The whole is greater

In the Gestalt school of psychological thought, the mind and brain condense environmental stimuli so that they may be seen in their simplest form. The idea is that the whole — that which is seen– is of greater value than the processing of each individual part. This theorem can reach beyond basic perception and Steve Prince’s The Links work gives us an example of Gestalt in art form.

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Thank you, Herb and Dorothy Vogel

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An exciting find: Don Judd’s Untitled work from 1965, a piece from the Vogel collection on exhibit at the National Gallery of Art, East Building.

Abstract art is the kind of experience that challenges a viewer to find words to describe. Minimalism, the art movement based on simple forms, may pose the starkest of these challenges. Continue reading “Thank you, Herb and Dorothy Vogel”

Color biographies

IMG_2032Everyone’s got a story. And, in “The Secret Lives of Color”, Kassia St. Clair gives colors with names befitting those delightful paint squares their autobiographical due. There’s White with some of its cousins including Lead White, Ivory, Silver, Whitewash, Isabelline, Chalk, Beige and Red with its associates Scarlet, Cochineal, Vermillion, Rossa corsa, Hematite, Madder, and Dragon’s blood for example.

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Gibsonian optics brought to life in the sculpture of Fred Eversley

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An inviting pool, expectation of ripples if one were to touch. Structured resin becomes fluid and inviting.

J.J. Gibson outlined a radical approach to optics in his 1979 book The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception. In order to perceive the structure of space, we need just one thing: light.  Continue reading “Gibsonian optics brought to life in the sculpture of Fred Eversley”

In the deep: depth cues and still life

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Tasked with painting a still life composed of boxes and bottles in shades of white and black, with oil paints in shades of white and black, it’s easy for a scientist like me to think about the usual suspects of depth cues as a path to success. After all, if depth cues are what we use to interpret the environment, then using them should translate to a successful painting, paint skill notwithstanding. Continue reading “In the deep: depth cues and still life”