Recently I went to the Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tamaki to see their exhibition ‘Light from Tate: 1700s to Now’. The exhibition artworks explored how light captivated artists, but also how it was used in their artwork. Both literally as well as symbolically.
The artworks ranged from painting, to installation, to photography. Although there were no craft or jewellery objects, I found it interesting to think about how these ideas are applicable to my practice. How do painters capture light and atmosphere? Is it just through colour choice and brush strokes? How do objects in an installation speak to light? Is it through shape, form and a light source? When there was light in these artworks there also had to be shadow. Could the same questions can also be applied to that darkness?
Light in jewellery brainstorm
In my exploration of how to depict or play with light in contemporary jewellery I came up with the following: Through materials such as gemstones, glass, shell/mother of pearl, pearls, plastic, silicon, stone, metal, timber, paper, resin. Through the inherent material properties for example reflectivity, lustre, luminescence, radiance, dullness, sparkle, darkness, matte, transparent, translucent. Through texture and surface finishes like gloss, polish, matte, satin, oxidised, painted, anodised, brushed, enamelled, imprinted, hammered, burnt. Through forms such as holes, hollow, outline vs. solid shape, pattern, wire structures.
After doing the brainstorm the main idea was that it is often the juxtaposition and contrast of two opposing things that make them stand out. For example having an object that has both a polished element and a matte finish enhances the light reflecting in the polish. Having gold and silver together often enhances the colour in the gold in comparison to the silver. The magic is in finding the balance between two, or sometimes the imbalance that makes one speak louder than the other. I look forward to playing with some of these ideas of thinking about light in my work.
Below are a few of the artworks that stood out to me for their depiction of light in all its forms.
John Martin (1789-1854), England. ‘The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum’, 1822. Oil paint on canvas
This piece was a breathtaking scale. I felt like I was almost in the painting when standing in front of it. I was drawn to the hellish landscape in the centre of the painting, which was surrounded by darkness. There are different qualities of light in the painting, from the warm colours of the volcanoes erupting to the cool blue the lightning strikes. The light that I was most curious about examining was that which was reflected in the metal objects at the base of the painting. The armour, coins, vessels and shields glimmer away. Again a different quality of light. The reflection on the metals was intensified by the darkness surrounding it.
John Brett (1831-1902), England. ‘The British Channel Seen from the Dorsetshire Cliffs’, 1871. Oil paint on canvas
This painting drew me in with its scale and the vibrancy of the colour. It felt like a faithful depiction of the ocean. There was a contrast between water that was lit by direct sun and that light which was covered by clouds. What caught my eye about this painting was the highlights on the water. The detail of the sun’s glint on the wave. I imagine the waves movement and the shimmer. It felt like a movement in time captured.
David Batchelor (born 1955), Scotland. ‘I Love King’s Cross and King’s Cross Loves Me’, 8 2002-07. Steel, rubber and acrylic sheets
In this installation there is a completely different exploration of light than anything else in the exhibition. It explored the reflection of colour onto the work’s surroundings, rather directly with a beam of light. The installation investigated the different reflections and light waves of colour that come off surfaces, and how that reflection interacts with the space around it.
Albert Dubois-Pillet (1846-1890), France. ‘The Lock (Paysage à l’Ecluse)’, 1886-87. Oil paint on canvas
This piece was smaller and more unassuming than some of the other paintings in the exhibition. I almost walked past it before it caught my eye. I remember learning about pointillism and Impressionism (this was from many years ago, so do not take it as gospel) how the artists working in those spaces attempted to capture that one brush stroke of light in that one exact moment. Then they move onto the next stroke. In between strokes the light subtly changes, as does what the light is bouncing off. These days it is almost akin to creating an image pixel by pixel.
Olafur Eliasson (born 1967), Denmark. ‘Yellow versus Purple’, 2003. Glass, steel cable, motor, floodlight and tripod.
Olafur Eliasson (born 1967), Denmark. ‘Stardust Particle’, 2014. Glass, stainless steel, motor, spotlight.
Vija Celmins (born 1938), Latvia, United States of America. (Clockwise from left) ‘Sky’ 1975, ‘Galaxy’ 1975. ‘Desert’ 1975. ‘Ocean’ 1975. Lithographs on paper
This group of works were some of my favourites in the exhibition. Each image depicts a different aspect of light. It is so focused on one, for lack of a better word, texture that the images become almost abstract. In the print there is nothing else to compare the texture to or give the image context. All you have is lightness, darkness and mid tones to give a suggestion of depth and describe what is in the image.