One artist I consider for a lighting analysis is Gustave Courbet. A few years ago I did a study on some of his paintings and his efforts of conveying emotion through light were substantial. One particular painting 'The Stone Breakers' is a good piece to consider as it cleverly uses light to highlight the emotion of the scene. I admire paintings that give the audience interest into studying it further, looking beyond the obvious and deriving more information with more thought.
Here is the painting:
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Gustave Courbet. The Stone Breakers. 1849 |
In this painting it is easy to accept the simplicity of the structure, two men working. However, with a little more thought and attention to smaller details, specifically the use of light, can alter and aid us to understand what the artist wants us to see. Firstly putting lighting aside for a moment, we look at the physical objects connected with the two figures. There seems to be many pickaxes, pots and other tools, which indicate to me that these two characters must work for long periods of time, considering there is food utensils close to their workspace. Also both figures seem to have very worn attire, holes, tears and dirt cover a lot of their clothing, also indicating the time expenditure with this labor. With the aesthetics in mind, it is briefly understood that these two figures work considerably hard and in not very comforting circumstances, making me feel this isn't a piece representing a positive emotion. If I look a little further than physical substances and look towards the lighting techniques, I begin to feel more emotion for the characters. The main focal point of the scene is that of the two workers and this is easily emphasized due to the harsh lighting. With the sharp contrast between light and shadow i can instantly tell that it is a hot and insufferable temperature for the two figures. As i look in the background of the image, we have a large area of darkness that is as an assumption some kind of shadow/shade. Further in the background off into the distance, is a small patch of bright blue, highlighting the clear sky on this hot day. From these variants of background, I begin to feel that these two figures are in some sort of imprisonment. As if the dark shadow behind them is to represent some kind of prison cell and the small patch of blue sky is the window to freedom. It feels as if they're trapped in agonizing labor, hidden from the beauty and tranquility of a sunny day. Condemned by their work for long periods of time, as if their very freedom has been snatched away from them.
Van Gogh is also a good example to focus on as he uses light in such unique ways with his painting technique. The aspect of colour in his work is the strength of his lighting ability and really shows dynamic contrasts of tone, especially with his unique style of work. Many of his paintings use expressive and bold movements, but in doing so result in a far deeper and richer visual experience.
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| Van Gogh 'Café Terrace at Night'. 1888 |
I admire many of Gogh's paintings for his artistic representation of light study, however this piece is the one I think has the strongest attention to lighting effects. Cafe Terrace at Night is a unique painting as it contains not a singular stroke of black within it, regardless of the scene that is set. The nighttime sky and its illumination are portrayed through cool colours such as blues, violets and greens which beautifully contrast the warming colours emanating from the street windows and Cafe entrance. Van Gogh's technique is to use variations of warm and cool colours when producing lighting in his work. The cooler colours are representing the shadows and depth of field within the piece, making the forefront of the painting a focal point. The warmer tones are used to replicate the Cafe by using bright oranges, reds, pinks and yellows to build an atmosphere of comfort and welcoming. The bright tones are present not only in the Cafe entrance itself, but reflected outside onto the cobbled streets, illuminating a path to the terrace and enveloping outsiders in a warm and ambient glow, inviting them forward. The unique method of colour application really shows how Gogh considered his lighting methods. Using light as a colour in itself and building emotions or atmospheres based on those colours.
It's with understanding how light is used within paintings, that you can really begin to break down a piece and acknowledge it's true meaning. It is evident with 'The Stone Breakers' that lighting has been carefully considered to represent the nature of this piece and portray effective mental emotion. It is nice to see how lighting pays such significant importance within many traditional art pieces and how it is used to build atmosphere.
I believe we don't really consider lighting too much when we watch a movie, admire a painting, or play a video game, as I feel it is something that is accepted subconsciously, unless out of interest for a person to study. Lighting, I believe is the most important element when trying to set emotion or atmosphere in any aspect of story telling. It is something that isn't always consciously considered, but effectively consumes it's audiences into a coherent world.
Bibliography:
http://faculty.etsu.edu/kortumr/HUMT2320/realism/adobejpgimages/02stonebreakerslarge.jpg
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee437/jigsawpuzzlelady/CafeTerraceVanGogh.jpg
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