Our fascination with the feeling of a view of Infinity has an ancient history in visual art. This is also true of our fascination with our perception of water’s translucence. But combining these two perceptions into a single image rarely … Continued
In my search for the origins of translucence in art I found a late fifth century mosaic In Ravenna commissioned by Theodoric the Great (see example 1). This is early Christian art, a depiction of Jesus and John the Baptist … Continued
Ancient Greeks believed after your death the boatman, Charon (Karon) would ferry you across the river Styx to the afterlife. Charon required a silver coin which some living relative had obligingly put beneath your tongue. Charon would then ferry you … Continued
The appearance of submerged subjects vs. subjects resting on or above water has long beguiled artists. Leonardo Da Vinci was the first to successfully evince the illusion of translucence. Previous artists had tried but their efforts appear unpersuasive to modern … Continued
Nature offers us myriad harmonized and ordered patterns. Courtesy of their DNA plants leaf in repeated patterns (example 1). Crystals reconstruct their patterns as they grow. The arrangement of fish scales vary subtly across their repeated lines. You know I … Continued
Artists often look to alternative sources for inspiration. Picasso wandered through the Trocadero Museum in Paris and discovered inspiration in African Masks. Gauguin traveled to Tahiti. Monet looked to the Japanese woodcuts of Hokusai and Hiroshige. Artists of the late … Continued