Perception- Drawing 2: LIGHT

Throughout the history of drawing and painting, the evolving usage of illumination can be traced. It has, at varying moments, been seen as divine, omnipresent, atmospheric, emotional, psychological, and descriptive. In the works of Pre- Renaissance artists we can see a overall light, one clearly making visible all elements and characters equally. A concept in which, a solid rigidity of space is determined by objects. Nothing disappears and clarity rules. Examples of Baroque artists reveal a deliberate focus on the drama of light and darkness, and the creation of atmosphere. A space in which, all objects are subject to a supercedeing law of the environment and the volume between objects is charged, a space where objects are lost in shadow and born in light. Within in this context we see manipulation of narratives, compositional focus, and emotional development. With the rebellion of the Impressionists (emboldened by the introduction of tube paint) we see in there plein- air work, the investigation into optics and the essence of light and color. We see a concern with the fleeting moments of light and its physical effects on the color we see and translate to canvas. In turn we see the Surrealists and a dream light, and unreal light unbound by physics, that may only exist in memory or subconscious. Gradually light became an agent of psychology. A method of touching on emotions by creating environments that imply the internal world of the subject or amplify situations. Following are just a few examples showcasing some of these qualities.