Moved by George Legrady on October 22
w01- Vermeer and the Camera Obscura
by ttapscott » Mon Oct 01, 2012 9:46 pm
My initial research into the camera obscura lead me to various tourist destinations around the world where these optical devices had been erected for sight-seeing purposes. They seem to have been quite popular during the 18th and 19th centuries, however they seem to have lost they intrigue as technology has advanced. This was not what caught my eye, though. I was most interested in a BBC article about Johannes Vermeer’s possible use of the camera obscura in his work. I studied Vermeer in an art history class and got the chance to see many of his works in person, so I was interested in learning more about his practice. My other painters of his time are know to have used the device, Joshua Reynolds for example, but historians have no documentation of Vermeer’s use of the camera obscura.
According to the article there are several clues that suggest Vermeer’s use of the camera obscura. First, he uses what they call a “photographic perspective,” meaning at that time he had an uncanny ability to imitate perspective and create distance and space in a painting. Another reason for these claims comes from his extremely accurate reproductions of maps and globes in his portraits, at this time most reproductions at that time were made with camera devices. Also some of his images are painted in a softer, unfocused light that suggests optical distortion. Art historian Charles Seymour has determined that at least ten of his paintings have the been created in the exact same room, which suggests that Vermeer had a space in which he used a camera to project the image on to a back wall from which he could trace the scene. All ten of these paintings match the dimensions of the room, but in the reduced 1:6 scale that would have been projected on the wall. Seymour’s work offers strong evidence in favor of Vermeer’s use of a camera obscura in at least some of his work. While some Vermeer experts might view this as an attack on the painter’s genius this research only proves that artist made use of the technology of his time.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/em ... a_01.shtml
ttapscott
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2012 4:19 pm
Top
Re: w01- Vermeer and the Camera Obscura
by rdouglas » Mon Oct 01, 2012 11:21 pm
In researching the practical applications of the camera obscura before the advent of chemical photography, I came across detailed reports of this simple device being used as a popular drawing aid for artists in the 18th century. The artist Paul Sandby, among others was known to use a portable version of the camera obscura to accurately trace the fundamental perspective of a landscape or cityscape. Typically using it for the beginning of a composition, the artist would then translate the rest of the image through traditional drawing or painting. By the mid 18th century these devices common, manufactured items in Europe.
Caesar’s Tower and part of Warwick Castle, Paul Sandby (1730-1809) 1775 Watercolour.
More recently, in 2006, a group of artists know as The Legacy Project revealed the largest photograph ever created. At the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Irvine, CA, Building #115, a retired jet hangar, was turned into the largest recorded camera obscura. In order to make the interior of the hangar as dark as possible, 24,000 square feet of six mil black viscuine, 200 large cans of spray foam gap filler, 8000 feet of two-inch wide black Gorilla tape and 40 cans of black spray paint were used. The aperture size of this camera was 6mm in diameter and the exposure time for the 28 feet x 108 feet photograph was 35 minutes.
The image is created by the world's largest camera, but it also may be one of the world's largest statements on photography, the role of photography and image in society.
Building #115 containing the projected image of the airfield outside.
The resulting negative photograph of the airfield.
Sources:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/d ... a-obscura/
http://sweeney.ucr.edu/exhibitions/the-great-picture/
rdouglas