We think the air is invisible, but the tiny particles and molecules that surround us exist, and the reason things look blurry from a distance is due, in part, to trying to see through so many of them. Atmospheric perspective can help create a sense of depth in a landscape painting by changing the value and intensity of the colors. Generally cooler, lighter colors and blurry shapes are in the background. Clearer, darker, shapes want to move closer to use...at least in in the daylight.
For night scenes, the darker colors are pushed back while the lighter come forward. Basically you want to move in the direction of the color and value of the sky, is the backdrop to all of our landscapes. Overlap, also plays a big role in creating the illusion of space. For my students who were totally blind, they literally overlapped layers of paper for each layer of the landscape and then glued/ decoupaged them all together. No matter how the landscapes were created, they made me want to take a camping trip to the Great Smoky Mountains where atmospheric landscapes rule supreme. I already booked a site at a campground there for next week. In the words of John Muir, "The mountains are calling and I must go."
No comments:
Post a Comment