David Hornung, author of ‘Colour: a workshop for artists and designers’ demonstrates how to create a proportional and non-proportional inventory from the colours you see in an object.

http://vimeo.com/51149732

Proportional Color Inventory

http://www.geotests.net/couleurs/histogrammes2-en.html

 

student examples:

http://caitiebailey.blogspot.com/2010/10/color-inventory.html

Life of Pi artist

Painter Alexis Rockman used gouache on black paper for the paintings that led to the biological fantasies in Life of Pi.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/magazine/alexis-rockmans-visual-inspiration-for-life-of-pi.html

Field Trip

Field Trip to the di Rosa Art Preserve

Wednesday, Nov. 21. Our tour is scheduled for 10:15- 12:15. Please arrive by 10 AM. The cost is $5.

 http://www.dirosaart.org/

5200 Sonoma Highway Napa, California 94559

You can meet there if you want to. If you need a ride, I will drive from school and leave at 9:45.

You will write an essay based on one of the works from the collection. Be prepared to take notes. You can take a photo of one of the works as a reference.

Gallery Report Guidelines Color Theory

I. Responding to a Work of Art:

The first thing a student needs to do is to start looking at works of art by visiting museums, galleries or any other spaces that display art. The next step in the process of choosing a work of art to write on is to choose a work of art that that peaks your interest and is thought provoking, it makes it easier to write a more interesting paper. Once you found a work of art that you respond to, and then you will begin to analyze and reflect on that work of art and scrutinize its surface appearance, content and meaning.

 

Write down notes when you view the artwork. Start taking notes: write the name of the artist, the title, the year, the medium and the dimensions of the artwork. All of this information is usually provided in the label by the artwork. Recording details of your reaction is important to your writing your paper; don’t depend on your memory. It is important to include many details about your experience and about the artwork. If allowed take a photograph of the work of art, if not try your best to sketch the artwork, recording specifics colors, shapes, and composition.

 

In your description of the artwork, use the terms that make up form we have covered in class. You will need to use the terms of color: chromatic and achromatic gray, tints, shades, tones, muted and prismatic colors. Also you will need to describe how the colors are used and in which proportions. Make sure the terms you use are applied accurately to the description of the work of art. Do not simply write, “This painting has muted colors.” You need to be specific for example, “ Japanese artist, Utagawa Kunisada, used various muted colors and chromatic grays to represent the fierce looking figure, in the woodblock print, Shoki the Demon Queller.” Avoid making general responses like the work is “beautiful”. You will include your reaction towards the artwork, which may a variety of emotions, positive or negative.

II. Writing the analysis: Organization        

When you are ready to write your analysis, first you need to arrange your notes so you can draw from them in the following steps of the writing process. Your notes should include the following categories.

Name of work                               subject matter                    dominant color theme

Name of artist(s)                           artistic style used                social/political context

Media utilized                               formal elements                   historical context

 

III. The Introduction:

The introduction should supply the basic information that describes the work of art; name of artist, title of the artwork, the medium or media utilized in the work of art, the subject matter or content that your analysis focuses on.

IV. The Body:

• The body paragraphs should expand on the description utilizing the terms of each of the appropriate elements of design and the principles of organization.

The elements of art are line, shape, value, texture and color.

The principles of organization are balance, proportion, dominance,

movement and economy which create space to produce unity.

•  Then explore the content and meaning of the work of art, by analyzing how the artist used the media to emphasize the meaning and content in the work of art.
• Also determine what art style is the work of art — representational, expressionistic, abstract, non-representational, surreal, or impressionistic. Some art works may exhibit a combination of styles.
• You may want to expand on the content and meaning of the artwork if it is framed within a historical, mythical, cultural, social, political, or personal context.

 V. The Conclusion:

• This part of the paper is just as important as the rest of the paper.
• Try to avoid just restating statements that you have previously made in the body of the paper.
• This is your opportunity to provide an enlightening conclusion by drawing inference derived from the information that you’ve presented in your paper.
• This is your chance to describe your emotional response to the work, why you chose it, what appeals to you and how it might influence your own work.

VI. Format:

• The paper will be typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font.
• The body of the paper should be one-two pages.
• On a separate page, include an image or sketch of the work of art.
• If you used any reference sources, include a “Works Cited” page that includes, books, magazines, journals, web sites, or interview with artist, use the MLA style.

VII.Note

• Little research is required; it’s only necessary to place the artist into his/her historical context.

• This is not a biography of the artist so keep biographic information to a minimum.

• If an idea is not general knowledge and you did not think it up yourself then it must be footnoted.

• Avoid citing Wikipedia. It’s a good place to begin. Dig deeper for primary source material. In other words, look at the articles cited by Wikipedia.

 

 

Why preserve Van Gogh’s palette?

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/lucydavies/100007607/why-preserve-van-goghs-palette/

Monet’s palette

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gauguin’s palette. He believed in: “Pure colour! Everything must be sacrificed to it.” Yet, overall, his colors in this palette were muted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Color Chart Show at MOMA

http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2008/colorchart/flashsite/

Very fun interactive site and show — wish I had seen it.

The Meaning of Color in Hubble Images

http://hubblesite.org/gallery/behind_the_pictures/meaning_of_color/