Abstraction in Art and Nature

Overview

contents

Introduction to the Dover Edition, 5
Acknowledgements, 6
1. The Meaning of Abstraction, 13
The Evolution of Abstraction, 13
Learning the Abstract Language, 13
Words vs. Images, 15
A Study Program and Materials You Will Need, 15
2. Line, 17
Does Line Exist?, 17
Lines Are Not Lines, 17
Stick Figures, 18
Expressive Use of Line, 20
Lines of Gravity and Levitation, 22
Sun and Earth: Light Lines and Dark Lines, 23
Lines as Movement and Time, 26
Linear Forms, 27
Line Forms Based on the Curve, 31
Line Forms Based on the Straight Line, 32
Cosmic Lines, 32
Streaming Lines, 37
Lines of Growth and Structure Formation, 37
Lines of Break, Fracture, and Shear, 44
Lines of Erosion and Decline, 47
3. Form, Shape, and Mass, 57
Our Instinctive Sense of Geometry, 58
Going Beyond Geometry, 61
Categories of Form in Nature, 61
Forms of Energy Fields, 63
Aerial and Atmospheric Forms, 66
Cloud Forms, 66
Water and Liquid Forms, 72
Solids and Earth Forms, 92
How We See the Earth, 96
Crystals: A Close View, 97
Rocks and Boulders, 100
Larger and Farther Earth Forms, 103
Plant Forms, 105
Forms of Organisms, 114
Forms of Disintegration, Decay, and Death, 126
4. Pattern, 155
Cosmic Patterns, 155
Weather and Atmospheric Patterns, 157
Water Patterns, 159
Patterns of Earth Forms, 161
Patterns in Plants, 161
Patterns in Branching, 163
Patterns of Leaves, 164
Patterns of Plant Growth, 168
Effects of Plants on One Another, 172
Patterns of Living Creatures, 172
Patterns of Fish Forms, 173
Patterns of Birds, 180
Patterns of Vertebrate Animals, 180
Patterns of Human Forms, 195
5. Space, Proportion, Scale, and Perspective, 200
Inner Depth, 200
Inner Proportion, 201
Proportion, 203
Scale and Space, 205
Planes into Space, 207
Visual Organization, 209
Natural Perspective - the Visual Cone, 212
Natural Perspective - the Viewpoint, 217
Natural Perspective - Parallel lines, 219
Natural Perspective - Vanishing Points, 224
Foreshortening, 226
Some Final Remarks on Perspective, 226
6. Light and Darkness, Black and White, 227
Daylight, 227
Seasonal Alterations of Daylight, 227
How Weather Alters Daylight, 229
Nightlight, 229
Firelight, 229
Candlelight, 231
Electric Light vs. Natural Light, 231
Darkness, 231
Luminosity in Plants and Animals, 231
Atmospheric Luminosity, 232
Lighting, 232
Measurable Characteristics of Light and Shadow, 233
Brilliance, 233
Intensity of Light, 233
Direction of Light Rays, 236
Reflected Light, 237
Cast Shadows, 237
Light Effects on Objects with Plane Sides, 240
Light Effects on Curved Surfaces, 242
Compositional Uses of Blacks and Whites, 246
Silhouettes, 246
Light and Dark Lines, 248
Engravers' Lines, 249
Reverses and Shifts of Light and Darkness, 249
Planes and Gradations of Atmospheric Light and Dark, 249
Light and Darkness in Planes of Space, 251
7. The Color Expressions of Nature, 260
Our Inner Sense of Color, 260
After-Image Color Progression, 261
Personal Color Sense, 261
Logic of Paint Pigments, 262
Blends and Gradations, 262
Tinting and Shading Colors, 263
Complementary Color vs. After-Image Color, 263
Opacity and Transparency, 263
Two Opposing Groups of Color, 264
Interaction Between Colors, 264
Momentary States of Color, 264
Prismatic Colors, Coronas, and the Rainbow, 264
Cosmic Color, 265
Atmospheric Color, 265
Color of Water and Liquids, 266
Earth Colors, 267
Rock and Mineral Colors, 267
Plant World Colors, 268
Flowers, Fruits, and Vegetables, 268
Colors in Animals, 269
Colors in Fish, 269
Colors in Infects, 269
Colors in Reptiles, 270
Colors in Birds, 270
Colors in Mammals, 270
Colors of Human Beings, 270
Afro-Indian People, 270
Oriental People, 270
West Europeans, 270
Color Resonance and Harmony, 271
Bibliography, 273
Index, 275