Fractals

A definition of a fractal from wikipedia:

A fractal is "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole,"a property called self-similarity.

In an age of highly proliferated and ever changing technology, the means to produce art are great. Add to that a "Post-Modern" sensibility of what can be art, (for better or for worse) a lot approaches to art making are made possible.

Are fractals art?

Benoît Mandelbrot (20 November 1924 – 14 October 2010) was a mathematician who coined the term fractal in 1975 for shapes that appear similar at all levels of magnification. Fractals appear in all forms of nature, from the flower, to clouds, to a river delta. And fractals are infinitely long and complex, constantly twisting in upon itself.

While the images are not composed by an artist per se, the initial conditions are set and ran through the formula "Z = z² +c" (also created by Mandelbrot), creating spectacular images reminiscent of intricate patterns in folk art or even psychedelic art.

In the end, the more we discover, the greater our tools become, the more we have to change the definition of what art is. Is it fractals?

Great design is serious (not solemn): A reaction

In class, we were shown this talk by famous designer and partner at Pentagram, an equally famous client design firm, Paula Scher. The basic premise is that the designer's life is composed of quick growth and punctuated by growing plateaus of mediocrity into oblivion. Kind of a downer. She goes on to say that this can only be combated by attempting things you know nothing about, even then, eventually you begin to draw your own conclusion and the cycle starts again.

It made me think of my own art, there were strong parallels to what she described and what I am going through as an artist. I can honestly say I'm a "better" (being a relative term) than I was when I started. Which each new drawing I learn something new, I used to search volumes of books searching for answers, now I stumble over them. Even though I don't see the plateau, I'm not satisfied and there's a lot I don't know and can't do, but I fear that Ms.Scher was right. What if one day the well dries up?

I remember the words of a teacher whom I respect, "analyzation is paralyzation". I think I butchered the actual words, but the thought helps.

Harry Patridge

NSFW

I first came across British independent animator, Harry Partridge's work with his Saturday Morning Watchman (Look it up). Since then I'm an avid subscriber to his youtube account, I believe he also does work for the BBC network.

His Youtube

His DeviantArt

Sterling Hundley

www.sterlinghundley.com

The website of an illustrator I admire. he has a book, "Blue Collar / White Collar",showcasing his commercial and fine art work, peruse his work and support the artist!

This is one of my favorite images of his, it reminds me of the orientalist tradition, with it's intricate patterns and romantic imagery.

Scientific Illustrations

http://scienceillustration.mypage.ru/

A blog I discovered from through word of mouth, the website is entirely in russian save for the titles, but if you'd like to see russian sci-fi illustrations from the 1960s-70s it's a pretty good source.

Interspectacular

http://www.interspectacular.com/

An animation and design company own and operated by Luis Blanco and Michael Uman. I had the pleasure of visiting their studio today. They do everything from identity development to character design. Their work on the Comedy Central branding was spectacular, and they've recently completed branding for the BET network. Visit their website and check out the massive amounts of work they've put in.

PAUL RAND and The IBM logo

It's a pretty solid logo, timeless and beautiful. Even for a non designer like me (sort of), I can appreciate the power inherent to the trademark. The strong geometric shapes are simple and iconic, inherent to the "renaissance" of visual systems development going on through the latter half of the 20th century. Championed by many designers, including this man:

Paul Rand, while not a household name, nearly everyone in america has seen his work. From Westinghouse, to ABC, and (I was surprised to find) Enron as well. Of all his design though, I think the IBM design stands head over heels of the rest. It's just so solid, and compared to the outline IBM trademark, the "eight bars" is much more visually consistent.