Time and Motion

PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1.5
Time and Motion
Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson
Introduction
• Time and motion are closely linked elements
in art
• Most of the traditional art media are
inherently motionless and timeless
• Artists who work in static media have found
imaginative ways to indicate the passage of
time and the appearance of motion
• New technology and media have evolved that
allow artists to capture and express time and
motion
Time
• Since events necessarily take place over
time, any artwork that deals with events
must show how time goes by
• Artists find ways to depict the passage of
time and to remind us of its influence on
our lives
The Passage of Time
• Artists often seek to tell a story
1.95 Workshop of the Master
of Osservanza (Sano di
Pietro?), The Meeting of St.
Anthony and St. Paul, c.
1430–35. Tempera on panel,
18½ x 13¼”. National Gallery
of Art, Washington, D.C.
Workshop of the Master of Osservanza (Sano di Pietro?),
The Meeting of St. Anthony and St.
Paul
•
Solved the problem of how to tell
a story in a single painting by
merging a series of episodes
into one picture
– The story begins in the upper
left-hand corner
• St. Anthony sets out across
the desert to seek St. Paul
– Next, in the upper right
• St. Anthony encounters a
mythical creature called a
centaur
– It culminates in the bottom right
•
• The two saints finally meet
and embrace
This linear method is still used
by artists, comic-book writers,
and designers who want to tell a
story or express the passing of
time
1.96 Nancy Holt, Solar Rotary, 1995. Aluminum, concrete, and meteorite, approx. height 20’, approx. diameter 24’.
University of South Florida
Nancy Holt,
Solar Rotary
•
•
•
•
•
Examines cycles of time in her
works
Many of Holt’s sculptures
intertwine the passage of time with
the motion of the sun
Solar Rotary is designed to
express meaning from shadows
cast throughout the year
The work features an aluminum
sculptural “shadow caster”
perched on eight poles high above
the center of a circular concrete
plaza
Is oriented so that shadows cast
by its central ring encircle notable
dates set into the surrounding
concrete plaza
The Attributes of Time
• Time-based arts, such as film, embody six
basic attributes of time: duration, tempo,
intensity, scope, setting, and chronology
1.97 Thomas Edison and W.
K. Dickson, Fred Ott’s
Sneeze, 1894. Still frames
from kinetoscope film.
Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Thomas Edison and W. K. Dickson,
Fred Ott’s Sneeze
• The duration, or length, of
this film is 5 seconds
• The tempo, or speed, is 16
frames per second
• The intensity is high
because the activity is
sudden
and strong
• Has a limited scope
because it is confined to a
simple activity
• The setting is Thomas
Edison’s studio
• The chronology can be
seen in the still frames
Motion
• Motion occurs when an object changes
location or position
• Because this process occurs as time passes,
motion is directly linked to time
• To communicate motion without actually
making anything move, artists can choose to
imply time or, alternatively, create the illusion
of time
Implied Motion
• Motion is implied when we do not actually
see the motion happening, but visual clues
tell us that it is a key aspect of the work
1.98 Gianlorenzo Bernini,
Apollo and Daphne, 1622–4.
Carrara marble, 8’ high.
Gallería Borghese, Rome,
Italy
Chapter 1.4 Color
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Gianlorenzo Bernini,
Apollo and Daphne
• Illustrates a story from ancient Greek mythology in which
the sun god Apollo falls madly in love with the wood
nymph Daphne
• As Apollo reaches Daphne, Peneius transforms his
daughter into a bay laurel tree
• To convey the action, Bernini uses diagonal lines in the
flowing drapery, limbs, and hair
• At the pivotal moment in the story, the scene is suddenly
frozen in time
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.4 Color
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Gianlorenzo Bernini: The Ecstasy of St. Teresa
PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios
1.99 Giacomo Balla, Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash, 1912. Oil on canvas, 35⅜ x 43¼”. Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
Giacomo Balla,
Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash
• Balla paints a series of
repeating marks to give the
impression that we are
seeing motion as it happens
• He paints the dog’s tail in
eight or nine different
positions to communicate
movement
• The composition gives
viewers a sense of ongoing
forward motion even though
the paint on the canvas is
perfectly still
Illusion of Motion
• When artists imply motion, we do not actually
see it occurring
• Artists can also communicate the idea of
motion by creating an illusion of it
• Artists create this illusion through visual tricks
that deceive our eyes into believing there is
motion as
time passes, even though no actual motion
occurs
1.100 Jenny Holzer, Untitled (Selections from Truisms, Inflammatory Essays, The Living Series, The Survival Series, Under a Rock,
Laments, and Child Text), 1989. Extended helical tricolor LED, electronic display signboard, site-specific dimensions.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Jenny Holzer,
Untitled
•
•
•
•
Uses the illusion of motion to
enhance her text-based
presentations
Although the text does not
actually move, it appears to
spiral up the ramped circular
atrium of the museum
Tiny LEDs (light-emitting
diodes) are illuminated and
then switched off in an
automated sequence
The intermittent flashing of
lights creates an illusion of a
scrolling series of letters and
words
1.101 Bridget Riley,
Cataract 3, 1967. PVA on
canvas, 7’3¾” x 7’3¾”.
British Council Collection
Bridget Riley,
Cataract 3
• During the 1960s, painters
experimented with
discordant positive–
negative relationships
• There is a noticeable sense
of movement when we look
at Cataract 3
• It appears there is an
overall vibrating motion
• Riley understands that the
natural oscillation of the
eye, combined with the
passage of time, makes us
feel a sense of motion
Stroboscopic Motion
• When we see two or more repeated
images in quick succession, they tend
visually to fuse together
1.102 Zoetrope, 19th century. Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Film and Popular Culture, University of Exeter, England
Zoetrope, 19th century
• Stroboscopic motion was
used in a zoetrope, in
which a series of
drawings was placed in a
slotted cylinder
• When the cylinder was
spun, the viewer could
see an image appearing
to move
• Inventions like the
zoetrope were early
forms of animation
Chapter 1.4 Color
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios
1.103 Walt Disney Pictures, frame from Finding Nemo, 2003
Walt Disney Pictures,
frame from Finding Nemo
• The movie is compiled from
individual frames that were
computer-generated using
3-D modeling software
• The animator can make
changes to the images and
then produce all the
individual frames in a
sequence that the computer
plays in rapid succession
• This succession of images
is combined with other
scenes and eventually
committed to film or digital
media
1.104 Still from Double Indemnity, Billy Wilder, 1944
Still from Billy Wilder, Double
Indemnity
•
“Movie” is an abbreviation of
“moving picture”
•
Double Indemnity was one of
the first films that used sharply
contrasting modeling, angled
shadows, and lighting effects
to create a sense of emptiness
•
The shadows create a sense
of tension and foreboding by
getting us to focus on each of
the couple’s deliberate
movements
Actual Motion
• We perceive actual motion when something really
changes over time
– Performance art is theatrical; the artist’s intention is
not to create an art object, but an experience that can
exist only in one place and time in history
• Performance art emerged as a specific form of visual art
during the twentieth century
• Joseph Beuys incorporated everyday objects, such as
animals, fat, machinery, and sticks into his Actions, a series
of self-performed situations in which the artist would interact
with these things in a defined space and time
– Kinetic art plays out the passage of time through an
art object, usually a sculpture, which moves
1.105 Blue Man Group perform at the Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, September 17, 2005
Chapter 1.4 Color
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Blue Man Group
• From the 1980s the Blue Man Group performed in ways
that integrated humor and music for passersby on the
streets of New York
• They used sound and mime, relying on bodily
movements to communicate ideas without speech
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
1.106 Alexander Calder, Untitled, 1976. Aluminum and steel, 29’10⅜” x 75’11¾”. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Alexander Calder,
Untitled
•
•
•
•
•
Kinetic sculpture has evolved
during the twentieth century
and is a notable example of art
that moves
Alexander Calder invented the
mobile
The mobile relies on air
currents to power its
movement
Untitled uses a small motor,
powering counterbalanced
abstract elements that move
independently of each other
The result is a constantly
changing visual form
Time and Motion in Photography
• The work of a photographer is deeply
concerned with motion and time
• Photographers move around their subject,
choosing the right focus for the shot and
putting the camera in the best position to
capture the image they seek
• A photograph freezes a moment in time
1.107a–e Dorothea Lange, Destitute Pea Pickers in California. Mother of Seven Children. Age Thirty-two. Nipomo, California, 1936.
Images a, c–e: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Image b: Oakland Museum of California
1.107a
1.107b
1.107c
1.107d
1.107e
1.107f Dorothea Lange,
Migrant Mother, 1936. Library
of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Chapter 1.4 Color
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Gateway to Art:
Lange, Migrant Mother
Time and Motion in Photography
•
In the span of a few minutes, Lange went from showing
the family in the environment in which they lived—
a tent—to the intimate portrayal of an individual
•
By looking at this series, the process of selection
becomes clear
•
Lange chose specific moments to capture, and from
those moments she further selected the one she felt most effectively
communicated what she thought was most true
– Lange retouched the negative to crop out the hand
• Because this photograph was meant to be an objective
portrayal, the change was kept secret at the time, and
has since been considered controversial
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Natural Processes and the
Passage of Time
• Some artists use biology and organic
materials to create their artwork
• Organic materials grow and degrade with
the passage of time, so work by
“bioartists” is always changing
1.108 Adam Zaretsky and Julia Reodica, Workhorse Zoo, 2002. Performance at the Salina Art Center, Salina, Kansas
Adam Zaretsky and Julia Reodica,
Workhorse Zoo
• Have “grown” and
performed works that
include
living things
• The artists’ intention
was to draw attention
to the
pros and cons of
animal research
1.109 Ron Lambert, Sublimate
(Cloud Cover), 2004. Water,
vinyl, humidifiers, steel,
aluminum, and acrylic,
dimensions variable
Ron Lambert,
Sublimate (Cloud Cover)
• He created a large
transparent plastic
environment in which
water endlessly
evaporates and
condenses
• Shows how the
rhythms of nature
become a measure of
natural time
Conclusion
• Artists have been able to incorporate the
passage of time and movement into their
works using a variety of modern media
• Through film and video, we can appreciate
the motion of life and have come to
experience time in new ways
• Television, movies, the Internet, and a
multitude of other technologies use
movement as an important visual element
• 1. In The Meeting of St. Anthony and St. Paul, by the
workshop of the fifteenth-century artist known as the
Master of Osservanza, there are five figures. These five
figures are
• a. St. Anthony, St. Paul, a centaur, Jesus, and
Mohammed
• b. St. Anthony, St. Paul, a centaur, a unicorn, and Jesus
• c. St. Anthony, St. Paul (twice), centaur (twice)
• d. St. Anthony, St. Paul, a centaur, Jesus, Pope Martin V
• e. St. Anthony (three times), a centaur, and St. Paul
• 1. In The Meeting of St. Anthony and St. Paul, by the
workshop of the fifteenth-century artist known as the
Master of Osservanza, there are five figures. These five
figures are
• a. St. Anthony, St. Paul, a centaur, Jesus, and
Mohammed
• b. St. Anthony, St. Paul, a centaur, a unicorn, and Jesus
• c. St. Anthony, St. Paul (twice), centaur (twice)
• d. St. Anthony, St. Paul, a centaur, Jesus, Pope Martin V
• e. St. Anthony (three times), a centaur, and St. Paul
• 2. This attribute of time is a measurement of
the speed at which time elapses.
• a. Duration
• b. Intensity
• c. Scope
• d. Tempo
• e. Setting
• 2. This attribute of time is a measurement of
the speed at which time elapses.
• a. Duration
• b. Intensity
• c. Scope
• d. Tempo
• e. Setting
• 3. Bernini’s sculpture Apollo and Daphne
implies motion. What kind of motion is being
depicted?
• a. An explosion
• b. Lovers in an embrace
• c. A chase scene
• d. A battle scene
• e. Cliff diving
• 3. Bernini’s sculpture Apollo and Daphne
implies motion. What kind of motion is being
depicted?
• a. An explosion
• b. Lovers in an embrace
• c. A chase scene
• d. A battle scene
• e. Cliff diving
• 4. The artist Jenny Holzer created an illusion of
motion using a spiraling electronic message
board to create a piece of art made up of
__________ .
• a. pictures
• b. words
• c. colorful abstractions
• d. movies
• e. words and pictures
• 4. The artist Jenny Holzer created an illusion of
motion using a spiraling electronic message
board to create a piece of art made up of
__________ .
• a. pictures
• b. words
• c. colorful abstractions
• d. movies
• e. words and pictures
• 5. Op Art of the 1960s relied on a physiological
effect that creates an illusion of motion. This
effect is __________ .
• a. the natural oscillations of the eye
• b. our lack of ability to see some colors
• c. the ability to roll one’s eyes back into one’s
head
• d. blinking
• e. crying
• 5. Op Art of the 1960s relied on a physiological
effect that creates an illusion of motion. This
effect is __________ .
• a. the natural oscillations of the eye
• b. our lack of ability to see some colors
• c. the ability to roll one’s eyes back into one’s
head
• d. blinking
• e. crying
• 6. Moving images created with a zoetrope
were early forms of this.
• a. Animation
• b. Film noir
• c. Implied motion
• d. 3-D film
• e. Illusion of motion
• 6. Moving images created with a zoetrope
were early forms of this.
• a. Animation
• b. Film noir
• c. Implied motion
• d. 3-D film
• e. Illusion of motion
• 7. This type of art involves viewing actual
motion and the artist’s body in the work.
• a. Movies
• b. Performance art
• c. Animation
• d. Kinetic sculpture
• e. Bioart
• 7. This type of art involves viewing actual
motion and the artist’s body in the work.
• a. Movies
• b. Performance art
• c. Animation
• d. Kinetic sculpture
• e. Bioart
• 8. This object by French artist Marcel
Duchamp is considered the first work of
kinetic sculpture.
• a. An image of Apollo and Daphne
• b. A suspended mobile
• c. A bicycle wheel mounted on a stool
• d. A falling sculpture
• e. A Dutch windmill
• 8. This object by French artist Marcel
Duchamp is considered the first work of
kinetic sculpture.
• a. An image of Apollo and Daphne
• b. A suspended mobile
• c. A bicycle wheel mounted on a stool
• d. A falling sculpture
• e. A Dutch windmill
• 9. Dorothea Lange took a series of photos of a
family in what kind of living quarters?
• a. A cave
• b. A house
• c. A tent
• d. A mobile home
• e. A houseboat
• 9. Dorothea Lange took a series of photos of a
family in what kind of living quarters?
• a. A cave
• b. A house
• c. A tent
• d. A mobile home
• e. A houseboat
• 10. The artist Adam Zaretsky practices bioart
performances to draw attention to
__________ .
• a. coal-mining practices
• b. atmospheric changes
• c. crime
• d. animal research
• e. mythology
• 10. The artist Adam Zaretsky practices bioart
performances to draw attention to
__________ .
• a. coal-mining practices
• b. atmospheric changes
• c. crime
• d. animal research
• e. mythology