Tim McCreight, the author of Design Language, wrote: “Our need for wholeness is so great we assemble elements into as large a unit as possible. We will see a row of dots as a dotted line rather than a collection of small marks” (1996). This is just one example of the gestalt theory. It has gained world recognition and has become part of an artist’s formal study. Surprisingly, *gestalt* is not the name of the person who discovered the series of visual perceptions which are now recognized as design laws; instead, the word *gestalt* means “form or shape.”
The gestalt theory originated with Wertheimer, and he believed the human brain predictably organizes and groups forms and shapes by grouping them in certain ways. Gestalt theory includes: “the law of similarity, the law of proximity, the law of continuation, and the law of common fate” according to Paul Martin Lester, the author of the book Visual Communication.
Gestalt psychologists continued Wertheimer’s work which began back in the 1920′s. Artists want to know how the mind sees and organizes visual information. Improved understanding of how designs and patterns are viewed as a whole and not strictly by the parts is helpful to artists, because they can use these laws as guidelines as they work.
Due to the gestalt theory, an artist has a better idea as to how much or how little information should be in their graphic designs and artwork. Not only this, but the knowledge of the gestalt theory allows artists and designers to know where they can take visual liberties as they design. Gestalt theory shows how the human mind completes the missing parts and details by grouping, connecting, and separating the varying shapes and forms.
No doubt about it, the gestalt theory is fascinating. To learn more about it, take time to read information about “the law of similarity, the law of proximity, the law of continuation, and the law of common fate.” (revised 2/15/2006)
Monthly Archives: October 2011
Art – Caravaggio’s Life
Caravaggio is an extremely well known Italian painter who painted in the Realistic Baroque style of art. His dramatic use of light and dark is revolutionary. Many other painters have tried to paint like him and failed.
Caravaggio’s real name is Michelangelo Merisi. He was born in 1571 in the town of Caravaggio; this is where he got his professional name. His father was Fermo Merisi, a steward and architect. At the age of eleven, Caravaggio was orphaned and apprenticed to the painter Simone Peterzano for four years.
Some time between 1588 and 1592 Caravaggio moved to Rome and became an assistant to Giuseppe Cesari, a pupil of Titian. He painted flower and fruit pieces for him which are now lost. After that, he moved from job to job working for other painters. This was a very unstable period in his life. After a while, Caravaggio decided to set out on his own and sell his paintings.
Caravaggio found a dealer that began to sell his paintings, Maestro Valentino. Valentino eventually showed Caravaggio’s paintings to Cardinal Francesco Del Monte, who had great influence in the court. Del Monte invited Caravaggio to come and live at the house of the cardinal and receive a pension. He painted about 40 paintings for Del Monte, which mostly included paintings about adolescent boys.
In 1597, Caravaggio was commissioned to paint the decoration of the Contarelli Chapel in the San Luigi dei Francesi church in Rome. This caused him to become very well known. For the church, he painted three very large paintings, St. Matthew and the Angel, The Calling of St. Matthew and The Martyrdom of St. Matthew. In these paintings, he painted them in a very contemporary, realistic way. This was not how saints were usually painted and this caused shock among the public. They even made Caravaggio redo one of the paintings!
After he finished the church, Caravaggio had a swarm of people that wanted his paintings. Some of the paintings he did during this time are The Conversion of St. Paul, The Crucifixion of St. Peter, The Deposition of Christ and the Death of the Virgin. Many of the paintings he did during this time caused violent outrages. He painted the Madonna with Pilgrims for the San Agostino Church which ended up being a scandal because the old people kneeling down had dirty feet and a filthy, torn cap. Other paintings were rejected entirely.
Even though Caravaggio was constantly criticized, he was still very successful. He became more and more popular as a painter. During this time, however, he had many run-ins with the law. He was arrested many times for various reasons. Other painters accused him of several things; he wounded a soldier, threw stones at a Roman guard and wounded another man defending his mistress. Then he had a serious brawl over the score of a tennis game and killed Ranuccio Tomassoni.
Because of what he did, Caravaggio fled Rome and hid with a relative of the Marquis of Caravaggio. He then hid in several other places and eventually ended up in Naples. In Naples, he painted Madonna of the Rosary and The Seven Works of Mercy. During this time his painting style shifted, probably because of his desperate state of mind.
After this, Caravaggio moved from place to place a lot. He went to Malta, where he painted The Beheading of St. John the Baptist for a cathedral. Word of his crime reached Malta and Caravaggio was imprisoned, but soon escaped. He then went to Sicily and painted The Resurrection of Lazarus and The Adoration of the Shepherds. Then he moved to Palermo and painted the Adoration with St. Francis and St. Lawrence.
Caravaggio was eventually arrested when he went by boat from Naples to Rome. His boat stopped in Palo where he was arrested. However, he was released. When he was released, he found that the boat had already left along with everything he owned. He set out to overtake the vessel and arrived at Port Ercole where he died a few days later. He probably died of either pneumonia or a fever.
Even though Caravaggio spent much of his life running from the law, he is still considered to be one of the best painters of all time. His style is unmatched and is still admired today.
How to Sign to a Record Label For New Artists
For every budding music artist their dream is that there talent gets noticed and soon they can sign with a big music label which will lead them the road of success and glory. Well if you are such a musical artist then you should know one very basic thing there is no guaranteed formula or a guaranteed route on how to sign a record label. This does not mean that you need to give up your hope and dreams it only means anything and everything is possible in today’s music industry.
I have tried to outline some of the guidelines here for all you aspiring musical artist which might help you in your way of signing a deal with the record labels.
First of all you should know where you stand in terms of talent and skills, because it is very important that you remember that the music industry is very competitive. Only the best of best with a bit of luck can survive while the rest don’t even get noticed. So it is important for you to know how good you are and what makes you the best. If you are sure that you got the stuff to make it big then you can give it all and test your luck.
Second important thing one should remember is the good old saying “Self help is the best help”. Don’t wait for someone to come along and help you sign a record deal; you should start building contacts, start getting noticed by the players in the music industry. Get yourself as much gigs as possible, try to have your own supporters, try to get your own sales. Remember all the record company only look out for artist who can make them money they are least bothered about getting new talents, so if you have your own sales and support group you have high chances of getting yourself a record deal.
Last but not least thing I want every music artist to be ready for one important thing how to handle rejection. It is important in life to know how to handle failures, because handling success is easier than handling failures. So you should think about every possibility have alternate career planned out, this will make you easy to bounce back in life. Remember no one can stop a true talent from getting noticed by general public so work hard and success to sign a record label will surely be yours.