THE INFLUENCES of STEREOSCOPY on VISUAL ARTS Its History, Technique and Presence in the Artistic World
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University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca PhD THESIS SUMMARY THE INFLUENCES OF STEREOSCOPY ON VISUAL ARTS Its history, technique and presence in the artistic world PhD Student: Scientific coordinator: Nyiri Dalma Dorottya Prof. Univ. Dr. Ioan Sbârciu Cluj-Napoca 2019 1 CONTENTS General introduction ........................................................................................................................3 Chapter 1: HISTORY OF STEREOSCOPY ..............................................................................4 1.1 The theories of Euclid and the experiments of Baptista Porta .........................................5 1.2 Leonardo da Vinci and Francois Aguillon (Aguilonius) .................................................8 1.3 The Inventions of Sir Charles Wheatstone and Elliot ...................................................18 1.4 Sir David Brewster's contributions to the perfection of the stereoscope .......................21 1.5 Oliver Wendell Holmes, the poet of stereoscopy ..........................................................23 1.6 Apex of stereoscopy .......................................................................................................26 1.7 Underwood & Keystone .................................................................................................29 1.8 Favorite topics in stereoscopy ........................................................................................32 1.8.1 Genre Scenes33 .........................................................................................................33 1.8.2 Landscapes ................................................................................................................33 1.8.3 Tragedies ...................................................................................................................34 1.8.4 Adolph Block - Wizards ...........................................................................................36 1.9 Recent research in stereoscopy .......................................................................................37 Chapter 2: STEREOSCOPY TECHNIQUE ..............................................................................40 2.1 Causes of stereoscopic vision ........................................................................................42 2.2 Objective space ..............................................................................................................52 2.3 The Monocular View .....................................................................................................56 2.4 Binocular vision ............................................................................................................59 2.5 Rivalry ...........................................................................................................................61 2.6 Convergence ..................................................................................................................61 2.7 Differentiation ...............................................................................................................63 2.8 Benefits of Binocular Vision .........................................................................................66 2.9 Photographic principles in stereoscopy .........................................................................70 2 Chapter 3: THE INFLUENCES OF STEREOSCOPY ON THE ARTISTIC WORLD .......77 3.1 Leonardo - The first pair of stereoscopic paintings .......................................................79 3.2 Paul Cézanne - The painter and the mountain ...............................................................94 3.3 Marcel Duchamp - Rethinking Stereoscopy ................................................................104 General conclusions ...................................................................................................................113 Index ............................................................................................................................................116 Bibliography ...............................................................................................................................118 Summary .....................................................................................................................................121 3 Keywords: Stereoscopy, Photography, Depth, Illusion, Optics, Physics, Art, Three-dimensionality, Two- dimensionality, Binoculars, Science, Lenses In my PhD work I try to analyse the actuality of stereoscopy and the continuing fascination it represents in the artistic world. To what extent can we talk about a constant of illusionism in the history of visualization? What are the continuity elements and what has the technology brought to the non-mechanized stereoscopy? How does stereoscopy work and what are the challenges it addresses to our senses? What is the contribution of artists in the development and diversification of perceptual experiences based on stereoscopy? In this research, I will try to answer these questions by analysing the history, technique, science and artistic aspect of stereoscopy, a less known side in the artistic environment. Stereoscopy through its "magical" offer, has attracted long-standing glances. But not only the average man was impressed, but also renowned artists, who persevered in their pursuit of techniques as diverse and refined as possible to render an image so that the feeling of spatiality is as intense as possible. Stereoscopy is a branch of optics that deals with the processes of recording and rendering images in relief and depth by examining the optical-mechanical properties of the instruments used for this purpose. The term derives from the Greek words: stereos = solid and scopein = to search, to examine. The stereoscope is based on the principle of human visual perception, whereby both eyes transmit a slightly different image to the brain, according to their position. These two images are combined in the brain and through this fusion one can perceive a single spatial image "in relief". The human brain approximates the differences between the two images with the help of the parallax effect, thus giving the illusion of a three-dimensional image. The more shots you have, the more impressive the three-dimensional image will result. If we look at stereograms, the sensation is as if we were looking at a landscape through a window. The colour, size, space, depth and distance are as perceptible as the original space. Stereoscopic presentation is an optical system whose finalizer is the human brain. The binocular vision as a phenomenon was mentioned in antiquity by Euclid and Galen, then Leonardo da Vinci deepened this topic in 1484 in the Milan manuscript. He faced the notion of perception of the world through 2 different images that correspond to the gaze. The purpose was to play different images for each eye, through a technical device. Also stereoscopy was approached by the Italian philosopher Della Porta in 1594 and by Francois Aguillon (Aguilonius) in 1613. One such device, called a stereoscope, was designed by English physicist Charles Wheatstone. On June 21, 1838 he gave lectures on his discoveries on stereoscopic phenomena in the Royal Society of London and in the report "physiology of vision" presented an optical instrument, called "stereoscope". His findings were argued with drawings and gave birth to the first stereoscopic viewer that worked with the help of mirrors. As a result of misperforming basic information, a number of problems have arisen, such as stereograms that cause headaches or dizziness. In 1839, the Frenchman Daguerre discovered the method of rendering permanent photographic images by taking pictures with the camera obscura. Thus, it was possible not only to draw stereograms, but also to photograph them. In 1844 the English physicist, Sir David Brewster, the inventor of the kaleidoscope put this idea into practice, namely that the photograph be applied in stereoscopy. He tried in vain to arouse the interest of opticians in London and Birmingham for his first models. In 1849 he improved the stereoscope, thus making the first authentic 2-lens stereo camera. The most popular topics of stereographers were genre scenes, landscapes, natural disasters and nudes. With the progress of photo reproduction through print, the Holmes manual stereoscope, invented by Oliver Wendell Holmes, appeared in 1859. It is interesting to note that Wheatstone, Brewster and Holmes did not patent their inventions. The reputation of this type of camera has allowed the popularity of this technology to increase among photography enthusiasts. The high-performance technology of this invention has produced important changes in the conception of photography. It affected the vision of the photographer, but also of the public regarding their perception of relief and depth. It influenced the whole way of reading the images and evaluating the content. Until recently, the binocular separable sensation of depth was not realized. Over the years, people like Euclid and Leonardo have come to understand that our eyes see different images of the world around us. But Sir Charles Wheatstone, with his stereoscope and drawings, was the first person to demonstrate that it was a unique sense of depth, stereopsis, produced by retinal differentiation. Euclid, Kepler and many others have asked why we don't see a double picture about the visual world. Wheatstone solved the problem by demonstrating the brain's fusion of two retinal