some photo's of the research proces

A photo of a geometrical ornament in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin was the exemple for the drawings shown here below. The photo is printed on an A3+ format sheet of Epson Premium Glossy photo paper.



The same photo after sandpapering it, after stabbing it and cutting it. A ghost of the image remains.



Four drawings of the Pergamon ornament. Two drawings with pencil on paper and two drawings with watercolours. On 300 grams of Arches paper with a format of 31 x 41 cm.



The same four drawings after, on the top left, erasing it with an eraser.
On the top right the drawing is vanished by sandpapering it.
On the bottom left the watercolour drawing is stabbed with an awl and screwdriver.
On the bottom right the watercolour is cut into pieces.

The destructive actions to photo and drawings is filmed. Soon it will be edited and posted here and on You Tube.

natural paper cutting

encore trois semaines

Within three weeks my Surface Research project has had it's first year. Much too short and it passed away like a cigarette in smoke. Fast, pleased with the prospect but finally dissatisfying when the end is near. Why? Because many questions aren't answered, the subject of the destructive element in creating art pieces isn't yet clear to me. The palimpsests and the specific texts used in the palimpsests were a start that dealt with construction and destruction. Precise construction by drawing the texts in grids using a ruler and compasses, well kept in hand destruction by scratching out the texts with a cutter.
After that I made a step backwards by working with specific conditions of a surface which is going to be used for drawings. It was necessary that dimensions had a reason and that is why I worked with the Golden Ratio and the Triangle of Kepler. Again many possibilities in drawings and the destruction of the drawings has been invested.
In the final three weeks I am going to make some new "destructed" drawings to complete the exhibition I am planning for Monday May 31 till Thursday June 3 in the Rietveld pavilion.

Invitation card will be posted soon on this blog.

destruction & construction summary

Nine different states of the same drawing, the final state is the first image here above. While drawing today during the workshop we talked about construction and destruction. We tried to understand Piet Mondriaan's quote: "I think the destructive element is very much neglected in art". And that is why we made drawings by drawing a construction that had to be destructed afterwards. Tomorrow I am going to write more about this subject. So see you...

to destruct & to construct

The drawing which ended yesterday's item about construction & destruction.The eight photo's herewith are from the same drawing. The destruction "evolutes" and finally the drawing has disappeared enough so a new drawing can overwrite the destructed surface.

creation & destruction

First state of Thursday April 8. Seven states of the same drawing are shown here, because I would like to show creation and destruction. To be continued tomorrow...













On a sheet of paper with proportions of the golden ratio I constructed with diagonals, cross points, horizontal lines, vertical lines and lines drawn with the compasses a web that is very dense.
It is possible to accentuate a pattern in the web, or to draw a composition with the web of guide lines. Foreseeing it is going to be a composition for destruction. By scratching it out with hatch lines all over.
Afterwards I want to try to start a new drawing over the destructed drawing. In one day : construction - destruction & construction again.

According to Piet Mondriaan : "I think the destructive element is very much neglected in art".

Kepler Triangle

Last Wednesday Jan Andriesse gave me a A4 sheet of paper with the construction of the Triangle of Kepler and the rectangle where the triangle is the half part from. The ratio of the edges of a Kepler triangle are linked to the golden ratio and can be written approximately as 1 : 1.2720196 : 1.6180339. The German mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) expressed in the following quotation his deep fascination for the Pythagorean theorem and the golden ratio: "geometry has two great treasures: one is the theorem of Pythagoras, the other the division of a line into mean and extreme ratio. The first we may compare to a mass of gold, the second we may call a precious jewel".









Four photo's of the evolution of the same drawing with the construction of the triangle of Kepler. Next week the drawing will evolve into a more complex drawing. I think it is going to be a first drawing of a series of drawings where the palimpsest principle of drawing and scratching, of creation and destruction, will be practised.

influences & inspirations

Drowning in possibilities, lost in ambiguities, disorientated, lack of structure, therefore indecision and desperation during drawing something unforeseen.
This drawing is inspired by Mondriaan and Andriesse, I am going to visit Jan Andriesse to know more. Perhaps afterwards it is possible to work systematically with the knowledge for another chapter "surface research".

influences

Today I continued with the drawing which was posted last Thursday April 8. Different lines can be drawn on the paper through the diagonals. Horizontal and vertical dividing lines are drawn on the crossings of diagonals. By going on a dense pattern of horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines will be created, which is like a mist, the subject or object can appear through this web of lines. The sculpture is in the stone, free it from the prison of the monolith, the drawing is on the paper, make it visible by accentuating or erasing in the web of lines.
While drawing it was wonderful to recognize the possibility to draw a "river down below" after a painting of Jan Andriesse.



Left premature drawing is more or less after a drawing of Karel Martens. The drawing on the right is after the painting "the river down below" of Jan Andriesse.
Probably it is possible to continue with the surface research project by scratching and drawing over it again as done in the palimpsest drawings. The palimpsest here is not a layered text drawing but is working with patterns and directions.
Questions are rising, how strict a method has to be followed? To draw after a system, how far to continue and when do you liberate yourself? Anything goes? Repeatedly going back to the basic question.

workshop for 2 participants

Yesterday the second workshop was going on in the Pavilion. It was quite a disappointment that only two participants showed up. As organiser I am asking myself if it is that boring to draw after certain rules? Is it that rigid or stupid to draw after a plan which is going about the surface with it's specific properties? Difficult to know when almost everybody who signed in for the workshop stay at home.
How to get the attention of the participants? It isn't sexy to tell them that when boredom is coming up while drawing it is good to continue with the original idea or plan. To tell them it can be quite good to switch off the ego with it's superficial demands. Deny the first emotions of despair, laziness and boredom and conquer yourself. Perhaps than it is possible to get fascinated by the interesting problems which are there while drawing. Try to pay attention to the drawing process, try to remember how decisions are made, try to foresee and to anticipate the possibilities nearby.
So the next workshop I am going to offer free beer, good music and champagne in the afternoon to the participants who want to try to go beyond the first superficial emotions that are the obstacles for starting and continuing with a drawing.
It sounds as a session of psychotherapy...
The photo herewith is a workshop drawing made yesterday by René van Heel. He drew after the specific method of construction to become a rectangle with the proportions of the Golden Ratio.

continuing drawing with golden ratio

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2



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Started to play with the possibilities, three photo's above are showing the changing drawings. Continuing drawing is playing with possibilities already there when the first line is drawn. It is also a fight against boredom and laziness. Tomorrow during the workshop "intensive drawing" after this material about the golden ratio, I am curious how many participants can stay awake.
The best thing to do is to switch of or to eliminate the ego, so drawing itself can go on without sighs. A bit of desperation is the right mood to execute a drawing not foreseen and not existing until now.

the surface and its dimensions

The surface, I am trying to focus on the surface and its dimensions. For that reason it is nice to be able to use the balanced proportions of the golden ratio. The dimensions of a golden ratio sheet of paper that is locked up in an A4 sheet of paper is quite smaller than an A4. The photo up here shows some A4 sheets of paper, 2 golden ratio sheets of paper and three sit, lie & stand sheets of paper cut to proportions with the same square centimetres. An A4 has the dimensions 29,7 x 21 centimetres, a golden ratio sized sheet of paper cut from an A4 sheet of paper has the dimensions 29,7 x 18,4 centimetres.



To construct the golden ratio rectangle it is necessary to use a square. The square is an integral part of a golden ratio rectangle. Drawing the construction lines already there through connecting edges and continuing drawing from crossing lines is easy, no inspiration or special skills are necessary. The drawing is in the paper like the sculpture is in the stone.







Drawn on Epson Premium Glossy Photo paper with its glossy coating. Playing with the possibilities is started, erasing and scratching into the paper is part of the game. Golden ratio and palimpsest techniques are subject of research, of practical artistic research.

golden ratio

Next Wednesday, march 31 2010, during the workshop "intensive drawing" I would like to propose that we are going to work with the "golden ratio". To inform what the "golden ratio" means herewith the wikipedia explanation :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio

The drawing above of the rectangle is constructed after the golden ratio, starting with a square of 21 x 21 cm. The drawing is made on a A3 sheet of paper : 42 x 29,7 cm. The golden ratio rectangle on the A3 sheet of paper has the dimensions 34 x 21 cm. I think this is the smallest golden ratio rectangle with natural numbers.
To bore and burn, to stand and fall, to unite and divide.

workshop "intensive drawing"

Today, wednesday we started with a workshop on drawing. Quite a lot of students from different departments from the Rietveld Academy joined the workshop. From 10:00 a.m. untill 5:00 p.m. we made drawings after the plan of three different sizes of paper with the same amount of square centimetres. Yesterday's post "artistic research in practise" is showing the concept where we worked with today. Herewith some results after a day of concentrated drawing. The names of the participants who made the drawings shown here are going to be blogged later on...