The visual gamut and syntactic abstraction

Charles S. Peirce’s second trichotomy, which introduces the concepts of iconicity, indexicality, and symbolicity, is probably the only piece of his semiotic that is familiar to visual artists and designers. Although the concepts have found their way into the academy, their utility in the field has been reduced for a couple of reasons. First, as with all of Peirce’s philosophy, his second trichotomy is a concept that is subtle, fluid, and difficult to fully grasp in a sound bite. Second, there has simply been no bridge concept that would form a working connection between that philosophy in its logical guise and the studio practice in the visual arts. The purpose of this article is to remedy that situation by investigating the subtle ways the second trichotomy functions within the visual sphere, and to then suggest a model that can serve to bridge the divide between pure theory and practice. The article makes four main points: first, using examples from visual identity and the graphic arts, it demonstrates how the modes of icon, index, and symbol tend to be blended; second, examples from fine art are used to illustrate how the concept of abstraction, as used in the art world, can only be partially accounted for within the second trichotomy, but can be modeled by supplying a syntactical supplement; third, it expands on and elaborates a previously sketched model, the visual gamut, which makes it possible to classify visual entities according to their position within a map of semantic and syntactic space; finally, it concludes by suggesting ways this enhanced version of the visual gamut model might be used in the analysis of, or creation of, art and design, presenting suggestions for further study.

Awareness and Use of OER by Higher Education Students and Educators within the Graphic Arts Discipline in Greece

In recent years, Open Educational Resources (OER) have gained significant reach globally as a means of facilitating free and open access to educational materials. However, most of the empirical research on the adoption of OER in higher education is conducted in the US, while Europe and other countries, including Greece, fall behind. To that end, this research focused on the awareness and use of OER by higher education students and educators within the Graphic Arts discipline in Greece, to provide evidence regarding the adoption of OER to university administrations and libraries and encouraging their use across campus. The findings suggest that awareness is low, especially among undergraduate students, despite the fact that educators are aware of OER and already share their work as such. This paradox is probably related to students’ vague knowledge of what OER are and how to use them for learning. Therefore, actions are required from educators, university administration and librarians to inform students of the benefits of OER adoption in the educational process as well as to communicate educators’ OER efforts to students. Moreover, participants identified as the biggest obstacle for adopting OER in Graphic Arts the lack of a portal that accommodates OER for this discipline, which lays the groundwork for further research.

„Pejzaż górski nie odpowiadał mi malarsko”, Zakopiański epizod graficzny Jana Skotnickiego

Abstrakt: W artykule omówiona została graficzna twórczość młodopolskiego malarza Jana Skotnickiego, przypadająca na lata 1909–1914. W 1908 r. artysta wraz z żoną Teodorą z Trenklerów wyjechali z Krakowa do Zakopanego. Pobyt artysty zbiegł się w czasie z intensywnym rozwojem kulturalnym kurortu. W miejscowe inicjatywy Skotnicki angażował się osobiście, przy finansowym wsparciu swego teścia, łódzkiego przemysłowca i kolekcjonera, Henryka Grohmana. Jednocześnie tutejszy krajobraz i popularna w owym czasie góralska sztuka ludowa, zupełnie artysty nie inspirowały, przez co niemal zarzucił malarstwo, a zainteresował się grafiką i kilimiarstwem. Polem nowych zainteresowań stała się otwarta staraniem Grohmana eksperymentalna pracownia wyposażona m.in. w prasy drukarskie. W kolejnych latach Skotnicki prezentował swoje ryciny na licznych wystawach, także tych towarzyszących organizowanym konkursom graficznym (1911, 1914), a po wyjeździe do Warszawy (1912) przyłączył się do Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Sztuk Graficznych. Skotnicki uprawiał techniki metalowe, bardzo szybko osiągając w nich wysoki poziom zauważony przez krytyków. Łączył akwafortę, akwatintę, suchą igłę i ruletkę, eksperymentował z drukiem barwnym i kolorował odbitki, mocno indywidualizował prace podczas ich odbijania, stosując tintę. Jego dorobek graficzny oszacowany zastał na ponad 50 kompozycji, przy czym w kolekcjach publicznych znajduje się ich obecnie przynajmniej 36. Są to pejzaże, widoki miasteczek i architektury, akty, studia postaci i zwierząt, w wielu przypadkach wzorowane na własnych szkicach i obrazach. Tematycznie i kompozycyjnie wykazują one wiele podobieństw do prac twórców młodopolskich, zarówno z grona profesorów (J. Stanisławski), jak i rówieśników podejmujących próby graficzne (W. Skoczylas). W sposobie budowania kompozycji, kadrowania, asymetrii i fragmentaryczności przedstawień widoczne są wpływy sztuki japońskiej, stanowiącej ważne źródło inspiracji za sprawą kolekcji i działalności Feliksa „Mangghi” Jasieńskiego. Znacząca była również kolekcja Grohmana, za pośrednictwem której Skotnicki mógł poznać twórczość XIX-wiecznych odnowicieli sztuk graficznych, jak i artystów kolejnych pokoleń (J.M. Whistler, F. Rops, E. Carrière), co znalazło odbicie w jego rycinach. Nieco zapomniana działalność Skotnickiego wpisuje się w ogólniejszą tendencję: zainteresowania młodopolskich artystów sztukami graficznymi i zaangażowania na rzecz ich popularyzacji na przełomie XIX i XX w. Jest przykładem poszukiwania własnego języka wypowiedzi w nowym medium, samodzielnie podejmowanego eksperymentu. Choć Skotnicki nie był pionierem sztuk graficznych na ziemiach polskich, to z pewnością stał się ich propagatorem. Summary: The article discusses the graphic output of Jan Skotnicki, a painter of Young Poland, which he created in the years 1909–1914. In 1908, the artist and his wife, Teodora née Trenkler, left Cracow for Zakopane. The artist’s stay there coincided with the intensive cultural development of the resort. Skotnicki was personally involved in local initiatives, with the financial support of his father-in-law, an industrialist and art collector from Łódź, Henryk Grohman. However, the local landscape and the highland folk art popular at that time did not suit him at all. As a result, he nearly gave up painting and became interested in prints and kilims. An experimental studio, opened thanks to Grohman’s efforts, became Skotnicki’s new field of interests. It was equipped with, among other things, printing presses. In the following years, Skotnicki presented his prints at numerous exhibitions, including those accompanying print competitions (in 1911 and 1914), and after moving to Warsaw (in 1912), he joined the Society of Friends of Graphic Arts. Skotnicki used metal techniques and quickly achieved a master level, which was noticed by critics. He combined etching, aquatints, drypoints and roulette, experimented with colour printing and coloured prints. He strongly individualised his works while creating prints by using tint. His graphic output was estimated at more than 50 compositions, with at least 36 currently in public collections. They include landscapes, views of towns and architecture, nudes, studies of figures and animals, which in many cases were modelled on his own sketches and paintings. In terms of themes and composition, they show many similarities to the works of Young Poland artists from the group of professors (J. Stanisławski) as well as peers undertaking graphic attempts (W. Skoczylas). The way of building the composition, framing, asymmetry and fragmentation of the representations reveal the influence of Japanese art, which was an important source of inspiration thanks to the collection and activity of Feliks "Manggha" Jasieński. Grohman’s collection was also significant, as Skotnicki could learn from it about the works of 19th-century restorers of graphic arts, as well as about the artists of subsequent generations (J. M. Whistler, F. Rops, E. Carrière), which was reflected in his prints. The somewhat forgotten activity of Skotnicki was part of a more general trend: the interest of Young Poland artists in graphic arts and their involvement in their popularisation at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. His output is an example of searching for one’s own language of expression in a new medium, and an experiment he performed independently. Although Skotnicki was not a pioneer of graphic arts in Poland, he certainly became their promoter.

THE ROLE OF CUSTODIAN IN THE FORMATION OF ART WORKS COLLECTION (on the example of educational and methodological funds of the Drawing Department of the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture)

The article considers the peculiarities of formation of the collection of educational and methodical funds of the Drawing Department of the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture (NAFAA). The purpose of the study is to identify the role of the custodian in the process of forming the collection; determination of special professional requirements and specific range of job responsibilities of the keeper of museum collection of the institution of higher art education by studying the history of the collection. On the basis of the study of NAFAA archival materials and conversations with employees of the Academy, the list of persons responsible for the preservation of the collection of educational and methodical funds of the Drawing Department since 1937 has been established. It was found out that the position of the person responsible for the preservation of the collection of educational and methodical funds of the Drawing Department, during second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, had different names: Head of the drawing studyroom, Educational master, Master of industrial training, Head of the educational laboratory of the Drawing Department. People who worked with the funds mostly had higher art education (or intended to acquire it): they were practicing artists, graduates of painting, graphic arts, restoration, theory and history of art, pedagogical or architectural faculties. It was noted that the process of transferring art values took place between the responsible employees without any documentary support, and the employees themselves were changing their positions almost annually until the 1990s. It was proved that the absence of appropriate position of funds keeper in the staff schedule of the KSAI-NAFAA, which requires a professional education in art history and knowledge of museum management methods, had a negative impact on the preservation of collection. Thus, the museum, which is planned to be established under the NAFAA in the near future, should become a special structural subdivision. Along with its main activity related to the acquisition, recording, storage, conservation (preservation) and restoration of museum treasures, the NAFAA museum should perform an important educational and methodological function. To the typical duties of the Head keeper of the NAFAA museum collections there should necessarily be the requirement to know the history, methods and techniques of teaching artistic disciplines, as well as to have pedagogical experience.

Spectral Reconstruction Using an Iteratively Reweighted Regulated Model from Two Illumination Camera Responses

An improved spectral reflectance estimation method was developed to transform captured RGB images to spectral reflectance. The novelty of our method is an iteratively reweighted regulated model that combines polynomial expansion signals, which was developed for spectral reflectance estimation, and a cross-polarized imaging system, which is used to eliminate glare and specular highlights. Two RGB images are captured under two illumination conditions. The method was tested using ColorChecker charts. The results demonstrate that the proposed method could make a significant improvement of the accuracy in both spectral and colorimetric: it can achieve 23.8% improved accuracy in mean CIEDE2000 color difference, while it achieves 24.6% improved accuracy in RMS error compared with classic regularized least squares (RLS) method. The proposed method is sufficiently accurate in predicting the spectral properties and their performance within an acceptable range, i.e., typical customer tolerance of less than 3 DE units in the graphic arts industry.

EARTH'S CREATION STIMULUS: CREATION OF GRAPHIC ARTS WITH USED PLYWOOD MEDIA

Natural phenomena, especially climate change, are increasingly worrying lately. Graphic art can be used to express concern for the environment in response to climate change. The creation of this graphic art work uses the concept of the earth's creation stimulus. The creative methods used include: experimentation, contemplation, and formation. Abstract Expressionism was chosen as the style of personal expression in the creation of this work. The creative technique used is high printing technique with used plywood media. The results of the creation process show that the visualization of the concept of the earth's creative stimulus produces the forms of circles and lines. These forms are the main motif in the creation of graphic art with the stimulation of this earth's creativity

The impact of the Helmholtz-Kohlrausch effect on the appearance of near-white paper colours

This paper investigates the impact of the Helmholtz-Kohlrausch effect on near-white substrate colours. As the luminance of the test colour (or its simulated reflectance in a softproof setup) approaches that of the adapting white point the viewing mode changes from 'surface mode' to 'aperture mode', and the appearance of the test colour becomes self-luminous. However, some substrates with optical brighteners fall close to this threshold between viewing modes, since the OBAs not only increase the perceived reflectance but also increase the H-K effect, where it is very prominent in bluish colours. For graphic arts content shown on a display system, this essentially breaks the soft-proofing paradigm. The practical application of this work relates to cross-media colour reproduction, where the lightness appearance of some substrates is not adequately described by their colorimetric values, and this may impact on choice of proofing strategies.

STRAIGHT TO THE NORTH: ARCTIC EXPLORATION IN ARTISTS’ WORKS.

The article provides an overview on the history of the Kola Arctic region and the Arctic artistic exploration based on the “Straight to the North” temporary exhibition in Murmansk Regional Art Museum, 2019. Pieces of icon painting, decorative and applied arts, books, household items, painting and graphic arts and collection of the Kola Peninsula minerals were exhibited there. Some art works are described in details: paintings of Russian artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and Soviet artists, including painters from Murmansk and members of “The Arctic” creative team in 1978–1985. The authors analysed, how social and economic development of the Kola Arctic region influenced new art styles and directions: from plein air painting under the Extreme North conditions to industrial landscapes and creation of an art community. The authors dedicate the article to the memory of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, the leader of “The Arctic” creative team Arvi Ivanovich Huttunen (31.08.1922–27.08.2020).

LINO PRINTING DALAM ILUSTRASI CERITA RAKYAT SABAI NAN ALUIH LINO PRINTING IN THE SABAI NAN ALUH FOLKTALE ILLUSTRATIONS

<p><strong><em>Abstract</em></strong></p><p><em>Lino Printing is one of the manual printing techniques that belongs to the High printing technique which is part of the graphic arts. In the history of the development of graphic arts in Indonesia, it has been able to become a means of publishing news of Indonesian independence, but the nature of this printing technique that can be duplicated makes graphic art not develop because it is considered not exclusive and its originality is doubtful However, the interesting characteristic became the inspiration to use this technique in illustration work based on the narrative in the story of Sabai nan Aluih. This research uses practice lead research method. This method is used so that the work process can be done more freely. The story of sabai nan Aluih was chosen as a form of concern for Indonesian folklore.</em></p><p><em>Keywords: lino-printing, illustration, Indonesian folklore, Sabai nan Aluih.</em></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Abstrak</strong></p><p>Lino Printing adalah salah satu teknik cetak manual yang termasuk dari teknik cetak Tinggi yang merupakan bagian dari seni grafis. Dalam sejarah perkembangan seni grafis di Indonesia mampu menjadi sarana publikasi berita kemerdekaan indonesia, namun sifat teknik cetak ini yang dapat di duplikasi membuat seni grafis tidak berkembang karena dianggap tidak eksklusif dan diragukan originalitasnya. Tetapi ciri khas yang menarik menjadi inspirasi untuk menggunakan teknik ini dalam karya ilustrasi yang berdasarkan narasi dalam cerita Sabai nan Aluih. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode practice lead research. metode ini digunaka agar proses berkarya dapat di lakukan dengan lebih leluasa. Cerita sabai nan Aluih di pilih sebagai wujud kepedulian terhadap cerita rakyat Indonesia.</p><p><strong>Kata kunci: </strong><em>lino-printing,</em> ilustrasi, cerita rakyat Indonesia, Sabai nan Aluih.</p>

Folk Costume traditions in the modern culture of the Volga-Ural Tatars

The article is based on the materials of the Historical and Ethnografic Atlas of the Tatar People (volume “Folk Costume”) prepared at the Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences. In the pre-national period of the Tatar’s history there were many various local, ethno-confessional and other complexes of costume. Its formation was closely linked to the characteristic properties of the complex ethno-cultural history of the local groups of Tatars (the Kazan Tatars, the Mishar Tatars, and the Christian Tatars or Kryashens), as well as their religion (Islam, Christianity, Heathenism). In the late 19th – early 20th centuries, during the development of economic and cultural communications between Tatars of Russia’s separate regions, the common national Tatar costume was formed. City traditions of the Kazan Tatars have lie at the core of its formation. These traditions were distinguished by the style of a costume tendency to change – from archaic monumental national forms to more refined, corresponding to directions of the all-European fashion of that time. The “secondary folklore forms” characterize the present stage of transformation of the Tatar national costume as a whole – the aspiration of professionals to use national traditions in professional culture (graphic, arts and crafts arts, theatre, scenic folklore, modern modeling, museum expositions as a symbol of reconstruction of ethnic identity). Several trends present folk costume traditions in the modern festive culture of the Volga-Ural Tatars: the ethnographic (authentic) Tatar costume; the folkloristic (neo-folklore) variation of traditional costume; the so-called symbolical national sign the avant-garde costume. As the element of the ethnic culture, the national costume is the most important related to the individual. It represents a symbolical sign-category, an original social-cultural code and transmits the ethnic information from the past to the future.