Excerpts from Alberti's On painting - Essay Example

?Excerpts from Alberti’s “On painting” Leon Battista Alberti is known for his dexterity in several fields such as architecture, poetry, linguistics, philosophy and cryptography. Having coined the concept of Polymaths by claiming that “a man can do all things if he will”, he is often regarded as the quintessential example of the Universal man though not as famous as Leonardo da Vinci. His abilities in mathematics, science and arts were exemplary. In fact, in his well known treatise Della Pittura, otherwise known as On Painting or De Pictura, he begins his comments on painting with axioms and theories of ancient Greek mathematicians. He vehemently argued that the ultimate goal of any artist is to mimic reality or the nature and hence suggested that all steps of education and learning must originate from the nature. In Della Pittura, he bases his studies of perspective as an instrument to be used for architectural and artistic representation on the concepts of classical optics. Much of his knowledge of Optics was derived from Kitab-al-Manazir written by the Arab pioneer, Alhazen. Though the literary structure and the purpose of the work has been a subject of debate for centuries, it is certainly an eye opener in some aspects of painting and other related arts (G. Vasari & R. Brown). Basic concepts: He identifies three important divisions of painting as being the circumscription, composition and the reception of light. However, before moving on to these divisions, he briefly explains the foundation concepts required to understand the divisions of painting. He begins his treatise about the art of painting by explaining his thoughts about the basic mathematical concepts and properties involved in painting. To begin with, he defines the plane as an external part which can be comprehended by its length, depth and quality but not by its depth. Every plane can be attributed with two kinds of qualities: those which remain permanent and those which change in the perception of the viewer although the original plane is not altered in anyway. He observes that the permanent quality of any painting can be defined by the outermost boundary. As the name suggests, the plane is enclosed within the outermost boundary and marked by a number of lines. These lines can be circular or curved or straight based on the plane. A circular outer boundary encloses a circle. However, if the boundary is moved in certain ways, the name and appearance of the plane too changes. For instance, a circle can be easily modified into a triangle, a square, a quadrilateral or a polygon by moving the boundary in appropriate direction (L. Alberti & J. Spencer). Next, he proceeds to describe the surface of the plane. The surface of a plane can be one of the following three types: flat surfaces such as water and wall, hollowed surfaces such as the interior of a sphere and swollen, spherical surfaces such as the exterior of a sphere. Together, the outermost boundary and the surface of a plane define its appearance and any change in either of these qualities will result in a change in the appearance of the plane. Hence, Alberti identifies these qualities as the permanent qualities of a plane (L. Alberti & J. Spencer). Brief introduction to the three divisions: As was his practice, Alberti credited nature with the three divisions of painting. He defined the first division of painting based on the initial perception of any object being perceived by human eyes. He observes that when a painter views anything, he perceives it as an object occupying some space. Hence, he will draw the outline or the outermost boundaries of this object. This division is known as Circumscription and represents the first division of painting. The next division is based on further observation of the object. After perceiving the boundary, we proceed to see how the different surfaces of the observed objects are arranged to form the thing being viewed. Hence, the painter observes the exact arrangement of these surfaces and draws them. This process is known as Composition. Finally, we get into the core of our perception of the object. It is well-known fact that we can only see objects which are colored. Every object we see is a projection of light reflected from the surface of objects into our eyes. Therefore, the painter observes the colors and their combinations in the object to incorporate the same in his or her painting. This division is known as the Reception of Light (L. Alberti & C. Grayson). Now, let us consider Alberti’s divisions of painting in detail. Circumscription: It is defined as the process of demarcating the outermost boundaries of a painting. Apparently, the ancient Greek painter Parrhasius who lived in the same era as Socrates was an expert in the art of Circumscription. Though merely marking the boundaries of a painting may appear to be a simple process, it requires delicate use of lines. It is important to know how to employ lines of various thicknesses in drawing the contours of a painting since circumscription is one among the several phases involved in the process of painting and can ruin or enhance the beauty of the painting. A great composition and reception of light can go unnoticed if the circumscription is not done with the attention it deserves. Since the lines drawn during this process are only used for demarcating the boundaries, it is important that these lines are fine and almost invisible to the eye. Otherwise, in the final product these lines may appear like cracks and not like margins of the painting thereby ruining the beauty of the painting. During this phase, it is important to understand that the viewer will only be able to view a cross-section of the visual pyramid perceived by the painter due to the two-dimensional nature of painting. Hence, several methods such as using a loosely woven piece of cloth to project the contours of the object can be used in order to achieve the finesse necessary during circumscription (G. Vasari & R. Brown). While drawing things out of memory, circumscription is important since it helps you identify things which are visible from a certain angle and things which aren’t. This will be of great assistance during composition and while analyzing the reception of light. However, the visibility of things is purely based on the focus of the centric rays and can greatly vary if the angle of centric rays is changed (L. Alberti & J. Spencer). Composition: The next division is the composition of a painting. It is a well-known fact that every painting is composed of several objects or bodies and each of these bodies is composed of different parts or members and every member consists of the basic elements of painting, the surfaces. Hence, Alberti argues that in order to achieve perfection in the eyes of the viewer, the painting should begin from the lowest level of surfaces and proceed upwards. Perfection in composition normally results in what the viewer perceives as grace or beauty in the painting. For instance, a painting in which a face has either extremely large or extremely small features or surfaces may look very ugly to the viewer. However, a painting in which a face has the proper composition of all features or surfaces and which allows smooth reflection of lights to create soft shadows and smooth angles will be praised by the viewer as being beautiful and graceful. Moving to the next level, the composition of members involves ensuring that all members of the painting are similar in terms of function, size, color, kind and other aspects which contribute to the visible beauty of the painting. While drawing living creatures, he suggests that it might help to begin by painting the bones since bones determine the exact positions and postures of the objects and are permanent. Gradually, one might proceed to add the muscles and other bodily features. The final and the toughest part is the composition of bodies or objects. The rules related to function and size of the bodies is similar to those of the members. Including a great variety of things such as people of different age groups or domestic animals or birds or other objects found in everyday life might help in creating a rich visual experience for the viewer since variety is key aspect in attracting people towards any work of art. Variety, when done in a proper way, can add dignity to the painting. However, choosing the right number of objects for the painting is totally based on the artist’s taste. If the people in the painting are expressive, they can dominate the painting and yet make it look dignified. However, since the expressions in painting are entirely based on physical movements and it is extremely difficult to paint physical expressions without having experienced them, it demands great skill. The movements of inanimate objects such as the hair, the leaves etc. can add greater detail to the painting (L. Alberti & J. Spencer). Reception of light: Alberti identifies four colors as being the basic colors of nature: red (the color of fire), blue (the color of air), grey and ash, the colors of earth. He argued that all other colors were merely species belonging to the genera of these colors and can be obtained by combining these colors in different proportions. The incidence of light rays and shades in the painting determines the intensity of these colors. However, these lights and shades are portrayed using black and white. Artists who understand the true nature of colors have been able to create painting using a handful of colors. While Polygnotus and Timanthes used the four basic colors, Aglaophon used one. Though using the entire range of colors can certainly add to the aesthetic value of the painting, they must be used wisely and economically. Correct use of colors alone can make the subject prominent like a sculpture and add a life-like quality to the painting. It also depends on the nature of the underlying surfaces. For instance, plane surfaces have a uniform coloring all over whereas spherical surfaces have a myriad of colors on their surfaces due to the various angles of incidence and the different reflections of light. Hence, like all other divisions of color, reception of light too is a very important part of painting (L. Alberti & J. Spencer). Alberti observed that some painters achieve greatness through hard work, some through study and some through a better understanding of the underlying sciences. However, a vision and the innate artistic nature accompanied with the aforementioned skills alone can make a good artist and great artwork (G. Vasari & R. Brown). Works Cited Alberti, Leon & Spencer, John. “On Painting.” New Haven: Yale University Press. 1970. Web. 30 Jun. 2011. Alberti, Leon & Grayson, Cecil. “On Painting.” London: Penguin. 1991. Web. 30 Jun. 2011. Vasari, Giorgio & Brown, Roy. “The Lives of the Painters, Sculptors & Architects.” Volume 1. 2007. Web. 30 Jun. 2011. Read More