Instead of the clown’s back facing the viewer, in this image, the clown is facing and addressing the viewer. By doing so, it changes the position of the viewer, from one that is looking passively and uninvolved in the scene to one who is part of the scene as a spectator.
In this image, the tones are inverted… i.e. the light colours in the original image is now dark in this image and vice versa. It feels as if we are looking at a negative, but not quite because of its limited range of colours and tints.
Looking on at this image evokes a very cold, unreal and surrealistic feel.
Indeed, the technology we use to create the final image affects how we view and value an image. The top image is scanned directly in grey tones and the bottom is created by photostating. There is a marked difference in the two images. All else being equal, if these two images are printed out on the same kind of paper, the ‘scanned’ one would look like it is of a better quality than the ‘photocopied’ one because the scanner is better able to discern tones than a photocopier.
Hence, the better quality print would be better valued than the photocopied print.
Another special effect using the Adobe Photoshop filters… This time, the original image is ‘pinched’. In so doing, it creates a curious effect where the two acrobats remain the most proportional, and everything else around them are distorted and pulled towards the centre. Somehow, the distorted figures (especially the clown with the elongated neck) seems to attract as much, if not more attention than the acrobats. It feels like we are looking at the image reflected from a distorted mirror.
This image was created through a distortion (by applying the ‘change polar coordinate’s filter). It gives a somewhat similar impression of looking at the The Circus through a reflective spherical ball.
Through the distortion, it is still possible to make out certain main characters in the original image, if you know what you are looking for… but by and large, a viewer viewing this directly may have trouble figuring out the image that is being reflected in the ball… Hence, a viewer looking at this image, may be fascinated by the effect of this reflection on a concave surface rather than the masterpiece itself!
This form of distortion creates an optical illusion which is known scientifically as ‘Stereoscopic Vision’. Nigel Rodgers in ‘Incredible Optical Illusions’ explains, “Each eye gives us a slightly different view: the nearer the subject, the greater the difference. The brain combines the different views to give us ‘stereoscopic vision’ which enable us to judge shape, distance, depth, and dimension with ease.
REF:
Rodgers, N. (1997). Incredible Optical Illusions. Holland: Cordon Art.
If Matisse were to re-interpret Seurat’s The Circus, how would he have done it?
Matisse was considered one of the greatest colourist of the 20th century. He was fond of using bright and expressive colours. His paintings during his Fauvist years are characterized by dramatically simplified areas of pure color, flat shape, and strong pattern. Towards the last few years of his life, even as he was too weak to paint, he created papercuts, carving and scissoring out coloured paper into shapes, and collaging them into sometimes vast pictures.
Maybe he would have done it as above… 🙂
With increasing commercialisation, reproductions of art works are common and these may be reproduced on many products and souvenirs by various organisations. Examples abound, such as umbrellas and mugs by museums, stamps by the state and images of art works on even T-shirts, coasters, paper plates and cups, balls and toys by enterprising companies. Below are examples of some products that have art works reproduced on them.
How does this affect the way the image is viewed?
Well, in my opinion, it depends on what product it is imprinted on, the purpose tthe image serve on product and who produces and distributes the product…
A work of art printed on a stamp would be seen as an honour, while a poorly reproduced image on a ball for children to play would seem to ‘cheapen’ the work of art.
Just another thought…
The type of frames, the design of the frame, the materials that the frame is made out of (wood, plastic etc..) and the colour also play an important role in the viewers’ engagement with the image…
The original masterpiece in solid timber frame would probably be taken more seriously and generate more interest and discussion than a print in a plastic frame. The type of frames gives a subtle cue to the value of the image.
Having fun with all the Adobe Photoshop tools… 🙂
Just exploring the effects of using a circular frame instead of a rectangular frame… The circular frame brings the level of interest in the image another level. Because we commonly see images placed in a rectangular frame, images placed in a circular frame seem more interesting and refreshing. Besides, the circular frame fits this composition well because it complements Seurat’s intention of showing the relationship of the acrobats and the horse, caught in the middle of this skillful act.
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Now, instead of focusing on the acrobats, I have chosen to focus on the spectators. The spectators are sitting unnaturally upright. This is probably a conscious decision on the part of Seurat, to compensate for and balance the flamboyant actions of the acrobats. These still, upright shapes are balanced by almost perfectly horizontal lines. Seurat is known to be obsessed over science of art and composition!
By zooming in on this part of the painting and using a circular frame, it feels that the viewer is not just looking on at the scene, but rather peeping through a hole, and seeing the almost passive faces of the spectators who are not aware that they are being looked at and attracting such attention.
An image can be framed in various ways. By this, I mean the cropping of part of a larger image can affect the meaning and content of the painting as this changes the focus of the composition.
In this first frame, the focus is on the two acrobats, showing how their actions are related to each other at this moment of the act.
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By zooming in on the male acrobat, the focus is now on his posture, the agility of his body and his acrobatic act of flipping himself upwards. In this frame, because not much is shown of the ground, we can only get a clue that he is in mid-air because his hand does not cast any shadow on the ground.
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Similarly, by cropping the main image again in this manner, the focus is now shifted to the gracefulness of the lady acrobat and her balancing act on the horse.
ESTHER'S studio 
