Golden ratio

Represented by the Greek letter Phi, the golden number is 1.6180... This has fascinated the ancient Greeks, Renaissance artists, 17th century astronomer and a 21st century novelist. since 2003 the quest to know Phi was brought into the mainstream culture with the release of "The Da Vinvi Code" by Dan Brown.

This number is commonly used in the golden rectangle, most artists and architects believe this shape is visually pleasing and beautiful. This is why many buildings and artworks contain the ratio, such as the Parthenon in Greece, but its not known if it was designed like this on purpose.

The Golden ratio is found in nature, plants and animals have a composition that can linked to the golden number. This is why many people think it looks so beautiful.

Company logos also incorporate this so their brand feels appealing to customers, a good example is the Toyota logo.

I found a good article on this here: http://www.goldennumber.net/golden-ratio/
https://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/golden-ratio.html

Paul Thek - Questions&Answers

What do you read? How often?
Never judge a book by its cover. I like to think I read a very board range of books. I usually go to second hand book stalls and pick up a few different looking books and plunge into them. Some can be great, others not so but always read and read more. I'm always reading something every day, whether it be the current book I've bought or the daily newspaper.

What is your favourite colour?
Halloween colours:
Pantone 19-3217 TPX Shadow Purple
Pantone 16-0230 TCX Macaw Green
Pantone 17-1449 TPX Pureed Pumpkin

What annoys you most in others?
Being the man at the bus stop.

What is eternity?
An unforeseeable outcome. Something that never ends, never dies and is never seen.

What is the most difficult thing in life for you?
Not being able to express my interest in a subject.

What kind art do you like? Painting? Sculpture?
I don't think it's about pin pointing your full interest to one style, look or way of art, I think its more about expanding your interest in all areas of art and gaining knowledge over it all. Art cannot be contained therefore you haven't seen all the art out there, and by not seeing it all your mind should be wide open to all varieties of art. So this question is, in a way, unanswerable to me.

What in your life is your greatest source of pleasure?
Gaining knowledge, skills and greater understanding in all areas I involve myself in.

Essay - Making connections

Three words:

Perplexity
Innocent
Inaccessible

Three images:

Katerina Kamprani - The Uncomfortable

Ericailcane – La Foresta

Giuseppe Arcimboldo - Vertumnus

Order:

Katerina Kamprani - Perplexity - Ericailcane - Giuseppe Arcimboldo - Innocents -Inaccessible 

The Scream- Edvard Munch

100 Words

What the hell is that screaming? What in life is so bad that you have to scream out loud on an evening like this, watching the waves tap over each other and the sun sinking down into the unknown. Why scream? The piercing sound reaching my ears causing me to bow my head in utter confusion and pain. Wouldn't you do this in the comfort at your own home, a place quiet away from everyone? What pain causes this sound? Happiness even doesn't cause such a horrid high pitched scream. Breathe, take a minute to review yourself. Is there a reason good enough to distress yourself in this way? 

50 Words

What the hell is that screaming? What in life is so bad that you have to scream. Why scream? The piercing sound reaching my ears causing me to bow my head in utter confusion and pain. What pain causes this sound? Happiness even. Breathe, take a minute. Is there a reason good enough?

25 Words

Screaming? What in life is so bad? Why? To bow my head. Pain causes this. Happiness. Breathe. Is there a reason good enough?

Marcus's Birthday - Silent Story

'For the forth time in as many years, they were confronted with the problem of what birthday present to take to a young man who was incurably deranged in his mind. Desires he had none. man-made objects were to him hives of evil, vibrant with malignant activity that he alone could perceive, or gross comforts for which no use could be found in his abstract world. After eliminating a number of articles that might offend him or frighten him (anything in the gadget line, for instance, was taboo), his parents chose a dainty and innocent trifle- a basket with ten different fruit jellies in ten little are.'

The unfortunate event of every year, causing Marcus to be one of the most awkward friends to have. ever. With the party in full swing there was turning back on the choice of present I had decided to get Marcus. This was by far a decision that took extremely longer than what it should have. As his close friend I felt in full responsibility if i at all were to ruin his birthday with an offending gift.

Tall willow trees fenced the bottom of the large garden. Swaying in the cool summer breeze. Flower beds from the willow trees followed all the way up to the back of the house, filled with blooming summer flowers, giving of the sweetest of scents and attracting all kinds of wonderful butterflies and other flying insects. The sun glistened down full beam over us, and water fights had never been so better on days like these. A wobbly blown up pond looking paddling pool had been placed carefully on the concrete slabs near the french doors to the back of the house.

It was so good to see him smiling for once, although he was just sat there like usual keeping himself to himself. The enormous garden had been done up and to Marcus's standards. A large round table placed in the middle of the garden stood tall in the luscious green grass that surrounded us, filled with fresh organic foods placed on white pater plates, glass bowls of colourful exotic fruits and plenty of other delicious treats to snack on as the day went by.

As the time flew by with various party games happening, it was time for Marcus to open his presents. One by one he opened them. Nerves hit me hard, sweat glistened on my forehead, my palms became sweaty and the sun suddenly felt as if it was cooking me in the oven. Panic rushed through me as he picked up my present, Marcus paused with the present in front of him, looked over at me and smiled, I forced a hard quick smile back. Marcus looked down and pulled off the lid to the boxed present.

To my surprise a tear ran down the check of my friend and a huge smile grew back on his face, reaching ear to ear. he got up, walked over to me snd wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged tightly back. 'Thank you' Marcus whispered.

Paris Trip

Five days in Paris was bliss. Lots to see in the city centre and a lot of attention to detail, culture, and art. Was very enjoyable and a great experience. Would love to visit again. 

Dadaism

A European artistic movement during the certain 20th-century. Writers and painters from France, Germany, and Switzerland who were strongly against World War I, and the conservativism of traditional thought. This bold and anti-art movement is a reflection of what was happening in the world through the eyes of these artists.
Dada artists rejected mass media and propaganda, the first exhibition of Dada was in 1917 however by 1919 most of the artists had moved to other countries taking their art with them.

1920, The International Dada fair was shocking for exposing the slander against the German military through the works of art. following this fair the Dada scene was quite until Marcel Duchamp created or found a porcelain urinal, which was signed "R.Mutt" and titled Fountain. This original piece was rejected by the committee and instead was photographed and displayed at Alfred Stieglitz's studio. The idea behind this art piece is specific, 'Art is something you piss on'.

Abstract expressionism

The most symbolic of America's art movements developed in New York 1940s, following World War II. The term 'abstract expressionism' was first used in the German magazine 'Der Sturm' to help describe German Expressionism art pieces. Originally the name was derived from a combination of self-denial and emotional intensity from German Expressionists.
Anarchy, Rebellious and highly indiosyncratic. The basis to the Abstract expressionism style was influenced by surrealism, borrowing the idea of unconscious, relating to self and personal beliefs. Cubism was another major influence, strange shapes and extractions to convey emotion and movement. This is important because the not alot of the paintings had a specific product, it was abstract.

Abstract expressionism was split into two groups; one called action painters, led by Jackson Pollock and Willem De Kooning, large and wild brush strokes and seemingly chaotic pieces, and the other called the Colour-field painters formed by Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and Clyfford Still, more of a smoother feel with use of focus colour and shapes.

The painting below (Autumn Rhythm by Jackson Pollock) is a action piece, you can tell because it doesn't have a centre, the whole painting is the subject, the wild movement used to create it give an empression of how Jackson Pollocks was feeling at the time.

Jackson Pollocks or 'Jack the dripper', a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement was greatly influenced by the work of Andre Masson and Max Ernst. Dripping paint onto a canvas, a wild and expressive style that was unique to him found him in considerable fame and notoriety. I think Jackson's long term use of excessive drinking had released his thoughts and feelings, then channeled into his art. Unfortunately it was his trouble with alcohol that caused his death at the age of 44.

The McCarthy era; a time shortly after WWII where art was greatly suppressed in the United States. Many unfair investigative techniques were used against the American public, accusing people of being communists or communist sympathizers. Artists of this period were particularly targeted due to the expression of views through art, however if the art was totally abstract then it would be safe for viewing, only insiders would know the true meaning or message.

Mark Rothko, a Russian painter largely known for his colour field pieces, and use of coloured rectangles. looking at Marks artwork it doesnt seem to take you anywhere, there are no obvious stories behind them, unlike most other abstract expressionist painters. This was because he was a well known artist and didn't want the movement message tainted with. He thought people would just look at his art due to its popularity, not the experience hes intending.

Colour important to express emotion and I think Mark Rothko has used this well, he would walk up to a canvas with an feeling, this feeling is what he tries to show through the painting. The palette is so precise that just changing one of the colours could completely flip the feeling that's being suggested. The rough edges speak to me in a way that his emotions aren't perfect or well presented, they are sketchy and human.

Public reaction; critics went wild over this, they got upset because they couldn't find a meaning or purpose. The skill level required is minimal, critics called this dumb and childish. Iv noticed that most critics say this throughout other movements.

On the positive side, America felt proud, they could compete with the rest of the world and show they could do just as-well as Paris. Abstract expressionism became a mainstream movement, alot of people knew about it and were influenced by it.

Clement Greenberg respected the movement and the flatness of the canvas. He liked how they weren't trying to put 3D objects onto a 2D canvas.

Pop-art was influenced by Abstract expressionism, although Pop-art didn't have the same focus, it was less todo with the unconscious. Abstract expressionism paved the way for American art and lifted limitations and expectations that would normally limit people to producing their own pieces. 

Eadweard Muybridge

Eeadweard Muybridge, British born photographer who moved to the United States in 1850 he then later returned in 1861, known as one of the most influential photographers of all time. Most famous for capturing animals and humans in motion, using at the time the latest photographic technology.
Eadweard was talented in many areas of photography including, landscape, academic, scientific and was the first cinematography.
His most productive period was in 1880, where he attended the University of Pennsylvania, creating over 100,000 images, the majority of his work.

“I am going to make a name for myself. If I fail, you will never hear of me again.” -- Edward Muggeridge

Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso was known for many reasons, the women, the fame, even the money but that is not really, why he is important though. He is more important for the fantastic and breathing art he created and made over his seven decade art career period that literally transformed the 20th century.

Sex; All the way through Picasso's work you can see the influences women had over him. Picasso had many repetitive painting of countless lovers of his, their naked bodies and facial portraits, showing his passionate love affair within his works. Picasso created more works of art based on his second wife Jacqueline Roque than any of his other lovers, in one year he painted over 70 portraits of her. I think the best example to look at would be images of Marie Therese Walter. He created many painted images of Marie like her sleeping in a striped chair and a pastel and charcoal drawing on canvas of Marie seemingly grasping a younger version of herself.



Magic; There's a point in Picasso's work where he discovers something new and it completely changes the way he looks at an object, face or body. You can notice these African-influences in Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and the change of the natural face to a mask like face of the women. This is when he met Gertrude Stain and her brother Leo. It was because of the Steins, Picasso's work reflected the studies of African, Iberian and Roman masks. This paved the way for cubism, something Picasso developed and even collaborated with Georges Braque. The magic of what the two had created is remarkable and at the time rattled some sort of motivation that radically spread to all places around the world.

Death; Picasso was formed by a journey through Spain, by the death of his younger sister and the  suicide of his friend Carlos Casagemas. This caused his blue period. Funny to think during the middle ages blue was represented as a royal and powerful colour and at the time it was the only colour Picasso could afford. From this several paintings of the deceased were created. Guernica, Picasso was seemingly portraying the bombing of a basque village during the Spanish civil war. He took imagery of his own private life and he transferred that into a town under bombardment and this combination of the personal and the political made the most powerful political painting of the 20th century.

Lace

Lace in early english text refers to 'ties', patterned openwork fabric with open holes. Orinially linen, silk, silver or gold threads were used, nowadays lace is often made from cotton. Few modern artists make lace from fine copper or silver instead of thread. Removing threads or cloth from the woven fabric creates open spaces that make a lace fabric. The thread is looped, twisted or braided to other threads from a backing fabric, lace wasn't made like this until the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

Needle lace, cutwork, bobbin lace, tape lace, these are just a few of the many types of lace, each created using different techniques, a needle and single thread (needle lace) or with multiple threads (bobbin lace).

Lace became dominant in both fashion and home decor, enhanced beauty of collars and cuffs. Originally lace was used by clergy of the early Catholic Church as part of vestments in religous ceremonies, up until the 16th century this was its primary use, however the popularity of lace increased swiftly throughout Europe. St. John Francis Regis inspired girls from the country to stay away from the cities by teaching them in the lace making and embroidery trade.

Fashion was the main driving force behind lace production. We know lace now as a delicate looking material, with very fine details and patterns, often used for its slightly see through effect to glimpse the skin underneath it. Lingerie and lace, a sexy combination that's not quite revealing but attractive. The use of the open spaces in the lace allows the skin to be part of the fashion garnet.

Design and Play Instinct

Its all about experimentation, without it, everything would be dull. Once learning to play with mark making and creative chaos, it never leaves you. I feel as thought I am already finding my feet and starting to understand the involvement of design and art history. You use all elements to your advantage and thrive of the enjoyment and understanding. You aim to work towards a focus and try to balance all your mix and match pieces of work together to generate an exciting outcome.

This unit has been fabulous for me, its exactly the way I like working. Along the way I've learnt principles I can apply to my work and harvest more of a skilled way come to a less narrowed minded ending. Being constantly engaged with your work is key and this unit did that for me. Different is good and its better not to do the predicable and same ideas as always. When you have the freedom to be imaginative and excited about a project it makes you a lot more focused and driven to make it what you imagine. I have discovered a lot of new ways of working and I am anticipating the start of the next project with excitement.

Tate Modern Visit

Tate Britain, first opened its doors in 1897, to a small collection of British artworks. Founded as the National Gallery of British Art, its role was changed to include more modern art. Later changed its name to the Tate Gallery after sugar magnate Henry Tate, who laid the foundations for the collection. By 2000 the Tate Gallery modernized to Tate or the Tate Modern, a combination of four museums: Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives, a total close to 70,000 artworks. Also introducing their website which displays all the collections across the galleries as-well as exhibitions.

During my visit to the Tate Modern I gathered photographs and sketches as primary research for my  project. Expanding from this primary research I found artists that relate to my theme of work.

Colour Harmonies

Primary Colours: Red, yellow and blue
In traditional color theory (used in paint and pigments), primary colors are the 3 pigment colors that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues.  
Secondary Colours: Green, orange and purpleThese are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors.
Tertiary Colours: Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green & yellow-greenThese are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That's why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.
These were the basic three wheels I knew until Gary threw six more colour harmonies wheels into the mix. Thanks.

Design Principles

How did you personally feel about working with the 'Design Principles' and what could they offer you in the future?

The Design Principles:

-Balance

-Unity

-Contrast

-Emphasis

-Pattern

-Movement & Rhythm

I feel they give me an option to create ordered chaos within my work, being able to create work with different outcomes every time. These are defiantly artists ingredients to create the best combination of balanced work. It allows you to think in simpler terms and acts as a check list.

What has been new for you about working in this way?

Its being able to use unrelated elements together and you focus a lot more on the method of working. Your able to relate to more artists work and create your own similar styles. As a whole its a learning process taken on board.

Short Story - Creative Writing

I thought it had all changed, I thought she was back to normal, back to life, reality. That was until I got home the afternoon. She was sat there, in the nude, back towards me, the sheets dropped over her soft plus skin, her glossy waved hair pinned back with her cream pearl grip. Frozen like a beautiful sculpted statue, with just the slight movement of her shoulders indicating her slow, deep, breathing pattern. She looked desolate and taken away with the unknown. The unknown we call her imagination, a dark deep place that takes her away from life, takes her to a place only one would not want to wish to imagine, were your drained from all emotions. You have no identity and develop a bareness, an emptiness as such, as if you are no longer yourself as a being, but as such you are a progressing piece of architecture. Creating pilers to prop yourself straight, staircase's inside to ensure all parts of you are still connected. Each room or different chamber stores objects, ornaments and belongings to help remind you of who you are, who you once were, who you will be.

Language and Expression through the art movements

A picture is worth a thousand words. Art portrays its own language and can speak to people in many different ways. Often expressed through use of tone, colour, composition, texture etc..
Tom Wolfe argued that late 20th century art had become so dominated by art theory that it was now less a visual medium than a literary one: "The paintings and other works exist only to illustrate the text," he claimed. Iv noticed this myself comparing different art movements.

Art movements have changed through the decades. 1867-1923 the Impressionism movement, Claude Monet was a french artist and a leading member of the Impressionist group of the painters. 1872 he visited Le Havre where he painted 'An Impression, Sunrise', which was exhibited in 1874, part of the title was used derisively by a critic to label the whole movement. This exhibition is now known as the First Impressionist Exhibition.

“Painting does not have to be ‘literary’– an invective which many people use in regard to paintings that do not depict apples on a tablecloth or a broken violin.” –Edvard Munch, 1929

1890-1926 The Modern art movement was in full swing. Edvard Munch, a Norwegian painter and printmaker was greatly influenced by German Expressionism and created works themed intensely on psychological treatment. His work has become symbolic of the human condition and doesn't suppress emotion both conscious and unconscious. his perplexing, enigmatic work was a product of his troubled life, of which he grew up around sickness, madness and death. By his middle age he became an alcoholic, after a breakdown his genius of art progressed him through his life. Edvard describes madness and death like black angels that kept watch over his cradle, this has had a lasting effect throughout his life that is greatly reflected in his work. 'The Scream' one of the most famous and iconic pieces in art. There are four copies of The Scream, only one of these copies is privately owned, the other three belong to museums and galleries, however the privately owned copy differs from the rest by the poem that's inscribed into the original frame. this poem relates to a diary entry from which the poem originated, Munch refined his entry in small but important ways before placing it under the artwork. The scream is truly surreal and best represents the mind of a mentally ill person.

I was walking along the road with two friends

The Sun was setting – the Sky turned blood-red.

And I felt a wave of Sadness – I paused

tired to Death – Above the blue-black

Fjord and City Blood and Flaming tongues hovered

My friends walked on – I stayed

behind – quaking with Angst – I

felt the great Scream in Nature

Surrealism began in France 1924. Sigmund Freud wrote a book called 'The Interpretation of Dreams' where he describes the 'Unconscious mind' as a deep layer of the human mind where memory and instincts are stored. This book is what inspired the poet Andre Breton to publish a manifest proposing his theory that art and literature could represent the unconscious mind. it is here at the low level of the mind where ideas have been plucked by artists through the many layers of the mind and onto the canvas.
Artists who agreed with Andre Breton's idea range from Salvador Dali to Max Ernst.
Freud believed the primary motivation for life was sex, he later changed his mind despite the fact that sex is a instinctive and vital process for human reproduction. Breton believed; love, poetry and liberty were the keys to understanding human beings.

"In love with the shape and sounds of words" Dylan Thomas

There are two main types of surrealist painting, on one side there are dreams describing the subconscious mind and on the other side there is 'automatism' that expresses the unconscious mind, there is a fundamental difference between the subconscious and unconscious mind.
In psychology, “automatism” refers to involuntary actions and processes not under the control of the conscious mind—for example, dreaming, breathing, or a nervous tic. Automatism plays a role in Surrealists techniques such as spontaneous or automatic writing, painting, and drawing.

Dreams have a rich source of creativity, colours and moods.

Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, a prominent Spanish surrealist is probably the most iconic and famous artist in the Surrealism movement. At first glance at Dali's work there is an unusual feeling of emptiness, and at the center is a wild and wierd set of objects, often distort and disturbing. Its these finer details I love in Dali's work, and how each element is so perfectly placed to symbolize something, these symbols may mean something different depending on how you view the piece, or even your mood at the time.  

City Art Gallery Visit

When placing yourself in front of Susan Hiller's 2010 'Rough Times' your drawn to each separate panel as an individual image. Each panel a distinguished colour but still some how contains every other colour still. The colouring creates a more contemporary feel. These colours almost give the work a dreamlike quality which creates a disconnect between what is imagined and what is reality. A set of nine panels, postcard style as such, landscape and sea scene. I do find interesting though that when viewed very close up, each image is pixelated and unclear until viewed from a distance. The size of the piece hung there on its own is impressive and sets of a mood after viewing it in the room.

Film Review - Pride

Based on a true story, the film depicts a group of lesbian and gay activists who raised money to help families affected by the British Miner's Strike in 1984, at the outset of what would become the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners campaign. The National Union of Mineworkers was reluctant to accept the group's support due to the union's public relations' worries about being openly associated with a gay group, so the activists instead decided to take their donations directly to a small mining village in Wales — resulting in an alliance between the two communities. The alliance was unlike any seen before but was successful.

Pride is a very heart-warming and emotional film. Seeing how a movement, not so long ago effected many people. In a sense, almost everything has changed since then: 30 years on, the coal is gone, and same-sex marriage has been enshrined in UK law. By focusing the struggle on a small, but distinct circle of people, the audience can connect to the intimate human drama that played out in the much larger public arena. The lightness of tone when dealing with heavy issues is appreciated. In the process it sidesteps the pitfalls that could've made this account preachy or didactic. This might alienate some seeking more hard hitting controversy, but the script fashions a narrative much in the way a powerful sports movie works. It creates a David and Goliath story and invites you to cheer for the underdog.