emotional colour

The understanding and representation of colour was first graphed by Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727). J.Gage, In his experiment to determine the chromatic constituents of the spectrum he had enrolled the services of 'an Assistant', whose Eyes for distinguishing Colours were more critical than mine'. Colour and Culture, p.191. Here Gage quoted Newton was assisted in representing his discovery, an analysis of the colour spectrum.

This discovery was displayed in a painting by G. Battista Pittoni, in a piece called 'An Allegorical Monument to Sir Isaac Newton' (1727-30). This represents not only this, but also the time it occurred. It is framed by a representational image. What I mean by this is its environment. The location of this scene is classical, yet its imagery is opposing importance. It is not a church, but a collection of definitive human structure. The human scale that is involved in this scene has hierarchy but at the peak of this it is not of religion. It is a collection of thinkers and innovation.

Colour at the time was used as a representation of a religious hierarchy. What this image displays is a understanding that colour may not be defined by the gods. The origin of light creating a spectrum of colour in this case is not of religious birth. It is seen above these innovators among the structure created by man. From this it reflects into a natural projection of the colour spectrum.

The beam of light is at an angle and in shadow, around the corner from what looks to be illuminated from the heavens. This indicates it isnt provided directly from the gods. It is a natural occurance that the reflection has transformed in this way.

I felt this understanding is a frame of human development. An understanding of things that couldn't be explained, may not be the act of gods. This is relevant not only in terms of fine art but also science, society and a responsibility shown by humans that these 'unnatural' or 'otherworldly' feelings are under our control. It is a beginning of human scaled emotions and presents a life beyond the rule of god.



G. Battista Pittoni
An Allegorical Monument to Sir Isaac Newton, 1727-30

ornament and crime

Adolf Loos (1870 – 1933) believed all ornamentation that had been preserved from the past was useless. To him ornamented furnishings served little purpose other than pleasing the eye and representing wealth. Items of the working class were made to serve a purpose and had no need for ornamentation. This meant they were discarded and the knowledge lost. A.Loos (1910) We possess no carpenter's benches of the Carolingian period; instead any rubbish which had even the smallest ornament was collected, cleaned and displayed in ostentatious palaces that were built for them, people walked sadly amongst the display cabinets. The Industrial Design Reader, p.76.

Loos believed in the discontinuation of ornamentation and his resolution to this was to promote a style without it. He makes a very valid point with how much effort goes into these processes; it uses more material, time and as a result more money. Also who was affected by this were the workers, not spending the extra time to decorate these things meant they could put their efforts into making the objects more reliable, make more of them and also work less hours.

I thought this sounded like a great idea however there is a certain joy in the making of something that shouldn’t be discarded. Without joy in your work it becomes strenuous and repetitive and you soon lose interest, making everything else seem that much worse. I believe that ornamentation can be celebrated through the experimentation and knowledge of material. Also it needs to be made with the same understanding to create the form it collaborates with. Then again this combination would be nothing with out the frame of a solid construction because the real beauty about an object is how it is made.