mannerism. Oil on wood 146 cm × 116 cm (57 in × 46 in)
Mannerist Paintings By Bronzino What features make these mannerist…
Martyrdom of St. Lawrence, Fresco, 1569 Church of St. Lorenzo
Pieta, Oil on Wood, 1546 Oil on wood 146 cm × 116 cm (57 in × 46 in)
This painting was created between 1540-45 at the Tuscan court of Duke Cosimo de' Medici to be presented to the king of France. It was designed to be puzzling because of its symbols and devices from the worlds of mythology and emblematic imagery found within. The artist Angolo Bronzino was commissioned to create a painting that would become his masterpiece. Currently in the national gallery in London, the painting is opulent in classical symbolism, in keeping with the allegorical ideals of the High Renaissance. Oil on wood 146 cm Ă— 116 cm (57 in Ă— 46 in)
The goddess of love and beauty, identified from the golden apple given to her by Paris and by her doves, has drawn Cupid's arrow. At her feet, disguises, possibly the symbols of sensual nymph and satyr, seem to look up at the lovers. Foolish Pleasure, the laughing child, throws rose petals at them, thoughtless of the thorn piercing his right foot. Behind him is Deceit, fair of face, but foul of body, submits a sweet honeycomb in one hand, hiding the sting in her tail with the other. On the other side of the lovers is a dark figure, previously called Jealousy but newly plausibly identified as the embodiment of Syphilis, a disease most likely introduced to Europe from the New World and reaching epidemic extents by 1500. Oil on wood 146 cm Ă— 116 cm (57 in Ă— 46 in)
The painting’s main figure – Venus, the goddess of love is identified by her doves and by the golden apple given to her by Paris) disarms her son Cupid. Both are nude, and immersed in a white light that creates a porcelain skin texture. Cupid holds his mother's breast and kisses her lips. To the right, a nude putto with a lascivious expression dances forward and scatters flowers. Oil on wood 146 cm × 116 cm (57 in × 46 in)
This naked child to the right of Venus is pleasure who is about to release a handful of rose petals in the direction of Venus and Cupid. The beautiful young girl dressed in green harmlessly offers the lovers a honeycomb, representative of temptation. Though on closer inspection she has the body of a monster, complete with a serpentine tail, unknown beneath her green dress. In her left hand she shields from view the sting in her tail, interpreted by many to symbolise Fraud or Deceit as she is both sweet temptation and evil concern in one body. Oil on wood 146 cm Ă— 116 cm (57 in Ă— 46 in)
Below Oblivion is the tortured figure of a man often interpreted to symbolise Jealousy. In 1986 this classical version was contested by Conway who provided convincing evidence that the character in fact showed the clinical signs of secondary syphilis. Oil on wood 146 cm Ă— 116 cm (57 in Ă— 46 in)
At the top of the painting, behind the aquamarine veil, is the chemistry between two characters distinguishable on the right as Father Time (symbolized by the hourglass). Father time is by force revealing the scandal, suggesting that the sexual meet cannot simply be over and done, and also revealing to the audience the characters of the foreground – collectively show signs of syphilitic infection. On the left is oblivion with her missing eyes and brain, and hence failure to remember, is trying to throw a veil over the scene, so that it may be forgotten, deprived of of lasting significance.
Oil on wood 146 cm Ă— 116 cm (57 in Ă— 46 in)
One of the main figures that symbolises that this painting’s theme is time, is the hour glass behind father time. It signifies the illusion to perhaps the long term fatal condition of syphilis. Perhaps it represents the brevity of physical pleasures.
Oil on wood 146 cm × 116 cm (57 in × 46 in)
After exploring paintings that feature the theme of time, I am now going to look at how objects in paintings express the theme of time as a follow on from The Allegory Of Venus And Cupid. I will also be looking at what the objects symbolise.
An Allegory Of The
Vanities Of Human Life 1640 Oil On wood, 39x51 cm
The Artist:
Harmen Evertsz Steenwyck Harmen Evertsz Steenwyck was born in Delft, where he mostly worked. Himself and his brother Pieter were tutored by their uncle, David Bailly, in Leiden. Bailly is often accredited with the creation of the type of painting called a Vanitas, which highlights the transience of life and the vanity of worldly wealth. The Vanitas was a speciality in Leiden, and Steenwyck came to be its leading advocate.
Vanitas Still-life with a Portrait of a Young Painter by David Bailly
Behind the framed self-portrait we have an additional oval painting, that is of a young woman and this has always caught the eye of art historians. It is thought to be a portrait of his wife Agneta in her earlier days. However at the time when the painting was finished, Bailly’s wife was seriously ill, in actual fact, it could well be that she had already died.
The Vanitas is a clear genre of art in which the artist replicates gloomy and moody symbolic objects in order that the viewer becomes very aware of the brevity of life and the inevibility of death. The origins of the term vanitas can be traced back to the Latin biblical adage from the Book of Ecclesiastes (1:2): “…vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas…” which when translated means: “…vanity of vanities; all is vanity…”
In his other hand he holds standing on the table a framed oval portrait of himself as he was at the time still painting this work.
Looking closely at the wall in the right background, just behind the half empty fluted glass, you can make out a ghost-like portrait of a woman, en grisaille, is painted on it, across which carries the smoke from the smothered candle?
To the left of the painting we have, what a few suspect, is a self-portrait of the artist himself, but we all knew Bailly’s age when he painted the work we know this was a representation of himself as a young man in his early twenties.
On the table we see a standing character of Saint Stephen bound to a tree, pierced with arrows. The connection with St Stephen and the other objects on the table is could be based on the theory that there was a link between Saint Stephen and the plague, which killed so many people in Europe, including Bailly’s wife. The infections produced by the bubonic plague caused people to compare the “random attacks” of the plague with attacks by arrows and these folk desperately sort out a saint who was martyred by arrows, to intercede on their behalf and so prayers were offered up to St Stephen for him to intercede.
In his right hand he holds a maulstick, or mahlstick, which is a stick with a easy-going leather or padded head, used by painters to help the hand that grips the brush.
The Allegory 'Still Life: An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life' by Harmen Steenwyck is a definitive example of a Dutch 'Vanitas' painting. It is in essence a religious works in the style of a still life. 'Vanitas' paintings warn the viewer to be wary about placing too much position in the wealth and desires of this life, as they could become an hindrance on the path to salvation. The title 'Vanitas' comes from a quotation from the Book of Ecclesiastes 1:2, 'Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.'
Vanitas Vanitas, Latin for vanity is defined as the sense of emptiness or being represented in a worthlessness manor. The pleasure and human ambition is short lived and death is the great leveller that puts an end to all worldly accomplishments. Oil On Wood, 39x51 cm
The shell symbolises wealth; these things were expensive, very rare and considered as prized Possessions in the late 17th century but they were also a symbol of foreign travel. The empty shell is associated with a modern phrase about when we die, our body becomes an empty shell; our body in this case is the shell. In effect this means that our soul has left our body. Oil On Wood, 39x51 cm
The watch/chronometer represents that our time on earth is limited/ our lives are fleeting. Time is the single, most precious commodity in the world.
We all yearn for more time and to change it. What’s significant is that the chronometer is set to 12 o’clock but why the artist has done that, I'm not sure.
Oil On Wood, 39x51 cm
The book symbolises knowledge; it shows that any knowledge other than the words written in the bible are in effect pointless. The book has been opened so it shows these elements symbolize futile quests for earthly riches or the vanity of knowledge.
Oil On Wood, 39x51 cm
Stoneware jar – used to contain water and oil. Displays the basics of life, and prompts us that we solely rely on these humble sources. If you look closely, you can make out the weak figure of a bust (made observable by the clearness of the oil paint), showing that Steenwyck changed his mind during the creative process. Oil On Wood, 39x51 cm
Marking the passing of life. The oil lamp has just been dowsed out (distinct by the faint line of smoke) to represent the short time we are on this earth.
Oil On Wood, 39x51 cm
The Persistence Of Memory Salvador Dali 1931, Oil On Canvas
Background: Salvador Dalí often described his paintings as “hand painted dream photographs.” He based this seaside landscape on the cliffs in his home region of Catalonia, Spain. The ants and melting clocks are identifiable images that Dalí placed in an unaware context or rendered in an unfamiliar way. The large central creature made up of a misshapen nose and eye was drawn from Dalí’s imagination, although it has recurrently been understood as a self-portrait. Its long eyelashes seem insect-like; what could be a tongue oozes from its nose like a fat snail from its shell. Time is the subject here, from the melting watches to the decay inflicted by the swarming ants. Grasping what he called “the usual paralyzing tricks of eyefooling,” Dalí painted this work with “the most imperialist fury of accuracy,” but only, he said, “to systematize confusion and thus to help discredit completely the world of reality.” There is, nevertheless, a nod to the real: the distant golden cliffs are those on the coast of Catalonia, Dalí’s home.
Oil on canvas, 9 1/2 x 13" (24.1 x 33 cm)
At the centre of The Persistence of Memory is a bizarre creature lying in the sand, looking rather pathetic and motionless. Numerous art historians have said that this ‘monster’ in fact has the face of Dali himself, and “its long eyelashes seem ominously insect like or even sexual” (The Museum of Modern Art 2007). Maybe this is how he visualised himself, rather peaceful, though lost with no concept of time to keep him going onward. Further understanding could reveal he felt to some extent flat like the monster depicted, and grew fatigued of the weight that time and place brought to him. This could be seen in his real life, as the surrealists eventually grew tired of Dali’s playfulness and bizarre nature. They no longer reflected on him as part of their group due to his reluctance to take a governmental stance to amid their predominantly Communalist attitude to life.
Oil on canvas, 9 1/2 x 13" (24.1 x 33 cm)
The clocks create the theme of time; as a viewer we see them melting but what is it suggesting? Dali’s message is that time is fading away or that is how I appears to eye because they look blurry. Ultimately the clocks show repetition and harmony because they are close together and are all going through the state of change. The over-all interpretation is that the painting, which portrays many melting watches, is a rejection of time as a solid and deterministic encouragement.
Oil on canvas, 9 1/2 x 13" (24.1 x 33 cm)
The ants, on the face of it attacking the orange clock positioned on the rectangular table-like piece possibly indicate the anxiety linked with time. And what are the ancestries of our anxieties connected with time? Is it being too late for work? or is it not having finished or accomplished something before we die?
Swarming ants hint decay, an organic process that Dali held an unshakeable captivation. Particularised in the frontispiece to the Second Surrealist Manifesto, the seminal division between hard and soft substances.
Oil on canvas, 9 1/2 x 13" (24.1 x 33 cm)
Surrealism Surrealism was a movement that began in the 1920’s and its focus was experiment with ways of unleashing the subconscious imagination. It incorporated methods of ‘liberating’ the subconscious for instance chance effects, also they were engrossed in automatic drawing, and dream imagery. This movement was launched by André Breton; though written with literature in thought many of its ideas and approaches were taken up by painters. They were strongly swayed by Sigmund Freud (the creator of psychoanalysis) and his concepts about the unconscious; the intended direction of surrealism was to expose the unconscious and put it out there with rational life.
The Painting’s link to Surrealism ‘The Persistence of Memory, recalls how Surrealism tries to give form to the fluid and intermittent landscape of memory: ‘The empty beach with its combined sand is a symbol of sheer psychic estrangement. Clock time here is no longer in force, the watches have begun to drip and dissolve. Even the embryo, sign of secret growth and possibility, is sapped and lifeless. These are the remains of a remembered point in time’. Dali was eventually removed from the surrealist group because his work was deemed too latent…..then surrealists really focused on work that explored their subconscious mind through chance effects…
Why did Dali Use Melting Clocks? The artist explained somewhat what was meant by his “soft, melting watches�. He stated they were "...nothing more than the soft, extravagant, solitary, paranoiac-critical Camembert cheese of space and time... Hard or soft, what difference does it make! As long as they tell time accurately...". Surrealism for Dali involved taking normal items and making them perform in ways that you would not usually eyewitness, be it cheese-like watches melting in the sun, or elephants with elongated limbs, carrying idealistically heavy items on their backs.
The Ants Explanation: Dali had a fear of ants, he used to stair at THE ANTS - Ants symbolise death, decay and an immense sexual desire.
Through exploring paintings that deal with time I am now going to focus on images that deal with the passing of time and death in art.
David
The Death of Marat 1793 Oil on canvas 162 x 128 cm
The radical republican Jean-Paul Marat was assassinated in hi bath by the moderate Charlotte Corday on 13 July 1793.
Oil on canvas, 162 x 128 cm
• The dying Marat slumps in his bath, still holding his quill pen and the treacherous note from Corday. • Naturalistic detailed rendering of the moment of death. • Pose is remarkably natural and graceful: Marat gently slipping from Life to death. • David paid tribute to Marat with the inscription on the packing case that Marat used as a desk. It also suggests that this is year one of the new Revolution.
Oil on canvas, 162 x 128 cm
Jean-Paul Marat saw himself as a friend of the people, He was editor of the magazine Ami du Peuple. ( friend of the people) He suffered from a skin disease and had to stay in a soothing bath. This is where David shows him, in the moment after the murder by Charlotte Corday, a supporter of the aristocracy, and the Monarchy David had seen his fellow Jacobin party member and friend the day before he was murdered. Oil on canvas, 162 x 128 cm
Jacques-Louis David 1748–1825 This is his self portrait when he was in prison for the painting we will look at today Look how he shows himself to be an innocent painter
• David, early in the Revolution, had joined the Jacobins, a political club. • They eventually created a group of people against the monarchy who were known as the National Convention. • Led by Maximilien Robespierre, the Jacobins (including David) and the National Convention would eventually vote to execute Louis XVI and his Queen Marie Antoinette • France then became a republic (governed with no King or Queen)
Oil on canvas, 162 x 128 cm
David, The Head of the Dead Marat David sketched him after he had been murdered
1793 Pen, black and brown ink, 270 x 210 mm, MusÊe National du Château, Versailles
There were many people who were against this revolution and they needed to be executed.
Dr. Joseph Guillotine invented a machine that would make executions more humane. Our man in the painting today called Marat wrote down the names of the French people who were against the revolution in order for them to be killed.
David paid tribute to Marat with the inscription on the packing case that Marat used as a desk. It also suggests that this is year one of the new Revolution.
Oil on canvas, 162 x 128 cm
This work refers to the assassination of radical journalist JeanPaul Marat, killed on the 13th of July 1793 by Charlotte Corday.
Corday claimed "I killed one man to save 100,000."
The Reference to religious art Makes Marat a martyr of the revolution. Oil on canvas, 162 x 128 cm
Marat’s body is idealised and the stark setting is reminiscent of the art of a 17th century Baroque artist called Caravaggio.
Rubens: ‘The Deposition of Christ’, 1611
Oil on canvas, 162 x 128 cm
The main key to this painting is that the trailing arm of Marat is similar to the trailing arm of Jesus in images where he has been taken down from the cross…..The scary fact about this association is that David is suggesting that Marat is not dead. He will rise and live on as a martyr of the Revolution. Rubens: ‘The Deposition of Christ’, 1611 Oil on canvas, 162 x 128 cm
Goya rd The 3 of May 1808 painted in 1814 Painted in Spain Romanticism in 19th Century Spain
Francisco Goya 1746 – 1828 Spanish painter who was employed by Charles IV and the Spanish Royal Family to paint their them. When Spain was invaded by the French Armies of Napoleon he worked for his new French Rulers It was not until Napoleon was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo that Goya was able to paint the images that he had seen during Frances occupation of Spain.
This marks the start of his preoccupation with the morbid, and bizarre subject matter.
Goya had a mysterious and traumatic illness in 1792. In 1799 he created a series of 80 prints titled the Caprices ( a caprice means to suddenly desire something ) depicting what he called "the innumerable foibles and follies to be found in any civilized society, In them he shows scenes from Spanish life which he felt were not right.
oil on canvas, 2.66 m x 3.47 m
The Second Of May 1808
Goya was 62 years old when the Napoleonic invasion of Spain commenced, and Spain was exposed to six years of war and revolution. Goya was in Madrid while the tragic events of 2nd and 3rd May in 1808 happened; this was when the population rebelled against the French. It was not until 1814, that Goya physically painted these events. He wasn’t able to paint these scenes as he was hired by the new rulers of Spain. The first painting is about the misperception of battle; the second is anti-heroic and emphasises the brutality of war.
2.66 m x 3.45 m, oil on canvas
Unusually in art this is a unwelcoming image of heroism and it also deals with the blunt realities of death. Look at the variety of reactions from the victims – despair, disbelief, defiance. It is the sudden realisation that their life is coming to an end.
oil on canvas, 2.66 m x 3.47 m
Bloody corpses on the left in the foreground. Discarded and forgotten, left to rot. This is the true cost of war Bloody corpses on the left in the foreground. Discarded and forgotten, left to rot. This is the true cost of war. oil on canvas, 2.66 m x 3.47 m
Panic, fear and the brutal inevitability of execution by the faceless and dehumanised firing squad are underlined and the dominant figure in the white shirt is intentionally meant to be suggestive of a Christ figure – even down to suggestions of stigmata in the palms of his hands. We don’t know of any personal feelings towards the targets displayed by the soldiers, but they were following orders.
oil on canvas, 2.66 m x 3.47 m
Napoleon's troops' faces cannot be seen from the painting. But, the townspeople have a perfect view of their faces and find themselves gazing down the barrel of their guns. The troops are covered both in darkness and light, which reveals their clothing to also be clean and spotless with the victims' blood.
To the troops, the victims appear anonymous and worthless, although we can see otherwise. The darkness of the painting shows imminent doom, which is carried by the troops.
oil on canvas, 2.66 m x 3.47 m
The Raft Of The Medusa 1819 Oil On Canvas
Théodore GÉRICAULT (b. 1791, d. 1824,)
491 cm × 716 cm ,Oil On Canvas
This is a larger than life size painting that depicts a moment from the repercussions of the wreck of the French naval frigate Medusa, which hit the sea banks off of the coast of Mauritania on July 5, 1816. Approximately 147 people were set adrift on a make shift raft, with casualties of 132 people and only 15 people surviving. The survivors endured 13 days of starvation, dehydration and practiced cannibalism. The event escalated into a national scandal due to the incompetence of the French government in sending help. The painting was created by Théodore Géricault and choosing the tragedy as a subject matter, he interviewed two of the survivors and decided to reconstruct the raft. The purpose of this painting was to show the mistakes made by the men and the government leading to the death and torment of the group of survivors. Since reason had not brought an end to human suffering, so the artist portrayed a world without reason where that suffering was purposeless.
Analysis:
491 cm × 716 cm ,Oil On Canvas
Pyramid of Hope:
GĂŠricault has organised the composition to form two pyramids. The first triangle ranges from the deck to the top of the mast and down towards one of the survivors hands. The second pyramid ranges from a severed head to one of the survivors signalling for a boat in the distance using a flag and down towards the bottom of the deck. One other feature of the composition is the lack of foreground. GĂŠricault makes the raft extend to the very edge of the painting, which cuts off the corner. This allows the viewer to almost feel like they are on the raft. 491 cm Ă— 716 cm ,Oil On Canvas
In the distance sailing towards the Medusa wreck is the Argus, the sister ship of the Medusa coming to save them from certain death.
491 cm Ă— 716 cm ,Oil On Canvas
Gericault interviewed the survivors and found out that they ate each other…so he included a bloodied axe in the painting…… he also included a French officers uniform as he blamed the event on an old captain who caused the Medusa ship to sink
491 cm × 716 cm ,Oil On Canvas
• Although the event was a political scandal, the disaster was blamed on the incompetence of the captain who was employed by the new Bourbon King Louis XVIII • He painted an epic representation of human misery.
491 cm × 716 cm
491 cm × 716 cm ,Oil On Canvas
Planned out like a classical painting. Here are studies of the survivors‌..
491 cm Ă— 716 cm ,Oil On Canvas
• In order to get the detail of drowned flesh correct, Gericault visited the morgues to paint dead flesh.
Anatomical pieces. Théodore Géricault 1818
• This is romantic as he wants the experience to be authentic
491 cm × 716 cm ,Oil On Canvas
• This is a print after a drawing by J. Correard, one of the survivors. • Gericault wanted his painting to look authentic so he remade the raft in his studio and interviewed the survivors • Plan of the Raft of the Medusa "at the point she was abandoned" contemporary engraving 491 cm × 716 cm ,Oil On Canvas
Judith Beheading Holofernes
145 cm × 195 cm
Oil on canvas 1598–1599
The Story: In the painting, Judith comes in with her maid from the right, in contradiction of the direction of viewing the picture. The general is lying naked on top of a white sheet. Puzzlingly, his bed is distinguished by a magnificent red curtain, whose colour is associated with the act of murder as well as the heroine's triumph.
Oil on canvas, 145 cm Ă— 195 cm
Judith was a Jewish widow of moral rank in Bethulia, a town inundated by the army of the Assyrian general Holofernes. She came to his tent as an envoi and charmed him with her beauty. He organized a feast with an abundance of wine. After he passed out in his tent, Judith and her maid Abra saw their moment to strike.
Judith executed Holofernes with his own sword and trafficked his head back to Bethulia. On viewing her trophy, the townsfolk routed the leaderless Assyrians. The story is an allegory visualizing Judith as Judaism in victory over its pagan enemy.
Oil on canvas, 145 cm Ă— 195 cm
Caravaggesque Posture Judith’s Symbolic Bracelet The Images on the bracelet on Judith’s wrist match to famous images of Diana, virgin goddess of the hunt and a typical heroic woman. The bracelet has been seen as a poised “signature” by an artist pending the highest of her powers.
The Parallel diagonals of Judith’s arms, the gushing blood, and the angle of the sword. Cruciform Sword Artemisia has decided not to display the conventional saber, stolen from the drunken general, but has shown a cruciform sword.
This work was finished by Artemisia towards the end of her Florentine period and was undoubtedly hired by her principal patron, the Grand Duke Cassimo II. Dark Background The black background amplifies the dramatic tension and directs the focus to the action.
Oil on canvas, 145 cm × 195 cm
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio 1571-1610 In 1584 he was apprenticed for four years to the Lombard painter Simone Peterzano, labelled in the contract of apprenticeship as a pupil of Titian. Caravaggio seems to have remained in the Milan-Caravaggio area after he completed his apprenticeship, but it is likely that he went to Venice and saw the works of Giorgione, whom Federico Zuccaro later blamed him for copying the works.
The Entombment 1602-03
My Intention Based on the paintings I have analysed, I will now create designs for an exhibition on the theme of death in art. I will create 3d floor plan designs -which will be displayed in virtual reality, I will create exhibition poster designs to showcase the exhibition, with a booklet and ticket design. Before starting the poster designs, I will need to gather ideas from posters that are from real exhibitions in galleries. To start off I am going to carry out 3 experiments with 3 subjects from the paintings I have looked at.
Poster Analysis
To give me an idea of how to form a poster for my exhibition, I will be analysing posters created for real exhibitions. I will be looking in depth at the use of light and tones, alongside the titles and snippets of information. I ultimately want to my poster to look as professional as existing exhibition poster.
This poster design was created by students at Filton college. The poster is for an exhibition based on the themes of graphics, fashion, fine art and photography. It is a simple poster design, which only has words and no pictures but I like the tonal effect they have created displayed on the words. The word ‘Four’ is different, because each letter matches the colours of the words above. It includes the basic information, such as the starting date and the closing date for the exhibition and the logos at the bottom right hand corner. I could use this in my designs.
This was a poster created for The British Museum, to advertise the Turner And The Sublime Exhibition. This poster is very colourful, it gives off a brighter mood. A lot of people who design posters feature paintings from the exhibition as the main feature. There isn’t a lot being featured in this poster, apart from the painting, it only has the title and the gallery it’s being held at. There is information at the bottom that explains the periods of commission and when the exhibition finishes. I like the simplicity of this poster because of its bold title and how it almost blends into the painting. The title also doesn’t take up a whole page like the first poster I looked at.
This Poster was created for the National Agriculture Exhibition Center in Beijing- China, to showcase the work of fine artists. Again this poster displays an artists piece of work as its main feature. The colour of the fonts and the colours of the painting fit together beautifully, to give it a professional look. I like the creator’s use of font sizes to display the title because of how they have lined them up beneath each other. It has the standard text needed for any poster explaining details about the exhibition for example, what is being featured and what visitors can expect.
Based on the three posters for exhibitions that I have looked at previously, I am now going to carry out 3 experiments with 3 subjects from the paintings I have analysed at the start.
Vanitas Skull
The patterns above are the paint brushes for the smoke effect; the colour of the smoke had to be similar to the colour of the skull, so like a gold colour but I'm trying to create a burning effect. When we think of burning, we think of black smoke, so I have simply chosen a darker gold. The smoke will be emanating from the burning holes of the skull.
On the left is the paint styles to symbolise the decay of the skull. The side of the skull I'm using will basically be cut away but I want to make it look like its sort of burned away.
This is one paint tool effect that shows a burning a burning process and the remnants left behind.
Again this is another effect created from the paint brush tool that I have downloaded. With this one you can see a deeper burn.
Using the smoke effect brush tool, I have drawn the pattern emanating from the skull heading outwards and up, like the general direction of smoke. The smoke effect alone is not bold enough for me, it needs some light added to it. I have learnt in past projects a trick to brighten up the effect of paint brush marks: it involves using the blending options icon. Making sure we are drawing on another layer that is on top of the image layer, I can right click on the layer I have drawn on and it comes up with various actions but I wanted blending options at the very top. It then comes up with layer style that all give an effect on the chosen layer. I wanted to give my smoke effect a wider outer glow, so I set the blending mode to screen and selected the colour of the glow, which was the same colour as the smoke. I then played around with the spread and size; I wanted a small spread because the texture is turned into tiny small dots at a high spread. The most important factor is the size of the spread, the light has to be neat.
In this screenshot, to show the decay of the skull I have simply used the paintbrush tool to create a splodge in effect. Then by using a black paint brush I have coloured around the inside of the splodge to make it look like those parts of the skull have burnt away. Eventually I will build up the image so part of the skull head has burned away.
As you can see I have tried to build up the decay on the left side of the skull, eventually this will become an outline for the cut out.
I will eventually cut out the skull and the effects that I have created from the surrounding painting, if I choose to use this design in a poster.
This is the smoke effect that was created using a brush that I created. I thought the paint brush alone didn’t give me enough shine so I edited the blending options and enhanced the outer glow. I then attached the smoke to the skull, to make it look like it was burning from the inside out. This process enhances the painting and achieves my initial aims to maintain the image and to create a fresh interpretation of the original painting. And link to that Degas poster
This is the final design for the skull; I have cut out the left side of the head to make it look like it has decayed away into the smoke. I have also created a few more holes in the skull using the clone stamp tool, which allows you to copy areas of the image. Link sagain to the poster
Experimental Poster Designs Pleasure and the burning flowers
My aim is to create a poster using a feature from a traditional painting. I plan to then enhance this aspect using photoshop. I started off by selecting an image, this figure is from the allegory of Venus and Cupid. The figure is pleasure, who in the painting stands at the side of Venus waiting to release a bunch of rose petals in the direction of her and Cupid. I started off by separating pleasure from the rest of the image using the quick selection tool, and after that I went round him with a
rubber to clean up bits I missed. My intention for this is to symbolise death, so I am going to set the rose petals on fire like my previous experiment. It will almost be as if Pleasure is trying to cause some damage to Venus and Cupid by throwing the scorching bunch of petals at them.
I then used the burn tool on the edges of the petals, to give it that burnt look. With the burn tool you can control how dark it becomes because it darkens the image rather than having to create a new layer and draw over it; it’s also great for blending the image. I only used the burn tool on some of the petals because I wanted people to see what they were before I applied the effect.
To Create the Fire Effect I different types of brushes. These gave a very convincing effect of fire but they gave it quite a smoky effect.
On the right is a close up of what had created at that point; the fire alone was not enough to me on its own, so I used the paint brush tool just to represent the singing/the remnants of what has already been burned. I did this to make it look more convincing.
For the final touches, I added more paint brush marks just to build up the flames. I also used the quick selection tool for a second time to create a copy of some of the petals, which are falling from pleasures' hands to the ground.
The petals falling to the ground have the same effect as the others, they have been singed by the fire.
Experimental Poster Designs Jealousy Experiment
An Allegory Of Venus And Cupid
Jealousy experiment
Using the snipping tool, I have cut out the figure of the jealousy and the effects of syphilis from the painting ‘An Allegory Of Venus And Cupid’. This rather howling figure seems to me like the perfect subject for a poster design because around the time of when the painting was created, syphilis was a major killer. Jealousy is one of the more relevant subjects for my theme of death in art. Jealousy is in the early stages of the disease, so I am aiming to expose the effects of syphilis on the hands and the arm through images I have gathered. The horrible appearance of syphilis occurs in stage 1, so I will show how I have created the effect in stages.
The image on the left is the basis of the syphilis effect. I only want the effect on the hands so I used the quick selection tool on the hands of the copied cut out image and then overlaid the burning effect on top of the cut out.
Already this is coming together nicely, but the nature of the image above is too orange so I will have to change that.
I wanted to make the effect look more realistic, so I made it look like it had come out in a rash on the arms.
The screenshot on the right is a close up of the one above; in this I have used the magic wand to expose the cuts and wounds in the skin and fill them with a blood like colour.
I am now finished adding the effects to the arms. I haven’t filled in all the burnt spots of the skin because I want to show a healing process as well.
The elements of light aren’t sufficient to me, because of his black hair, the hands don’t have the dark tones at the tips. I will add a darker shadow in as a final touch on the areas that are not facing the light.
To achieve the darker tone I have used the burn tool in areas where the light doesn’t have much performance. The areas I missed out to show healing have been improved as well, they have become chard and burnt away almost. The left hand has had the most exposure to the Burn tool because it is closest to the darker part of the original image.
I feel I have successfully created a gruesome version of syphilis. The best part about this experiment, is that it is simple and effective; paintings are quite difficult subjects to work with if you want to create effects in photoshop. To create these effects I look at videos on the internet, but their subjects are anything but paintings so they are much easier to work with but I have learnt ways around it.
First of all, before creating my poster designs I need a title for the exhibition. I started by thinking of short and sharp pairs of words that relate to the theme of time and death. I came up with the phrase ‘Dead Time’, but on its own it didn’t sound like an official exhibition title; it sounded more like a meaning for something. I had the idea of changing the words into different languages and then picking the best one for me. I liked the sound of Tempus Mortis which is dead time translated into Latin so I decided this is the right title for me. After choosing the title, I had to choose the font design to include in the exhibition poster. Three of these are from a website called Dafont, specifically the top half but the rest are from fonts on photoshop. The font below is the one I have chosen to feature on my exhibition posters.
Poster Formations
Poster Creation – Design 1
This poster is going to feature my experiment with the Vanitas skull. The first thing to do with this poster was to choose my background; I want something that will accompany the skull, in a way that the two blend together. I decided to go for a blood red colour to bring meaning to the theme of death in art.
I am taking the effect I created and adding it onto the blood red background. Naturally the two colours don’t go together, so I will have to experiment a little.
I thought of an effect I have used in the past enhance images using the blending mode icon on the adjustments panel. I selected Colour Burn for this experiment.
When the skull blended with the background, the blood red merged nicely with the skull. The colour of the background came out at just the right consistency because if it had been any darker then the you wouldn’t have been able to make out the skull. I wanted the skull to fill most of the page because of it being the main figure, it has to be the centre piece.
The next thing to do was to add the font. When I added the font to the poster it was in its original black font, but to me the colours didn’t match so I changed the wont colour to white using the magic wand tool and a white brush. The alignment of the font I felt was best suited at the top of the poster because it simply looked refined. It also looks good adjacent to the smoke.
I then needed to fill the gap between the skull, the smoke and the title. I decided to fill the gap with information about the exhibition, including what you can expect to see and the dates of commission and ending.
After the description of the exhibition, I then needed to add the logo for the gallery that I am holding the exhibition in. Based on posters from other exhibitions, they place their logos in the corners of their posters, so I put the Courtauld logo in the bottom right hand corner. It fills the space and offers a little colour into the corner.
Finally, I thought it needed more colour so I added social media pins that you can use to direct you to the Facebook, twitter and Pinterest pages.
Poster Creation - Design 2
The biggest obstacle with this design was thinking of a background colour. I had the idea of taking a background from one of my analysed paintings. I chose to go with the background from The Death of Marat.
The next thing to do was to add the second poster experiment, to act as my main feature. I felt when I added the experiment to the page, the fire didn’t extend as much as I wanted it to, so I used the same techniques from the experiment to replicate the fire and extend it to the top of the page. Already my second experiment fits perfectly in the in its place so that I have enough room for the rest of the things I need to include.
Following on from adding my second experiment, it was now time to add the font in. The original colour of the font was white, but it didn’t go well with the light on the right of the image. I wanted a burnt font effect which would have been created by the fire, from the burning flowers. After sampling a range of different colours, a gold colour proved the right choice because it has the right balance of dark and light tones. If you look closely you can see the letters T, E and M are slowly burning away as a last minute effect.
To fill the space below the font, I decided to create a short and snappy piece of information on what you can expect when you visit the exhibition. I have also included the dates of which the exhibition starts and closes.
Then I added the logo of the gallery that it holding my exhibition. It needed to bold and recognisable and I think the colours contrast well together in the bottom right-hand corner.
The finishing touches for this poster are in the form of social media pins, which direct the viewer to the online pages.
This is the finished result on the left.
Choosing the colour for the background is the first thing to do. I decided to go with the same blood red colour as the Vanitas skull poster design.
I then added my experiment with pleasure, from An Allegory of Venus and Cupid to the background. You will notice that the colour of his wounds match the background colour; I did this because I think the cut out without the effect blends well with the blood red colour.
Adding in my font was the next thing to do. Again I am sticking with the same font design and colour. The position of the font is in important aspect; I decided to place it at the very top because it lines up perfectly with the experiment, and I think it being up there makes the message clearer.
What followed was the description of what to expect in the exhibition and the dates of when it starts and finishes.
The next task was adding the gallery logo to the bottom of the page, like I have done for the rest of the poster designs.
Finishing off this poster design is the social media pins. They offer extra colour to brighten the piece up.
After reviewing all three of my poster designs, my decision was based on the way all the colours come together in this. What stands out in this poster the most, is the subject, which is the Vanitas; the way the whole effect of the smoke and the skull have combined with the blood red background has created a real dark and demonic symbol of death.
Ticket Analysis
This image on the left is a photo of one of the many ticket stubs for The Courtauld Gallery institute of art. This is a under 18 admission’s ticket, as listed on the left side. All the information is listed on the left side, it shows the date of when the ticket was purchased and the visiting hours. The information they have included has no relevance to my ticket design; I feel no need to put any of the information that they have displayed on this ticket on my design, I think this ticket is very boring and plain because it has no colour or paintings that the gallery holds.
This is the back of the ticket stub, it has a lot more information like the non refundable nature of the ticket, how to keep in touch and the tours taking place. It also includes an image of one of the paintings in the gallery.
Ticket Stub Design
This screenshot shows the start of my ticket stub design. Because my poster with the Vanitas skull went very well I had trust in that subject, so the experiment with the Vanitas skull was to feature on my ticket design. I started playing around with the blending modes, like I did with the poster, but the only colour I believed that blended with consistency was the blood red colour. I didn’t want to make the ticket look similar to the poster because I wanted to the skull to stand out with no blending this time in the ticket. Brown was the second best choice from my viewpoint.
Now to add the individual touches. The first thing was the barcode, which is what makes the ticket stand out from the posters.
The next element was the title. At this stage of the creation the ticket is really coming together, because all of the colours are starting to contrast well with each other. Again the font is placed at the top because it displays the message clearer.
Because of the background being a dark colour, I needed a light colour for the information. The information was just the right size so it fit the gap well.
The finishing touches came in the way of the social media pins. They offer a tad of extra colour, but not too much to distract the viewer away from the whole ticket.
Virtual Exhibition
This is the start of my exhibition design, which I have created with. This is a format that allows you to create 3D floor plans for household rooms and other structures. In this case, I used it to create the walls from my exhibition. To start off the design format that was displayed for me was in the shape of a typical household, so I had to change a few things around. This included getting rid of all of the walls except for the ones around the edges. Ultimately I wanted to be left with a rectangle shape.
Once I demolished all the walls and furniture, I was left with a rectangular structure. To make sure that everything looks tidy and precise, I can use the green camera icon inside the rectangular shape to observe the inside of the exhibition.
The image below and to the left are the viewpoints of the camera from someone’s home design.
In this screenshot I have added walls to the rectangular structure, so it creates a clear walk way through the centre. Both sets of the small thin walls and both sets of the bigger thin walls are both the same length. To finish off this segment I have a added a laminate flooring, to make it look like a real exhibition flooring.
The next thing I did to this part of the exhibition, was I added windows to expose some light into the room. I did this to avoid the artificial light given off by lights
Following on from the windows, I wanted to add furniture in because if it was a real exhibition people would need somewhere to sit. I think it accompanies the paintings and the walls very well with all different colours going on. The furniture I selected was plain wooden benches. That I placed in opposite corners of the room.
Finally I had the task of selecting what kind of wallpaper to have in my exhibition. I picked the best 5 wallpapers that I liked, ranging from light and striped textures to darker ones.
I have narrowed the wall colours down to these two.
I have chosen to go with this plane and simple design because when I add in the paintings in frames, the red and gold will go nicely together. I feel the red gives it that more realistic exhibition look. It also looks fancy.
After Adding the wallpaper it was time to add the paintings and the descriptions on to a few of the walls. To place them on the walls I used photoshop, which involved putting the frames onto the paintings and making the descriptions describing the paintings on the right hand side. The first painting in front is the persistence of memory by Salvador Dali. It is quite a big painting so it needed to take up a large wall.
The second wall displays The Allegory Of Venus And Cupid by Bronzino. It is a small painting so it only needs a small slat wall.
These two walls feature The Death of Marat and An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life, with their own plaques explaining general information on them. This information includes the name, date of creation, size, and the artist.
This final wall shows The Death of Marat in his frame with greater detail. Because the image is portrait it has a single wall next to the other painting An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life.
Booklet Design
This is the front cover of my exhibition. It features my experiment with the Vanitas skull as the leading figure. There is the title of the exhibition ‘Tempus Mortis’ a long with my name at the bottom as the creator of this booklet and exhibition. The gallery logo is in the bottom right corner and the translation of Tempus Mortis is at the top left side, with a very brief sum up of the exhibition.
This page lists the contents of the book. It shows all of the paintings I am including in the exhibition.
Page 3 and 4 describe the painting ‘An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life’. It has the artist, size of the painting, date, and the painting medium listed next to it. To use up some space, I have focused on some elements of the painting and put them above and I have given a brief description of the composition and the story behind the painting.
Page 5 and 6 features ‘An Allegory Of Venus And Cupid’. Again it is the same design format of the first painting, but the orientation is portrait.
Page 7 and 8 features Salvador Dali’s ‘ The Persistence Of Memory’. Once again it has the same format of the previous two paintings. The only difference is its landscape orientation.
9 and 10 displays ‘The Death Of Marat’, with the same format as the previous paintings. This format of displaying the paintings, has a very professional feel to it because of its simplicity.
This page shows off ‘The Third Of May, by Goya. I am continuing to stay with the same format throughout.
These are the last three paintings in the order of ‘The Raft of The Medusa through to ‘Judith Beheading Holofernes’. These are my own creations, I haven’t taken inspiration from any other booklets, but I think they have turned out very well.
Finally we have the back page of the booklet that shows the virtual inside aspect of the exhibition with a longer description of the exhibition, the social media pins, and again my experiment with the Vanitas skull at the top to fill the space.