Venus at Her Mirror - Diego Velázquez
ART & OPTICSART & OPTICSMargaret Wegener,
Physics, University of Queensland
Arrows Reflected - Jeffrey Smart
Optical Distortion - Robert Doisneau[http://www.allposters.com/gallery]
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/cactusdude666/4175493029/in/photostream/]
Classical O ti
Classical O tiOptics
d
Optics
d Modern Art
Modern Art
ddModernArt?ModernArt?
Modern Modern OpticsOptics
Rainbow hologram
Natural colour, 3-D hologram
[http://www.ultimate-holography.com/images/Clown/clown.gif]
[Ultimate Holography]
HologramsHolograms
D th h f li htDepth ⇒ phase of light wave– encoded in interference pattern
Recording of interference patternRecording of interference pattern requires coherent light ⇒ laser
Reconstruction of wave
Representational Painting & DrawingRepresentational
Painting & DrawingPainting & DrawingPainting & Drawing
Lots of art is confined to a plane.
How can it look real?
Illusion of Volume
The Avenue At Middelharnis - Meindert Hobbema [http://biggallery.com/art]
H l T i it (d t il) M iHoly Trinity (detail) – Masaccio
[http://www.mcm.edu/academic/galileo/ars/arshtml/arstoc.html]
Spring Frost - Elioth Gruner
• Shadows ⇒ position of light source
O l i• Occlusion ⇒ relative positions of objects
• Geometric perspective Geo e c pe spec e⇔ distant objects appear smaller
(“vanishing point”)
Reflections, Ben Cruachan – Haughton Forest
Colour Change with Distance (At h i S tt i )(Atmospheric Scattering)
• Cumulative effect• Cumulative effect
Type Rayleigh Mie
Scatterersize
<< λ λ/100 → 100λ
Example gas molecules dust, smoke, water droplets
Intensity ∝ λ−4 Small variation ith λscattered with λ
Scattering direction
All but ⊥incident light
Range of forward directionsdirections
Effects Blue sky, red sunset
Milkiness
ColourColour
Electromagnetic spectrum
Artist’s colour wheel
Maxwell’s Triangle (Chromaticity diagram)
Artist s colour wheel
A diff t l t
Maxwell s Triangle (Chromaticity diagram)[http://www.efg2.com/Lab/Graphics/Colors/MaxwellTriangle.htm]
Are different colour systems equivalent?
Colour Mixing
• Additive: E = E(λ1) + E(λ2) + …( 1) ( 2)Light combined → “non-spectral” reddish purpleeg: human eye
• Subtractive: E(λ) removed by absorptionE(λ) removed by absorptioneg: pigment
• Averaging (spatial / temporal):Light combined in visual processLight combined in visual process
Pointillism
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte - Georges SeuratSee Halliday, Resnick, Walker (6 ed.) Ch 37
The Side Show - Georges Seurat [http://www.artchive.com/artchive/S/seurat.html]
The Side Show (detail) - Georges Seurat [http://www.artchive.com/artchive/S/seurat.html]
Self-portrait (detail) – Claude Monet [http://www.abcgallery.com/M/monet/monet.html]
Monet, Giverny
The Japanese Bridge –Claude Monet[Monet at Giverny]
How do you look after this stuff?this stuff?
• Security• Security
• Environmental protection
I ti ti / t ti• Investigative / restorative processes
The Cypriot – William Dobell
The Cypriot (X-ray)
Boy Lounging – William Dobell[Brought to Light: Australian Art 1850-1965]
L P tt i Tit iNew Art?New Art?
Laser Patterning Titanium
ReferencesAgoston, G.A. "Color Theory and Its application in art and design" (Springer Series in Optical
Sciences) Berlin ; New York : Springer, 1979
Author had careers in chemical engineering and art. Designed to be understandable by those with no physics training.
Falk, D.S., Brill, D.R., Stork, D.G. “Seeing the light: optics in nature, photography, color, vision , , , , , g g p , p g p y, ,and holography” New York: Harper and Row, 1986
Halliday, D., Resnick, R., Walker, J. “Fundamentals of Physics” (6 ed.) New York: Wiley, 2001Standard physics text with some examples of art discussed. See Ch 35, 37
Kemp, M. "The science of art : optical themes in western art from Brunelleschi to Seurat" New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, 1990
Nassau, K. "The physics and chemistry of color : the fifteen causes of color" New York: Wiley, 1983
Contains lots of examples and info - some advanced; accessible. Includes problems.
Rossing, T.D., Chiaverina, C.J. "Light science : physics and the visual arts" New York : Springer, 1999
Includes suggestions for classroom demonstrations/experiments.
Solso, R.L. “Cognition and the visual arts” Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1994
“A New Perspective on Science and Art” http://library.thinkquest.org/3257/Contains notes on suitability of resources for US high-school students
Queensland Art GalleryInformation panels next to artworks, especially regarding investigation & restoration.
