Optical Device
Jansing
painter David Hockney's theory that the old masters used an optical device,
like a lens, to make their drawings more realistic. The deviced looked to me
like a prisim mounted on a stand that projected a drawing or photo taped to
a wall 90-degrees down onto a piece of paper. Is anyone familiar with this
device and know where I might get one? Thanks, Tom.
Colin Barnard
He was probably referring to a camera obscura allegedly used by Vermeer.
This is a bit topical in London at the moment as there is a Vermeer
exhibition on at the National Gallery. Vermeer's perspective is a bit
questionable and further evidence put forward is that a close friend and
the executor of his will owned an optical company who could easily have
supplied the device. Its all a bit circumstantial although in one
painting Vermeer actually shows what could be his camera obscura
reflected in the mirror behind the subjects.
There should be stuff on the web about camera obscuras, they were quite
fashionable with the wealthy of ages past who mounted large ones on top
of buildings to project the surrounding views down onto a table top.
Obviously one used by an artist would have to smaller and portable but I
imagine a mirror mounted at a 45 degree angle at the top of an enclosed
lightproof tent stood on a table would be not too inaccurate.
An episcope working in reverse is probably a good analogy.
Colin
--
Colin Barnard c...@dcs.qmw.ac.uk
Department of Computer Science, Queen Mary,
University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS.
Tel: +44 (0)20 8772 5234 Fax: +44 (0)20 8980 6533
And now for something completely off the wall ...
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(Its a hook for hanging a picture on)
Dan
There's also a device called a "camera lucida", sometimes called a
"camera lucy" or perhaps just a "lucy."
My understanding of what these devices are is that the "camera
obscura" has a screen on which you put something such as a piece of
paper. The device is pointed at your subject, and an image of it
appears on the screen, under your paper, which allows you to trace or
copy the image by hand.
The "camera lucida," I believe, is the one where you look down through
a prism at your paper or canvas, and see a superimposed image of the
subject. Good luck! - Dan
Fred Mason
This sounds like one of the standard "graphics/art supply" catalogu items.
I can't recall the name and the first catalog I picked up didn't have one.
I should think you could order one through any well stocked art supply
house. These gadgets usually have a mirror set at 45 degrees. The mirror
coating is not opaque allowing one to "trace the scene projected on the
paper". They are usually found around the area where opaque projects and/or
"visualizers" are found.
Fred
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