“The mother art is architecture. Without an architecture of our own

we have no soul of our own civilization.”Frank Lloyd Wright

Harappa & Mohenjo-DaroIndus Valley Civilization

c. 2500-1500 BC

5000 years old Mother Goddess” Mehrgarh

The great bathEarliest water tank in the world

•Planned city, Standardized bricks, Water tight floor, •Toilets, Wells. No hierarchal structures•Potters, Utensils, Seals•Work with steatite, ivory & other exotic materials. •Used copper, gold and semi precious stones •Had big ships for trade •Religion was pagan, animistic •Tree and animal worship as well as sexual symbols.

Dancing girl. Bronze. Mould & Cast. Camel bone Bengals, Dance posture

King Priest

Use of cottonCloth & Printing

Weights. Based on16th

1 Saer, 4Pao, 16 Chattank, 5 Tola, 12 Masha, 8 Ratti

Female Figurines: Goddesses: Depalli, Lakshmi, Kali

Chess board & pieces

Male figure: Sand stoneThree headed deity

Three headed deityTirshul, Lion, Bull

Braham – Shiv & Vishnu

Swastika

Unicorn seal. The unicorn is the most common motif on Indus seals and appears to represent a mythical animal that

Greek and Roman sources trace back to the Indian subcontinent. 

Colonial Buildings, Lahore

Colonial Buildings, Lahore

Greek Order

•Doric•Ionic•Corinthian

DoricParthenon, Athens

Doric

Ionic

Corinthian

Iconoclastic character of Islamic belief was chiefly responsible for the absence of human and animal form ( except occasional presence of birds etc.) from the visual design of Islamic architecture and artifacts associated with religious function eg. Mosques, mazaars, prayer mats etc.( Images representing religious personalities or images narrating actual and mythical scenes are found in almost all regional Islamic cultures).

Geometric and vegetal designs are used to create an integrated totality in the an architectural edifice or an object or surface

The ideal order remains the true essence of reality and all material is de-materialized by creating this beautiful shroud of decoration that derives its form and life from complex geometric order

The patterns of Islamic architectural surface were rooted in mathematical knowledge and influenced by Platonic philosophy of ideal forms

translationrigid motion with repetitionalong a line

reflectionrigid motion with repetitionacross a line (axis)

rotationrigid motion with repetitionaround a point

glide reflectionrigid motion with reflectedrepetition along a line

ASPECTS OF DECORATION

Calligraphy: Because of its role in recording the word of God, calligraphy is considered one of the most important of the Islamic arts. Nearly all Islamic buildings have some type of surface inscription in the stone, stucco, marble, mosaic and/or painting. The inscription might be a verse from the Qur'an, lines of poetry, or names and dates.Like other Islamic decoration, calligraphy is closely linked to geometry. The proportions of the letters are all governed by mathematics. Inscriptions are most often used as a frame along and around main elements of a building like portals and cornices.

Geometry: Islamic artists developed geometric patterns to a degree of complexity and sophistication previously unknown. These patterns exemplify the Islamic interest in repetition, symmetry and continuous generation of pattern. "The superb assurance of the Islamic designers is demonstrated by their masterful integration of geometry with such optical effects as the balancing of positive and negative areas, interlacing with fluid overlapping and under passing strap work, and a skillful use of color and tone values.

Floral Patterns: Islamic artists reproduced nature with a great deal of accuracy. Flowers and trees might be used as the motifs for the decoration of textiles, objects and buildings. In the Mughal architectural decoration of India, artists were inspired by European botanical drawings, as well as by Persian traditional flora.

The panel on the right declares that “This structure, like the heavens, is a manifestation of bounty, and contains, like the temple of Ka’ba, great benefit for all mankind. “To all who turn towards the Qibla in prayer, may this door remain wide open with prosperity till the day of resurrection.”

Zone of transition the Char-Taq entrance space……..fruit platters and wine jugs, promise to the faithful.

The coming of the camera 1839

Within 30 years of its invention photography was being used for police filing, war reporting, military reconnaissance, pornography, encyclopedic records, sentimental moralizing, inquisitive probing, news reporting and formal portraiture….paraphrased from John Berger’s essay on photography.

Camera as the most honest witness, as used by the Depression era photographers in America

Nazi use of the medium for propaganda

Use in advertising…the seduction of the real….pictures as life

Power of the photographic image

In teaching us a new visual code, photographs alter and enlarge our notions of what is worth looking at and what we have a right to observe.

To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed

Photographs furnish evidence.

Painting never had so imperial a scope

A way of certifying experience, taking photographs is also a way of refusing it…….

Susan Sontag

Digital capturing of Images

Manipulation of images

Sharing of Images

Radical aspects of the digital image

The propensity of the human brain to interpret visual information in certain preferred order allows for a range of visual illusions to be created by graphic designers, artists,

architects etc.

The search for evidence and certainty in a world of illusions

In April of 1839 The New Yorker asked, "What would you say to looking in the mirror and having the image fastened!! As one looks sometimes, it is really quite frightful to think of it; but such a thing is possible - nay, it is probable - no, it is certain. What will become of the poor thieves, when they shall see handed in as evidence against them their own portraits,

taken by the room in which they stole, and in the very act of stealing! What wonderful discoveries is this wonderful discovery destined to discover!"

The Window and the Mirror

Photographing the world

Title of a very famous exhibition of photographs described the two poles of the nature of photographic image making. Szarkowski the curator divides the images in this show into "mirrors"—pictures that mean to describe the photographer's own sensibility—and "windows"—realist photos including the facts of photography as a process and system.

Given that the most pervasive and functional use of the medium is to document and record images this polarity defines the spectrum of aesthetic expression of photography as an image making medium.

Test for authenticity….how to ensure a modicum of truth

1. This really happened;

2. This happened independent of the photographer;

3. This scene is representative.

Use in advertising…the seduction of the real….

The Major Purpose of Advertising is to arouse the consumers desire to own any given product. Advertising

photography is used to stimulate these desires to an act and purchase. The advertising photographer must illustrate, explain, excite, and help create this desire for any given

advertised product.

Use in propaganda

“the systematic dissemination of information, esp. in a biased or misleading way, in order to promote a

political cause or point of view” or “information disseminated in this way”

Seeing, Abstracting, Focus

Learning to See in Two Dimensions

Recreating DepthOverlapping

HazeConverging lines

Foreground Background Relationships (Large and Small Objects).

Learning to frame, discovering the edge, seeing the gaps, discovering pattern

Taking Pictures: Centralized Composition

Rule of thirds

Framing, Space, depth creation, emphasis

Finding fresh angles

Using lines, using color, Getting horizontal object along a horizontal line

Discovering patterns, using geometry

Knowing your subject

Keeping straight lines straight, or breaking the rule consciously

Ansel Adam’s advice is still of crucial importance because the digital camera can be programmed to record, edit and compose and the post processing can endlessly manipulate the original image but it is the ability to ’see’ that overrides everything .

I cannot overemphasize the importance of continous practice in visualization, both in terms of image values ……and image management……we must learn to see intuitively as lens/camera sees….Ansel Adams

Real Life"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." ~ Dorothea Lange~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Photography is nothing - it's life that interests me." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Photos always seem to exist as sort of stuffy, unnecessary antiques that we put in a drawer — unless we take them out, put them in current dialogue, and give them relevance." ~ Mark Klett~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"The job of the photographer, in my view, is not to catalogue indisputable fact but to try to be coherent about intuition and hope. This is not to say that he is unconcerned with the truth." ~ Robert Adams~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Light, then, .... is indeed a wonderful instrument ..." ~ Mark Rothko

What is ethics?

Ethics is a system of morals (codes or guides of conduct (implicit or explicit) that are based on personal long-lasting beliefs and values or those of surrounding society. A personal act can be considered moral, immoral or amoral as it is inline with, against or indifferent to any moral code.

Ethics in visual communication are concerned with the whole range of activities, processes and content that is disseminated through the visual medium. However, what is central to debates and of abiding socio-cultural interest is the image itself and the message it communicates.

Ethics is about the 'other'

•Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects. •Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities. •Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups. Recognize and work to avoid presenting one's own biases in the work. •Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see. •While photographing subjects do not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events. •Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images' content and context. Do not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects. •Do not pay sources or subjects or reward them materially for information or participation. •Do not accept gifts, favors, or compensation from those who might seek to influence coverage. •Do not intentionally sabotage the efforts of other journalists.

NPPA Code of Ethics is an example of the range of the aspects of image making that can have significant social repercussions.

The most common rationalizations for not acting ethically. (Making Ethical Decisions by Michael Josephson)

•If It's Necessary, It's Ethical •The False Necessity Trap •If It's Legal and Permissible, It's Proper •I Was Doing It for You •I'm Just Fighting Fire With Fire •It Doesn't Hurt Anyone •Everyone's Doing It •It's OK as Long as I Don't Gain Personally •I've Got It Coming •I Can Still Be Objective

The Designer’s Responsibility to Audience Members and Users

Designers must recognize the need to include audience members and users whenever possible in the process of developing effective communications and to act as an advocate for their concerns to the client. The Designer’s main concern must be to create communications that are helpful to audiences and users and that meet their needs with dignity and respect. Any communication created by a designer that intentionally misleads or confuses must be viewed as a negative reflection on the profession as a whole. Designers must not knowingly use information obtained from audience members or users in an unethical manner so as to produce communications that are unduly manipulative or harmful in their effect. Designers must advocate and thoughtfully consider the needs of all potential audiences and users, particularly those with limited abilities such as the elderly and physically challenged. Designers must recognize that their work contributes to the wellbeing of the general public, particularly in regard to health and safety and must not consciously act in a manner contradictory to this wellbeing. Designers uphold the credibility and dignity of their profession by practicing honest, candid and timely communication and by fostering the free flow of essential information in accord with the public interest. Paul Nini ( American graphic designer) at AIGA

Ethical practice in visual design

The Image of

Buddha"awakened one" or "the enlightened one.“

563 BC to 483 BC

Siddharta – Gautama – Buddha - Boddhisattva UNESCO lists Lumbini, Nepal, as a world heritage site and birthplace of Gautama Buddha. [

There are also claims about birth place of Gautama Buddha to be Kapileswara, Orissa  or Kapilavastu at Piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh He later taught throughout regions of eastern India

such as Magadha and Kośala(Wikipedia)

Ashoka rock inscriptions

Gandhara sculptures and reliefsThe Gandhara school of sculpture imparted human form to Buddha's image. To emphasize his divinity, this human form was depicted with features like a halo

around the head the dharmachakra engraved upon his palms and soles of his feet, and the lion throne representing his royal ancestry. These early stone

images of Buddha are awe-inspiring in terms of size and magnificence.

One of the most interesting features of the sculpture at Sanchi is the lack of images of the Buddha in human form. He is represented symbolically by a Wheel, or Footprints, or Throne. Sanchi, North Bhopal, 35 B.C to 450 A.D

Starving Buddha, Gandharan sculpture

The Kingdom of Gandhara lasted from the

early 1st BC to the 11th century AD.

Located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan . Gandhara was

located mainly in the valley of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau

(see Taxila ) and on the Kabul River. Its main cities were Purushapura

(modern Peshawar), literally meaning City of Man and Takshashila (modern

Taxila ).

The Third Eye

One of the most interesting features of the sculpture at Sanchi is the lack of images of the Buddha in human form. He is represented symbolically by a Wheel, or Footprints, or Throne.

The name Maitreya (Metteyya in Pāli) is derived from the Sanskrit word maitrī (Pāli:mettā) meaning "loving-kindness", which is in turn derived from the noun mitra (Pāli:mitta) in the

sense of "friend".

Maitreya 

Maitreya (Sanskrit), Metteyya (Pāli), or Jampa (Tibetan), is foretold as a futureBuddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on Earth, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor of the historic Śākyamuni Buddha. The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya references a time when the Dharma will have been forgotten on Jambudvipa. It is found in the canonical literature of all Buddhist sects and is accepted by most Buddhists as a statement about an event that will take place when the Dharma will have been forgotten on Earth.(Wikipedia)

Laughing Buddha

Budai  "Cloth Sack,“[and comes from the bag that he is conventionally depicted as carrying. He is usually identified with (or as an incarnation of) Maitreya so much so that the Budai image is one of the main forms in which Maitreya is depicted in East Asia. He is almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the Laughing Buddha Many Westerners confuse Budai with Gautama Buddha.

Elongated ears. Lotus flowers. The Wheel of Law. The Snail Martyrs

Elongated earsOne feature that is regularly used but is not considered a Lakshana is showing the Buddha with elongated earlobes: these are to remind

us that the Buddha was once a prince who wore a great deal of jewellery including heavy earrings which stretched out his earlobes. Although he gave up the wearing of any jewellery when he gave up

his life of luxury, his earlobes remained elongated. 

Lotus flowersLotus flowers often appear in images of the Buddha. It is a symbol of things which are pure and good.  A lotus is a flower that begins

its life in the mud at the bottom of a pond and then rises to the

surface to flower.  The Wheel of Law

It has eight spokes to remind followers that the Buddha taught of the Noble Eightfold Path which outlined eight ways of living. The Wheel itself is a reminder of the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

The Snail MartyrsThere is a later legend that when the Buddha was sitting under the

Bodhi tree he was so deep in meditation that he was unaware that it was extremely hot. A group of snails saw him and realising the importance of his thoughts, crawled up to cover and protect his

head with their bodies.  The snails died from exposure to the hot sun and became honoured as martyrs who had died to protect the

Buddha. 

Mudras are a non-verbal mode of communication and self-expression, consisting of hand gestures and finger-postures. They are symbolic sign based finger patterns taking the place, but retaining the efficacy of the spoken

word, and are used to evoke in the mind ideas symbolizing divine powers or the deities themselves. The composition of a mudra is based on certain movements

of the fingers; in other words, they constitute a highly stylized form of body or hand language. It is an external expression of 'inner resolve', suggesting that such non-

verbal communications are more powerful than the spoken word.

Buddhist Mudras

Dhyana MudraThe gesture of absolute balance, of meditation.

Varada MudraFulfillment of all wishes; the gesture of charity

Dharmachakra MudraThe gesture of teaching usually interpreted as turning the Wheel of Law

Vitarka MudraIntellectual argument, discussion.

Modern

1.True to material2.No ornamentation3.Universal language, form follows function

Post modern

1.Symbolic value, Individualistic & unique2.Cultural association3.No classification

 Modern 1860s to the 1970s

•Form & content •Away from the narrative toward abstraction•Stress on technique. ready-mades•Ordinary as subject of art•Personal & subjective

Matisse

 In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassembled in an abstracted form—instead of depicting objects from one viewpoint, the artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject in a greater context.

Cubism

Paul Cézanne

Simplification of form & color geometricize & flatten

Pure abstraction•Independence from visual references in the world• Logic of perspective and an attempt to reproduce an illusion of visible reality

•New subject matter, Spirituality in art. •Form as form and color as color

Composition; Pete Mondrian

Spirituality in art "analytical" and "synthetic"

Abstract Expressionism• Departure from reality• personal, unique•action, energy •open to interpretation•Viewer as integral part of the art work

The first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris. 1940

Composition; Jackson Pollack

Rothko believed his art could free unconscious energies previously liberated by mythological images, symbols, and rituals. He considered himself a "mythmaker" and proclaimed that "the exhilarated tragic experience is for me the only source of art"

‘The peeping’

The female body; Changing perspective

‘The Gaze’

The women of AvignonPicasso 1907

• Not Feminine• 2-D, No Perspective•Poison Fruits•Masks•Cubist, Flat colors

The primitives

Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol

Christo: American, Bulgarian-born Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, June 13, 1935, Gabrovo, of a Bulgarian industrialist family.

Jeanne-Claude: American, French-born 1935- 2009

The Running Fence was monumental in all regards–a lyrical white fabric curtain twenty-four and one-half miles long and eighteen feet high that linked Cotati at Highway 101 to

the Pacific Ocean at Bodega Bay. 

Over two thousand enormous umbrellas graced thirty miles of two landscapes on two continents. The Californian display was made up of 1760 yellow umbrellas, and

the Japanese, 1340 blue ones. 

 An orange cloth curtain 1/4 mile long to cover a valley in Colorado. 

Sleep; Salvador Dali. Plan of studyThe image; genre, medium, size. Source of subject. Setting; location, description.

Arrangement; composition, hierarchy. Centre of interest within work. Supreme motive; theme, artist view. Color; light & shade, symbolism. Texture. History;

when/where/why. The artist; biography, influences, style

Paintings from Pakistan

• Sadaqein• Guljee

• Shakir Ali