Scale, Perspective & Perception

Notes: 'Eye and Brian, The Psychology of Seeing' 5th ed Richard L Gregory

Interesting comparing cultural differences. Chinese and Japanese perspective is not geometric nor is it constancy of scaling of the retinal images, like Western persepective.

Tried the 'virtual reality' notion of Brunelleschi 1377-1446 with mirror and picture against landscape. That is so interesting and it works.

Notes to remember:
'the viewer's constancing scaling is affected by depth cues'.
'we use a reduced perspective for maximum realism'
'Perspective shaped objects can upset perceptions of size and distance'
Occlusion can upset depth perception' (card trick)
''Ames' room - perception is a matter of making the best bet on the evidence'

(the objects in the room/picture/image, alter the perception) One is readily attuned to the notion of a rectangular room

Shadows - 'we judge the forms of bodies by the knowledge we have acquired of light and shadow.' (Brewster quoted in 'Eye and Brain')

'No features determine depth or form: they can only increase probabilities of seeing in particular ways.'

ILLUSIONS
'Perceptions are not always, and very likely never, directly related to physical reality'.
'Cognitive illusion depends on one's knowledge'
Four kinds of illusion categorized: ambiguities, distortions, paradoxes, fiction'

eg the mirror paradox is physical, others tend to be psychological
eg: OP Art - Bridget Riley's 'Fall' based on patterns similar to moire patterns.

'All pictures of objects are transposed in space and time'
'The intelligent eye creates hypotheses beyond visual information'

This has huge implications for the painter. If one paints visual cues, what are the hypotheses one is setting up as an informed painter aware of the knowledge wealth of the viewer.

Optical mixing & Inducing Colours

Stage 1 Main findings:

Lem yell with cer blue mix optically to merge into a light bright green when dots are about 1cm apart- much less occurs when the dots are wider/separate.

Ultra mar blue & cad yell:

no merging preceived despite greater/smaller numbers

Reds & yellows:

Reds & blues:

Stage 2- Inducing colours
The red cross induces a complimentary green cross shape when placed on a neutral grey background. In addition, a distinct green hue surrounds the red cross above.

Stage 3- What have I achieved?

Much improved understanding of colour definition, placement of colour(and proportional areas) and how these positively affect the viewer and other painting components.
Understand now the precise control of paint, flat opaque colour and the need to study the effects

Can mix colour with hugely improved accuracy and continuing to explore the tonal charts, and with black and white

Realise the need to re-read the text and outcome od mixing excerciese

Have more colour 'tools' to resolve painting issues

More prepared to work more fluidly and spontaneously

Different effects of colours advancing or receding

Interesting how one colour can induce another and how colours placed together look so diffferent than when separate. Looking back at problems I have had with paintings, I can see instantly some of the colour proportion issues. Need to put these Qs on my board when painting:
Is the tone right? Is it too saturated? Is the texture a problem? Is the colour too warm?
Also looking at sections of Seurat's paintings eg: the skirt edges of " Le Chahut' (The Can-Can) 1889-90

Signac - copy painting

In response to Tutor's comments I have started a copy of Signac's painting 'The Lighthouse, Saint Tropez' 1895, oil on canvas, 46cm x 55cm.
Marked out shapes in approx the same size on plywood. Interesting in that Signac paints flat colour representational shapes first then paints over in strokes of colour.