Resources for Chapter 5 —
Light, Shadow, Color, and the Qualities of Lighting
Ansel Adams (1902-1984)
American landscape photographer who developed the Zone System and co-founder
of Group f/64 with Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham. At one point, f/64
curated the photography department at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, New York.)
anseladams.com
Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs, Ansel Adams (pub), 2007
Josef Albers (1888-1976)
Artist-teacher who explored color relationships and believed in teaching
his students through direct experience and blurred distinctions between
fine and applied art. In his work, Albers investigated color theory and
composition, exploring mathematical proportions as a way to achieve balance
and unity. Albers taught art and design at the Bauhaus from 1923 until
1933. Forced out of Germany by the Nazis, he immigrated to the US where
he introduced Bauhaus concepts of art and design to the newly formed
experimental community of Black Mountain College in North Carolina. In
1950, he became chairman of the Department of Design at Yale. His "Interaction
of Color" is still an important text for students of color theory.
albersfoundation.org
spaightwoodgalleries.com/Pages/Albers.html
Interaction of Color: Revised and Expanded Edition by Josef Albers and
Mr. Nicholas Fox Weber, Yale University Press, 2006
Josef Albers: To Open Eyes by Frederick A. Horowitz and Brenda Danilowitz,
Phaidon Press, 2009
Katharine Kuh, "Josef Albers," in The
Artists Voice: Talks with
Seventeen Artists (New York: Harper & Row, 1962)
Richard Avedon (1923-2004)
"I've worked out of a series of no's. No to exquisite light, no to apparent
compositions, no to the seduction of poses or narrative. And all these no's
force me to the 'yes.' I have a white background. I have the person I'm interested
in and the thing that happens between us." -Richard Avedon, 1994
Discovered by the legendary Harper's Bazaar art director Alexey Brodovitch, he broke with the norms and introduced emotional complexity, movement, and even smiling models to fashion photography. He used psychology to produce distinctive, iconic images. His technique of photographing his portrait subjects against a plain white background became a signature look that is still referred to as "Avedon lighting." In an essay titled "Borrowed Dogs" (available on the Avedon web site) he explains the power of the white background in portraiture and acknowledges Egon Schiele as the first to use it in portraiture. The absence of any content or symbolic value in the background of a portrait forces the viewer to focus on the sitters' personalities as revealed by their faces and gestures. Avedon's portraits are seldom flattering, and yet celebrities demanded to be photographed by him.
richardavedon.com
Performance: Richard Avedon, Abrams, 2008
Richard Avedon: Photographs 1946-2004, Louisiana Museum Of Modern Art,
2007
Richard Avedon Portraits, Harry N. Abrams, 2002
Faber Birren (1900-1988)
A leading authority on the effects of color on humans, and a dedicated
collector of texts on color from a variety of viewpoints and time periods.
He was a prolific author, having published 25 books and scores of articles,
primarily on the use and effects of color in the workplace. He developed
what he called a "Rational Color Circle," which groups 13 colors
around gray, which is offset from the center. His system assigns more
space to the "warm" tones between red and yellow than the "cool" tones
between green and violet, taking into account the eye’s ability to better
distinguish warm colors. That ability to distinguish explains why warm
tones are granted greater importance in art.
Principles of Color: A Review of Past Traditions and Modern Theories of
Color Harmony, Schiffer Publishing, 1987
Creative Color, Schiffer Publishing, 1987
Caravaggio (1573 –1610)
Born Michelangelo Merisi, in Caravaggio, Italy. His early training was
under a little-known pupil of Titian. Ultimately, he developed the revolutionary
technique of tenebrism — dramatic, selective illumination of form out
of deep shadow — which became a hallmark of Baroque painting. Scorning
the traditional idealized interpretation of religious subjects, he took
his models from the streets and painted them realistically.
metmuseum.org/toah/hd/crvg/hd_crvg.htm
mcs.csuhayward.edu/~malek/Caravaggio.html
bergerfoundation.ch/Home/Ahigh_caravage.html
Caravaggio by John T. Spike, Abbeville Press, 2007
Caravaggio: Painter of Miracles by Francine Prose, Eminent Lives, 2005
CIELAB
Also known as LAB color, the color space is at the core of color calculations
in Photoshop. Three dimensions define the space: an L (luminance) dimension
and two opposing color dimensions, A and B. The color space is designed
to approximate human vision, and its L component closely matches human
perception of lightness. LAB mode is unfamiliar to most Photoshop practitioners,
but it can produce certain kinds of results, such as tonal differentiation
and color correction, more easily and effectively than working in RGB.
Photoshop LAB Color: The Canyon Conundrum and Other Adventures in the Most Powerful Colorspace by Dan Margulis, Peachpit Press, 2005
Digital Photography and the Space
Program
The phrase "space-age technology" is almost a throwaway term
now, and we have become a bit numb to the argument that the space program
generates benefits for ordinary civilians, but digital imaging can be traced
directly to work done by NASA in the late 1960s. During that time, the
space program was developing ways to use computers to enhance images captured
on videotape. They went on to develop the first digital cameras and convert
to digital communication systems so that images could be transmitted via
radio signals, making both deep space image exploration and spy satellites
possible. In the early 1970s, Kodak, Canon, and RCA were extending that
work, researching the conversion of light into digital images, and Texas
Instruments was the first to patent a film-less electronic camera in 1972.
Kodak invented the first (1.4) megapixel sensor in 1986.
infoborder.com/Digital_Camera_History/
randomhistory.com/2008/10/04_camera.html
Frank Franca
Photographer, educator, curator and writer who teaches at the School of
Visual Arts, the International Center of Photography, and Pratt Institute
in New York. He is a recipient of the Arts Link and The British Council
fellowships. His work has appeared in numerous gallery shows, Vogue,
Details, and Artforum among others. In 1990, he participated along with
Nan Goldin in an AIDS installation piece called "Electric Blanket," created
by Alllen Frame, which has toured throughout the U.S. and internationally.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
Known first and foremost for Faust, and one of Germany's greatest men of
letters, Goethe was also a scientist who found Newton's color theories
lacking. He developed his own theory of color based around a systematic
study the physiological effects of color. His observations on the effect
of opposed colors led him to be the first to propose a symmetric arrangement
of the color wheel. Goethe published his Theory of Colours in 1810, and
considered it his most important work. Artists, psychologists, and psychotherapists
have found practical applications of his theories, and several, including
cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, have developed theories and philosophies
of color based on his work.
Theory of Colours, Dover Publications, 2006
Johannes Itten (1888-1967)
One of the first people to define and identify strategies for successful
color combinations. Brought to the Bauhaus school in 1919 by its founder,
Walter Gropius, Itten established its foundations course, which emphasized
unusual applications of common materials. In 1920 Itten invited Paul
Klee to join him at the Bauhaus and published The Art of Color, which
describes his "color sphere." He left the Bauhaus in 1923,
and Josef Albers took over the foundations course.
www.johannes-itten.com
worqx.com/color/itten.htm
Design and Form: The Basic Course at the Bauhaus
and Later, Revised Edition,
Wiley, 1975
The Elements of Color, Wiley, 1970
Lord Kelvin (1824-1907)
Born William Thomson, he was one of the 19th century's best-known scientists
and inventors, and was largely responsible for the creation of the fields
of electromagnetism and thermodynamics. Kelvin played a significant role
in connecting England and America via the transatlantic telegraph cable.
Color temperature describes the hue of a light source in terms of his
temperature scale. It comes from the principle that heating an object
known as a black body to a specific temperature emits light at a specific
wavelength.
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Kelvin.html
Kelvin: Colour Today by B. Brumnjak, Dgv, 2007
Degrees Kelvin by David Lindley, Joseph Henry Press, 2005
Margaret Livingstone, PhD
A professor of neurobiology at Harvard University, Dr. Livingstone comments: "Artists
have been studying how we see a lot longer than us neurobiologists. The
disciplines of art and science converge at the biology of vision" She
goes on to say "The function of the visual system is information processing,
not image transmission."
http://neuro.med.harvard.edu/faculty/livingstone.html
Vision & Art: The Biology of Seeing, Harry N. Abrams, 2002
Albert Munsell (1858-1918)
Painter and art teacher who developed the first practical theory of color,
defining color in terms of hue, value, and chroma. From this work, he
published the first color atlas. Munsell expressed color harmony in terms
of "opposite" colors. The CIELAB and HSB color models are direct
descendents of his system.
www.cis.rit.edu/mcsl/about/munsell.php
Color Balance Illustrated: An Introduction To The Munsell System (1913)
by Albert Henry Munsell, Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2007)
Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727)
In a period of roughly 18 months between 1664 and 1666 Isaac Newton, still
in his twenties, advanced important new theories, first in optics and
color and then gravity. He spent most of the period from 1665-1666 in
Lincolnshire because of plague in Cambridge, and singled out that time
as "the prime of my age for invention." During two to three
years of intense mental effort, he prepared Philosophiae Naturalis Principia
Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) commonly
known as the Principia, which was published in 1687.
www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/newton_isaac.shtml
www.newton.ac.uk/newtlife.html
Opticks, Prometheus Books, 2003
Isaac Newton by James Gleick, Vintage, 2004
Never at Rest: A Biography of Isaac Newton by Richard S. Westfall, Cambridge
University Press, 1983
Film Noir
French for "black film," this is a cinematic term for a style
and approach to filmmaking, which generally describes high-contrast chiaroscuro
imagery with roots in German Expressionist cinematography. The low-key
tonality of these films tended to emphasize moral ambiguity and sexual
motivation. The period from the early 1940s to the late 1950s is considered
the golden age of Hollywood Film Noir. Beyond the look of the films, noir
films tended to explore themes of alienation and socio-political critique.
crimeculture.com/Contents/RW-ThingCalledNoir.html
imagesjournal.com/issue02/infocus.htm
imdb.com/chart/filmnoir
Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir by Eddie Muller, St. Martin's Griffin,
1998
Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style, Third Edition
by Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward, Overlook TP, 1993
Pablo Picasso (1881-1983)
A prolific artist who created more than 20,000 works, and considered by
many to be the greatest artist of the 20th century. His name was effectively
synonymous with modern art, and he is one of the originators of cubism.
metmuseum.org/toah/hd/pica/hd_pica.htm
time.com/time/time100/artists/profile/picasso.html
Picasso: Art Can Only Be Erotic by Diana
Widmaier Picasso, Prestel Publishing, 2005
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)
One of the greatest masters from the Dutch Golden Age. For nearly 20 years,
he taught nearly every important Dutch painter. He developed a revolutionary
technique, and though his palette was limited even by 17th Century standards,
he was renowned as a colorist.
metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rmbt/hd_rmbt.htm
rembrandtpainting.net
Rosco
Manufacturer of equipment, software and products for theatre, film, television
and architectural environments. This includes lighting gels, fog and
smoke machines, spotlights, and tapes. Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro
collaborated with Rosco to create a special set of lighting gels (See
Storaro, below).
Vittorio Storaro
The winner of three Oscars, he has had a long collaboration with Bernardo
Bertolucci, and has worked with Francis Ford Coppola and Warren Beatty.
Storaro won his first Academy Award for his first mainstream American
film, Apocalypse Now. He has also received Oscars for Reds (1981) and
The Last Emperor (1987), and was nominated for a fourth Oscar with Dick
Tracy (1990). His lighting philosophy is concerned with the psychological
effects of color and light, and is based upon Goethe's theory of colors.
He partnered with Rosco to produce 10 lighting gels that represent key
chromatic elements that create dramatic effects and elicit strong emotional
responses.
storarovittorio.com
imdb.com/name/nm0005886/
rosco.com/us/filters/storaro.asp
Venus of Willendorf
Prehistoric carved fertility figure that was Penn's inspiration for his
groundbreaking art nudes. It was found in 1908 by archaeologist
Josef Szombathy in a terrace about 30 meters above the Danube river near
the town of Willendorf, Austria. It is estimated to date between 24,000-22,000
BCE.
http://witcombe.sbc.edu/willendorf/willendorfdiscovery.html
The Great Goddess: Reverence of the Divine Feminine from the Paleolithic
to the Present by Jean Markale, Inner Traditions, 1999