Friday, July 22, 2011

A little more about drawn planar recession

Here is an Aldro Hibbard. This is one of my favorite Hibbard. I have written about him before and if you search the blog using the box at the upper left, you can find more. This Hibbard has a great passage that uses the "stacked" recession I was talking about in the last post about the light house painting.

I think this is a big enough idea that I want to stop and make sure that all the readers "get" this one. There is another idea implied by this and that is :

YOU CANNOT OBSERVE DESIGN INTO A PAINTING

You can look all day and not see this kind of recession, you may find places where it exists, but this is something you "install" into the landscape. It is an arrangement that is forced onto the actual appearance of the scene to maker a better, clearer design, rather than the more random arrangements presented by a natural location.

The detail of the lower right hand corner of the picture shows this tactic, I have photoshopped this image to make the planes a little plainer for you. The upper image has not been altered.

Below I have outlined some of those "stacked planes that recede away from us like dishes drying in a rack, viewed at a 45 degree angle.

The beauty of this device is that it Gives recession and variety to arrangements of things which actually march straight across the canvas in real life. Rather than having stripey lines of landscape elements arranged equidistant from the viewer, they are arranged in serried rows one behind one another. Think of rows of marching Egyptians from some tomb bas relief. The Egyptian sculptors used this device all the time.

16 comments:

willek said...

Is this something like Carlson reccommending making sections of panels in perspective in the ground plane in the landscape? It seems related. patches of grasses, wildflowers, etc. I have not seen this before. It is something I'll always be aware of. Thanks, Stape.

colleen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
colleen said...

although I see it, I'm very confused, are you saying that the stuff you marked goes back in perspective...what is the stacked part, if its in the Carlson book what does he call that?

I looked up on google and got more words but no picture, can you post a simple one? What you have marked in the lovely painting, looks like bars to me with stuff on them that receceeds in perspective, is that what you mean?

barbara b. land of boz said...

This is so awesome Stape......It's that string of pearls showing up again. Only stacks of plates this time. You never know where all these bits and pieces of info will help you out. Thank you.

mariandioguardi.com said...

As the installed ground planes get installed ( as patches or sections or bits of light) they get smaller and in this demo painting they become cooler. It is like perspective but it may not be apparent in the landscape and as the painter one should install this or impose this into the painting.

I am working on landscape painting out of my back yard. I am beginning to notice that the more time I spend looking at the painting am making and less time looking out at the landscape the more effective a painting it becomes.

I have these stacked like planes of grass, mulch, dappled light in the fore ground I didn't know what I was doing but I could see that they were working. I am going back to look at them with a more educated eye. Thanks.

Leslie Rego said...

I am confused if the stacking goes from front to back in the painting or the stacking goes along each landscape section (the strips of rocks which travel on the diagonal).

I am not sure which direction one would design the stacking when painting.

Garin Baker said...

Great Hibbard, Stape. Nice Choice!!

Karen Slagle said...

During a workshop you mentioned thinking in terms of a stage and the different elements of the set overlapping each other. Is what you are describing here directly, loosely or not at all related to that? Thanks Stape!

Stapleton Kearns said...

willek ;
No, this is a different thing but related..
............Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

colleen;
No this is not in Carlson. I will publish a post explaining this more soon.
................Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

barbara b. land of boz;
Stack s of plates set on edge.
............Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

mariandioguardi.com;
It IS a part of drawing and design though not color. It will work in black and white. Color can augment the effect.
..............Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Leslie Regol
More information is coming I have to finish a little diagram I am making.
..............Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Garin Baker;
Garin, e-mail me your mailing address.
................Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Karen Slagle
Yes that is the same idea.This just takes it as little further.
...................Stape

Stapleton Kearns said...

Karen Slagle
Yes that is the same idea.This just takes it as little further.
...................Stape