Artphotography

Light-focused Photography

/ Hugo Richardson / Leave a comment
Dancing Brook Water

Dancing Brook Water

As a teenager, discussing the meaning of everything, the word ‘light’ seemed to encompass all that was needed both physically and mentally. For example, the more light that we shine upon a subject of contention, the easier it is to understand it and make a good decision. By increasing light on areas of knowledge, we increase our wisdom.

Light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the eye. But wisdom can be received from those people who are blind. So, the definition of light can also include the imparting of understanding: the teacher shed light upon a subject that I did not know about when I asked, and I understood; I received wisdom.

I strive in my photographs to achieve effects that motivate discourse.

So, now we are getting close to the inspiration behind the images on this site and the reason why thousands of years after the earth’s creation, we still want to see the qualities of light represented in art.

We are also drawn to the wonder of the light and events beyond our earthly home, through the Hubble telescope. The kaleidoscope of colours it reveals, together with the light received from the art I have seen in galleries, is the impetus for these photographic images.

The idea is that you look at these images and, potentially, see other pictures within them. The more depth they have, the more effective they are in what I am trying to achieve.

Silk Road

Silk Road

Some of my images have been very hard to photograph, in the form I’m looking for, as a finished article. Therefore, like most photographs, they are unique. I am continually exploring techniques to elicit mood reactions in the observer.

Smoke on the Water

Smoke on the Water

I hope that you enjoy the visual representations, as much as I have in trying to capture the different effects of light that we are immersed in each day.

The artist JMW Turner wanted to include all of the constituent elements required for life (fire, air, earth and water) in his paintings. He was particularly good at depicting light. He never stopped trying to convey light in his pictures and always lived close to the River Thames, because of the reflective properties of the water.

Portrait of Turner, engraved by W. Holl published 1859-61 Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 Transferred from the British Museum 1988 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T06300

 

 

Why are bees driven, what motivates them?

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To Bee or not to Bee

To Bee or not to Bee

We are told that insects were created by God on the fifth day (see Genesis in the bible).

Clearly, Genesis’s account of creation is open to interpretation. The six days of creation are not twenty-four hour days but much longer periods, likely to be thousands to billions of years.

Bees evolved from ancient predatory wasps that lived 120 million years ago (please click on: Museum of the Earth).

Bees are attracted to the flower’s bright colours, patterns on the petals and the aroma of sweet nectar. However, what is fascinating is the fact that discoveries from 1960s onwards show they are attracted by an electrical charge. (please click on: “Bees can sense the electrical field of flowers“) .?Flowers are negatively charged and bees are positively charged. Please see photo below showing bees feeding on eryngium giganteum or ‘Miss Willmott’s ghost’.

Bee on Chive flower

Bee on Chive flower

The electrical charges between the flower and the bees mean that the pollen can be seen to jump to the bees body, says Daniel Robert of the University of Bristol (please click on: University of Bristol).

In order to further interpret the electrical signals that bees are sensitive to, electrodes can be attached to the stems of flowers. These electrodes can be attached to speakers and the electrical pulse can be heard. This sound changes when the bee approaches as the bee has a different electrical signal. David Attenborough describes this intricately in the following video: Electric Charge on Flowers and Bees.

 

Bee on Cow Parsley

Bee on Cow Parsley

The reason that I photograph bees is because the real science of bee flight was not entirely clarified until the 1990s.?In addition to the circular motion of the wings and speed of rotation, an article in the New Scientist reveals that there are also “tiny tornado-like airflows that form on the leading edges of their wings, known as LEVs or leading edge vortices” (please click on: New Scientist).?Also, trying to obtain a bee’s photograph in flight is a challenge as they move so fast! Please see photo of bumble bee flying towards rhododendron bush below.
Bee flying towards a rhododendron bush

Bee flying towards a rhododendron bush

The Psychology of the Colour Pink: Meaning, Symbolism and Wellbeing

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Pink Sky Reflection, The Norfolk Broads, Art Photograph, Hugo Richardson

Pink is a colour with a surprisingly deep and varied history. From ancient literature to global cultures, from religious symbolism to modern marketing, pink has carried meanings of love, innocence, power, luxury and even rebellion. This post explores the fascinating story of pink and the emotional impact it continues to have today.

Pink in Early Literature

In the 8th century BC, Homer’s Odyssey references pink as the rosy colour of dawn, “Then, when the child of morning, rosy-fingered dawn appeared…”

Wild Rose with Rain Drops, Art Photograph, Hugo Richardson

Suffolk Pink: A Colour With History

Suffolk Pink, seen on many historic buildings in the region, dates back to the 14th century. The colour was traditionally created by adding elderberries to limewash, though sloe berries, blackthorn and even ox blood were also used. These additions were believed to strengthen the protective qualities of the limewash.

The ‘Suffolk Pink’ colour is highly protected and regulated by local councils and English Heritage.  Marco Pierre White once painted The Angel in Lavenham a shade of ‘blancmange’ in 2013 that offended the locals and the council.  He was forced to repaint, only after the right shade of pink was agreed with English Heritage.

Pink in Religion and Symbolism

Biblically, pink is associated with being in right relationship with God. It symbolises the “Love of God,” combining the red of Christ’s blood with the purity of white. In some artworks, Jesus is shown wearing pink to evoke innocence and the womb.

Pink symbolises friendship, beauty, faithfulness, compassion, romance, love and sensitivity. Pink roses, for example, represent admiration, happiness and familial love.

How Pink Pigments Were Made

Light red eventually evolved into the colour term “pink.” Historically, pink pigments were produced by mixing alum and chrome mordant with brazilwood dye or with madder roots plant Rubia tinctorum.

Mixed with white, pink can also be made using red from the cochineal insect. Cochineal was cultivated commercially in Poland, Prussia, Saxony, Lithuania and the Ukraine in the 18th century.

The cochineal harvest started on the fifth hour (between eleven o’clock and noon) of St John the Baptist’s feast day on the 24th June, accompanied by religious ceremonies.  Some stories are hidden deep in language, in words we use daily, but the origins of which have been long forgotten.

Polish cochineal is also known as Polish lac and the cochineal insect is known in Polish as Czerw.  The female of the cochineal, in the late larva state, was collected and boiled in water with vinegar. They were then dried in the sun, or in ovens and ground with bread acid to produce a dye.

But as many as 155 thousand insects were required for 1kg of dye, pushing red textile prices through the roof.  Polish noblemen, monarchs and high clergy were the only people that could afford cloth dyed with cochineal, also known as Saint John’s blood.

The first flags and banners of the Kingdom of Poland show a white-crowned eagle on a red background, and the white and red flag represents Poland to this day.

From the 16th Century, Polish cochineal was predominantly replaced by cochineals from the New World.

Pink symbolises friendship, beauty, faithfulness, compassion, romance, love and sensitivity.

Pink roses, for example, symbolise love between family members, admiration and happiness.

Pink Roses, Art Photograph, Hugo Richardson

Pink in Global Cultures

Pink carries different meanings around the world:

In Japan, the colour pink has a masculine association. The Sakura pink cherry trees that blossom in spring represent young warriors (Samurai) who fell in battle in the prime of their life.

Pink is a sign of trust in Korea.

In Latin America, it’s symbolic to architecture.

In India, Jaipur City is a tourist attraction.  It has forts, palaces, temples and bazaars which are predominantly pink.  The geography is often called ‘The Pink City’.

Pink in the Sky and Natural Light

Clouds often appear pink at certain times of day. This happens because sunlight scattered by clouds is also scattered by air molecules. Shorter?wavelength colours such as green and blue are scattered out of our direct line of sight more than red. The atmosphere preferentially scatters blue light toward us — a phenomenon known as airlight.

Airlight is responsible for the blue sky and contributes to the blue appearance of distant mountains, such as the Blue Mountains in Australia.  Because airlight is polarised, its intensity changes depending on the setting of a camera’s polarising filter. When reddened sunlight and scattered blue light combine, the result is the soft pink glow we often see in clouds.

It is responsible for the blue sky and partly for the blue colour of distant mountains  Airlight is polarised and so the intensity depends on the setting of the camera polarising filter.  The reddened light and blue light together produce the pink.

Pink Clouds, Art Photograph, Hugo Richardson

Pink in Maps and Empire

Traditionally, territories of the British Empire were coloured pink on maps. This was a practical compromise: red was the colour associated with the Empire, but printing colonies in red made place names difficult to read on globes and atlases. Pink provided a clearer, more legible alternative.

Pink as a Symbol of Luxury

In the West, Pink first became fashionable when European aristocrats, both men and women, wore a faint pink powdery variance as a symbol of luxury and class.

Pink in the Natural World

In the natural world, one of the most dramatic colours of pink can be found on the flamingo.  Their colour is as a result of the food that they eat which is mainly algae and brine shrimp.  The body of the flamingo metabolises the pigments which turn its feathers pink.

Flamingo, Art Image, Hugo Richardson

Pink in Psychology and Behaviour

In 1979 in the US, penitentiaries were painted pink as an experiment to reduce violence.  This type of pink is called ‘Baker-Miller’. The reason being that the experiment on the first correctional institution was directed by Baker and Miller.

The early research was found to be flawed.  While pink’s calming effect has been demonstrated, researchers of colour psychology have found the effect only occurs during the initial exposure to the colour.  When used in prison, the inmates often become even more agitated once they become accustomed to the colour.

Pink, Gender and Marketing

In the Western world today, pink is widely seen as feminine — .  Barbie pink for girls, blue for boys. But historically, this was not the case. Until the early 20th century, pink was considered a masculine colour, while blue was associated with femininity and the Virgin Mary.

This shifted in the 1940s when retailers realised they could increase sales by marketing colours to specific genders. By the 1950s, everything from toys to toothbrushes was colour?coded, cementing pink as “for girls” in popular culture.

The Rise of Rosé Wine

A very interesting marketing phenomenon has been the massive increase in the consumption of rose wine.  There are a number of reasons for this, some of which include the colour.

The ‘salmon’ shade of Rosé wine is generally the leader globally.  However, an apricot shade of rose wine is preferred by consumers in the Bordeaux region.

Global consumption of rose wine has increased by 30% in 15 years. In 2013 alone, the United States consumed 279.4 million litres (nearly 74 million gallons) of pink wine.

The increase of rose consumption appears to be based upon the attractively of its colour. Rosé is very popular with the millennial generation.  The pink is perfect for Instagram posts and influencers like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, who own the award-winning producing Chateau Miraval has also helped.

Here are all the reasons, following some research on the web:

  • Rosé production quality has increased
  • Rosé has a lower propensity for producing a hangover compared to other wines
  • More and more women are looking for lightness and freshness
  • Rosé is being promoted by celebrities
  • It looks good on social media
  • There is a wide range of sweet to dry options

Flamingos, Art Image, Hugo Richardson

Please feel free to communicate with me about the ‘blogs’ we publish.

Email: hugo.richardson@image-memory.com

Tel.:     07476 343 777

The Psychology of the Colour Green: Meaning, Symbolism and Wellbeing

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Oasis, Art Photograph, Hugo Richardson

Green symbolises life, fertility, and renewal. It is widely recognised as a calming colour, often helping people feel at ease in unfamiliar environments.

God said, “Let the earth grow green with vegetation, plants yielding seed and trees bearing fruit, each according to its kind.” And it was so.  The earth turned green with vegetation, plants yielded seeds and trees bore fruit, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning; it was the third day.  Genesis 1:11-13

Lake Wood, Northumberland, Art Photograph, Hugo Richardson

Interior designers frequently use green in public spaces, restaurants, and hotels because it creates a sense of calm and connection to nature.  

Buildeo is an interior design company with clients that include Holiday Inn, Hilton and Formby Hall Golf Resort recommends green?based palettes for hotel lobbies.

Green, combined with elements such as fountains, waterfalls, or unusual plants, can evoke peace and tranquillity in a space for customer.

Thames Sluice, Henley-on-Thames, Art Photograph, Hugo Richardson

The Chelsea Flower Show featured strong themes of water and greenery, particularly in the ‘Ecotherapy Garden’ .

By contrast, yellow and red (as explored in earlier posts) stimulate energy and appetite which is why brands like KFC, McDonalds and Burger King use the yellow and red pallet.

Green has a long and layered history. It is created by mixing blue and yellow, and in some languages the same word is used for both green and blue.

In Ancient Egypt, green symbolised regeneration and rebirth. Artists ground malachite — a copper mineral — to create green pigment. Although beautiful, malachite darkened over time as it oxidised.

Malachite was used by the Ancient Egyptians for tomb decoration, but this fell out of use over time as it oxidised and went black over time.

The Ancient Romans produced green pigment by soaking copper plates in wine, creating verdigris, the green patina seen on aged metal.

Place de la Republique, Lille, France, Art Photograph, Hugo Richardson

Verdigris was used for mosaics and painting.  This technique for green production was used through the medieval period where monks would use this pigment to paint scenes in illuminated manuscripts.

During the Renaissance, plants began to be used to make paint.  However, the pigment from plants faded quickly.

Green is often associated with the Islamic religion, but this idea was only developed in the 12th Century.  In the Quran green is mentioned eight times, always in a positive sense, as a colour of vegetation, spring and paradise.

Michel Pastoureau, described as a ‘historian born in colour’, and a master of medieval images, symbols and colour has written about this. A leading historian of colour, writes extensively about this in Green: The History of a Colour. He notes that green became a unifying and sacred colour for Muslims during the 1100s.That is why many copies of the Quran from the Middle Ages had green bindings, as they do today.

Michel Pastoureau has written a full book titled ‘Green – The History of a Colour – translated from the French by Jody Gladding.

Similarly, a great number of religious dignitaries wear green clothing. Muslims believe green is a “symbolism associated with paradise, happiness, riches, water, the sky and hope”.

In 1775, Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele created a vivid green pigment using arsenite — beautiful but highly toxic. It was used in wallpaper, clothing, toys, and art, and is believed to have contributed to Napoleon’s ill health during exile. The wallpaper in the room where he was exiled contained Scheele’s green.

More positively, green is restful, soothing, cheerful and health giving.  Green is thought to relieve stress and help heal.  Those who have a green work environment experience fewer stomach aches.

Green landscape photography — available in a range of sizes — can bring these calming qualities into a room. Please feel free to contact me if you’d like help selecting images for your professional space at Image Memory.

Landscape, Goudhurst, Kent, Art Photograph, Hugo Richardson

Green is the colour of balance and harmony and can, therefore, be helpful in times of stress.

So many of us are exposed to the glare of electronic screens on a daily basis. Prolonged use of computers have been noted as having an aggravating impact on tinnitus.

Many of us spend long hours in front of electronic screens, which can aggravate conditions such as tinnitus. Research indicates that exposure to green environments may lower blood pressure and heart rate, supporting recovery and relaxation. If you click on this text area, you will see evidence that green stimulates recovery and relaxation and has a positive impact upon mental health.

Sulhampstead Cattle Bridge, Kennet Canal, Art Photograph, Hugo Richardson

Colour-chakra theory from Hindu scriptures adds green; strengthens bones and muscles, disinfects bacteria and virus, and relieves tension; used to treat malaria, back problems and blood pressure.

Goldstein asserts “under the influence of green (as with blue) light, time is likely to be underestimated.”  “Also, weights will be judged lighter.”

Theale Lagoon, Theale, Art Photograph, Hugo Richardson

Negative associations:

Boredom, stagnation, envy, blandness, enervation, sickness

 Positive Associations : (source: Envato Pty. Ltd.)

Health, hope, freshness, nature, growth, prosperity

hugo.richardson@image-memory.com

Tel.: 07476 343 777

Next week in the Psychology of Colour series – Pink

The Psychology of Colour – YELLOW

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Fields of Yellow from the Prehistoric Hill of the Uffington White Horse

Coldplay’s song ‘Yellow’ is about “Brightness, hope and devotion”, according to Chris Martin their lead singer.  He felt it reflected the mood of the band.  The lyric “I swam across, I jumped across for you” encompassed the devotion that the band members had for each other, the lyric supports a group motivational force.

So, ‘Yellow’ is regarded as a bright, happy, warm colour – ‘Mr Happy’ is coloured yellow, for example, as is ‘Mr Brave’.

As a pigment, yellow has been used in painting since the beginning of time.  Animals depicted in the caves of Lascaux in Southwestern France were painted yellow by Cro-Magnon artists in about 23,000 BC.

The word for the colour comes from geolu, Old English, meaning yellow or yellowish.

The yellow sun is worshipped by many cultures, with a quality recognised as being imperishable, eternal and indestructible.  In Egyptian art, anything portrayed in yellow usually held this connotation.

Our sun is four and a half billion years old and essential for growing our food.  Stars, like our sun, burn for 10 billion years so our sun is about half-way through its life.

Late evening sun, Vale of Pewsey

Some plants and flowers follow the light of the sun.  In the movie, Calendar Girls, the sunflower is mentioned.  As soon as the sun rises, if there is no cloud, the sunflower lifts its head to face the light.

In a newly-published article in Science, researchers say the young plant’s sun-tracking system (called heliotropism) can be explained by circadian rhythms – the behavioural changes tied to an internal clock that we humans also have, which follow a roughly 24-hour cycle.

Sunflower field, Halstead, Essex

But how does the colour yellow affect your mood?

On the colour wheel, yellow is placed between orange and very light green.  These warm colours are found to induce warmth, happiness and optimism.

When children are given a spectrum of coloured pens or crayons, they are more likely to pick the yellow colours.

Buttercup Meadow, Flood Plain of the Kennet Canal

In studies made by retailers Carrefour and Finfare, yellow labels were used to depict a price reduced basic range of food items. Yellow was felt to be the best colour for this and ‘Reduced’ items in all supermarkets, with short use-by dates are usually marked with a yellow sticker.

Leatrice Eiseman in her book ‘Color: Messages and Meanings’ states that psychologically, yellow is the strongest colour.  Yellow has been in use since the 19th Century to signify optimism and hope.

The symbol of a yellow ribbon became widely known in the 1970s as a reminder that an absent loved one, either in the military or in jail, would be welcomed home on their return journey.

During the Vietnam War, in October 1971, newspaper columnist Pete Hamill wrote an article in the New York Post called ‘Going Home’.

In it, he told a variant of the story, in which college students on a bus trip to the beaches of Fort Lauderdale make friends with an ex-convict who is watching for a yellow handkerchief on a roadside oak in Brunswick, Georgia.

L Russell Brown and Irwin Levine picked up on the tale and wrote the song ‘Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree’, which reached No. 1 in the charts in 10 countries in 1973.

According to the world expert on the unconscious effects of colour, Angela Wright in her book ‘Beginners Guide to Color Psycholgy’, yellow is associated with self-esteem, emotions and creativity.

Yellow aids the release of the chemical Serotonin in the brain, which acts as a mood stabiliser, also known as a happy chemical. Hence the use of yellow on smiley badges, Harvey Ball’s hottest selling image of the 1970-71 era.

This smiley face became the predecessor to emojis.  Shigetaka Kurita created the first 180 emoji collection for a Japanese mobile web platform in 1998 and the concept spread quickly.

Vincent van Gogh used yellow extensively in his art.

Vincent van Gogh, Sunflowers

On the 27 May 1888, Vincent van Gogh agreed to contribute towards the costs of having the house on Place Lamartine in Arles repainted inside and out.

The Yellow House, previously dilapidated, became visibly much fresher and brighter than that of the twin, left hand side of the structure, occupied by a grocer’s shop. He paid half of the bill of 10 francs on 10 June.

The effects of yellow on the brain include:

  • Strong analytical thinking
  • Increased levels of mental activity
  • Heightened sense of awareness
  • Increased levels of enthusiasm and energy
  • Increased rate of metabolic activity

Yellow is an attention-grabbing colour, so it is used extensively in advertising and also on traffic signs.

Black with yellow on wasps and bees signal two things to predators.  Either the insect is equipped with a toxic bite or sting or it tastes particularly unpleasant.

 

To Bee or not to Bee, Greeting Card by Hugo Richardson (no branding on the front cover, available for sale at Wellington Farm Shop )   

Greeting cards also available at Doodles Cards, Gifts and Balloons, 96 High Street, Crowthorne, the No. 96 Shop, Northbrook Street Newbury and 10a School Road, Reading,    H F Newberry Cards and Gifts, Twyford, Yateley Post Office, Harpton Parade, Yateley and Reading Museum

Next Week – Psychology of Colour – Green

The Psychology of Colour – Red / Vermilion

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Summer

Red exudes warmth and, like no other colour, radiates a strong and powerful energy that motivates us to take action.  It is used effectively as a warning colour on road signs and as the ‘stop’ light for traffic lights. Red lights also show car users when the driver in front is braking.

In medieval times, artists would use a mixture of sulphur and mercury, heated to very high temperatures, to produce red pigment.  Known as vermilion, red was also produced from cinnabar.

Cinnabar ore contains mercury.  The ore is toxic. Many miners lost their lives whilst mining the mineral as, when it is ingested, inhaled or comes in contact with the skin, it can lead to mercury poisoning.  This toxicity can lead to neurological damage, kidney problems and respiratory issues.

From the end of the 19th century a less harmful alternative to cinnabar was found, cadmium.  Today vermillion is made from modern, harmless and stable pigments.

Love

Associations with the colour red include physical energy, passion, attention, stimulation and excitement.

In the UK, pillar boxes are painted red and the original telephone booths were coloured red.

Red is also the colour of blood and has historical connotations with sacrifice, danger and courage.

In Roman times, on the battlefield, Roman soldiers wore a red tunic under their armour to represent blood and strength.  The compact line of the Roman infantry, dressed in red, had a psychological impact on the enemy, which perceived it as strong and valiant.

It is also the colour of war, Mars.  Roman soldiers and gladiators were both adorned in red.

In some accounts, Caesar’s face was painted red.  This was perhaps as an imitation of Rome’s highest and most powerful god, Jupiter.

China also has a love of the colour red.  Throughout the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) red was used as a signal of strength and power. The dynasty was founded in the south and the ruling family’s name, Zhu, means vermillion.

Red is the luckiest colour in Chinese culture.  It symbolises joy, vitality, celebration, success and good fortune.  It is used for weddings and for the Chinese New Year.

The colour red also has a capacity for arousal.  Red stimulates the physical and adrenalin.  It raises blood pressure, the heart and respiration.  The colour also evokes strong emotions and is considered intense and even angry.

Red is believed to sensitise the taste buds and sense of smell, thereby increasing appetite.  All this occurs because the heart rate instinctively quickens, which causes the release of adrenalin in the blood stream raising blood pressure and stimulating the nerves.

The colour red, in Hindu scriptures, activates the circulation system and benefits the five senses.   It is used to treat colds, paralysis, anaemia, ailments of the blood stream and lungs.

Goldstein asserts “under the influence of red light, time is likely to be overestimated”.

From a ‘brand’ perspective, it is easy to recall when red is used.

The adverts that depict father Christmas delivering CocaCola are memorable, as are the Virgin Atlantic reels encouraging individuality.

Next week in the Psychology of Colour series – YELLOW

 

Turner and the Elements – Earth

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Castle Ruins and Small Village Landscape, Joseph Mallord William Turner, c. 1798-1799

Joseph Turners work can be viewed at:

https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain/display/jmw-turner

Mountains, Crags and Rocks

“Roughness forms the most essential part of difference between the beautiful and the picturesque”  William Gilpin (1724-1804).

In the second half of the eighteenth century, the English clergyman and author William Gilpin formulated an aesthetic theory of landscape.  This was published in 1786.

Opinions of landscape design formed a “picturesque” debate.  Lancelot “Capability” Brown and Humphrey Repton represented one side of the spectrum.  They were in contrast to the ideas of William Gilpin and Richard Payne.

Landscapes by Brown and Repton are characterised by undulating expanses of grass and hills, broken up by clumps of trees and serpentine lakes to impress serenity.  This style required dramatic landscape alterations; an endless number of trees would be cut down, and an entire village would be relocated in the name of “improvement.”

Gilpin preferred rugged and moody landscapes that could also invoke the sublime. Gilpin observed that the appearance of the landscape changed depending upon the clouds and the quality of light.

Turner’s interest in the element of earth must be looked at in the context of contemporary developments in landscape painting in Britain.

Gilpin published his observations and encouraged British landscape artists to pursue atmospheric phenomena. He illustrated this contention in watercolours that brought the landscape to life through the use of chiaroscuro.

The fine art term chiaroscuro comes from the Italian words that roughly translate to light and dark.  Chiaroscuro technique is employed in the visual arts to represent light and shadow as they define three-dimensional objects.  Turner followed Gilpin’s example in exploring British landscapes.

Here are some ‘monochromatic’ samples of the chiaroscuro method:

Mountain Peaks, Alexander Cozens, c. 1785

Alexander Cozens work can be viewed at https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/alexander-cozens-118 

Castle End Farm, Luscombe, Richard William Conway-Jones, 1988

Richard is a contemporary artist, his work can be viewed at:

http://www.conway-jones.co.uk

From a personal perspective, my approach to photography has been, as much as is possible, that of an artist.

I feel drawn to the mountains of Wales, Scotland and the Lake District. This Scottish landscape photo below shows trees growing where God and nature has decided. The picturesque stark mountains that reach the sky are easier to capture when the light is less intense.  I hope you can appreciate Gilpin’s ‘atmospheric phenomena’.

Blair Atholl, Looking towards Killiecrankie circa 1801 Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/D04179

Glen Nevis, Hugo Richardson, November 2023

Scottish Landscape, Hugo Richardson, November 2023

I like mountains as a subject for photographic landscapes.  I have experimented with light and shadow options and seasonal light intensity variations can have an effect on the mood of the image.

Clearly, where the outline of mountains meet the sky, having a ‘chiaroscuro’ methodology in the mind of the photographer, can help.

Through the value gradation of colour and the analytical division of bright and shadowed shapes, the chiaroscuro artists create the illusions of three-dimensional forms and the light coming from a specific source, often achieving dramatic effects.

By 1801, the twenty-six-year-old Turner was already an Associate of the Royal Academy.

Turner was at the centre of intellectual life.  The Academy was at the right-hand side of Somerset House, next to the Society of Antiquaries.

Sir Francis Chantrey (sculptor),  Sir John Soane (architect)  and Sir Thomas Lawrence (painter) were fellows of the Royal Society.

The Academicians attended lectures on the most complex discoveries in science and it was suggested Turner was an invited guest.

Sir William Herschel (1738-1822) presented papers on the nature of the sun.

Herschel had looked at the sun with a giant telescope in Slough.  He found a range of particular features that he called “openings, shallows, ridges, nodules, corrugations, indentations and pores”.

He filtered the harmful magnified light through a tray of watered ink.

Turner too looked at the sun and purposefully gives a dab of the brush bristles, raising nodules of paint; a wipe of the flat areas of paint making parallel ridges and a smoothed area.

Norham Castle, Sunrise c.1845 Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775-1851 Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/N01981

Capturing photographic images of the sun is best left till the sun is rising or setting. I took this photo in 2016. When the image was downloaded from the ‘SIM card’, a spotlight from the sky appeared to light up a small area of the ground. This image has not been adjusted, to this day I do not know how the photo is possible!

Landscape Sunset Near Pewsey, Hugo Richardson, November 2016

J M W Turner and the Elements – Fire

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Prometheus gave humanity fire

A Lime Kiln by Moonlight, J M W Turner, 1799

I am delighted to present the third of the ‘blogs’ relating to JMW Turner and my attempts to follow his methodology with my photographic work. Turner’s approach to art involved drama, action and bright light.

For example, we already know that his marine paintings included stormy events, ports defying the sea and ships capsizing.

The English Romantic painter, was lucky in a number of ways.  Britain was enjoying the developments associated with British invention.  Also, we had success in remaining independent from invasion attempts, following our success at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

We were also making significant strides with science.  For example, Humphry Davy, born in Cornwall, invented the Davy Lamp. This ‘arc lamp’ was one of the first electric lights. Bessemer was patenting a process for smelting steel. George and his son Robert’s company, Robert Stephenson and Company, manufactured and released the Locomotion No. 1, which was the first steam locomotive to carry passengers on a public rail line in 1825.

Light Bulb, photo taken by Hugo Richardson

Abstract Light Art, photograph by Hugo Richardson

Fire was being used industrially for manufacturing and for generating steam. One of Turner’s most famous paintings, depicting the move from sail to steam with marine transportation, shows how innovation was having an impact:

The Fighting Temerair, J M W Turner, 1838

The Eruption of the Souffrier Mountains, JMW Turner 1815

Turner was also interested in Geology, which led to a great demand for paintings of volcanoes.

At the start of the 1770s, an international group of artists gathered around the volcanologist William Hamilton (1731-1803), who resided as the British ambassador at the court of Naples at the foot of Mount Vesuvius.

Please see my ‘fireworks’ image below, inspired by Turner’s work:

Fireworks, Reading, Berkshire – photo taken by Hugo Richardson

The painters in his circle strove for realistic depictions of nature; they were interested in scientific inquiry and participated in the debate between the Plutonists and the Neptunists.

‘Neptunists’ believed that all rocks, including granite and basalt were formed by crystallization of material from the early earth’s oceans.

‘Plutonists’ believed that the rocks of the earth were formed through volcanic and magnetic action.

Crimson Sunset, J M W Turner, 1825

Moreover, the aesthetic qualities of fiery sunsets were always worthy visual material.

Sunset over Wiltshire Landscape, photo by Hugo Richardson

Turner arrived at a concept of landscape painting in which fire was not only used to create decorative affects, like those in the works of his contemporaries, but also became an integral part of his understanding of nature.

Firelight and lamplight were often subjects that Turner chose for his art.  This next piece of art focuses upon a fireplace in a bedroom.

A Bedroom with a Fire Burning, and a Bed with Yellow Curtains, JMW Turner 1827

Please see an interior photograph that focuses upon a living room stove, after Turner’s work of art above.

Stove Fireplace with a Round Candelabra for diffuse Light, photograph by Hugo Richardson

Glow of Bonfire, Art Photograph by Hugo Richardson

Next week Turner and The Elements – Earth

Local scenes of Reading, now on sale at Reading Museum

JWM Turner – The Elements – Air

/ Hugo Richardson / 4 Comments

‘The Service of the Clouds’

   

Entrance of the Meuse, JWM Turner, Orange Merchant Ship on the bar, 1819

The approach that English painters had for landscape painting, at the beginning of Turner’s career, included the ‘aerial perspective’ (used predominantly by Dutch artists in the 15th Century)

This system was a formula for producing atmospheric effect.  The process was used for ensuring uniformity in a painting.

Distant objects were depicted as paler and bluer; those in the middle distance were green and objects in the foreground were brown.

The farther away the object the less detailed it became.

However, in the second half of the eighteenth century, English painters felt that aerial perspective’s inflexible colour scheme was imperfect.

They realised that the appearance of objects in the landscape depended on light, the movement of clouds and weather conditions.

Artists like Turner, John R Cozens, Thomas Girtin and Francis Towne changed their styles to allow for this.

Their choice of colours and brushstrokes captured the impression of a fleeting, transient moment.

This changeability in nature focused on the style that John Ruskin (1819-1900) called “service of the clouds.”

Turner was particularly adept at painting the sky, light and vapour – air.

The element of air played the most important role in Ruskin’s assessment of the innovations Turner contributed to painting.

According to Ruskin, Turner’s depictions of space were based on atmospheric transparency.

This achieved a more truthful representation of nature and was a part of the scientific foundation of art promoted not only by Ruskin, but also Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).

Turner’s work had vibrance to it, more closely showing the action of seeing through the sky rather than looking at it.

This is the effect that I am also trying to achieve with my photography.   The camera never lies, but using light, cloud, water vapour and reflection can add a depth to two-dimensions.

Watchers of the skies, through observing what is happening above us, can also have other meanings…

Clearly, from a biblical perspective, the heavens, the skies above, are also important for contemplative moods.  It is said that sitting on a beach for a few days a year, during a vacation is an important act for renewal.

The New Moon; or “I’ve lost My Boat, You shan’t have Your Hoop.” Turner 1840

Where the sea meets the sky is the furthest point that we can ever see, distance wise, with the eyes.  Most work is close up, much of it nowadays screen-based. So having the opportunity to rest the eyes, mind and soul by quietly watching the sun retreat over the horizon, whilst listening to the breathing of the sea waves, can be cathartic.

Perhaps I like Turner’s work because of the reminiscences it invokes of past holidays.

Either way, the sky is never the same from one day to the next, so it always delivers a new perspective.

In 1819, Turner visited Italy.  He was impressed by the intensity of light there.  In Rome, Turner encountered the method of painting in oils directly from nature, which derived from Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes (1750-1819) and his international academy of plein-air painting from the 1770s and 1780s.

During extensive rambles through the Roman Campagna, open-air painters became aware of how important the sky was to achieving a uniform effect in painting.

Clearly, being in the open air, outdoors is also a weekend pursuit many of us look forward to at the weekends.

Sources of research: Turner and the Elements, Bucerus Kunst Forum

JMW Turner – The Elements – Water

/ Hugo Richardson / Leave a comment

Emulation of Turner’s work with Abstract Art Photography

Joseph Turner, Britain’s famous artist, gave around 30,000 pieces of art to the Nation for us to appreciate his artistic capabilities.

He was a complete genius at painting the elements.  His work has inspired me to take a series of photographs that depict light on water in its many guises, to try and emulate his unique style.

A recent visit to Tate Britain allowed me to look more closely at his phenomenal skill at capturing the force of sea waves.  For example, please see this stunning piece of art called “Fishermen At Sea Off The Needles” first exhibited in 1796 (he was only 21 when he painted this). The sense of movement in the water is breath taking:

Turner used a mixture of art materials for the effects he wanted. His use of colour and gouache (a type of paint made from pigments bound in water-soluble gum, like watercolour, but with the addition of white pigment in order to make it opaque) allowed him to explore dramatic scenes like this painting.

‘Stormy Sea’ Painting JWM Turner 1830 above.

‘Rushing Water’  abstract art photograph inspired by Turner’s style:

Mastering the movement of water, through painting and sketching, meant research. Turner took this to the limits.  He requested to be tied to the mast of a ship, in order to prevent himself from being thrown overboard during a sea storm in 1842. Ultimately it was so he could experience the torrent of a storm from a ship, thereby obtaining insights into the movement of water.

‘Water in Turmoil’ – Abstract Art Photograph

Turner always lived close to the river Thames, probably because he loved experiencing the movement and reflective quality that water gives us. 

Following on from the admiration of his work, I have recently taken some photographs that show both the power and light that water has.

‘White Water Swell’ another abstract art photograph

Please note waves turning in the mid left

NEXT WEEK – Turner and the Elements – AIR