VISUAL TEXTURES -Issues of Design 44

Post -779 -by Gautam Shah

Texture is roughness or surface fluctuations, that also marks surface variations between adjescent elements (such as object-parts, object-background, and current vs past experiences vs expectations).

Roughness (or smoothness) plays an important role in determining how a real object will interact with its environment and how a body will perceive it (through sense of touch and other sensorial perception).

In surface metrology, roughness is typically considered to be the high-frequency, short-wavelength component of a measured surface. However, in practice it is often necessary to know both the amplitude and frequency to ensure that a surface is fit for a purpose. In tribology, rough surfaces have greater area, and so wear more quickly. Roughness (or smoothness) promote adhesion, frictive resistence, and form nucleation sites for increased reactivity.

Textures as Haptic (touch) experience are called tactile texture, physical texture or actual texture. These refer to different densities of micro sized dots, lines, crosses and motifs, in the form of random, repeated, variegated or oriented arrangements. Textures offer haptic sensation on a natural or developed surfaces. These occur on a wide range of materials, including but not limited to fur, canvas, wood grain, sand, leather, satin, eggshell, matte, foods, or smooth surfaces like metal or glass.

Textures relate mainly to the haptic (tactile) experiences, but can also convey other sensorial encounters. Here the textural qualities represent the contrasting conditions. A Contrast is the remarkable differences of perceptions within a class of sensuality. Contrast can be between perception of different sensualities, when these exist synchronically or separately, in time and space. A contrast, as a texture represents distance or difference between two locations or time slots.

Contrasts are explored in narrations, reporting or story telling, where the descriptions replace visual, audio, smell, taste and touch experiences. Audio textures are perceived through persistence of rhythm, sound quality, intermittent poses, starts and ends of delivery, timbre, etc., and all these relate to time scale. Similarly variations in aural qualities are determined by the speaker, singer or sound generating equipment. In addition, the natural and built environments reformat the aural texture (reverberation, echoes).

Many of the aural gaps or breaks that cause aural texture get bridged by the visual corroboration in ‘live shows’. Gestures, postures, garments, etc. visually convey more information for ‘back-benchers’. Video recordings are better than audio captures. Silent keying devices make more sense, if accompanied by micro sounds of actioning through the display device.

Food textures are contrasts of visual, taste, smell, besides the tactile experiences through fingers, tongue, palate, or teeth. Real food textures are offset by the smell, and sometimes through past experiences.

It is a common happening, where the tactile texture is compensated by other senses or even past exposures. The tactile texture is a haptic phenomena and can function through active participation of the body, or indirectly through sensors that amplify or de-amplify the sensation (typ. stethoscope).

Tactile and visual textures, though of different classes of sensualities, often the one needs to be replaced by the other. Visual conveyance of textures is used in digital transfer of information (like, digital merchandising through visual means such as static images, films, videos, non-touching display of products or sensors like cardiogram, thermometers, etc.). There are also few rudimentary reverse processes, like braille language, where tactile data is conveyed.

Visual textures reflect ‘the tactile expression’ of a surface, mainly the roughness (or smoothness). Visual textures cannot reflect other haptic experiences, such as warmth (or coldness), moisture, resilience, electrical charges, etc. Visual textures, sometimes, inadvertently convey many other associated values, such as the degree of smoothness through the gloss, colour differentiation between illuminated and shadowed surfaces through reflection.

Visual texture is a false volumetric variation. This is manipulated by level and direction of the illumination, colour and contrasts between adolescent elements (object-parts and object-background). Visual textures are also formed by morphing directional patterns over objects. The surface quality is affected by the type of gloss, sheen or matt characteristics, which in turn are governed by the angle of illumination, dark-light surface colour, and contrast. Glossy surfaces are perceived as ‘hard’ whereas surface with sheen are sensed as soft or ‘handle-able’.

Artists produce or suggest textures in order to enhance the notion of reality. This is done by intimately connecting the source of light within the scene and also through direction of the shadows for actual architectural space. Painters, since primitive periods of cave painting, have taken advantage of the texture of the substrates (natural or scratched), roughness of pigments and additives, and strokes of colour application. The illumination and shadows are so intimately ingrained that resulting object form and the surface texture, both seem awkward in museum displays (strongly lit from top-down) or son-et-Lumiere (mostly lit from bottom-up).

Many forms of real textures are created for their visual appeal, rather than their tactile relevance. Surface textural effects are constructed by indenting patterns in plaster work, or through colour differentiation of joints in flooring and masonry works. Large scale architectonic elements used on architectural facades in the form of windows, columns, pilasters, pediments, eaves, projections form textures. Printed patterns with Black and white added (tonal) colours over leather, fabrics, paper, metal sheets, flooring ceramics tiles, etc. enhance the tactile sense.

Chiaroscuro (Renaissance period) uses strong contrasts between light and dark areas through colours, for achieving a sense of volumetric effect in the composition. Impasto is texture forming application to build textures through thick paste like oil colours and strokes with rough brushes or spatulas. Strokes and patches were the basic tools for impressionistic paintings.

Visual representation of textures carry a wide range of indirect messages, remembrances and evoke diverse sentimentalities. Visual textures were means of representing the experiences, or conveying ephemeral imagery, such as in story-telling, writing, record keeping, dance, drama, geographical mapping, selling or merchandising, etc. The fuzzy textural detail in any visual representation implies distance (farness), whereas the clarity reflects the nearness of the object.

Visual textures are also used in murals and paintings to differentiate identically coloured surfaces (walls, clothes, body-parts, terrain features, parts of skies, distances, etc.). Creating visual textures is not an easy process as it can reveal the ‘phony’ sources of illumination. Monochrome arts use etched or engraved surfaces for implying the visual texture. Frottage is a technique of rubbing a pencil, graphite, chalk, crayon, or another medium onto a sheet of paper that has been placed on top of a textured object or surface. The process causes the raised portions of the surface below to be translated to the sheet. The term is derived from the French frotter, which means ‘to rub’.

A Collage is a composition of visual and tactile textures, where the presence of edges become the key elements of expression. Modern day paints and media (paper, colours, constituents) offer both visual (sheen, matt, gloss) and tactile textures.

Colour and texture of soils are visually revealed through the moisture, present state of green cover and ingredients of soils. These was once done by comparing mono focal and bifocal visions. Now aerial remote sensing images are processed through colour separation techniques. Similar techniques are used to study MMR images.

The Visual texture, is also referred to as ‘implied texture’, as it is not detectable by our sense of touch, but realized by our sense of sight. Visual texture is illusionistic impression of a real texture. Any texture perceived in an image or photograph is a visual texture, a static two-dimensional surface. Though video or films, offer little more distinctive experience, due to the variations in capture and illumination. Visual textures are enlivened by other concurrent sensualities, like clicking sound of a key being struck, some food ingredients of a recipe producing a crunching noise, a smell producing cooling (or other sensation) effect in mouth or nose, a seemingly smooth chocolate offering sense roughness on chewing, etc.

Physical and Visual textures, are evident through the contrast. Contrast is the remarkable difference of perception within a class of sensuality. So tactile and visual textures, though of different classes of sensualities, the former needs to be replaced by the later, as we do not have (yet) the means to record or project the other.

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COMPILATION of BLOGS Articles on CONTRASTS

Post -778 -by Gautam Shah

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These articles were originally published (during May2018-Jan2023) on my Blog site > https://designsynopsis.wordpress.com/

164 SPACE PERCEPTION and CONTRAST
Space Perception relates to Recognition of Contrast. Contrast makes things conspicuous to attract the senses. Contrast is a scale, due to the differing stimuli. The differences in stimuli occur due to variations of distance, direction, rate of change, shape, size, extent, and effects of environment.
Contrast is obvious, in reference to ‘things’ that are perceived well, against something weaker, duller or of different nature. Contrasts are also contextual, with the phenomenon of foreground and background. Contrasts occur due to the power of persistence of a happening or its recall.
Contrasts, manifest in current design through presence of elements like directions, sequences, repetitions, masking, framing, thematic continuities, sensorial consistencies, associated fables and explicit explanations.
Contrasts also occur through Recall and the clues are intently or casually included in a Design composition. The clues could be similarities, leftover-trails of the past happenings or subtle insertions relevant to a person or group or for particular time and space.

384 CONTRAST in DESIGN
Contrasts occur with an edge that is a spatial position or time delay. Spatial contrasts are experienced concurrently whereas Time contrasts are sequential. Contrasts’ simultaneity may occur as some reference to the past. And, the reference need not be a personal experience. Contrasts’ successiveness in time is not always contagious.
Continuity is antithetical to contrast. The segment across the edge needs to have some continuum to belong to the same composition. The carry-over of form, scale, compositional elements and sensorial effects occur on both the banks of the edge. This ‘varied consistency’ becomes the vocabulary of contrast recognition.
Contrast makes things conspicuous to attract the senses. Contrast to be obvious, occur with some reference. The reference is formed by a ‘thing’ that is stronger by juxtaposition of some weaker, duller or different elements, by its power of persistence in reality, and as a recall. Often clues are included in the composition for the recall. The clues could be similarities, leftover trails of the past happenings or subtle insertions relevant only to the person experiencing it or in that time and space. Other design elements that offer contrast include presence of directions, sequences, repetitions, occlusion by frames, thematic continuities, sensorial consistencies, associated fables and explanations.

676 CONTRASTS -contextual effects
Contrasts take place as the contextual effect. The contexts occur with juxtaposition. Two entities or different experiences of the same entity must occur in the same or sequential time and space.
Contrasts show up as the variation within the same sensorial experience or between different sensorial faculties. The former occurs in seeing and listening where the nodes are slightly distanced apart. The later types multiple sensorial perceptions, occur because some functions have similarities. Typically, we can, scale-measure a space, through hearing, seeing and touching.
There are many diverse contexts even when the other “thing” is absent, nonexistent, faded, concealed, occluded or camouflaged. Where and when, some details are required, other senses or the past remembrances fill-up the specifics.
We create visual emphasis by accentuation of colour, illumination, texture, patterns, surface exposure duration and extent, etc. We generate audio accents by sound pitch, pressure, time gapping, replaying in different frequencies, etc. Touch experience is controlled by proximity, duration, exposure of body-limbs, extent and additional information such as temperature (warmth-cold), moisture, breeze, etc.
Contrasts occur within the same reference of framing. Such contrasts are of position, orientation, scale or direction. Contrasts also occur as reference to remembrances. Virtual reality contrasts the referential things into slightly familiar set up. Alienation is a state of being cut off or separation from a person or group of people, and this offers a contrast of absence-presence.

686 CONTRAST and CONTEXT
A design creates as well as implies contrasts. The contrast can emerge from co-placement of things, but such simplistic duality of shapes, extent, proportions, etc. cannot be a design. For a contrast to be meaningful there must ensue a valuable connection to something else. The contrast offers a scale and so makes things conspicuous to attract the senses. This is just the beginning of design.
The contrast divergence, occurs in Real and Hyper time-space realms. The hyper realm consists of past experiences and cognitive expectations. The cognition evaluates the strong experience and offers personal and invisible contrast.
Contrast is obvious when it has some reference, a Context. The context is formed by a ‘thing’ that is stronger in juxtaposition of some weaker, duller or different elements, by its power of persistence in reality, and as a recall. The purpose of contrast could be to endow a specific or abstract meaning. Contrast could also come about as an unintentional result.
The contexts often occur as clues, included in compositions for recall of some other (hyper) reality. The contextual clues could be similarities, leftover trails of the past happenings or subtle insertions relevant only to the person experiencing it or in that time and space.
Other design elements that offer contrast include presence of directions, sequences, repetitions, occlusion by frames, thematic continuities, sensorial consistencies, associated fables and explanations.
There are many extreme concepts that are contextually contrasting, like the heaven and hell. A Low or Narrow space is realized in reference to the physiological adequacy, its profoundness, or through anecdotal knowledge. Literature, Art, Architecture, Performing arts exploit the contrasts for enhancing the context.
In Design, one needs to resole the conflict between contrast and context. The depth emerges from contrast due to the foreground-background differentiation. Architectural entities are contrasted in size, scale, style, placement, orientation, and environmental conditions, thematic content etc.
A design has internal and external contexts. Internal contrasts are part of the designed entity, so within the ambit of real experience. External contrasts occur through the embedded or implied metaphoric clues for connection.

1039 CONTRAST EFFECTS
Contrast is perceived when two (or many) different things or experiences manifest simultaneously, Successively or Cumulatively. Contrast is always a relative phenomenon. The relationship is in time-space reference, so relates to past, present, future, expectation, satiation and remembrances. Contrast perception is a way of getting better sense of Size, Shape, Distance, Colour, Texture and Vibrancy.
Contrast is important, to define value of a thing, the base or the other. By defining a base, the qualities of the other, though ‘indicated or unsaid’ come into being. Contrast means noticeable difference. A contrast cannot occur without the ‘other’. Contrast can also happen, when two things face each other or coexist, but must have some physical proximity or virtual linkage.
Leonardo da Vinci, probably, was first to notice that adjacent colours visually affect each other. The colour adjacency conditions occurred in several conditions. First set of conditions occur, when colours of different ‘families’ are seen simultaneously or consecutively. Second situation, happens when two different ‘tones’ of the colour are placed adjacently for depicting the light-shadow conditions. Third state occurs when colours are remembered, usually in a wider context of the things and happenings of the moment and recollected in a different perspective.
Successive contrast is the effect when things or experiences occur one after the other (noted by Renaissance painters like Vinci). This is also due to the after image that is retained by the eyes or mind, even after the event.
Simultaneous contrast is what happens when things or experiences get affected by the surroundings or contextual environment (known to Art World since 18th C).
Mixed contrast appear when very strong or persistent things or experiences leave a trace to alter the next lot of perception. Michel-Eugène Chevreul (1786-1889, colourist+dye chemist) “In the case where the eye sees at the same time two contiguous colors, they will appear as dissimilar as possible, both in their optical composition (hue) and in the height of their tone.” His theories of colour provided justifiable scientific basis for the Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painters.

1044 POINTILLISM -a technique of colour contrasts
Michel Eugene Chevreul, the chemist, who worked with dyes and colours and who formed the first Colour wheel, wrote a treatise “Law of Simultaneous Colour Contrast, 1839″. There were many great artists since 14th C, who experienced the contrast effect of closely spaced colours. These effects were exploited to represent multiple shades on frontal (illuminated) planes and off the side profiles.
By 1860s many artists were trying to add ‘personalized realism’ to art which came to be known as impressionism. Here they did not mix colours on the canvas or formatted grades of shades, but exploited the contrast-effect of primary vs. secondary colours. Colour contrasts of yellow-blue, orange-purple (indigo), red-blue green (aqua), and purple (pink)-yellow, were used. Few Impressionist painters learnt the craft through book-based knowledge, but mostly through experiment and by emulating others. It was only Seurat who systematically worked on it.
Seurat used a form of painting in which tiny dots of primary-colours are used to generate secondary colours. The colours are closely placed on the canvas as dots or points. The colours blended in the viewer’s eye. It produced greater degree of luminosity and brilliance of colour. The white space, if any were part of the effect.
A set of complementary colours paired are made of cool vs. warm colour. Orange, reds, and yellows are the warm whereas on the opposite side are cool colours like blues, greens, and purples. This is often called simultaneous contrast, ‘the highest contrasts available on the colour wheel’.
Pointillism (first used in 20th C), derives from French pointillisme, or pointiller (mark with dots). Pointillism is also called divisionism and chromo-luminarism. It is usually categorized as a form of Post-Impressionism. Pointillism, as term is used in many other fields. In music, montage (literally ‘putting together’) or sound collage (‘gluing together’), are used to create musical scores. Stipple engraving uses patterns of dots of various sizes and densities to form tonal variations.

1054 COLOURS and CONTRASTS
Monet said: ‘A Colour owes its brightness to the force of contrast, rather than to its inherent qualities’. He also said that primary colours look brightest, when they are brought into contrast with their complementary’.
Colour contrast has drawn attention in drawn art forms as well as architecture, sculptures, ceramics, textiles and craft items. Colour contrast emerges primarily, when a ‘different, lighter or darker colour is placed next to the other one. But colour-contrast also emerges when a colour comes under differing levels of illumination or shadows. These realizations were conspicuous in 3D forms. Such colour contrast perception in natural or other illumination and its shadows are affected by the ‘local’ reflections. The subtle grades of contrast emerge due to varied brightness, from objects in different directions and in different intensities due to many colours of the reflecting surfaces.
Such a realization for emergent colour contrast came to drawn-arts from mosaic arts. Early drawn arts were comparatively ‘flat’, as perhaps the medium of art Fresco (was pigment impregnation onto wet plasters). The colours were zoned with outlines and had little scope for colour mixing or edge diffusion. Details were in Tempera, but had to wait for the surface to dry out thoroughly. As a result, artists, used intense contrasts to ‘add drama and mystery to the paintings’. To sustain the drama of narration, the body contours, folds of fabrics, difference between nearby and far-off objects, colour contrasts were required. Details, which, if added, show many levels of contrasts, created diffused or sober compositions. A way out was to add contrasting backdrops. These were in brighter but contrasting colours, often with gold gilding.

1269 SILHOUETTE -edge of scene
A silhouette is a visual edge. The term is used for imagery of tall entities, usually from a low point. The silhouette is effective for the reductive capture, as it overcomes the inter-zone details. The image imprint is stronger due to the distinct contrast between the object and the background field. The background field is ‘clean or dulled’ due the difference of distances from the observer. The background could also be eliminated.
The Silhouettes was used, in Egyptian art, for figure-presentation and eliminate the ‘angled’ views of the human figures’. The black pottery of Greek antiquity created such images using single colour. Silhouette painting was useful tool for portrait and figure painting, as it truly duplicated the body proportions, lines and curves. This was the reason coinage carry ‘side view’. Police ID pictures inevitably carry a side view besides the front view. Sculptures need side views to replicate a ‘good form’.
Digital face recognition tools began with frontal views, but a silhouette can also extract substantial information about ‘gender and age’. Animation artists add ‘depth’ to the character by including few side views. Shadow play theatre of Indonesia uses 2D cutouts but enrich the silhouette with back ground illumination, transparency of the image and position from the screen.
The scenario has changed during the last century due to the aircraft and satellites. Both have provided means observing buildings and terrains from higher elevations. This has been a key factor in shape forming of not only high rise buildings but also large footprint structures.
The composition of roofs (and entire structure) in making the skyline and silhouette, is pre-visualized for different atmospheric conditions, planned illuminations, and viewing positions including ground and air.

1296 GLARE
Glare, is two directional words, a bright dazzling light comes to the eye and a fierce piercing look from the eye. In both the manners, it is a visual discomfort. In the first case pupils of eyes turn smaller, and for the second, perhaps, enlarged.
The human eye can function quite well over a wide range of luminous environments (within certain time frames or sections), but does not function well if extreme levels of brightness are present in the same field of view (within same time sections).
The glare arises due to the contrast between the aperture and the adjacent field, and can be eliminated by many different methods. The bright light coming from a window or door aperture is from direct solar radiation, due to highly reflective sky, surface or sources in the surroundings.
Glare due to natural light can last for few minutes to few hours, but glare due to road lights, illuminated sign boards and headlights of moving vehicles are best controlled at the face of the building. Shop fronts with glazing combined with dim-lit interiors, reflected the brightly lit objects of the surroundings.
Glares can be reduced by masking the opening or by increasing the interior brightness of the room. The glare can also be avoided, by placing the source of glaring illumination on the back or side faces.
Glare is etymologically linked to harih and hiranyam (Sanskrit), Persian daraniya, Avestan zaranya, Greek khlōros, =all meaning gold, golden, greenish or yellow colour.
Gleam is a small, steady pleasant light. A glimmer is a faint blinking light of twilight stars. Glisten, a softer, Glitter a harder-metallic shines, and Glister is just bearable light. Sparkle and Scintillate, represents bright to varying lights. Coruscate are rapid brilliant flashes, the aurora. Flicker is of varying strobing or pulsating light. Flash is a sudden burst of blinding light.

1337 CONTRAST -PHENOMENA OF PERCEPTION
Contrast occurs as inevitable phenomena of perception. It occurs within same class of perception and also across the perceptions. It is experienced as a happening for a single person, but where the perceptions can be qualitatively defined, and if that can be expressed or transmitted, than it becomes a matter of concurrence.
Contrast is contextual. Contrasts are happenings of scale (size comparisons), time (of eventualizing, order of occurrence, sequencing), distancing (between the object from the perceiver and between set of objects), persistence (of experience, traces of earlier events, trauma, remembrances) and tools (used for perception, magnification, diffusion, intensification).
Perceptions occur simultaneously (typically taste and smell) and are complicated by time-space incoherence. When, stimuli present without any rational, a ‘simultaneous contrast effect’ is an example of time-space incoherence. Very often coherence and incoherence, both are required to acuate the contrast phenomena of perception.
Contrast is intensively used to alter the quality of perception. Some effects are permanent and remain with us till some other contrasting phenomena presents itself. Contrasts dramatize the situation, and so are impressive and an effective manner of conveyance.
The contrast effect was theoretically recognized by 17th C philosopher John Locke. In the early 20th C Wilhelm Wundt identified contrast as a fundamental principle of perception.

1350 SILHOUETTE -minimalist presentation
A silhouette is a minimalist presentation of reality. It’s an outline, boundary, edge, contour, or the profile of a figure, object, built-form or scene. It is limited perception, so a momentary expression, unless recorded.
Silhouettes of the earlier era 18-19 th C, were monochrome captures (with dominance of black, against real white or nonexistent spatial background). It was a dark shape seen against a light surface.
There were TWO intents in capturing the silhouette. One, Silhouettes were side ‘portraits’ giving sufficient detail for recognition of the figure, and, Two, it omitted all the details that were difficult to capture and could reveal too many characteristics of the person, objects or scene. The phrase à la Silhouette came to mean ‘on the cheap’. Silhouettes were used for, Primitive cave art, early Egyptian art, Greek pottery and for Roman coinage. To day outlines are used for road signs and abstracted tabs or button signs to ride over the cultural and language barriers.
Silhouette presentations have two basic elements, the Figure and the Background. And both have seen changes in the past two centuries. The Figures use tonal variations to adjust the contrast with the background and some inclusion of details to form the tonal variates. The Backgrounds recognize the diffusion of the depth of objects, occurring in the backdrop. Architectural scenography distinguishes both the elements.

1432 SIMULTANEOUS COLOUR CONTRAST and VAN GOGH
French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul recognized the simultaneous colour contrast, in a book ‘The Principle of Harmony and Contrast of Colours’, published in 1839. The book discusses how two different colours ‘affect each other’, when placed adjacent to each other.
The Simultaneous contrast is more apparent when two complementary or contrasting (bright-dark) colours are juxtaposed. Many artists, since then have experimented with the simultaneous contrast effects, such through Pointillism, 40 versions of a single scene, Waterloo bridge over the Thames river by Monet, Impressionism, Fauvism, etc.
Vincent van Gogh‘s, the Café Terrace (Café, le soir or Night Café in Arles) is most remarkable work to expound the colour. Van Gogh (in a letter to his brother) says ‘blood red and dull yellow with a green billiard table in the center, and four lemon yellow lamps with an orange and green glow. Everywhere there is a clash and contrast of the most disparate reds and greens.’
Van Gogh uses a simultaneous contrast of complementary colours to convey strong emotions and a feeling of uncomfortable intensity. ‘I believe that an abundance of gaslight, which, after all, is yellow and orange, intensifies blue.’
Van Gogh says (in a letter to his sister) ‘now there’s a painting of night without the black’. ‘It often seems to me that the night is even more richly coloured than the day, coloured in the most intense violets, blues and greens.’. ‘A mere candle by itself gives us the richest yellows and oranges’.
Van Gogh painted it after studying the night sky and his nightly surroundings, like the café at the Place du Forum. The café is now called ‘Café Van Gogh’.

1441 CONTRASTS
A contrast is an experience emerging from a position with something (and, not necessarily contradictory or against). Contrast needs to be contradictory, (Latin =contrāstāre, or Italian contrastare =to resist, to withstand, both the terms, relate to stare, a predominantly visual phenomenon).
A contrast effect is largely a perceptual phenomenon that works on successive (immediately previous) or immediate basis. Contrast effects occur as juxtaposition, with simultaneity and separation of the time and space factors. ‘The contrast is for enhancement or de-emphasis, relative to normal(?) or of the immediate past events, whose persistence still exists.’ Contrast is a reference that is related to the situation and occasion.
Contrast as the perceptual manifestation is strongly affected by the locations of nodes of perception (typically sound-vision, smell-taste, and tactile feel like pressure, temperature, texture, etc.). The cognitive processes are governed by duration, immediacy, need, intensity, multiplicity of events in the past.
Contrast is often referred to as the background-foreground effect, which are believed to exist due to immediacy, density, diversity and novelty. Horror Vacui and Amor Vacui, are two contrasting terms, for time and space, respectively, relating to fear of emptiness or white, and love for fulfillness or density.
Contrasts in built-forms appear in comparable or related things like, the forms, whole, parts, components, systems and the linkages. But some contrasts are so subtle or formless, as these occur through the narrative, purpose or meaning, enshrined in the entity.

ILLUMINATION and COLOURS in SHADOWS -Issues of Design 38

Post 737 -Gautam Shah

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There are FOUR articles in the series Illumination+Shadows,
737 ILLUMINATION and COLOURS in SHADOWS -Issues of Design 38
732 ILLUMINATION and SHADOWS in ART WORKS -Issues of Design-36
729 ILLUMINATION and ARCHITECTURAL SHADOWS -Issues of Design 35
727 ILLUMINATION and SHADOWS -Issues of Design 34

Monet said: ‘A Colour owes its brightness to the force of contrast, rather than to its inherent qualities’. He also said that primary colours look brightest, when they are brought into contrast with their complementaries’.

Colour contrast has drawn attention in drawn art forms as well as architecture, sculptures, ceramics, textiles and craft items. Colour contrasts emerge, when a different and lighter or darker colour is placed next to the other one. But colour contrasts also emerge, when a colour comes under differing levels of illumination or shadows. This realization was conspicuous in 3D forms. Such colour contrasts perceptions under natural or other illuminations and related shadows are affected by the ‘local’ reflections. The subtle grades of contrasts emerge due to varied brightness, from objects in different directions and in intensities due to many colours of the reflecting surfaces.

Colour contrasts were realized, first in mosaic arts as a form of ‘highlighting marks’. To make a mosaic figure or image to stand out from other similar entitles that needed emphasis (wider and darker-lighter edges). But mosaics had limited size and colour range, and this was not easy. Early drawn arts like Mosaics were equally ‘flat’. This was perhaps, as the medium of art Fresco, was a method of pigment impregnation onto wet plasters. The colours were zoned with scratched outlines and had little scope (time) for colour mixing or edge diffusion. Details were added in Tempera, for which one had to wait for the surface to thoroughly dry out. As a result fresco artist, used intense contrasting colours in demarcated zones of the fresco.

As the interiors became brighter with larger clerestory windows, there was a clear need to ‘add drama and mystery to the paintings’ through high contrast of colours. Painting themes were now not just depictive but narrative, and in the background included architecture, landscapes and non religious figures (political sponsors and donors). Holy figures were distinguished by bright ‘halo’. These halos and backgrounds, in brighter colours or gold gilding, made everything else seem darker, often gloomy. To lighten the perceived dark effect, many levels of sobered contrasts were added, and the result was a ‘flat’ composition. For the contrasts, the body contours, folds of fabrics, highlighting marks, differences between near-by and far-off objects, were formed of black or darker shades. The use of darker shades, for edge making, however, taught the value of shadowing with illumination.

The shadows formed better depth contrasts. The shadows (related to illumination) were first placed with respect to the local needs. These ‘local needs’ in theme, created many shadows and sources of illumination, and also had as many directions. But soon shadows were modified as related to single the source of illumination. Such ‘related shadows’ made paintings lively and realistic.

Single source shadowing was very difficult in mosaic and very large mural paintings. There were few issues here. FIRST, Shadows were predominantly cast with a source of illumination from the left-top corner. This made objects towards the right-bottom corner suffused with long shadows. SECOND, The shadowing style adopted in artworks, did not match the actual illumination from the openings of the architectural space. THIRD, There was the belief that holy figures do not cast a shadow. These factors required a lot of experimentation. First, the problem required a painting to be narrow or the source of illumination shifted away from the extreme top-left corner. Second required a composition in consideration of the existing conditions of the architecture and the viewers’ position. Third issue was solved by forming graduated dark-light areas for body or dress contours and ignoring the shadows falling on the ground.

From the days Painted Roman interior Murals, the Perspective was used to arrange ‘built or spatial’ elements in compositions. These were scaled for depth, but not specifically illuminated. Objects with visible sides were made darker towards the receding edge for greater effects of the depth. For greater perspective effect some of the parts of buildings or the spaces between the buildings were back lit, but shadows followed the front-based illumination. Illumination and shadows, did not come together in any purposive manner.

It was from 1700s that Capriccio style of art for drawing fantastical architectural buildings and ruins, with inclusion of occasional staffage (figures), truly began to exploit the perspective. Areas of painting were illuminated through a direct single source of illumination or atmospheric distributed light. Areas that did not get illumination were treated to be mildly darker, thus creating a sense of contrast for depth. The illumination and shadows depended on tonal gradation, and this can be recognised and executed, if the areas are fairly large. Tonal gradation cannot be included in micro architectonic elements.

In Asia, perspective did not occur, though some inclined planes indicated the depth. Scaling of elements and figures was extremely illogical. The depth was through spatial zoning, like, frontal areas filled in with elements, dominantly involved in the narrative. The next mid-zone was for supportive elements like architectural and landscape features. The background, was used as a contrasting plane of lighter tones. The ethereal elements included here, served to balance the composition, by their ‘white space’ presence. There was complete absence of graded or directional illumination, and colour shades for shadowing.

Illuminated and shaded areas are nominally differentiated with the tonal variations of the same colour (monochrome) or with different hues. But this effect was enhanced by texture contrast of physical roughening of the surface, like the gesso and impasto in art. Gesso is the base or foundation treatment, which imprints a texture on the art surface. Impasto effect is created by laying the paint in very thick layers, so that it can allow brush or painting-knife strokes to be visible.

It was in 1600s that artists were able to create textures, not just by scrapping the surface, but through directional or random texturing, as a simulated visual effect. The directional texturing became art of intaglio or gravure, and became style of impressionist art. The art of texturing a surface, also became Sfumato style of art, as forming a soft transition between colours and tones to achieve distinct realism.

Shadows depend on the strength and distance of the source of illumination. Candle, Lamp, electric or fire illuminations, unlike the Solar light, are at finite distances and of limited intensity. Both, however, form shadows with respect to the elevation of the objects. Solar light offers vast grades of reflections from nearby surfaces, but, other illuminations can provide small cone of receding strength. The skill to represent the colour tonal variations in shadows from the reflected light was grasped post Renaissance period. The nature of the colour within a shadow is mainly due to the intensity of reflected light and the colour (from the reflective surface).

The ceilings (flat, dome, vault or other configurations) get illumination from windows and clerestory openings, in many directions. The ceilings and upper sections of tall walls were used for illusionistic paintings, with features like floating angels and clouds, foreshortened figures and pseudo architectural elements. The details were seen from distance, so drawn in an impressionistic manner with wild brush strokes. Such ceilings, known as Plafond art, had the lower edge, drawn in dark and contrasting colours and shadows, but the top central portion forming the upper limit of the room, were made with blue of the skies to look ethereal. Plafonds (17th to early 19 C) offered great lessons for treating architectural spaces with illumination and shadows.

‘Mannerist painters and later Baroque artists used extreme intense contrasts between light and dark, almost obscuring their subjects to lend drama and mystery to the paintings’.

When Monet painted his series of haystacks, his main concern was to show that in reality, the colour of light and the colour of shadow, depending of the time of day, both, change simultaneously and dramatically. Artists of 19th C used comparatively, stronger dark shades for heightened impressionistic realism. This began to change with the onset of next century, when lighter colour shades (perhaps due to the Titanium Dioxide) were available. The subject matter changed from realistic to ‘objective’ abstraction. Here the source of illumination was unrecognizable, and so the shadows were nonexistent.

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BRIGHTNESS and COLOUR

Post 712 -by Gautam Shah

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Brightness and Colour have mutual dependence. Greater brightness leads to sharper visual perception and the colour (spectrum) affects the perceived level of brightness. Physiological and environmental conditions alter the perception of brightness as well as colours. Noon time daylight conditions are accepted as the optimal brightness condition for experiencing the colour. But this condition of high brightness can reduce the contrast between two near by objects and so confuse the colour perception.

Brightness and colour, both are strongly affected by the immediate past experience. Sudden transition from darkness to brightness or one colour to another affects the pupil dilation.

Brightness and colour relate to reflection from a surface. The quality of a surface, the texture and its grain orientation vis a vis the directions of illumination and observation, affect the perception. Most of the objects reveal their multiple surfaces concurrently but brightness and colour on each of the face seems different. In this scenario the source of illumination (if solar) and observers both vary their position. As a result colour perception is very dynamic phenomenon. In Architecture or Interior design colour matching or determination of brightness is always worrisome affair.

Next factor is the context in which objects or scenes are observed. The juxtaposition with a lighter background enhances and darker backdrop setting dulls the perception of brightness and colour.

Colour perception operates at three basic levels, as the capacity of a surface to reflect light, as emission of light from a hot body and the personal capacity to differentiate various colourations. But the conveyance of the ‘colour related experiences’ is even more difficult. The interpretation of colours varies in different setting of locations, cultures and circumstances. Environment and Terrain are two major factors that alter the colour. Environmental conditions like solar brightness, inclination, orientation, cloud-cast conditions, atmospheric refractions, etc. vary depending on the geographic location. These are further attuned by the surface extent, texture, angle and duration of exposure. The terrain offers very pervasive colour context against which everything is observed. The different terrain effects are really not perceived on the site, but experienced through time-space segmented documents like photographs, paintings, videos or movies.

The conditions at ground level such as surface colour, wetness, snow, vegetation cover, topography, orientation, man-made and natural features, surroundings, density, reflection (albedo), absorption, altitudes etc. determine the colour quality of light. Since all these surface conditions are very localized, the colour variations are conditioned by them. The buildings in surrounding areas, immediate terrain and water bodies have a bearing on the quality of illumination entering a building.

Illumination in a space is Natural (daylight, chiefly solar origin), Artificial and often combination of both. Daylight has Four important facets, the illuminance, warmth, colour and the variability. Daylight on an outdoor location is a combination of direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and both of these as reflected from the earth and other objects. The brightness and colour of daylight are governed by the sky conditions, like clouds, fog, smoke, atmospheric pollution, morning and evening twilight zones (when the atmospheric scattering of predawn sunlight takes place).

The solar radiation as received on the surface of Earth varies from place to place, season to season, day to day and even hour to hour. Equatorial regions receive more radiation, than polar regions. Darker surfaces, like the tropical forests reflect very little radiation, 10 %, compared to snow bound high latitude areas, which nearly reflect 80 % of the energy received. Cloudy and dust polluted areas receive less solar energy. Direct sunlight at noon can have illuminance as high as 120,000 lux (Compared to this moon light is <1 lux). Sunlight is a warm colour light, at noon, the colour-temperatures are about 5500°k, bluish-white or ‘cool colours’ and at sunset, these are about 2700-3000°k (degrees kelvin), are yellowish-white through red or called ‘warm colours’.

The reflected light from the exterior surfaces of buildings, roads and pavements affect the illumination on lower floors of the buildings. These cause minor variations due to movements of people, vehicles, ripples on water bodies and leaves of trees. Upper floors of tall buildings, except in similar localities, receive fairly consistent, but very strong daylight from nominal windows. Such floors with low or no sill windows (glass curtain walls) get varying levels of illumination, often strongly coloured.

Reflectance of rooms’ interior surfaces impacts the perception of brightness and colours in a space. The surface reflectance is a function of colour, its texture (matt, dull-sheen, glossy) and the orientation of grains of textures. Extreme levels of brightness, if, are present within the same field of view, can be calibrated by the surface texture and colour. Historic buildings, sites and remains, are conserved with surroundings updated through paved stones of same colour-texture as the original built-form or green lawns. These choices, alter the degree of interior brightness, as well the quality of colour.

Similarly cities conserved with enforced thematic colours (blue -Jodhpur, Pink -Jaipur, both in India, white -Santorini, sienna browns -Italian, Piazza del Campo and ), create monotonous colour tonality in interior spaces.

For artificial illumination sources Brightness and Colour have some sensorial connection. Artificial light sources one commonly accepted rating, the Colour rendering index (CRI). It is supposed to index ‘how the colour will look’. High CRI (nearly equal to daylight in afternoon) will mean colour will look ‘real and right’ and low CRI will mean unreal (weird) and wrong. CRI has limited relevance, if only the illumination source is white (Candles and incandescent bulbs can have high CRI ,but are off-white. The sodium lamps have low CRI but high brightness.

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FLOORING COLOURS through AGES

Post 698 –by Gautam Shah

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For built environment Flooring Colour, is the most important element of experience. It primarily determines the level of brightness in a room, but has many other subtle affectations.

The experience of colour, relates to both, Visual and Tactile aspects. The visual component consists of colour, texture and patterns. The tactile component has two relates, the actual feel and the visual recognition.

The Colours of the Flooring emerge from> the extent, gradient and contours (steps, edges, drops, slopes) of the flooring, angle and tinge (stained or grisaille glass) of illumination and texture (gloss-dull), the expanse and colour of the joints.

The Patterns in the Flooring derive from> set motifs (images, patterns), recognizable geometry, grain-veins in the floor materials and the composition of joints.

Dark coloured floors cut off bottom-up reflection of radiation, and so are ideal in open-to-sky spaces like Chowks, on window sills, and spaces in front of doors, verandahs. Dark floors, however absorb more radiant heat due to the low reflectivity and get very warm. Dark floors are not preferred in walkways, balconies or on terraces (in tropical climates). A dark floor in water pool heightens the feeling of depth, but can increase the rate of water evaporation due to greater absorption of heat radiation. Very dark and shiny floors show off dust and require frequent cleaning. Dark coloured sills increase the radiant heat inside the rooms. Dark sills in cellars (low illumination areas) reduce the level of reflected component of natural light.

Light-coloured floors substantially reduce the heat absorption, provided these are maintained clean. Light-coloured floors provide lightness and enhance the space size. White floors have a natural association with aseptic conditions, so are preferred in food preparation zones, health facilities and in sanctimonious areas (temples).

Coloured floors are used for livening up monotonous or drab spaces (very large halls like departmental stores, plazas, courtyards). Coloured floors are used in industrial plants, schools, hospitals etc. to indicate routes and movement areas for goods, vehicles and people.

Historically Flooring colour has been monochrome where good building stones were available. Earliest colouring elements were the mosaics of marble, ceramic and glass. Flooring colours have been exploited in sparsely occupied sections of the building such as corridors, passages, plazas, etc.

West Asiatic architecture had monochrome flooring of building stone and in some cases of terracotta units. Greeks used only white marbles, but used mosaics to create images on the floors.

Romans began to use colourful marbles as inlay pieces to create borders and central patterns. Thermaes (bathhouses) were perhaps the most garish of all places in terms of flooring colour schemes.

Byzantine period saw reuse of Roman marble debris. Cut pieces of coloured marbles of Roman columns were used for flooring bands. Contrast and pattern definition was their only intention, rather than a balanced colour scheme.

In Gothic architecture, the colour through the stained glass window was so strong that flooring colour was almost subordinated. The quality of laying and finishing were very refined. Granite were used sparingly, only as part of patterns. Wherever high colour effect was, required floors were covered with carpets, rugs and floor spreads.

English medieval period saw the use alternatively placed light and dark shades (black-white) of flooring materials to form diagonal checker board flooring.

Post Gothic period windows’ glass became light hued, interiors were much more illuminated, interior elements were painted and often gilded. These required a highly polished (glossy- dazzling surface) and a balanced colour scheme.

Renaissance saw painters and sculptors becoming builders and architects, who were very adapt in use of colour. Marbles were selected in terms of the interior colour scheme. Veins or grain patterns of Marbles and other stones were exploited by selection of the cut section, and their orientation to accentuate the patterns.

French Versailles had marble and stone floors, but required on one hand frequent scrubbing and polishing and replacement due to the moisture from under-floors. Wood was preferred as a floor finish. Wood was a local flooring material for many years. 15th C onward Europe had supplies of exotic woods of Asiatic origin, later from African and American locations (North and Latin). Rare woods, were appreciated for their wonderful colours, grains and hardness but used conservatively. The woods were veneered thin sections and backed with boards of low-cost local woods, to form a surfacing material.

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THE PALEOLITHIC WALL PAINTING

Post 677–by Gautam Shah

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The wall paintings (upper palaeolithic eras) began as a medium of expression -a ‘story’ telling exploit. It was not a decorative art for a place, but a ceremonial craft in a space. The paintings were in deep caves as well as open sites. Bhimbetka, India, sites shows human occupation for more than 100,000 years, but earliest paintings on the cave walls here date back just 30,000 years ago.

Upper Palaeolithic period began roughly around 40,000/60000 years ago and lasted through the Pleistocene ice age, which is believed to have occurred near 8,000 B.C. This period was marked by the rise of Homo sapiens and their ever-developing ability to create tools and weapons.

The cave sites were difficult to access but were perhaps special and visited by several generations. The caves were deep and dark and artists worked with lamps and torch lights. The paintings were made on walls, ceilings and even floors. Many of the locations and surfaces were acutely irregular. Artists had to work in squatting lying position or use elaborate scaffolding to reach the heights. The scale of the job was stupendous. Deep cave paintings have survived, whereas open location paintings have generally been destroyed.

‘At Bernifal in the Dordogne, the mammoths are painted 20 feet up. Some of the bulls at Lascaux are more than 20 feet long. The big cave vault at Lascaux, known as the Picture Gallery, is more than 100 feet long and 35 feet wide.’

The cave art consists of simple impromptu works as well as grand executions. The first types were perhaps executed by amateurs or apprentices, and the second by masters. To sustain projects of such scale, the master artists were helped by a retinue of assistants and the community. The assistants helped in erecting scaffolding, preparing the surface to be painted, mixing colours, devising brushes and other colour application tools, feeding animal fats to lighting torches, provisioning food and water.

The cave artists have shown very high degree of professionalism. The compositions, understanding of the animals’ anatomical details, animals’ form, dynamism and movement, all represent a keen sense of observation, experience and discipline.

The limited choice of colours has been overcome by the masterly expression of form. There is consistent economy of line. The textural and tonal qualities do not represent the light and shade, yet suggest the depth through colour differentiation (recognizing the ‘grey tone value’). At places existing substrate textures have been exploited. The scale and distribution of objects within a composition do not follow a visual proportion system, yet prioritize the elements of the story.

Wall painting began as a line drawing. Lines were frequently scrapped through a sharp edged tool. The etched lines perhaps helped in retaining the charcoal or soft stones rubbings. Such art works, as the primary responses were impressed on whatever interior or exterior surfaces that were available. However, it was realized that more permanent work can only be created in a protected space. The caves space and its environment stimulated a spiritual experience for the portrayal. The spaces must have been favoured by several generations, as some of the paintings have been modified repeatedly over thousands of years. The earliest works are refined compared to later works or modifications.

There is nothing to suggest that the art was a setting of a ceremony. There is no depiction of a sacrifice, or a master of ceremonies like a priest, sorcerer or a witch-doctor. The paintings also have no images of the surrounding terrain or the vegetation of the time.

The palaeolithic wall art consists of three main categories of subjects: animals, humans and signs (abstract or unexplained). The animal figures are the most detailed and naturalistic representations, but drawings of humans are rare and perfunctory. ‘In the case of Chauvet, predatory or dangerous animals dominate, while in Lascaux the main representations are of large herbivorous mammals’. At caves across various geographic locations the animals include: woolly rhinoceros, lions, bison, horses, aurochs, bears, reindeer, wisent, and giant deer and hyenas. At places species which were then extinct (as per the time dating technology), are also painted. Some of the most common species such as the reindeer do not find any representation, though bones have been found in the cave. The wall art also includes prints of spray painted hands, with abstract interconnecting lines.

The abstract signs are said to be representing the perception of night skies, of stars etc. Some forms of visual effects of movement or vibrancy (experienced in limited illumination) were perhaps included by use of florescent dyes, and slightly shifted images.

MATERIALS and TECHNIQUES

Wall art of upper Palaeolithic age in the early phase did not have any surface preparation except scrubbing off the loose particles and dust. Selected surfaces were away from flowing or leaching water. Early phase drawings were done in line work with charcoal, but compared to this the carbon black, a deposit over an animal fat burning lamp had better binding and colour saturation. Lines were also scratched or etched by a sharp tool and done over with a black colour. Scratching the surface also ensured better colour retention. Later renderings (filling up the colour) with red ochre (Iron oxide from Haematite) and black was done. In the later phase (25000/20000 BC) other colours such as yellow and brown were added to the palette.

In the initial phase dry colours were rubbed over the surface. In the later phase colours were ground with water and additives like blood, urine, eggs and animal fats. The additives improved the bonding, increased the viscosity (to prevent run off the surface) and reduced the drying time (allowing application and rendering effects). Learning also included: how to prepare intermediate shades (orange and browns), prevent algae like growth, avoid colours that fade over an age and moisture bleeding of colours and additives. Colours were mixed Calcium containing water or nodules to improve fixing.

The colours were ground by rubbing them over a rough surface, and also through pestles and mortars. At Lascaux, some 158 different mineral fragments were found. Shells of barnacles and human skulls were used as containers for ground pigment pastes. Colour was applied by brushes, twigs and fingers. Colours were also put on by spraying through mouth and blow pipes made from bird bones, and by daubing with hands, fibrous pads and soft skins. Colours were sprayed over hands as the stencils to perhaps mark the participation or visitation.

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BLOGS LINKS about PERCEPTION

Post 652 -by Gautam Shah

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These are my select few 91+ blogs (out of nearly 850 placed on my 4 blog sites) written over last 4 years, now compiled under a common theme ‘Space Perception’ with following sub sections.

      0  New series of Lectures (Four) on Perception

1. SPACE PERCEPTION
2. ILLUMINATION
3. MOVEMENT, BALANCE
4. OPENINGS SYSTEMS
5. GLASS
6. GRILLS, TRELLIS, CURTAINS
7. SOUND and NON VISUAL
8. OBJECTS, SURFACES, COLOURS, PATTERNS
9. REALITY, MAKE-BELIEVE

 

0  New series of Lectures (Four) on Perception

0.1 SOME SOUND BITES -Space Perception -I

SOME SOUND BITES -Space Perception -I

0.2 STRATIFICATION of VISION

https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2018/03/02/stratification-of-vision0.2 /

0.3 PERCEPTION of SPATIAL FIELDS -ILLUMINATION

PERCEPTION of SPATIAL FIELDS -ILLUMINATION

0.4 MULTI NODAL PERCEPTIONS of OBJECTS in SPACE

MULTI NODAL PERCEPTIONS of OBJECTS in SPACE

 

 

1 SPACE PERCEPTION

1.1 PROCESS of PERCEPTION

1.2 PROCESS of PERCEPTION part-I

1.3 SPACE PERCEPTION -through seeing, hearing and touching

1.4 SPACE PERCEPTION – Issues for Design -4

1.5 SPACE PERCEPTION

1.6 SPATIAL DEFINITIONS

1.7 SENSING OBJECTS BEYOND THEIR SIZE MEASURES

1.8 SPATIAL DEFINITIONS

1.9 SPATIAL DISTANCING and BEHAVIOUR

1.10 DISTANCING in SPACE

1.11 SPACES SIZES and SHAPES

1.12 SMALL SPACES and LARGE SPACES

1.13 REACH in SPACE

2 ILLUMINATION

2.1 CONTRAST EFFECT – PERCEPTION

2.2 PERCEPTION of SPATIAL FIELDS -ILLUMINATION

2.3 DAYLIGHTING

2.4 DAY-LIGHTING – in Interior Spaces

2.5 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS for DAYLIGHTING

2.6 SPACE PERCEPTION and ILLUMINATION

2.7 DAYTIME INTERIOR ILLUMINATION -REALITY and PERCEPTION

2.8 INTERIOR ILLUMINATION through DOORS

2.9 WINDOW LOCATION and NATURAL LIGHTING

2.10 LE CORBUSIER and ILLUMINATION

2.11 COMPARING WINDOWS of FLW, LC and Mies

3 MOVEMENT, BALANCE

3.1 MOVEMENT and BALANCE – Issues for Design -5

3.2 PERCEPTION of BALANCE and MOVEMENT

3.3 BALANCE in DESIGN – Part 1

3.4 BALANCE in DESIGN – Part 2

3.5 VISUAL PERCEPTION of MOVEMENTS

3.6 PERCEPTION through SCALES and CONVERSIONS -Issues or Design -3 

4 OPENINGS SYSTEMS

4.1 LEVELS of OPENINGS

4.2 DESIGNING OPENINGS

4.3 CLASSICAL WINDOW FORMS

4.4 ARCHITECTURAL WINDOWS and VISION in-out

4.5 ARCHITECTURAL WINDOWS and the MEANING

4.6 ARCHITECTURAL WINDOWS and MECHANICS of VISION

4.7 MEANING of a WINDOW SILL

4.8 THIRD DIMENSION of OPENINGS

4.9 LANTERNS in ARCHITECTURE

4.10 CLERESTORY OPENINGS

4.11 SKY LIGHTS

4.12 ROOF LIGHTS

4.13 SHOP WINDOWS

4.14 SHOP WINDOWS – SHOP FRONTS – DISPLAY WINDOWS

4.15 FRAMING of OPENINGS

4.16 MASKING of OPENINGS Part -III -Framing

4.17 MASKING of OPENINGS Part -II

4.18 MASKING of OPENINGS Part -I

5 GLASS

5.1 GLASS in ARCHITECTURE -1

5.2 GLASS and PERCEPTION

5.3 GLASS in WINDOWS – Part • I

5.4 GLASS in WINDOWS – Part • II

5.5 COLOURED GLASS

6 GRILLS, TRELLIS, CURTAINS

6.1 CONTEXT -Issues for Design -12

6.2 ROOFS 3 -Skyline and Silhouette

6.3 HOLISM and DESIGN

6.4 TRELLIS

6.5 GRILLS

6.6 CURTAINS

6.7 TRANSLUCENCY for CURTAINS

6.8 SHEER FABRICS and CURTAINS

6.9 SHEER FABRICS and CURTAINS-2

6.10 NON SILK SHEER FABRICS and CURTAINS

6.11 WEIGHT and TRANSLUCENCY of fabrics for curtains

6.12 SHEER FABRICS

7 SOUND and NON VISUAL

7.1 SOUND

7.2 SOUND, SPACE and PERCEPTION

7.3 PERCEPTION of SOUND and SPACES

7.4 SPACE and SOUND REVERBERATION

7.5 SOUND and NOISE MANAGEMENT

7.6 HEARING and interior spaces

7.7 ACOUSTICS in SMALL SPACES

7.8 SOUND and SMALL SPACES

7.9 SPACE PLANNING and NON VISUAL CUES

7.10 NON VISUAL LANGUAGE -Issues for Design -6

7.11 LANGUAGE EXPRESSION and SOUND PERCEPTION

8 OBJECTS, SURFACES, COLOURS, PATTERNS

8.1 OBJECTS in SPATIAL FIELDS -Issues for Design -14

8.2 COLOURS -Perception and Expression

8.3 COLOURS and BUILDINGS

8.4 FLOORINGS

8.5 FLOORING COLOUR

8.6 FLOORINGS IN INTERIOR SPACES

8.7 PERCEPTION of SURFACE FINISHES

8.8 GLOSS

8.9 TEXTURES and MATERIALS

8.10 JOINTS in SURFACE FINISHES

8.11 MOSAICS

9 REALITY, MAKE-BELIEVE

9.1 SOLIDS and VOIDS -issues for Design -13

9.2 AUGMENTED REALITY

9.3 SPACES and REALITY

9.4 MAKE-BELIEVE in INTERIOR DESIGN

 

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COLOUR MODELS (RYB)

Post 530  –by Gautam Shah

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The search for ‘truest’ or ‘purest’ colour has been a story of revelations. Some of the purest forms of colours have been available in nature, as flowers, body colours or spots over insects and birds. These were sought in applicable forms such as pigments and juices or dyes. It was realized from very primitive times that both the forms have distinctive applications. Pigments are good for wall-arts and juices or dyes are good for body colouring, fibres and leathers. Beyond this it was also known that pigments were comparatively opaque in comparison to nearly transparent juices or dyes. Primitive age craftspeople had typical understanding that very ‘pure colours shades’ were less lasting than slightly compromised shades. This realization was due to the fact that oxide and natural pigments were longer lasting or non-fading. A ‘richer’ shade of colour was sought by methods of purification or concentration through separation, grinding, washing, floatation, sieving, calcination or sintering.

Since prehistoric period it was also clearly known that richness of the colour lies in the contrast it creates with the nearby colour. Such an understanding of colour value is known only to the actual user of the colour and not to lay persons who can philosophize the effect. Realizations are not necessarily visual percepts. Through such attempts of definition first theories of colours began to emerge. Greek philosopher Aristotle related colours (as maintained in De colouribus) to the four elements: air, water, earth and fire. But then he was not a visual art practitioner.

“For air and water are naturally white in themselves, while fire and the sun are golden. The earth is also naturally white, but seems coloured because it is dyed. This becomes clear when we consider ashes; for they become white when the moisture which caused their dyeing is burned out of them; but not completely so, for they are also dyed by smoke, which is black. In the same way sand becomes golden, because the fiery red and black tints the water. The colour black belongs to the elements of things while they are undergoing a transformation of their nature”. -Aristotle’s realizations of colours.

Since Aristotle’s time such ‘subjective realizations’ have found little favour with the art painters. Their triad of colours was of Red-Yellow-Blue of pure colours or un-creatable shades. But for many years, black and white remained baffling ‘colours’. One could mix few colours to match a ‘near-black’, but the same was not possible for white or ‘near-white’. The ‘disappearance of colours’ on a flying wheel and perception a white was not yet logically connected to this perplexity. It had to wait for Newton to explain it. Many painters before 1600s have written about creating and using colours, their ability to consistently reformat the same colour and also their inability to reformat the same shade in spite of all care and documented formulations. Describing a colour was even harder than creating it. The writings fail on how to state a colour shade. Colours have had only metaphoric interpretations.

COLOUR palette of Monet : ‘Monet began an extensive series of bridges of all types and locations. He worked on nearly one hundred (known) canvases during three extended trips to London in 1899, 1900, and 1901. Monet made forty-one known canvases of the Waterloo Bridge. Monet painted the bridge from a far enough distance that many of its structural details are obscured. The structure was largely a vehicle for his primary interest in capturing the shifting effects of fog, ephemeral light, and reflections on the water. Monet used a vivid yet soft color palette of yellows, oranges, and golds on the bridge and other structures in the distance and complementary violet-blue and pink tones for the sky, water, and atmosphere. These dominant colors are subtly inflected with myriad varying hues to create a rich visual texture and make the brushwork palpable. He also created a sense of motion in the traffic across the bridge, the river’s current, and the trails of smoke from chimneys in the background. The fog in nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century London—tainted by extensive industrial pollution and taking on unusual colors and thicknesses was legendary.‘ — http://art-monet.com/1900_69.html

The Red-Yellow-Blue colour triad was the painters’ logic of defining the colours as per the visual experience. Franciscus Aguilonius (1567-1617) a physicist disputed Aristotle’s theory or rather the philosophy of colours. He devised a better method of identifying and arranging the colours. Colour arrangement was of placing 5 colours White – Yellow – Red – Blue – Black, at the bottom, and mixes of these forming the riser. He included the Red, Yellow and Blue which became the forerunner of other systems that function in a similar way. This was a chart, and not a colour wheel.

Aron Sigfrid Forsius (1611), a Finnish born astrologer, priest and neo-Platonist, and contemporary of Franciscus Aguilonius, derived a drawn colour arrangement with five main colours: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue and Grey, all placed for their affinity to Black or White. This, however, was going to change some 60 years later. In 1672, Newton showed the optical quality of colours, as a spectrum of seven colours. This was very different from earlier attempts of visual gradations of colours. This interpretation was challenged, by Goethe in the ‘Theory of Colours’ (1810). For him it was important to understand the human reaction to colour, compared with Newton’s science supported explanation. But at that time there were few takers for it. Newton first divided the spectrum in five main colours red, yellow, green, blue and violet but later included orange and indigo, to analogize with the seven notes in a musical scale, and perhaps the solar system, and days of the week.

Richard Waller in Stockholm published a list of 119 colours arranged from ‘dark to light shades’ in seven columns each topping with a basic colour. Jacob Christian Schäffer a German a natural historian and inventor wanted some standard format (Table of physiological colours, mixed and Simple, in 1686) that would permit unambiguous descriptions of the colours of natural bodies. This was the beginning of naming, identifying and graphically specifying the colours.

One major mis-perception that has built up is that colour models are circular like a disk, sphere or cylinder. The colours are divided into 7 zones of spectrum, which is rather similar to the Musical notes ( also divided into 7 sections). Both are illogical scales. The colour spectrum and musical notes are always in linear or a strip form, where the ends never touch, or create a sense of proximity. These belies the concept of opposite or complimentary colours. The perceived or “theoretical” affinities are not the reality, though all sorts of “scientific” proofs are attached. Perhaps, some day some-one will offer a plausible explanation about such affinities.

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BLACK Part – II

Post 517  by Gautam Shah

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Black is one of the prime colours, used by humans. Red, though is very vivid and fascinating colour in the history. Red and Black have ethereal connection, and both seem almost indistinguishable in monotone perception. This was one of the reasons that in the black-white cinema era, heroines avoided red dresses and lipsticks. The infamous Psycho shower scene of blood, was shot with not red liquid but most palatable chocolate syrup. The BW movie Jezebel (1938 with cast Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent), based on Brilliant scarlet dress (outrageous) the heroine wore, was actually Brown in colour. It was a well-deliberated move. Was this the story of red colour in dark dimly lit cave paintings of Paleolithic age? Could they have perceived black from the red, when both of which were extensively used. Paleolithic painters had several sources of black, such as wood charcoal, bone charcoal, manganese oxide, in addition to the tonal variations caused by the surface binding mediums like water, tallow, fish oil, eggs, wax etc. The hue variations were caused by the direction, and intensity of the lighting torch or fire used to see the paintings.

Black is the ‘strongest colour’ (or in scientific language the most remarkable absence of all colours of the spectrum). It was used as draft line of the figure, for highlighting the silhouette of the figure, in few instances for defining the colours’ edges, for containing and bounding the running colours of low viscosity. Paleolithic painters used black (and also other colours such as ochres and red oxides) to shade the artwork for tonal effects. The tonal variations served the purpose adding a depth dimension, for emphasizing the important segments of the composition, and only in later periods for light shading. Light shading with subtle use black was to indicate the direction of the source and often to the root of the magical power.

Black has been a great additive to tone up (or down) other colours. It, however, is a very strong shade tinter, even better than the whites available in early periods. Black, true to its nature, would reduce the brightness (visual impact) of the colour, compared with the addition of the white. Black added colours contribute depth to the colour. By the time of Iron age, the technique of adding black to vary the tones became much less popular. This was mainly due to the availability of multiple shades of ochres, oxides, etc. Blacks of different origins were added to whites of various types (such as calcium carbonate, barytes, gypsum) to achieve vast range of greys for use in mural paintings.

The most difficult part was how to reduce or alter the tonal quality of black? Addition of white reduced it to grey shade, a completely alienated entity of black. In painting, the lightness of a shade was adjusted through mixture with white or black, but now by adding a colour. This was done first by using black of different origin, than by mixing very dark colours such as red oxide, black iron oxide, dark amber, and by adding low opacity ‘white minerals’. When yellows, reds and oranges are mixed with small amounts of black, it can cause a change to very a different shade.

Blacks, greys and other shades shift with the addition of black, often to a level that scared many seasoned artists and crafts-persons. The scare was more forbidding due to the metaphoric association with Gods, human behaviour and varied perceptual interpretations. Blacks of all origins, however, had one positive advantage that this was non fading or non destructible colours. Their tinting strength was fairly good and the perceptible shade was just ‘black’ with very few sub-variants. But its effect on other colours after mixing or through sheer proximity was extremely profound.

Art teachers, have been telling their apprentices, juniors and students to keep away from black. The same advise still holds true even today. If you are an interior designer, architect or builder, do not play around with black, unless you have the capacity for course correction or complete redo. Blacks are very opaque, and have a very high tinting strength, so a small amount can cause devastating effect. The small amount is very ill-defined and difficult to measure a term, and thoroughly mixing it into a larger mass without industrial equipment, an impossible task.

Artists can mix few darker colours and get away with a ‘black’ like effect such as ultramarine blue and burnt umber can do it. The impressionists remained away from black, and preferred to devise the ‘black effect’.

‘Claiming that colour weakens, Pablo Picasso purged it from his work in order to highlight the formal structure and autonomy of form inherent in his art. His repeated minimal palette correlates to his obsessive interest in line and form, drawing, and monochromatic and tonal values, while developing a complex language of pictorial and sculptural signs. The recurrent motif of black, white, and gray is evident in his Blue and Rose periods, pioneering investigations into Cubism, neoclassical figurative paintings, and retorts to Surrealism. Even in his later works that depict the atrocities of war, allegorical still life, vivid interpretations of art-historical masterpieces, and his sensual canvases created during his twilight years, he continued to apply a reduction of colour’.

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UNDERSTANDING LACQUERS

Post 498 –by Gautam Shah

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In early 1920 Lacquers were considered industrial coatings, mainly used by White-goods and Automotive industry. Earlier to this period a Lac or Shellac coatings were wood craft finishing techniques and material. Industrial age lacquers were favoured due to their fast drying and non-yellowing properties. Clear Lacquers were increasingly replacing tin as MS sheet coating for food packing but were found suitable for aluminium sheets packing such as collapsible tubes and canisters. Lacquers were also used for the nail polishes and as hair fixing sprays. These lacquers as the name suggests were not made of natural Lac or shellac but from Nitro Cellulose. The lacquers needed thinners of various types for different application technologies and seasons.

Oil paints based on Alkyd resins or GP Enamels need thinner of single solvent material such as Genuine turpentine, Mineral turpentine and in few instance Naphtha or superior grades of kerosene would work. These solvents singly can work for all application needs and for cleaning-washing post-painting work. With alkyd-based paints, a resin is the film-forming component. It is reduced in viscosity during the manufacturing and later during application. The requirements of solvent-s differ according to ‘length of the resin’ (which designates the proportion of oil versus other modifying-polymerizing agents, such as typically a phthalic anhydride). Short-oil length resins may require stronger solvents. A solvent that dilutes the viscosity alone may not achieve application level of viscosity. Some type carrier or diluent solvents are required which acting as a ‘carrier’ material help achieves application level (such as spraying) viscosity. The carrier solvents evaporate fast before the chain linking (and so film forming-drying) process starts at ambient temperature, raised or baking temperature or through a catalyst enabled reaction.

The word Lacquer has become a misnomer. A Lacquer in nominal usage means a coating system that is fast drying, tougher and non-yellowing. All lacquers, however, are not NC (nitro-cellulose) lacquers. Other Lacquer coating systems formulations are based on Acrylic resins, Amino resins, Urethane and epoxy systems. NC lacquer dries with evaporation of solvents, at ambient temperature or often in warm chambers. Other formulations require baking-stoving environments or have two-pack system (a catalyst and paint mixed just before application). A NC lacquer film can be wetted-dissolved after drying (such as Nail-polishes of pre 1965 era) by a thinner, and are called ‘non-convertible systems’ (product that does not get chemically converted into something else). But newer generation-lacquers cannot be dissolved or removed easily after drying, and are called ‘convertible systems’ (product that gets chemically converted into something different).

All types of Lacquers, convertible or non-convertible products require very specific type of thinner. A company that formulates the paint system, for reasons of Patent knowledge, may not reveal the exact formulation. So it is very necessary to use the thinner specified by the manufacturer. A thinner is a combination of different solvents. There are two important considerations, action of dissolving and diluting (acting as a carrier), and evaporation rates of the solvents. A Lacquer system may need as much as 75% or more thinners for spray like application. But after the deposition on the surface, it does not require such low viscosity. So some solvents (usually diluent or carrier) begin to evaporate very quickly. Some other slower evaporating solvents, allow time for film to level out.

A lacquer-thinner is a combination of solvents of basic Five groups. First group consists of latent solvents like Toluene, xylene and naphtha. The other three groups are of active solvents such as, ketones, esters, glycol ethers. Alcohol, though a latent solvent, in combination with other solvents plays an active role.

Lacquer thinners are affected by the weather and process of application. A normal thinner works for average temperature-moisture conditions. For very wet, windy weather and for brushing or manual polishing with a cloth bundle, reduced the rate of evaporation achieved by adding or using a ‘retarder thinner’. For spray like application, an accelerated rate of drying is possible and for this accelerator or fast lacquer thinners are used. Spray applications require more and faster drying thinner compared to wood lacquers that require less and slow drying thinner.

Shellac finishes were the first true clear coatings. Shellac is an insect exudate known as stick lac. Stick-Lac is refined to remove impurities and lighten its colour. Button-Lac is a manually purified is of darker colour, while machine purified shellac is often dewaxed and de-colourized. Shellac is soluble in methylated spirit or alcohols. Sankheda furniture and Chinese lacquer items are examples of shellac coatings. Shellac is a very effective coating material even in very thin viscosity, as a result its penetration and filling capacity is excellent. It is eminently recoatable so a very level and glossy surface is possible.

Other Blogs on same Topic

•  RYUKYUAN LACQUERWARE https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2019/10/14/ryukyuan-lacquerware/
•  LACQUERS or NC LACQUERS https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2014/04/27/lacquers-or-nc-lacquers/
•  446 COROMANDEL LACQUER  https://designsynopsis.wordpress.com/2019/05/01/446-coromandel-lacquer/