White

The combination of insomnia and poor late night TV lead me to service of the wonderful BBC iPlayer, in particular two documentaries called 'A History of Art in Three Colours' and ''Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings '.  

The final episode of 'A history of art in three colours' concentrated on the colour white. From all the snow lately white has been everywhere, it is one of my favourite colours and I feel it is very important in Graphic Design. The use of white can be a strong element in design as it allows the user to focus in on information with a clean, simple and direct message. 

I found the documentary on the subject very interesting and so I thought I would document it here purely to remember in the future. As an art history enthusiast learning more about the artists themselves and the stories behind their work has always fascinated me, above all the featured artists James Abbott McNeil Whistler resinated with me for his reasons of using white. Presented by Dr James Fox he discusses the controversy Whistler's Venice paintings caused within society. This documentary has helped me to think about the use of white in my design very differently now. 

Symphony in White, No 1: The Girl in White

The different tones and shades of painting below.

Symphony in White No. 2: The Little White Girl

Symphony in White No. 3

 Dr James Fox's analysis allows a deep understanding to be formed about each painting. The general concept of how White signifies a higher importance, elitism and purity has changed my view of how the audience reacts to this what I thought to be a very clean and neutral colour. For more of an in-depth insight the full episode is on BBC iPlayer along with a short separate clip focusing on Whistler's Paintings.

Another documentary 'Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings' prompted me to think back to our Gutenberg Lectures and our metal type workshop. Dr Janina Ramirez talks about how the illuminators told stories of the Kings and important people through their illuminations included in books which were regarded the highest and powerful of belongings. I love learning about the history of England's Kings and Queens and their lives, homes and time periods they ruled. I found this documentary to be very engrossing from its talks about the artists to the stories behind the illustrations themselves.

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