squares 1~5

squares 1~5

Monday, October 9, 2017

Cezanne's intuitive syntax and Modigliani's intentional syntax

                                  Hokusai [Ryakuga haya-osie]
                                  Cezanne [Six Bathers]/ Modigliani [Caryatid]
For these works, the same type of harmonizing syntax was used.
Painting, ornament, sculpture and archtecture are based on the same syntax.
As we can see in [Hokusai Manga], Hokusai knew that painting and ornament are designed in the same way.
Renaissance artists were experts of all the types of art.
There is no such thing as pure art but artwork is made for some practical purpose.
Art survived even after the practical purpose outdated or forggoten because the shape remained like a shell.
We get artistic sensation by seeing visibly perceivable geometric characteristics.
We perceive them quantitatively.
Artist is an inventor of new syntax.
Most people are accostomed to see shapes on iconic level.
In figurative painting the outline is not noticed as geometric because the line is a sequence of arcs.
Unlike painting , ornament has easily recognizable symmetric structure of circles.
A good listener can only perceive the effect of the musical note but the composer  can use the musical syntax.
A good viewer can only perceive harmonious effect  of shape but the artist can use the syntax of shape.
Klee wrote in his diary,
"I learned to understand archtectual monuments....the obvious commensurability of parts, to each other and to the whole, corresponds to the hidden numerical proportions that exist in other artificial and natural organizms.....the importance of measurement....becomes evident."

                Cezanne [Six Bathers] lithograph
This drawing above seems to have been drawn after the lithograph below.
Althogh the legs are missing the foot is in proper position.
The curvature of the lines is very clear.
Arcs are the smallest elements.
The sequence of arcs becomes a melodious line.
The closed or almost closed line is a motif.
Ornament has pivot structure for balance and harmony.
At least Cezanne knew that deliberately drawn line becomes a curve with single curvature though he was not aware that the composition was forming  pivot structure.


The litograph can be reconstructed with five circles as he had excellent sense of harmony.
The modern artists could easily recognize Cezanne's scale method.
                Cezanne [Six  bathers] arc model
The circle-arc model I made before was to show that the largest and the second largest circles make the basic composition.
This time I add the smaller circles to show that each motif is well balanced.

                Cezanne [Six Bathers] pivot model
This model shows that same colored arcs are grouped at specific parts, which suggests that he paid very much  attention on the arcs of the same circle.
To make the point clear ,I enlarged two parts.

               Cezanne left Bather
The three pink circles overlapping the body are the main structures with pivots(intersection of more than three circles).
The highest circle which is the extension of the bottom thigh has six pivots.
The middle circle which is the extension of backbone has four pivots.
The lowest circle which is the extension of the front part of lower limb has also four pivots.
When a designer trys to balance the closely grouped arcs, the extended circles of the arcs tend to form pivot structure like ornamental design.
                            Cezanne right bather in [Six bathers]
The largest circles (green) which make the arm parts is the basic.
The second largest circles (pink) are not used as a whole circle but covering partially from both sides.
Many of the smaller circles intersect at the pivots.


The holes of ancient flute are made to sound scaled tones.
A musician of flute makes scaled music.
The document says that Cezanne was very fond of visiting The Loubre and enjoyed to draw marble statues.
Cezanne's sense of harmony further developed as he painted  the same motif  for sevral months.
Cezanne discovered the harmonizing device unintentionally.
Modigliani learned Cezanne's technique of harmony.
It is almost unbelievable that Cezanne used pivot structure consciously but surely Modigliani used it
deliberately.
                              Modigliani [Caryatid] pivot model
There are  three distinctive syntactic devices in the model.
1) It is made of six circle scale.
2) The second largest circle(green) is the base of the pivot structure.
3) There are eleven lines with more than three pivots and six of them intersect at a point(pivots on radial lines).


As nobody studied  artwok syntactically, the development of Modern art stood still.
Universal Art is a masterpiece based on unique syntax.