Itten directed his students to approach these contrasts from three directions:
they
had to - experience them with their senses, objectify them intellectually
and realize them synthetically". First they had to get a feeling
for each contrast using all their sense without thinking of the contrast
as an image, then list various ways of putting the sensation across
and finally create an image that communicated this.
We see this method and principle used in many successful images
So when we look at contrast - it is easy to approach it on a visual sense - light dark, black white red green, large small, long short smooth textured etc.
but we can also reference other senses - how can we bring these other senses into our images?
• touch - smooth rough etc. In this case we can make a reference to texture through the use of light - the texture of a rough rock can be brought out against a contrasting polished surface
• smell - pleasant foul, etc. In this case we might do this through memory, jasmine flowers next to a rotting corpse of an animal
• taste - sweet sour etc. In this case we might do this through memory, a jar of honey next to a lemon
• sound - load soft etc. This is harder to convey, but perhaps an image of someone with earmuffs on at a rock concert creates a contrast
There
are many references to contrast in this image of mine from the Homage
to Baxter series based on the poetry of James K Baxter.
James
K Baxter - Poem references
The Boys 1962
CP
Till at the rock
bend
their flailing paddles bruise
A black wide looking-glass where Ngaios gaze
And spread their
thighs
A hole going down to the world's centre
waiting to swallow the sun, I think I am
the invisible drowned man.
The
River 1966 CP
Nothing as broad
as
the river can be seen
these days: it was dark brown and deep----
The creek runs
to the sea
finding its way without us
Letter
to Sam Hunt 1968 CP
And hear the
dark creek water flow
from a rock gate we do not know
Till we ourselves become the beach
and silence is our only speech.
The
panoramic format comes from the words - wide looking
glass
I
played with the sun in the sky but no reflection in the
dark water to reference the line - A
hole going down to the world's centre waiting to
swallow the sun |
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