The Expressive Figure Assignment
Concept: Stereoscopy and Neural Net
The Gestalt of perceiving the whole from the parts
Materials
- Vine or Willow Jumbo Charcoal ( Generals), Graphite lead and holder, ballpoint pen, Crayon, etc
- White or Ivory Pastel pencil or chalk, NuPastel Ivory 279
- 90 lb drawing paper 12" x 19", Canson Mi Tientes toned paper or similar, sketchbook
- Grid paper is also recommended for this exercise.
Starting with charcoal or chosen media, quickly indicate the gestural action of the pose with an emphasis on the placement of the figure on the paper. Use a descriptive scribble line with a light touch so that the values are not too dark. Once you establish the mass of the figure, using the same light touch, extend horizontal lines across the page that correspond with the crotch height from the floor as well as the shoulder height from the floor. If you like, you can also create a subset of horizontals that correspond to the height of the knees and elbows as well as the top of the cranium from the floor.
Draw multiple views of the figure from your fixed point of view, aligning the anatomy to the horizontal matrices. Your brain is processing the binocular vision into a 3D "experience". Also, from a figurative artist's point of view, the hidden volumes of anatomy that are unseen, become apparent as the model rotates and "fill out" the volume.
Gestalt of Perception
The human brain is exceptionally good at filling in the blanks in an image and creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s why we see faces in things like tree leaves or sidewalk cracks. This principle is one of the most important underlying ideas behind the gestalt principles of perception. The most influential early proposal written about the theory was published by Max Wertheimer in his 1923 Gestalt laws of perceptual organization, though Wolfgang Köhler’s 1920 discussion of Physical Gestalten also contains many influential ideas on the subject.
In the simplest terms, gestalt theory is based on the idea that the human brain will attempt to simplify and organize complex images or designs that consist of many elements, by subconsciously arranging the parts into an organized system that creates a whole, rather than just a series of disparate elements. Our brains are built to see structure and patterns in order for us to better understand the environment that we’re living in.
There are six individual principles commonly associated with gestalt theory: similarity, continuation, closure, proximity, figure/ground, and symmetry & order (also called prägnanz). There are also some additional, newer principles sometimes associated with gestalt, such as common fate.
For your consideration:
