:-)
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in progress … allegory
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Une demande de dessin vite fait pour poster à un collègue pour dire ” work in progress”.
Je fais très vite… mais pas assez – le post est déja parti.
Acanthus: Bears’s breaches – bear foot – sea dock
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The acanthus (my sketches in Blog) is a large-leafed plant common in the Mediterranean region
Last summer I registered to Skillshare. I followed the course of Barbel Dressler . My emerging passion for acanthus started with her course “drawing acanthus”. All of her courses are just great and impressive by the amount of information she provides. It isn’t only about practical exercices, she also explores a large range of abstract knowledge and go back and forth between knowhow and knowledge. Just Brilliant!
I wanted to write this post in french (since I have loads of documentation but my starting point was Barbel Dressler informations so here it is, in english. Please excuse my grammar and spelling mistakes sprinkled around.
Then I kept being curious about the acanthus world in all its forms and enjoyed practicing.sketching. I also discovered or simply happened to see acanthus all around
I haven’t yet made a pattern with acanthus motif. it will be done soon.
Barbel Dressler copy right 2020
The name derives from greek acantha = thorn
Most commonly depicted plant since ancient Greece and Rome. It plays significant role in art and design (architecture & home design). The Specific intangible beauty of its shapes, lines and details inspired classic motifs.
The legend
Acantha (Ancient Greek: Ἀκάνθα, romanized: Akántha, lit. ‘thorn’) is often claimed to be a minor character in Greek mythology whose metamorphosis was the origin of the Acanthus plant. Acantha’s myth however does not appear in any classical source.
The tale supposedly goes that Acantha was a nymph loved by the god Apollo. Acantha, however, rebuffed Apollo’s continued advances and scratched his face. As a result, Apollo transformed her into the Acanthus, a plant with spiny leaves.
In Greek legend the Athenian architect and sculptor Callimachus one day happened to pass a tomb, near which he saw an acanthus plant enfolding both a tile and a basket. He was inspired by the sight to design a capital for a column, since known as the Corinthian order.
According to an earlier Greek legend, a young girl died, and her devoted nurse collected her trinkets and ornaments and placed them in a basket near her tomb and covered them with a tile. The nurse set the basket down on an acanthus root, whose stalks and leaves grew up enfolding the basket. It was this tomb that Callimachus saw.
The shapes
Big broad plant with side nerves coming from the center. There is difference between real plant and designed version all over the world. The original shape is exaggerated and enhanced for a stylised version all over the world
The ancien greek first started to use the acanthus leaves as a motif to adorn columns , the roman version: an other style emerged based on Acanthus Mollis : broader, more curvy
The column where classified into 5 order: toscan – doric – ionic – corinthian- composite
Acanthus spinosus versus Acanthus Mollis
Acanthus mollis is very similar to Acanthus spinosus. The main difference being the leaves and flowers:
- Serrated Leaves: Acanthus spinosus is characterized by its serrated leaves. Acanthus spinosus leaves have sharp, tooth-like edges that give the plant a distinct and jagged appearance. In contrast, Acanthus mollis has broader and softer leaves, lacking the serration found in Acanthus spinosus.
- Flower Spike Production: Acanthus spinosus has the upper hand when it comes to flower spike production. This plant produces more flower spikes compared to Acanthus mollis, giving it a showier and more vibrant display of blooms.
Acanthus spinosus
Acanthus shapes through history
- The greek version: leaf are based on Acanthus Spinosus – more pointed narrower lobes ( building temples)
- The Byzantin acanthus got chukier, more simplified and stylised. ( used as leaves. not so much scrolls)
- The medieval motif is simplified. specially // wood carving ands often used as a motif in books illustration / illumination: longer tendrils, more elaborate scrolls and use of the S line . The S line may have been used before but starting to emerge with illustration on paper
- Gothic acanthus leaves and scrolls: more round with bulb form… later it became more bizarre and esteem with extra long extended tendrils that look almost fizzle
- With renaissance occurs a significant jump in style – much more elaborate and delicate style with more details shapes and lines
- With the baroque time : acanthus leaves became even more extreme especially with the rococo and neoclassical period with no end to the swirling, curling and bending
All of this themes took inspiration from the classical period of the greeks
- In second half of the XIX century beginning of XX century, the art and design style were heavily influenced by the pre raphaelites and the art and craft movement. Compared to the romantic period (XVIII), the acanthus became a little bit more robust
- with art nouveau there was more imaginary elements, new type of details ans extension of the leave appeared.
- and art deco: goes back to a more classical and strict look again
Barbel Dressler copy right 2020
I did not find better and simpler view and explanations on the web than Barbel Dressler’s ressources that I re-organised here with colors for my instinctive visualisation. I recently started to use this blog also as a display of useful images and documents for me and may be for others- See other basic leaf shapes in Blog.
Ressources: Acanthus section board in Pinterest
William Morris and J.H Dearl’s work
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The 19th century’s most celebrated designer
A key figure in the Arts & Crafts Movement
A key figure in the Arts & Crafts Movement, Morris championed a principle of handmade production that didn’t chime with the Victorian era’s focus on industrial ‘progress’.
William Morris prefers sentiments to sentimentality, natural simplicity to artificial profusion.
Critical of the industrial era, he does not object to the machine themselves but to their use by some to produce profit through the exploitation of other. He views art as an indicator of the health of the nation
W.Morris makes no difference between makers and thrive strives for equality and good design. However, because of his method of hand printing, his products only made it possible for the wealthy to buy his service
William Morris & co / the firm
Morris Marshall Faulkner &co
William Fulford
Cormell Price
May Morris ( daughter )
They based their work on a set of principle that where largely influenced by the social circumstances and victorian society and culture. this group became a force that will change the way people view and value the decorative art and its creators.
They create a new design trend: architecture, interior design, gardening, fashion
Moriss’s design is iconic and shape the art and craft movement as we perceived it today
W.M relation to time is showing within his work:
The past is not dead. It is living in us and will be alive in the future which we are now helping to make.
W.M has no affinity with purely abstract pattern. He reject simple replication he seek a sens of hidden depth
principle of art & craft movement
Principle 1
Design should be created in context to the environment not for its own existence or for admiration only. he creates pattern with an intention and purpose (create pattern that will work well on specific product)
INTENTION AND PURPOSE ARE PARAMOUNT !
Principle 2
Design should first be created out of function after that is achieved ornament and decor an be added in Morris work there was never redondance or unnecessary details
START WITH THE FUNCTION !
Principle 3
Design should be true to purpose and its material, honest in how it is created. It shouldn’t imitate or look like something.
This is why the art & craft style was created in a two dimensional matter with simplified and stylised animal, plants motifs.
it should not try to look real but only to borrow the beauty of the nature and use it as a manner that complement the interior
stylise the motif to suits the suppose !
Principle 4
Use nature as your source of inspiration.
There are no abstract and non figurative design
All art & craft designer are inspired by nature with motifs of: – Foliage – Flowers – Animals – Fruits
Not to try to depict nature realistically but in a stylised way !
Principle 5
The designer should be involve in the whole process: from design to making… this mean learning and practicing every craft behind his product (design drawing, embroidery, waving, dying, printing…)
GET GOOD AT THE CRAFT AND DESIGN !
Try different technics and medias for creating pattern !
William Morris and J.H Dearl’s work (image in public domain)
William Morris and J.H Dearl’s work (images in public domain)
William Morris and J.H Dearl’s work images in public domain)
(images in public domain)
(images in public domain)
William Morris & co seamless patterns – images in public domain
William Morris Hunt – Wallace Black,1896
Portrait of Jane Morris (Mrs. William Morris) by John Robert Parsons
Portrait of Jane Morris (Mrs. William Morris) by John Robert Parsons
DES LIENS
Le design (d’intérieur) n’est pas un luxe
MORNING GLORY II
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Avant de commencer à construire un pattern j’apprécie d’explorer un theme floral, de me questionner en croquis sur la manière dont les feuilles varient d’une espèce à l’autre, comment représenter et/ou transformer ces variations . Comment les feuilles se présentent d’une espèce à l’autre: la forme des leurs fleurs, de leur feuilles (dentée, crénelée, lobée, incisée..etc), leurs perspectives imaginées… Ça me permet de trouver mes propres lignes, de me les approprier par répétition. A ce stade je ne me projette pas sur les futurs agencements du motif . Lorsque le moment de construire la répétition du motif arrive le design des fleurs est deja pensé. il reste à le positionner sans penser aux formes des fleurs
Parfois je me dis que je gagnerai du temps à trouver intuitivement les formes du motif à répéter en le réalisant, d un seul geste mais le processus par étape est satisfaisant. Il permet travailler les lignes plus en conscience et inclue un travail d’observation pour éventuellement s’en éloigner.
Ici, qu’est-ce qu’un liseron?
“le bleu des choses”
Titre d ‘un chapitre du livre” le détail du monde: l’art perdu de la description de la nature “
The master
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My pattern design very humbly take their inspiration from the atmosphere of the infinite beauty of William Morris & co. , or let’s say W.Moriss universe is my favorite graphic meditation and esthetic emotion
Within his bold two dimensional pattern Morris crafted a visceral response to the curves and waves of nature
I love the the way he reject simple replication of the past but capture its spirit, and seek the sense of depth and light:
How ever original a man may be he can not afford to disregard the work of art that have been produced in time past when design was flourishing, he is bound to study old exemples but he is also bound to supplement that by a careful study of nature because if he does not he will certainly fall into a sort of cut and dried conventional method of designing
William Morris artist craftman pioneer by R.Ormisyon & N.M Wells
Mock up hommage à William! ( I realise I dysothographied his name on the mock up)
RESEARCH FOR FLOWERS AND ACANTHUS LEAVES – sketch book
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Feuilles en formes
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Des feuilles du background de la dame à la haie et du portrait d’Audrey Hepburn
LES JARDINS DU GUÉ , ce site est une mine d’informations pour moi, à l’endroit où je me trouve ( phase de creation d’une collection de patterns)… au moment ou je me demande: quelles fleurs, – quel agencement – quel stylisation – quelle simplification, – quel niveau de details…. la forme des feuilles et des feuilles étant le premier dilemma.
Grace à ces informations je me confectionne une petite “feuillothèques” de lignes de feuille à décliner…Your Attractive Heading
Je les pose là, (blog pense bête)
A l’occasion je me préparerai une série de templates de chacune de ces formes … desmodèle et je ferai aussi des ” brushes stamp” pour ipad. J adore utiliser des brush tampon pour positionner les elements graphics à répéter.
Quelle automatisation de process 😉
LES FEUILLES
FORME GENERALE
FEUILLES COMPOSÉES
BORDURES
APEX
LES FIXATION TIGES / FEUILLES
BASE DU LIMBE
NERVATION
Morning glory
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The morning glory earned its name from the fact that its beautiful, fragile flowers unfurl in the morning then close in the afternoon.
It can be bright white, red, pink, blue or purple funnel-shaped flowers. throughout Central American the common morning glory, has had other more unusual names like: Bajicillo: little tendril.
in french…
on dit: liserons…. c’est tellement plus beau en anglais!
le son “ON est lourd… et peu glorieux (C. subjectif)
“Gloire du matin”: victoire absolue.
Dans tous les cas: on a affaire à de de “Jolis envahisseurs”
« Dans le village, on l’appelait le Liseron, parceque le liseron est une plante agréable à voir, courageuse, contente de vivre, qui grimpe le long des haies quand elle peut, qui rampe à terre, quand il le faut, qui fleurit partout, même entre deux pavés, même en plein soleil, et qui réjouit les gens par sa jolie couleur et son parfum délicat d’amande amère. » water crane
Il y a deux espèces de liserons: le liseron des champs (Convolvulus arvensis), il appartient à la famille des convolvulacée dont le plus célèbre représentant n’est autre que la patate douce et le liseron des haies (Calystegia sepium).
Liserons (fiche)
- grimpante ou rampante, spontanée, vivace, fleurit en été
- Racines profondes (jusqu à 3 m du sol !!!)
- Famille des Convolvulaceae (du latin convolvere, « s’enrouler »)
- Tiges et feuilles en forme de flèche.
- fleurs en trompette décoratives
- Envahissante? … sur le podium des mauvaises herbes qui s’enroule autour des plantes du jardin
Acanthus exercices
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