Wee Sae MMe TITS eae udents of Architecture nar Data ECR eng “alll BOOK CONTAINS ACCOMPANYING MEDIA.This ok spin on wei ee pape, @ pe (Cops © 2007 by an Wie Sons. oe. igs eens ‘api of his pbletion may Ne epeaiced, sted laa ea! stor ates in ny form oe ya mea, ‘econ mechanical phtoopyng eon, seaming. cf Aerie keels paaite udet Set 107 108 tthe 1976 United Stats Copy Ac wba ce he pi Write pews othe Pubes arian ‘hough pant fhe appropri ering fo tothe Cepyiht Clearance Come, 222 Rave Dive, Danser ‘MOL O10D8 (07H) 7500, fax (97H) 780-479. oon he ue anceps. Regn othe Par Fc permisien sould be siresodw the Pests Departmen! ft Wie Seay Ic. 11 River Ste, Hoban, Nira 201) 7484011 fax 201) 748-008, Fale unpre com’ eipermsions, Lito Lily Dihime F Waren: Whi he pase ad te author ave used thee est ft pepaing lis ok they make aa repesctons cr waamls wih eect we acy or erence cen this bok nd spialy dct any aid wares mercy Ofer prc poe naa snap he tewedcrevended by oles prensa wien sakes maar, The adc and sul cota ein fray ao Reside for yrs. You soa cork tha poker whee oppopnate Neve pada tothe ethor sbal be ble oran esse prorat ke crameal damages, lang at aie Spa incletal, conseguir dasuses For gone infor at urbe procs ad seven pleat ur Contant Cae Depron within the ‘pS at 90) 762.2074, side te Utd Sates (317) 8728598 of 1317) 873-402 ‘Wiley slo pubes its boon ate of eetrone Frat. Sore ote tht apr in it my ie 8 valeie in lest book. ir moe infraion abou Wi pedis, isi are ea nwo, Library of Congres Catlin. Putcaton Dae Coop, ow, 196- Drang nn! picevving He drawing sues of aca and desion /y Dry Cooper Kh Inchdesbitioraptice references end ines ISBN-18 978 OFD.DIES gopeceds {SB 10-0-170.:7163 ipqets) 1 Avhitxwr daving—Teclgue 2 Visual prcepon Tite NazmRC¢6 2007 720284422 Pred in he Uied Se Amerie weer esaaarTOUCHING AND MOVING PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION Suspicions about vision A bird in the hand fs worth two in the busi is an adage of hunting. ‘Though it points 16 the uneertainties of marksmanship. it also hints a& the limitations of vision when not affirmed by the sense of touch. Likewise, when in some blissful moment, We are wont 10 sy, "“Touch me, prove I'm not still dreaming," we do so in reposition tht i is though the sense of touch that we come closest o seifying the realness of things and events Suspicions about vision originate in the fact that, despite its obvious usefulness, vision is ess essential than the sense of touch. Imagine a world without ight, and we ure impressed by the prospect of the difteulty of daily life. Imagine a werld without touch, and we mus wonder if life would be demonstrable or eves possible ‘What is 80 usetul about vision is shat it provides information ota distance, After some life's experience, the unfolding image of an approaching ear offers suficent warning in itself; warning that is sufficient without the eantieming crunch that would result ftom remaining inthe middie ofthe road. Vision allows for a certain useful detachment from life, at more than sens lenath sid out of hasm’s way. Buc it is precisely fr this capacity that we must consider vision a kind of surrogate sense, one step removed {rom the “nitty-grity” of real life ‘The fut that vision alone provides v someWvhat detached sense of reality was Particularly evident inthe televised reporting of the recent wars in the Persian Gulf. 1 refer here to those chilling (and riveting) videos tacking smart hombs to their targets. So ‘0 Ovateat: Engaging the Vial Wer. Douglas Cooper wen Paro Clam ane Grdgore Pionet. Lake Union (eofage celal fom tne mura sores From Bose Hl Yom taea Vays, King County Court ‘Seat, Wi, 2005, Charcoal and ae on eaaar on board. 14"x 12. 1.1 Opposite: Tovoning ard movement prone tha fauncaten. Douglas Cooper with Patricia ark and (Gregoire Piet. Ming aa Logging, fom tha mural sees: Fron these il om tesa Vode, ng (County Courthouse, Seat, WA, 2005, Charcoal are aeybic on paper an bat 9 12: Engaging the Visual World 94.2. When stucents draw contours, they begin by imagreng ter pencl sacha touching tat Soface Unicown ae 10. Ghapter One complete was our detachment tha, as we watched, we also lost any sense of the human beings there a the target and the pain and suffering inflicted upon them The alloo-drofl soiee-over commentary of the newscasters said as much. From the comfbrt of the Living room, our perception remained confined to the visibie, out of touch, and free of pain. only’ because its so easily deveived, there is ample eause to distrst the primacy of vision, Camoullage in warfare, mompe I oeif in painting, anc nematic special effects aural examples ofthe relative ease with which the eye canbe fooled. Some percepiual psychologists, in panicular the cnansaerionatsis, believe that touch ‘and movernent play key supportive oles for vision, They believe all perception, most particularly vision, i leared through a process of interaction (transsetion) with the caivironient. In their view, a baby lears to see by verifying the visual field through auch kicking, grasping, and crawling about; hitter in baseball learns to see and hit a ‘curve ball by much swinging (and missing), and a drawing student learns to see the world in perspective by frst mzking lines converge to common ¥anishing points Vision insufficient for drawing IF vision by itself is insutficient for the perecptions of daly Tif, fs it equally suspect as 4 foundation for learning to draw? My own doubts about its role originated years ag0 ina review 1 was conducting of my teaching. By chanee, zt the time of my review, ‘vas reading a book about drawing, The Natural Way 20 Draw by Kimon Nicholaides* Reading his book gave me a sudden insight into some of my sivdents’ problems, Parlier, 1 had observed that the drawings of those who had subsequent difficulty in design dawing had lacked a quality evident inthe work of thase who had not. Where their drawings seemed inative and purely Visual, those of their more suecessful colleagues, though oficn less skilful, seemed gestural, tough, and tactile by comparison. It occured to me that a focus on the purely visual aspects of drawing atthe expense ofa kinesthetic ‘and tactile foundation might lead to a Tater inability to use drawing effectively as» design 100 Much of what Nicholaides wrote in introducing his exercises seemed to indicate a distrust of vision. Leven got th impzession he considered vision unaided by the sense of touch to be almost voyeuristic in its detachment. Suitability for architects and designers ‘Nicholaides" exercises require intense physical Imclvement with subjects from the outset Usually he frames the at of drawing in a way analogous touching. When students ‘raw contours, they begin by imagining their pone is eewally touting the surface of thefigure. When they model surfaces, they begin by imagining thatthe chareoal is actually manipulating tht surface, For iis relationship to design, the modeling exercise is particularly interesting (see page 45), Before modeling its surface, Nicholaides asks students to build a figure’s mass. Todo this, they have to think of the charceal as equivalent to a real material, They start atthe figure’s core and build out, mark upon mark about that care. until whey reve the ‘outer surface. Then after haying, in effect, already built the figure, they model its surface. Inthe end these drawings sequire a heavy charaeter that does not necessarily match the appearance of these people at all. But they are made Tike them, and this attribute points to the reason why Nicholaides’ exercises are so well suited to the task that architects and designers face. Architects and designers must design something that does not yel exist. Whereas the ‘work of a painter might legitimately remain focused on the reception and interpretation of sensation from the visual world, that of the architeet and lesigner must be directed squarely atthe 1ask of constructing something that dines not yer exist Consistent with this aim, the modeling exercise (and, 1o 2 less obvious degree, the others as well) presents the act of drawing as an et of making a thing rather than just ‘viewing that thing. And as Nicholaides sets it up, making precedes viewing, Before wwe can model a figure, we have to first make itexisc on the page. For the architect oF designer faced with the task of designing something that does not yet exist. no other approach makes sense. Iuained to draw only that whieh is already visible, how could they begin to draw when nothing is yet there to deaw? What first marks could they make’ Ever since, I have used Nicholaides’ exercises in my course, Thave found it works well fo introduce them, as Nicholaides did: using the figure, Figure drawing sessions hhave a matchless intensity and focus dat makes fora good beginning. Then we apply cach exercise to architectural subjects. Like the figure drawing exercises preceding them, these exercises build architectural drawing on Nicholuides’ firm foundation, When we draw, we do not just imitate an object's appearance. On the page before us, we consider ‘each drawing to be real imitself. That is Nicholaides' great gift "Principal advocates ofthis poston ste Adelbert Ames and Jab Dewey = Kimon Nicholas, The Nata Way to Draw Boston: Hoagton Mili, 198, “Impressionism wou} he at example, 4 8.¥thonotudents mode! suraces, they bean by Imoginng that thar charecal is actualy manipulating ‘hat srace: pushing aome weas back aed allowing ther areas 6 come forwate, Unknown srt, Engaging the Visual World 11NICHOLAIDES AND CONTOUR, Movement is the busis of contour Nicholaides" interest in contour as. fundamental issue for drawing grew out of his work with the Cumouffage Corps in France during World War I. As part of his job. be had to study and work extensively with contour maps. The level eamtours these maps epresented are not. of course, just a convention of map-makiag. Contours are rooted in the patterns of mankind's inhubitation of the land throughout history: whether (ea fermaces in Sti Lanka or rows of grapevines inthe hills of Tuscany. Thus as Nicholaides' use of contour maps progressed, he grew fascinated wich the rich and readable sense of the landscape they conveyed. Later he incorporated the issue into his teaching at the Att ‘Students’ League in New York. In the end, contour becante se ecatral to his conception ‘of drawing that it became the topie that opens his book, The Nanurul Way to Draw. What Js s0 compelling about cont One of the most powerful images in my childhood wasn illustration I four in 2 book about ihe life of Roland. the legendary knight of King Charlomagne’s Sti-century France. The painting showed Charlemagne"s army being led over the Alps by a magical elk with glowing homns. However. what so fascinated me about this scene wats mo the els, but the way in which the long line of foot soldiers and mounted knighis snaking up over the pass so powerfully portrayed the landscape itself, It was as if their moverient on the land also revealed the land. ‘in my mind ever since. the subject of contour has been linked with the experience of | moving across the landscape, Much as for the drivers on the interstate at left, pathways and the prospect of moving on their contours “over hill and dale” have seemed to make 1.4 Opposite: Movornent i tha nana of contour Deuaine Cooper with Sarah Coop. Paonia “urraie Mural west panch, Penney varia Turspke Commission Heacquariers Hast, PA 2001 (Charcoal end acc on paper on boars. 7x 1 15 ttwasasit her movement on thé lend also veal) the ana. Chatornagre Coes he Als. Nutration oy Fer Hed Reprited wit the permission of Sovonge a0 leprint of Simon & Sctusto, tom he Story of Rana by Jaines Balowin. Capy'ght © 1990 by Charla Serioner’s Sore. Engaging the Visual Word 13i 1.8. Theroasway's twstmg contour 29 sharpanee my anes porcepton ofthe srop-of 44 Chapter t the landscape visible from afar: just how visible was made clear to me several summers ago by some friends of mine, ‘They were driving over the Furka Pass in-Switzerland, It isa torturous sequence of switchbacks and steep grades. Just as they got over the erest to begin their descent and ‘upon seeing the view them, everyone in the car suddenly stopped talking. Snaking down the slope and shining in the sunlight, the road dropped away steeply into the valley—but with no guardrail at all! And without any rail, dhe wisting contour down the slope so sharpened their sense of the sheer drop-off Unat what had been a nice summer's rive became a white-knuekle descent.Had Teen in the ear at the time, I might ‘may not be as bad as it looks.” and I would have said so because ultimately, she only veal basis for establishing the form of « surface iv actually moving on that surface. Much of our childhood experience of leaming 10 see is preoccupied with just that: establishing the connection between what vision provides from afar and the reality of the actual cexperionce. Thus we once learned to establish the visual fact of a bend in the road by first walking along it and even the atness of a frozen pond by first skating upon it To.acertain extent even the collective understandings of our society at large are only: finally established by the verification of actual movement, How may skepties about the roundness of the Earth must have remained still in 16th-century Spain even after Columbus’ voyage—remained that is until Magellan's erew finally sailed around it and returned 1519-1522, Tn the end, the proof is always in the moving, Beyond shape. the qualities of surfaces are established through movement as well, AA placid lake proviies a smooth crossing for canoeists. and white-water rapids an experience that is quitea bit rougher, Smooth and rough are each characteristies of crossing surtuees. Our perception of even the most subtle qualities of strfaces rests tuhimarely on movement, Before « purchase, a woman in clothing store will verify the fineness of a silk garment by running her fingers across it Knowing contours from afar But though rea! physical movement does underlie ous understanding, once we've learned 18 eventually do provide sufficient information about surfaces without our ever having to zetwally touch them or cross them. In effect they come 10 ofler the experience of movement, but from afar, This is vision’s great gift. For an observer on shore, the visual contours af eanoeists on a smooth lake or on \white water rapids are sufficient in themselves for understanding. In the fist instance, the gentle waves and unbroken reflections of the boat and paddlers and, in the second instance, the turbulent water and canoe all akimbo are adequate to discern the distinet nature of each experience. We don't actually need to get in the canoe and paddle or get wet to know what euch is like, ‘And so it was for my friends on the Furks Pass. They could “feel” the steepness from the visual contours of the road alone. They could feel fear from the top of the pass before they even began their descent retried reassuring them by saying, “it to interpret them, visual cont 17-8 Foran observer on shor, tha contours arm sficen or understancng. Live drawings based on Paintings by Winslow Homer Engaging the Visual World 151.9 S. Maria el For France. Photo: H. Saaiman | 46 Chapter One 140 Side Gnapate, rveto 1.11 Composite colurns, Siena, Phote:H. Seaman, Knowing surface from afar terial properties of surfaces offer a similar kind of information: the experience rent from afar. ‘This is particularly the case with objects that have a good deal of surface texture. Yeurs ago I spent six months in Tuscany, In neurly every town in the provinee, [ found striped churches with alternating courses of black and white marble, ‘One reason for the stripes is to signify use. In Tuscany only religious buildings have stipes, Secular buildings have none, But I was also struck by the extent to which these stripes seemed to articulate form, All these churches have very readable forms. This is the ease whether we are considering whole structures such as Brunelleschi’s octagonal ‘cupola in Florence, building parts such as the apsidal side chapels at Orvieto, or details such as the composite columns at Siena. The siripes make all these forms gra apparent. TheLAP Neckofawarthog, Photo: Raymond Mal, 7.18 Basket mado ot raeae, The same is tue of move ordinary objects as well, whether navurul or ariicial, We perceive the shape of the neck of the warthog in Figure 1.12 on the basis of the curving pattern of creases on its skin: similarly we perceive the roundness of the basket in Figure 1.13 om the basis ofits pattem of woven reeds. Though touching these objects would surely’ enrich our understanding, we do not absohitely need to touch them to know that they are round, The eye learns to follow the paths the hand once traveled Sometiines objects kick suflicient contour or surface 1exture 10 be easily perceived, such instances, we sometimes augment or exaggerate their material properties to make their form more apparent. This practice, evident in the striped churehes of Tuscany. lies atthe heart of decoration. Fishnet siockings on a Las Vegas showgirl and chrome stripes fon a 1950s car are each in their own way intended to show off form by adding greater face 1.15 1959 Buick Sklar. Photo: Sarah Cooper As of contour to a Engaging the Visual Worid 171.18 Above: Mik other, Bonjour Prima Lat, 137 Above right Cemetary Ene Malle, Biba, Spain, Photo’ Bruoe Linge. 18 Chapter One Surface contour and design Foran architect. knowledge of material contours becomes a key issue for the design of building elevations. In the example abve of Enrle Miralles' cemetery in Bilbao, Spain, the pre-cast concrete shelves, which line the ascending walkway, articulate the walkway’s Fise by also srepping up that Same slope themselves For the designer of the milk-frother at left, care had to be taken to ensure the co‘tours ofthe various parts of the handle would underscore the handle's hand-friendly shape. However, aniculation of shape or surface form are not the only issues that arise with contour, The orientation of users of a building, even their sense of the visual stability of an environment, can be at stake, Frank Gelnry's fabulous Guggenheim Museum in Bilbo, Spain, is @ good instance to cite. ‘The environment visitors Walk through is complex. The forms are not rectangular,‘The shapes are not famian, And a queasy i had Gehry not carefully kept the horizontal contours of the metal el to assure ateadable sense of surface. ‘The contour exercises ‘The contour exercises that follow retrace the line of thought presented so far, In the spirit of veriving the visual field Kinesthetically atthe outset, they will begin with touch and movenient before turning to vision alone. To deepen your sense of the primacy of physical movement asthe basis for vision, be atentive to the motion of your hand and e9e8 a5 you draw. Move slowly and deliberately atthe start. Later vary your speed ‘To build your sense of visual contours on the firm basis of real and familiar physical knovsledge, we will start with the human figure before drawing other objects. Be patient! As with learning any sport. it takes time to get your hand and vision in syne. wily been the result, ding plainly evident 1.38 Above ltt Guggennelm Museum, Bilbao, Spain. Frank Gehry. Photo, Bruce Lindsey. 1.49 Above mile: Allon Lakacsy. 1120 Above ight Be patient. AS with leiming a sped, ‘kes time to get your hand ard vison In yee Engaging the Visua! World 19