The Camera Obscura By Tim Vermeer

Although a memory may deteriorate over the span of years or even decades, a photograph will last a lifetime. Images are more than an object to have for safe keeping. In his article, “We Are A Camera,” Nick Paumgarten discusses the uprising of the popular recording device known as the GoPro. This device is used to record events and experiences from different perspectives, whether that is from underwater or zip lining through a forest in a first-person view. Moreover, videos and photography allow people to capture images to reminisce about past experiences, to share these moments with others, and even remember those whom you have lost.

The manipulation of perspective was not only significant for symbolic meaning. It was used as a visual tool in order to create the “magic” that the painting is known for. Because the vanishing point is approximately 5 feet from the bottom of the picture, which is practically floor level, this allows for both the top and bottom of the picture to come together and establishes an illusion of an actual structure. While this “created space” within the picture appears to be real, it is actually just one of the

In “Why We Take Pictures,” Susan Sontag discusses the increase use of technology and its ability to impact the daily lives of mankind. Taking pictures is a form of self-evolution that slowly begins to shape past and present experiences into reality. Sontag argues how the use of photography is capable of surpassing our reality by helping us understand the concept of emotion, diversity, and by alleviating anxiety and becoming empowered. Moreover, according to her argument, people are able to construct a bond between the positive or negative moments in life to cognitively release stress through reminiscing. Therefore, Sontag claims that photography itself can help with reshaping individual’s perspectives of reality by being able to empathize with the emotions portrayed through an image. Thus, giving

The two shared the love of sketching. They authored a book called “The Artist’s Guide to Sketching.” The book is filled with sketches, instructions, and sketching techniques. Kinkade would often use his sketches as a base for his paintings. His early paintings were often landscapes where he played with shadows and contrast but he wasn’t using an intense light source yet. “These paintings were created with a romantic palette and grandeur, and were defined by tighter brush strokes and details.” Thomas Kinkade uses focal point in the painting below. The focal point is the cross and he makes the cross the focal point by using color and line. He uses very light but rich colors. He uses perfect combinations of oranges, pinks, blues, and neutrals. The mountain and the sunrise make your eyes move to the

He is quoted as continuing to describe these images as being defined by a "band of color, circling the empty center". He said that while there are some basic similarities to work that he was doing two decades ago that featured rectangles that outlined an open center. These new paintings are far more about emptiness than color, according to the artist.

The technique most artists use to project an illusion of the three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional surface is called perspective. Objects are painted smaller the farther away from the audience is supposed to be, and are painted bigger the closer the audience is supposed to be. A vanishing point is helpful in creating perspective. This technique helps to make up a sense of depth in a piece of art. In Autumn on the Seine, Argenteuil, perspective is created by the body of water that is in the foreground of painting. This body of water is going off into the distance in which you cannot see it’s end. In the background, there are

Vermeer did not start his career off in an apprenticeship, learning the ways of one particular artist and slowly being influenced and inspired over time. He was inspired by multiple different artists, observing their work and creating his own personal spin on their pieces in a more realistic tone.

Jan Vermeer was a Dutch painter who fascinated by the use of light in his paintings. “Unlike Caravaggio and Rembrandt, who used light for dramatic emphasis, Vermeer concentrated on the way light reveals each color, texture, and detail of the physical world” (Preble 307). Vermeer

Many of this pictures contributed to studies of various emotions, which were later used in his religious and historical paintings. The may have also been used to illustrate his command of chiaroscuro, or the use of light and shade without color. In one painting deep shadows cover his face, leaving his features almost unrecognizable. In Protestant Holland during this time, religious art was valued as not being important. Even so, biblical and religious subjects accounted for about one-third of his work. Drama, as part of the Baroque period, was fully accentuated.

Another main focal point in this canvas was subject matter. This is where the objects or events are described. The artist gives us different objects such as the old couple seems displayed as depressing. Or you can observe it as normal couple, walking across the river, enjoying the night. He also gives us a boat which could possibly be giving us a correlation because the boat looks like it’s broken or about to sink. There is also another interpretation with the object that Van Gogh displays which is, the stars. Depending upon which way you want to take it, they look like flowers or fireworks. Also, there is a sense of false appearance with the houses. If you stare at just the bank you will notice that it is just a bunch of bright lights but if you pay attention to the water close to the bank, you will acknowledge the darkness or shadow of the houses.

This depth or distance that the beholder of the eye misses as he/she analyzes the action of the 2-dimensional portrait is what’s called the painter’s space. In reality, one of the greatest abilities one’s eyes have is being able to determine depth and distance; small objects are at a far distance and bigger

“Under”). One could mistake that the focal point is the little figure under the birch tree who is a priest. However, the main point in this landscape is all about the birches. The reason why one could say so is because of all the visual elements such as: the birches are in the middle of the painting; they are also the most lighted objects in the painting (light is shining in the form of an oval) (National Gallery). Due to the levels of lightning one can see that the picture is divided into three horizontal parts: the top (dark, but not as dark as the bottom of the painting); the middle is the lightest; and the bottom is the darkest. This means that he used what he learned about the Dutch style and mixed it with his personal style thus we have a whole new way of seeing his point of view.

Put aside your stance on homosexuality, and put yourself into the shoes of someone who is a homosexual. Imagine how you would feel if the world did not accept who you are as a person because you are different. Only because you didn’t find the opposite sex attractive to you. In Jonathan Safran Foer’s book Everything is illuminated we find out that Alex confesses his love for Jonathan near the end of the book as he becomes more comfortable with Jonathan. Why does Alex not tell Jonathan from the beginning? Is he uncomfortable being open that he is a homosexual?

After Reading Camera Lucida written by Roland Barthes, I was both confused and interested by his ideas. Though I did not understand much of the book, I was able to take a couple of his ideas and really think about how I see photos. In the future, I intend to use these ideas when I look at photos. One of his ideas that I was able to understand is the way he looks at pictures. The other one is his second definition of punctum.

The short film, "Paper man", by John Kahrs is a genuine reflection on his world. The way this is depicted is through his exploration use of magic, the amazing symbolism of the colour used and the service of sound. The representation of these allows, the audience to be more thankful to this film and understand its diversity in the world that it once was.