To achieve stylization in 3D, I’m focusing on textures and render exaggeration, with a particular emphasis on lighting. My primary goal is to create cinematic and dramatic lighting that will help me hone my skills as a Lighting Artist, and hopefully lead to job opportunities in this field. To save time on the modelling process, I plan to use kitbashing and modular environments from Sketchfab.
Developing the overall concept
Michel Foucault posits that dreams are the starting point of the imagination.
As part of developing the overall concept, I explored dream art which is based on materials from one’s dreams or materials that resemble dreams, but not necessarily directly based on them. Throughout the history of art, the theme of dreams has been very common, particularly the idea of dreams and their meaning in paintings. Paintings that depict dreams are mysterious and elusive, and they challenge, disturb, and fascinate us all at once.
Qualities of Dream Worlds:
- Characters typically gain important knowledge while in the dream world.
- Time may not run the same way in dream worlds as the real world, allowing months to pass in the dream realm while only moments have passed in reality (or no time at all).
- In some stories, characters move in and out of the dream world. In these, the storyline moves forward as they alternate between overcoming obstacles there and in real life.
Dream art has been in existence since the 12th century when Charles Cooper Brown discovered a new approach to art. However, the concept of dreams as art, without a “real” frame story, developed later. During the Renaissance, artists often portrayed the subject of the Biblical dream – the divine vision communicated by God. Meanwhile, the Symbolists of the 19th century chose to express subjective psychological and spiritual states through dreams, and the Romantics expressed feelings verging on the mystical, often through visions and dreams. The Surrealists, on the other hand, used images and stories from their dreams to create wild, bizarre artworks that reflected their subconscious states, as a window into their deepest selves. I find the approaches of the Symbolists and Romantics most intriguing and would like to use them in the FMP.
Dream Art Artworks:
Albrecht Dürer, Dream Vision, 1525
Hieronymous Bosch, The Vision of Tundale, ca. 1520–30
James Whistler, Nocturne in Black and Gold, 1877
Jean Lecomte du Nouÿ, A Eunuch’s Dream, 1874
Johann Heinrich Füssli, The Nightmare, 1781
Salvador Dalí, Dream caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second before Waking up, 1944
The painting “Nocturne in Black and Gold” inspired me with the feeling of wonder it evokes. The artist, Whistler, used colouristic effects to create a particular sensation and a sense of spatial ambiguity which is set against a structure of line and form. The Nocturnes series is a collection of paintings that depict varied night-time scenes. The focus was not on creating pictures but rather scenes or moments. Whistler believed that certain experiences are best expressed through nuance and implication. A Nocturne aims to depict a sense of void that arises only in the night-time and is particularly concerned with its representation of space.
I also strongly took from the Onirysm; a tendency in literature, fine arts and film to create reality in the image of a dream and to refer in the structure of the work to the rules governing dreams. Usually, the work is irrational, absurd, and contrary to the principles of probability. Cause-and-effect relationships and logical consequences of events are blurred. Like literary works, dreamlike film works (L. Buñuel, C. Saura, I. Bergman, K. Russell) are characterized by freedom of imagination, vision, disruption of the time-spatial and cause-and-effect order, discontinuity of the plot, and sophisticated symbolism; the mysteriousness of the dark atmosphere is often reinforced by the punch line.
When it comes to the symbolism in the scene, I plan to use floral and elemental objects together with painterly textures.
- Water frequently represents our emotions or our unconscious minds. In a dream it often has something important to communicate, just as it does in waking life. Dreams about deep water may represent the unknown or unconscious depths of the mind, while shallow water may indicate superficiality or a lack of depth in one’s thoughts or actions.
- Cats can represent femininity, intuition, and independence.
- The Odyssey locates a “land of dreams” past the streams of Oceanus, close to Asphodel Meadows, where the spirits of the dead reside. In another passage of the , truthful dreams are said to come through a gate made of horn, while deceitful dreams come through a gate made of ivory.
- Morpheus, the personification of Sleep and the god of Dreams. His name reflects his role in Greek mythology: the Greek μεταμόρφωσις (metamorphosis) translates as “transformation”. The cave where Morpheus slept was filled with poppy seeds.
Architectural Style
Art Nouveau is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and flowers. Other characteristics of Art Nouveau were a sense of dynamism and movement, often given by asymmetry or whiplash lines, and the use of modern materials, particularly iron, glass, ceramics and later concrete, to create unusual forms and larger open spaces.
When designing the interior, I took inspiration from the Art Nouveau. This complex international style in architecture and design is similar to symbolism in fine art, making it easier to incorporate hidden allegories throughout the scene. I aim to create a unified and cohesive space that utilized every surface by using harmonious design across several disciplines. By emphasizing the fluidity of the line, I hope to reinforce the idea of a dream-like environment with a mysterious atmosphere. The use of stained glass materials, which were prevalent during Art Nouveau, plays a large part in this project. I started by creating a combination of structure and ornamentation, incorporating geometric forms and asymmetrical compositions in the scene. Then, I focused on architectural details and textures to enhance the overall design.
Ornamental characteristic of Art Nouveau:
- Undulating asymmetrical line, often taking the form of flower stalks and buds, vine tendrils, insect wings, and other delicate and sinuous natural objects.
- Architecture showing synthesis of ornament and structure; a liberal combination of materials: ironwork, glass, ceramic, and brickwork.
- Furniture design dominating, especially in the fabrication of carved wood with sharp, asymmetrical forms, often made by hand.
- The designs’ sinuous curves frequently being installed as wall panelling and moulding, often utilizing the wood’s inherent grain.
Colour Palettes:
As I started working on my colour palettes, I delved into the process of creating a visual narrative. The mood I wanted to evoke was an essential part of this, and I brainstormed the tones that could help me achieve it. I wanted to showcase a transformation in the scene, so I decided on a contrast between warm orange tones and cool blue/violet hues that would highlight the progression. To take this a step further, I researched Ghibli colour palettes and drew inspiration from them to craft a stylised colour art that would stand out.
Bibliography
Britannica (2023) Art Nouveau. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/art/Art-Nouveau (Accessed: 15 July 2023).
Encyklopedia PWN (2023) Oniryzm. Available at: https://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo/oniryzm;3951139.html (Accessed: 11 July 2023).
Tate (2023) Art Nouveau. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/art-nouveau (Accessed: 20 July 2023).
V&A (2023) Art Nouveau. Available at: https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/art-nouveau (Accessed: 20 July 2023).
Wikipedia (2023) Art Nouveau. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau (Accessed: 11 July 2023).
Wikipedia (2023) Land of dreams. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_dreams_(mythology) (Accessed: 03 July 2023).
Art References
Chen, A. (2023) Portfolio. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/aliyachen (Accessed: 03 July 2023).
Chen, F. (2021) Personal. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/DAYJNG (Accessed: 03 July 2023).
Ernault, G. (2023) Portfolio. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/exphrasis (Accessed: 03 July 2023).
Gomez, G. (2023) Portfolio. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/beagle (Accessed: 03 July 2023).
kleinerHai (2019) Hierophant. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/3oOqVE (Accessed: 03 July 2023).
Romanovsky, D. (2023) Portfolio. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/formlanguage (Accessed: 03 July 2023).
Smith, T. (2018) Butterfly Field. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/L24JaR (Accessed: 03 July 2023).
Tobi 泳 (2022) 轩窗惊鸿. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/NGdDGq (Accessed: 03 July 2023).