The science of optics: recent revelations about the history of art

David Hockney; Charles M. Falco

doi:10.1117/12.956447

11 October 2012 The science of optics: recent revelations about the history of art

David Hockney, Charles M. Falco

Proceedings Volume 8480, The Nature of Light: Light in Nature IV; 84800A (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.956447
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2012, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

We have discovered a variety of types of optical evidence that demonstrate artists as early as Jan van Eyck and Robert Campin (c1425) used optical projections as aids for producing certain elements in their paintings. We also found optical evidence within works by well-known later artists, including Bermejo (c1475), Lotto (c1525), Caravaggio (c1600), de la Tour (c1650), Chardin (c1750) and Ingres (c1825), showing that the use of optical projections by artists continued up to the development of photography and beyond. However, it is important to emphasize this does not mean that paintings are effectively photographs. The mind as well as the hand of the artist is intimately involved in the creation process, so these complex images are much more than simply traced images that have been projected.

Citation Download Citation

David Hockney and Charles M. Falco "The science of optics: recent revelations about the history of art", Proc. SPIE 8480, The Nature of Light: Light in Nature IV, 84800A (11 October 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.956447

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