Patterns In Our World

Patterns can be found everywhere in our lives. There are patterns on the architecture of religious sites like mosques churches, and temples. Patterns can also be found in homes on floors and walls. They also adorn our clothing and jewelry. For hundreds of year humans have been using patterns for adorning, communicating, and expressing themselves. Patterns can be as simple as a repeated clover design or as complicated as an Islamic floral wall tile. The Islamic patterns are very unique as art forms. They are considered to represent the unchanging laws of God. In this way the patterns are a construction of geometric patterns that provide a visual analogy to religious rules of behavior. Muslims believe that the contemplation of creating the patterns 9the creative skills) lead to an understanding of the perfections of a Universal Nature. The Islamic patterns begin with a circle, which is the symbol of one God, and the center of Islam. The circle also has always been considered to represent a symbol of eternity - without a begging and without an end.

Gestalt

The Gestalt theorists were the first group of psychologists to systematically study perceptual organisation around the 1920’s, in Germany. Gestalt is a theory of mind and brain that proposes that the operational principle of the brain with self-organizing tendencies. The Gestalt effect refers to the form-forming capability of our senses, particularly with respect to the visual recognition of figures and whole forms instead of just a collection of simple lines and curves.

Value

We created a value scale in class using pencil. It is very important to have a value scale so you can see the different gradation of your colors. Then we drew a design and used our value scale to help us create contrasting shades in our design. I enjoyed this project a lot. I found it very helpful too because it is important to understand the different shades and value of colors. I am able to use my value scale when I am drawing at home and in other drawing classes.

Value Drawing

Line, Shape, and the String Thing

I enjoyed making the line and shape project. It was interesting to do and fun to have them all end up connected in a mass design. I first made one line and shape project and then decided to do it all over again and make it better and neater. So now there are two.
The string project was fun. I wanted to create an actual spider web design, but it did not work so well. We were not allowed to cut the string so I could not cut off pieces and tie them together, which was a little frustrating. I had a good time though, but in the end when we had to take it all apart and everything got all knotted, that was not fun. I got very frustrated and hated the string then. In all, the activities were fun and I especially liked the line and shape project and how it turned out.

Line or Shape?

1. Which of the images a, b, c, or d are lines?
I think that both a and b can be considered lines.


2. Which of the images a, b, c, or d are shapes?
I think that c and d can be considered shapes.


3. What makes a line?
A line can be continuous, it can be straight or squiggly, it can go up or down and it can be thin or slightly thick.

4. What makes a shape?
A shape is something that is contained with in its self. It can be and organic form or a geometric form.

Venus of Urbino

In the foreground of the painting "Venus of Urbino", painted by Titian in 1538, a large nude female sprawls gracefully upon a bed of white linen. In one hand the woman holds a batch of flowers, while her other hand covers her pubic area. Asleep at her tiny feet is an equally small brown and white lap dog. The background of the painting is divided into two equal halves. A solid dark panel takes up the left and the right panel opens up to a scene of two figures in a luxurious spacious room. Both figures are female. One kneels at a trunk and the other stands watching over, holding garments.

The woman in the foreground is the subject of Titian's painting. She lounges in a graceful yet provocative manner with her head slightly turned, eyes gazing at the viewer. She engages and seduces the viewer with her coy expression and erotic pose. The woman seems unconcerned about her nudity. Although her expression is frank and she bares all, there is a feeling of mystery about her. In the woman's right hand is a bouquet of red flowers which she clasps gently and half heartedly. Her left hand rests upon her pubic area, hiding it from view, but Titian has placed the line from the wall directly above, drawing our eyes directly to the forbidden area. The placement of the woman's pubic area is placed provocatively right in the center of the work. The women in the background seem to be searching for Venus's clothing to cover her and keep her modest. Asleep at her feet is the docile lap dog which signifies fidelity. Both the women in the background and the dog give a sense of domestic life. Titian's "Venus of Urbino", although provocative, is alluring and not harshly portrayed; the woman is warm and inviting.

A few hundred years later Manet chose to paint a similar painting but with a hard cold quality. The painting "Olympia," painted in 1863, shows a woman lounging in the same pose as Venus. In contrast, Olympia is shown rigid, angular, and flat. With her head straight and eyes staring directly at the viewer, she does not seduce us or look at us lovingly. Unlike Venus who gazes affectionately up at the viewer, Olympia looks down with cold eyes, daring us to come to her, showing that she is the one in power. This is paired with the reaction of her black cat that bares its teeth at us instead of Venus's passive dog. There is no warmth and affection in Manet's "Olympia" which parodies Titian's "Venus".

Venus of Urbino is a great painting from art in 16th century Europe. This painting does not have much of a philosophical subject that many paintings in the Renaissance had, but it still engages the viewer. I like this painting and others by Titian; he was a master at creating vibrant images and female nudes. This painting is a great example of his rendering the nude female body.