Entry 10

 Pablo Picasso's Guernica

 image taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PicassoGuernica.jpg

Guernica by artist Pablo Picasso is perhaps one of the starkest and most brutal anti-war paintings ever conceived. It uses the bombing of Guernica, which was carried out by Spanish Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War, to illustrate how war inflicts suffering and tragedy on the innocent. We see first hand how the bombing has affected the civilians, livestock, and structural integrity of the village. A woman grieves over her dead child, a horse falls over in agony after being run through by a spear, a dead dismembered soldier rest his hand on a severed arm that still grasps a broken sword; no one has been spared from this tragedy and Picasso uses a great deal of symbolism and iconography to further stress the point.  

Guernica is all about symbols. The lights that illuminate the scene and the sources of light within it are all steeped with meaning. Picasso uses a monotone pallet of white, black, and grey to stress the pain and chaos of the situation. The somber mood these colors create reflect the tragedy of both the bombing and war in general. Within the painting are two sources of light, a bare bulb and a flame-lit lamp. Bare bulbs were common features in torturer's cells and the flame is both a symbol of tragedy and hope. Light here helps create the mode but it is much more than that. The two sources of light depicted have meaning, history, and purpose. The candle and the bulb are players in the story.

Entry 9

Question of the day. Why is it that you can combine light, but not shadow? When two light sources are present and focused on the same spot they cover that spot with more light than either light source can alone. However, when two shadows overlap the darker shadow remains uniform. The shadows don't come together to form an even darker shadow. Why is that?

Entry 8

(L) Disney's The Lion King, Poster

 image taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Lion_King_poster.jpg

(R) Eric Tan's The Lion King, Poster

 image taken from: http://erictanart.blogspot.com/2011/12/long-live-king.html

So here's something new. In order to understand how different lighting choices can create different moods I've decided every now and again I will take two images that are similar in some way and compare and contrast them. First up, two posters for Disney's The Lion King, perhaps one of my favorite animated Disney feature films.

The image on the left is the official poster for the movie which tells the epic tale of a young lion named Simba who, after being framed for the murder of his own father by his evil uncle Scar, is forced to run away from his home in the pride lands. It is a tale of family, revenge, love, and redemption. The official poster hints at the epic scale of the story by depicting a large gathering of animals staring up at a lone lion on a massive rock formation (Pride Rock). In the sky we see an almost godly image of a lion's head superimposed across a starry sky. The rays of the sun shine down from the head onto the land and creatures below. The light that shines down on the Savannah is heavenly. The pale yellow rays and the light blue starry sky combine to create a calm caring atmosphere. The golden rays that spill onto the scene are incredibly soft. In some places the light even fades away so that it's outline is no longer distinguish able. It is a dramatic scene but one full of peace and wonder.

The image on the left is a personal project done by Disney Graphic Designer Eric Tan. Best know from his 1960s retro-inspired Disney posters, Tan created this new poster for the movie based around the movie's villain Scar. The poster uses a pallet of reds, yellow, and orange to great effect. The whole whole poster screams of danger. The sharp long shadows add to the action and fear of stampeding  wildebeest. These shadows are seen in nature during sunset and when combined with the image of the sun setting over Pride Rock, it symbolizes a violent end to a peaceful era.

These two posters help illustrate how powerful lighting can be. Though they are for the same film and use similar imagery, both contain the massive rock formation known as Pride Rock, they create two completely different modes. Both are incredibly intense moments but the poster on the left uses soft rays to create a peaceful uplifting moment. The poster on the right uses sharp shadows and hard edges to create a scene of immense panic and fear. Same movie, completely different emotions.

Entry 7

You know you don't need a lot of light to get someone's attention. I entered a pitch dark room earlier and before I turned on the main lights I noticed that my eyes had already picked out all of the small dots of light the computers were giving off. They were each about the size of a pin but without any effort my eyes had found each one of them. I guess with light a little can go a very long way.

Entry 6

Barbara Morgan's Pearl Primus, Speak to Me of Rivers

 image taken from: http://www.vintageworks.net/exhibit/detail.php/154/1/1/0/14358

This photograph from Barbara Morgan exemplifies how powerful shadows can be. Just like light a strong shadow can become a character working alongside the actor/s on stage. Here Pearl Primus's body creates two shadows which become two dark specters that appear to be harassing and tormenting her. The sharp spotlight and panicked stance of the dancer combined with the shadows create a scene of immense distress and fear. I get the feeling like I'm watching some poor tormented soul trying in vain to evade some ungodly power.

Entry 5

 Disney's  The Princess and the Frog, Poster

 image taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frog_official_poster_500.jpg

More Disney stuff. This time a poster from one of my favorite movies The Princess and the Frog. I just love the the use of blue light in this poster. Blue is such a serene color and when mixed with the soft glow of a white outline, it bathes the poster in a dreamy, magical wash. Interestingly, the poster does use a full moon as a light source, but it hides it behind the low hanging vegetation. I assume this is done so as not to distract the viewer as their eyes would be naturally drawn to the lunar body instead of  the central figures. But it also helps maintain a uniform degree of brightness in the center.

Entry 4

While walking early in the morning I noticed that the buildings around me were channeling sunlight, creating semi-natural "spotlights" if you will. I wonder what are the differences in tone and mode that occur when you highlight an item different intensities of the same light. How does a blaring spotlight created by focusing the light on one place differ from a softer spotlight created by blocking out all other areas that would be illuminated.

Entry 3

Why is it that artificial light never moves people? Songs, paintings, and hundreds of photographs have been dedicated to pale moon light,  colorful sunsets, and glorious dawns that sweep away the night. But artificial light is largely ignored. I was just sitting at my desk when I realized its very hard to describe the artificial lights in large buildings. A single bare bulb has character. It is a symbol of innovation and epiphany. But, when you put a whole bunch of bulbs together they just die. Artificial light is very bland almost soulless. In fact thinking back now the only times I can think of artificial light being used as another character of a scene of a movie is during moments of extreme destitution, paranoia, or pain. This maybe my own subjective beliefs, but I think I will expand on idea.

Entry 2

 Annie Leibovitz's  Cinderella, staring Scarlett Johansson

 image taken from: http://milliondreamphotos.blogspot.com/2008/08/annie-leibovitzs-disney-fantasyland.html

Working on the behest of the Disney company Annie Leibovitz did a series of photographs combining famous celebrities and classic fairytale scenes.  Here we see Scarlett Johansson as the young Cinderella escaping from the ball. In the context of the story the lighting here is all wrong. Cinderella leaves just as the clock strikes midnight, and yet the sky in this photograph is more reminiscent of early dawn. And yet the soft blue sky and the foggy glow covering the castle in the distance really tell a story. The castle hidden in the mist speaks of a far of fantasy, a better life. The soft blue hues in the picture accentuate Cinderella's dazzling flowing gown. It focuses the viewers attention on Cinderella, the star of the photograph, and just ties the whole thing together.

Entry 1

Caravaggio's Conversion of St. Paul  

image taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Michelangelo_Caravaggio_036.jpg

Of the many things I remember about the Baroque period it was how influential it was for early photographers and film-makers. Among its many masters Caravaggio was a paradigm on how to use dramatic lighting to enhance a scene. The intense contrast between light and shadow create a stark otherworldly atmosphere which perfectly coincides with the tale of St. Paul's divine intervention. For me what really sells this scene is the sheer lack of color in the light Caravaggio uses, its just a pale, bleak, stark white light blaring down on St. Paul from above. The unnatural light and frozen forms make the painting appear to be like a really surreal moment captured in time.