Blog entry 53:
Whilst creating my oil painting experiments in blog entries 51 & 52, I listened to the audio book version of The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, and found that I was using my subconscious listening to inform my idea development: some of the theories outlined in this story were actually very similar to my thought process on how to depict the divine with regards to The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges, so I decided to list on my phone ideas I had taken from listening to this audio book.
Another point I considered when listening to this was my CW1 presentation (blog entry 48), which has the subject of how technology affects viewership. The fact that audio books by description only need the use of hearing to enjoy, reading has been somewhat replaced by this advance in technology; due to the lack of needing ones eyes to read, illustrations also become moot or are disregarded, which will inevitably affect anyone who works or intends to work as an illustrator for publishing, like myself. This means that illustrators will have to find other ways of getting their work to accompany these read out/ audible texts: Many are found on sights like youtube, meaning that they are attached to a video like file, meaning that it would be possible to attach a moving image or slide show like file to the audio book, this may be something I consider further.
Ideas suggested in the novel The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown:
- The Rotunda building (Washington DC, USA) - the artwork in this building is suggestive of the idea that knowledge is power:
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| Rotunda ceiling, Washington DC, USA, Taken by Dale Carlson as part of the project 12 hours in Wasington DC, 2011 The Apotheosis of Washington by Brumidi 1865 |
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| (Carlson, 2011) (Brumidi, 1865) |
To see more photography as part of Carlson's 12 hours in Washington DC please follow the link below:
http://ilovedetroitmichigan.com/on-vacation/12-hours-in-washington-dc/
(Carlson, 2011)
This ceiling fresco by Brumidi symbolises George Washington becoming a God, his ascension to this status is interesting to my idea of depicting the divine.
For more information on this particular piece of artwork please follow the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apotheosis_of_Washington
(Wikimedia foundation, 2014)
I am particularly fond of this image and the way that it is painted, as well as the connotations and messages surrounding it.
- Apotheosis - The definition of this term is to achieve the highest point or to climax of something or the elevation of someone to a divine status
(Collins English Dictionary, 2009)
This idea is an interesting way to look at how the divine can be perceived.
- The Library of Congress Washington DC
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| The Library of Congress taken by John Sayers 2013 (Sayers, 2013) |
The fact that this library has not come into consideration during my researching ideas for The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges is interesting, more so because I have found it in this way - The Lost Symbol mainly revolves around ideas of achieving knowledge at the highest stage thus achieving apotheosis.
The idea of apotheosis through knowledge can be easily applied to The Library of Babel, for example if one of the inhabitants in the library was to read the huge or infinite amount of books that exist there or the "illustrated, magical" (Borges, 1944) books in the Crimson Hexagon, then they might ascend to divine or God-like state.
- Melencolia 1 by Albrecht Durer
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| Melencolia 1 by Albrecht Durer (1514) |
In The Lost Symbol, this image is suggestive f knowledge is power due to the magic square behind the female character to read more about this idea please follow the link below:
http://www.albrechtdurerblog.com/real-secret-in-the-magic-square/
(Garner, 2012)
The work of Albrecht Durer is influential to me, especially considering I have just got back into printmaking, I should be looking at work which I am inspired by and what is considered mastery.
Other images that make me think of Knowledge as power:
These images make me consider the idea stated in The Lost Symbol, about the fontanel - the area at the top of the head, on a new born baby where the skull has not yet fused together to allow growth of the brain (this fusion of the skull usually happens at approximately 2 years of age). The fontanel is referred to in the novel as a gateway to heaven as it physically represents a 'gateway' to the brain, thus considered the place where knowledge is stored (Babel is also thought of as the gateway to heaven in the Tower of Babel). Usually the fontanel is considered to be a weak area as it is a point at which can sustain dangerous damage to the brain on an infant, but in The Lost Symbol, it is considered as something sacred. It is also interesting to consider that this opening is only available for a relatively short length of time after birth, which could code at a similar time when infants can begin to understand the world and language, could this gateway to heaven be closed through a child moving more into our world thus away from the 'heaven' whens it came.
As is apparent the two above images depict the human head with a 'force' coming out the top of the head - the force seems to be emanating from the same point at which the fontanel can be found on an infant's head, could this visual communicate a similar idea to that posed in The Lost Symbol.
This is another piece of artwork by Grey, which interests me due to the hand gesture which can be found in both Virgin of the Rocks and Annuciazione by Leonardo da Vinci. This hand gesture seems to be another along with others discussed in blog entry 31. Hand gestures seem to be coming up a lot in my research when considering what depicts the divine, so I intend to continue considering this in my own work.
http://www.albrechtdurerblog.com/real-secret-in-the-magic-square/
(Garner, 2012)
The work of Albrecht Durer is influential to me, especially considering I have just got back into printmaking, I should be looking at work which I am inspired by and what is considered mastery.
Other images that make me think of Knowledge as power:
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| by Unknown artist (N.d.) |
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| Untitled by Alex Grey (N.d.) |
These images make me consider the idea stated in The Lost Symbol, about the fontanel - the area at the top of the head, on a new born baby where the skull has not yet fused together to allow growth of the brain (this fusion of the skull usually happens at approximately 2 years of age). The fontanel is referred to in the novel as a gateway to heaven as it physically represents a 'gateway' to the brain, thus considered the place where knowledge is stored (Babel is also thought of as the gateway to heaven in the Tower of Babel). Usually the fontanel is considered to be a weak area as it is a point at which can sustain dangerous damage to the brain on an infant, but in The Lost Symbol, it is considered as something sacred. It is also interesting to consider that this opening is only available for a relatively short length of time after birth, which could code at a similar time when infants can begin to understand the world and language, could this gateway to heaven be closed through a child moving more into our world thus away from the 'heaven' whens it came.
As is apparent the two above images depict the human head with a 'force' coming out the top of the head - the force seems to be emanating from the same point at which the fontanel can be found on an infant's head, could this visual communicate a similar idea to that posed in The Lost Symbol.
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| The Blessing by Alex Grey (2008) Acrylic on Linen 30 x 40 In |
This is another piece of artwork by Grey, which interests me due to the hand gesture which can be found in both Virgin of the Rocks and Annuciazione by Leonardo da Vinci. This hand gesture seems to be another along with others discussed in blog entry 31. Hand gestures seem to be coming up a lot in my research when considering what depicts the divine, so I intend to continue considering this in my own work.
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