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Photos Imitating Art

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnahAiYIKSgUBqRgOTdLAwvHcR1VZweQXJ4tDhFZIMe5L8wJv9m2l9H5BhdpVvNveXoLki7qj39xtX1XGgJmJjGDz5ASpuatPV0KNB74kl-12ntmHA1NJxowdFWiqtn8Sx1GJ_Aj53D00/s1600/pageant-of-the-masters1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div> How closely can a photograph of real humans match a painting or a sculpture? <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPR0A0eeXYHaTXKOlVMciEmWHgMg9Ao6ltVoYruNXZlYDsDQwOqT7S-QjMCB2uyDdVH0gqeiuscTf-L-POTus2_HH_kHTZmna0aTjvhQAu916WxSh5a0FbZGUowmEiUkfq4VWYFUcb1pg/s1600/Pearl_Earring_Comparison.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPR0A0eeXYHaTXKOlVMciEmWHgMg9Ao6ltVoYruNXZlYDsDQwOqT7S-QjMCB2uyDdVH0gqeiuscTf-L-POTus2_HH_kHTZmna0aTjvhQAu916WxSh5a0FbZGUowmEiUkfq4VWYFUcb1pg/s400/Pearl_Earring_Comparison.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a> See for yourself. Here is Vermeer’s painting “Girl With a Pearl Earring” and actress Scarlett Johansson dressed up for<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_with_a_Pearl_Earring_%28film%29"> the movie </a>of the same name. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnahAiYIKSgUBqRgOTdLAwvHcR1VZweQXJ4tDhFZIMe5L8wJv9m2l9H5BhdpVvNveXoLki7qj39xtX1XGgJmJjGDz5ASpuatPV0KNB74kl-12ntmHA1NJxowdFWiqtn8Sx1GJ_Aj53D00/s1600/pageant-of-the-masters1-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnahAiYIKSgUBqRgOTdLAwvHcR1VZweQXJ4tDhFZIMe5L8wJv9m2l9H5BhdpVvNveXoLki7qj39xtX1XGgJmJjGDz5ASpuatPV0KNB74kl-12ntmHA1NJxowdFWiqtn8Sx1GJ_Aj53D00/s400/pageant-of-the-masters1-1.jpg" width="295" /></a> The image on top is the actual Trevi Fountain in Rome. Below that is a staged reënactment performed during The Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach, California. Vermeer comparison from <a href="http://xiziluo.wordpress.com/2010/10/23/lingering-eyes/">“Eye for Detail” </a> <a href="http://www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/valleygirlblog/travel/laguna-beachs-pageant-of-the-masters">Pageant of the Masters, Laguna Beach </a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_with_a_Pearl_Earring_%28film%29">Girl With The Pearl Earring on Wiki</a> Thanks, <a href="http://www.walterwick.com/">Walter Wick!</a>

Photos Imitating Art

How closely can a photograph of real humans match a painting or a sculpture? See for yourself. Here is Vermeer’s painting “Girl With a Pear...

09:44

Caustics inside eyes

Caustic effects are those little spots or arcs of light that happen when sunlight shines through wavy water or a water-filled glass. The curving surface acts like a lens to focus the light into a small area. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-eu7aB61KvTnpXjVqbDzW8K2pqI8sKHr0ad9NYO6AdCYjabEuGfGaYGf1k26wOFpQ9umm4pexPhfXEF-6uhrZyTGVKW8lOiAXFuTGWu4dp8o5IAkM-ABdBf3V0mxWYYBDKxRwyoIWBM/s1600/Caustics_on+Iris.sm.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivreJHPulBAB1tGGlo438QmpwTsES2jnTfjZI10rQr3-1l5lXR5OZ1ISdSF_80ckyJWWC1CZe01ZJ6aRIlaA9TRd8-4AZ4yDxnZ6H6p2l4zdvVudAAel9GziX9ojdKCxjYeekWFKFDxxE/s1600/Caustic_inside_Eyes.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivreJHPulBAB1tGGlo438QmpwTsES2jnTfjZI10rQr3-1l5lXR5OZ1ISdSF_80ckyJWWC1CZe01ZJ6aRIlaA9TRd8-4AZ4yDxnZ6H6p2l4zdvVudAAel9GziX9ojdKCxjYeekWFKFDxxE/s400/Caustic_inside_Eyes.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a> Caustics also appear within eyes when the direct sunlight travels diagonally through the cornea. Blog reader P.A. Farris sent me these photos she took of a black-crowned night heron. The caustic is an arc-like shape on the opposite side of the pupil from the highlight. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMAKDqGhynUET909VxaG1IY5u3v56wkxjeiq8uEb2roMFnwPw4s27TvLa9798eA2AU7wEKF84Du8c8VAmwS6nufV6QSrhz1_im8cKi75mK266Rx3Ajv_mwzZWblA6sHfeIe9oV-Oq1tQ/s1600/Caustics_Inside_Eyes2.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMAKDqGhynUET909VxaG1IY5u3v56wkxjeiq8uEb2roMFnwPw4s27TvLa9798eA2AU7wEKF84Du8c8VAmwS6nufV6QSrhz1_im8cKi75mK266Rx3Ajv_mwzZWblA6sHfeIe9oV-Oq1tQ/s320/Caustics_Inside_Eyes2.sm.jpg" width="229" /></a> If the light comes from far enough to the side, the caustic becomes a focused point. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-eu7aB61KvTnpXjVqbDzW8K2pqI8sKHr0ad9NYO6AdCYjabEuGfGaYGf1k26wOFpQ9umm4pexPhfXEF-6uhrZyTGVKW8lOiAXFuTGWu4dp8o5IAkM-ABdBf3V0mxWYYBDKxRwyoIWBM/s1600/Caustics_on+Iris.sm.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-eu7aB61KvTnpXjVqbDzW8K2pqI8sKHr0ad9NYO6AdCYjabEuGfGaYGf1k26wOFpQ9umm4pexPhfXEF-6uhrZyTGVKW8lOiAXFuTGWu4dp8o5IAkM-ABdBf3V0mxWYYBDKxRwyoIWBM/s200/Caustics_on+Iris.sm.JPG" width="200" /></a>The same effects happen with human eyes. The light is coming from the right, and the caustic appears brightest as a curved shape at the edge of the iris. In the raking light on the iris, you can also see how the pupil bunches up. Thanks, P. A. Farris More on caustics in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Color-Light-Guide-Realist-Painter/dp/0740797719?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0740797719" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> Previously on GJ: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/06/caustics.html">Caustics</a> <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/07/nephroid-caustics.html">Nephroid Caustics</a> <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/07/caustic-reflections.html">Caustic Reflections</a> Wikipedia on<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caustic_%28optics%29"> caustic optics</a>

Caustics inside eyes

Caustic effects are those little spots or arcs of light that happen when sunlight shines through wavy water or a water-filled glass. The cur...

09:31

Pencil Sketch Vignette

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_TcqE2Lert4j4WrvI8cea5hnVwTptRWV-mWsiMy0zuy7YUSrQ2BzRClJkGmC3Gx7Qo6uA7utbtkpaeJHpKUfA9yhAUM_marfFNmEWOaduMnVpvI9ZT7OniDhZalt4Cp74FTfHUlwhdE/s1600/Watson.from.A.Guptil.SRP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Ernest Watson shows a nice trick for vignetting a pencil sketch. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_TcqE2Lert4j4WrvI8cea5hnVwTptRWV-mWsiMy0zuy7YUSrQ2BzRClJkGmC3Gx7Qo6uA7utbtkpaeJHpKUfA9yhAUM_marfFNmEWOaduMnVpvI9ZT7OniDhZalt4Cp74FTfHUlwhdE/s1600/Watson.from.A.Guptil.SRP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_TcqE2Lert4j4WrvI8cea5hnVwTptRWV-mWsiMy0zuy7YUSrQ2BzRClJkGmC3Gx7Qo6uA7utbtkpaeJHpKUfA9yhAUM_marfFNmEWOaduMnVpvI9ZT7OniDhZalt4Cp74FTfHUlwhdE/s400/Watson.from.A.Guptil.SRP.jpg" width="400" /></a> He allows the outer edges of the drawing to gradually dissolve into simple construction lines. The windows are nicely varied, too. No two are alike. This 1916 drawing is from Arthur Guptill’s book “Sketching and Rendering in Pencil" (republished as "Drawing and Sketching in Pencil,” <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Sketching-Pencil-Arthur-Guptill/dp/0486460487?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">available here in book form</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0486460487" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/sketchingrenderi00guptuoft">here for free download.</a>

Pencil Sketch Vignette

Ernest Watson shows a nice trick for vignetting a pencil sketch. He allows the outer edges of the drawing to gradually dissolve into simple ...

16:50

The Page Turner

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiBkWTRTJwqclm5UQMOeMw8i5EBq8bE7hhjbktgcWePv-lE_DdREwxoIOrDbTwuNS3vzyZ_N-u9wiFx9kUdPNFNM9pRvejW-j-3is2j5Kra563EqDi-jRUDcTANTfeVWqQLMhxnn1QoM/s1600/Page+Turner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>When I read a book on Google Scanned from paper onto screen, I forget the steady labor Of the scanner, sight unseen. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiBkWTRTJwqclm5UQMOeMw8i5EBq8bE7hhjbktgcWePv-lE_DdREwxoIOrDbTwuNS3vzyZ_N-u9wiFx9kUdPNFNM9pRvejW-j-3is2j5Kra563EqDi-jRUDcTANTfeVWqQLMhxnn1QoM/s1600/Page+Turner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXiBkWTRTJwqclm5UQMOeMw8i5EBq8bE7hhjbktgcWePv-lE_DdREwxoIOrDbTwuNS3vzyZ_N-u9wiFx9kUdPNFNM9pRvejW-j-3is2j5Kra563EqDi-jRUDcTANTfeVWqQLMhxnn1QoM/s200/Page+Turner.jpg" width="200" /></a> Then I see your lovely fingers You’re the one who took the care, You’re the one who turned the pages. Now I know you’re hiding there.

The Page Turner

When I read a book on Google Scanned from paper onto screen, I forget the steady labor Of the scanner, sight unseen. Then I see your lovely ...

08:30

Exhibit showcases women’s student clothing

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTadndz7eg6hqXVw3AQYLyKM1YBHC1UMoZ29npwJJY3uiMQHSDQaLQcA6O3n10xYDICV7YyCq4CW3CTjGLtsfwp6gYihPWuFqKTNqwciTTjFhC3XQrLwfe0bvemB-V3hyeA5vGSVlqAhM/s1600/Taffeta_Day.Dress.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>A exhibit at Vassar College examines the evolution of women’s student fashions from the 1860s to the 1950s. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTadndz7eg6hqXVw3AQYLyKM1YBHC1UMoZ29npwJJY3uiMQHSDQaLQcA6O3n10xYDICV7YyCq4CW3CTjGLtsfwp6gYihPWuFqKTNqwciTTjFhC3XQrLwfe0bvemB-V3hyeA5vGSVlqAhM/s1600/Taffeta_Day.Dress.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTadndz7eg6hqXVw3AQYLyKM1YBHC1UMoZ29npwJJY3uiMQHSDQaLQcA6O3n10xYDICV7YyCq4CW3CTjGLtsfwp6gYihPWuFqKTNqwciTTjFhC3XQrLwfe0bvemB-V3hyeA5vGSVlqAhM/s400/Taffeta_Day.Dress.sm.jpg" width="255" /></a> This silk moire taffeta day dress with leg-o’-mutton sleeves dates from about 1895. The decorative velvet lapels and stand-up collar are inspired by menswear. According to the student curators, these details bespeak the desire for college-educated women to fit into a male world during the Gilded Age. The exhibit gives a rare opportunity for artists to sketch antique dresses from observation. I made the drawing with violet and ochre <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Caran-DAche-Supracolor-Set-Colors/dp/B0009I52O2?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">colored pencils </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0009I52O2" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />and a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Niji-Waterbrush-Medium-Round-12mm/dp/B000KNJEMW?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">water brush.</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000KNJEMW" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> The dress was green, but I didn’t bring any green pencils, so I just picked two opposite colors and let them duke it out. <a href="http://info.vassar.edu/news/2010-2011/110510-palmer-fashioning.html">Fashioning an Education:  150 Years of Vassar Students and What They Wore </a>is at the James W. Palmer III Gallery at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York through June 12, 2011. It's free and open to the public. The exhibition will be open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00pm. For more information, call 845.437.5250. While you’re in town, Vassar’s art museum also has an <a href="http://fllac.vassar.edu/exhibitions/2010-2011/thomas-rowlandson.html">exhibit on Thomas Rowlandson</a> and a nice collection of Hudson River School sketches. Nearby at the Mill Street Loft is the <a href="http://millstreetloft.org/2011/05/%E2%80%9Cour-towns%E2%80%9D-juried-fine-art-exhibition-opening/">“Our Towns” cityscape exhibit. </a> Related book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clothing-through-American-History-ebook/dp/B004HO6LY4?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Clothing through American History: Civil War through the Gilden Age</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B004HO6LY4" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Caran-DAche-Supracolor-Set-Colors/dp/B0009I52O2?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Caran d’Ache pencils</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0009I52O2" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Niji-Waterbrush-Medium-Round-12mm/dp/B000KNJEMW?ie=UTF8&tag=gurnjour-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Niji water brush</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000KNJEMW" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />

Exhibit showcases women’s student clothing

A exhibit at Vassar College examines the evolution of women’s student fashions from the 1860s to the 1950s. This silk moire taffeta day dres...

07:46

Time Lapse

<div style="font: 12px Arial; margin: 0px;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/23205323?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400"></iframe></div><a href="http://vimeo.com/23205323">El Cielo de Canarias / Canary sky - Tenerife</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/elcielodecanarias">Daniel López</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>. <div style="font: 12px Arial; margin: 0px;"> </div><div style="font: 12px Arial; margin: 0px;">Here's a fascinating time lapse montage showing changing weather and night illumination on the island of Tenerife. The explanation (links take you to more information):</div><blockquote>Visible in the <a href="http://vimeo.com/23205323">above time-lapse movie</a> include clouds that seem to flow like water, a setting sun that shows numerous <a href="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110104.html">green flash</a>es, the Milky Way Galaxy rising behind towering plants, a colorful double <a href="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100504.html">fogbow</a>, <a href="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090203.html">lenticular clouds</a> that appear stationary near their mountain peaks, and colorful <a href="http://www.atoptics.co.uk/droplets/cormoon.htm">moon coronas</a>. The <a href="http://vimeo.com/23205323">above video</a> was shot solely from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teide_National_Park">Teide National Park</a> on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRprZWKI98w">Tenerife</a> in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_Islands">Canary Islands</a> of <a href="http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/Western%20Europe.html">Spain</a>, off the north west coast of <a href="http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/af.htm">Africa</a>. The video also features an unusual type of plant in several scenes -- <a href="http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=110516">can you identify it?</a></blockquote><div style="font: 12px Arial; margin: 0px;"> </div><div style="font: 12px Arial; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110516.html">Astronomy Picture of the Day video</a></div><div style="font: 12px Arial; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://johnj.com/">Thanks, John J.</a></div><div style="font: 12px Arial; margin: 0px;"> </div>

Time Lapse

El Cielo de Canarias / Canary sky - Tenerife from Daniel López on Vimeo . Here's a fascinating time lapse montage showing changing wea...

06:53