Elliptical Thinking

In two dimensions circles falling flat become ellipses. This fundamental  illusion of perspective has aided designs for millennia. Cezanne tried looking at planes and ellipses with a roving focus the way we normally scan any scene. The ellipses in Cezanne’s  still lifes reflect  an effort to explore this experience. One side of an elliptical bowl or glass appears flat but, a dissonant relationship is revealed when coupled with its opposite side because,  we observe the bowl, glass, or table through a series of individual foveal saccades (shifting focus points) which we aggregate into a single image. Cezanne tried to break this process down and reveal how we gather our saccades before we build them into a unitary image like a photograph (example 1).

example 1. Cezanne detail.

Others, like Picasso observed how ellipses create a liquid continuity and,  can be used as structural devices to unite the  space on a  picture’s surface (example 2).  Artists continue to be attracted to the rhythmic rhyming potential of circles and ellipses like Monet creating his cursive and elliptical water lilies.  They gave him sustained unity with a wandering sense of space.

example 2. Picasso,1931, Pitcher and fruit bowl.

In this photograph of cafe tables we feel the receding space,  rhyming shapes, and their eventual tipping of the picture plane (example 3).

example 3. Cafe Tables.

Whenever you wish flatten a circle you convert it to an ellipse. The flatter the ellipse the more the circle recedes or falls on a receding plane (examples 4 and 5)

example 4. Circular View of Florence.

example 5.  Foreshortened, ellipticized  and flattened view of Florence.

Extending space through ellipses can work in many ways. The more elliptical I make the concentric circles emanating in these “water circle” paintings of mine the deeper they extend the horizontal plane into space  ( examples 6, 7 and 8). In the following three examples I further flattened (ellipticized) the circle as I proceeded with the painting.

example 6. water circle rhythms,36×36

example 7. water circle rhythms 2, 48×48

example 8. water circle rhythms 3, 48×48

Like Picasso and Cezanne I continue to find  opportunities for arranging patterns of ellipses. With varying subjects I discover  patterns of rhythmic variation, direction and counter-direction, perspective illusions.

Here are two beach life paintings. In example 9 you see the largest and nearest beach umbrella, ellipse, does not propel itself forcefully against the sky. Example 10 shows how I used a darker sky to push this primary ellipse (umbrella) more vigorously forward. Notice how I rely on shrinking and flattening ellipses in the other umbrellas to suggest more space . I kept them all horizontal and let you see less and less of the underside of the distant umbrellas.

example 9. step one, 3 umbrellas.

example 10. step two, with more immanent forward umbrella.

Ellipses may use exaggeration to offer a more persuasive presence. In example 11 observe the two umbrellas I have circled in red. They are too small and tightly circumscribed to generate large persuasive shadows and, they are too close in size to the those in the distance. By making them larger with softer expanding edges I increase the space within the picture (example 12).

example 11. Step one, too tight and small ellipses.

example 12. Step two, expanded ellipses.

I look forward to joining the small band of artists working with me October 1-4 in Sun Valley Idaho. Those still interested should contact Sarah Kolash at the Sun Valley Center For The Arts at 208 726 9491 x121 or skolash@sunvalleycenter.org

I also invite you to join me in November for Art of The Carolinas November 13-15. I have three workshops on offer: “Water:Reflections & Translucence”; “Realistic Abstractions”; and “Brighter Brilliant Nature”. contact 800 827 8478 x 156 or www.artofthecarolinas.com

To my Silvermine art students, I look forward to seeing you again on Tuesday October 6 and Wednesday the 7th.