Socrates

"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." 

Socrates

"To find yourself, think for yourself."

Nelson Mandela

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Jim Rohn

"Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day." 

Buddha

"The mind is everything. What you think, you become." 

Tuesday, 17 May 2022

POINT OF VIEW: Perspective is a point-of-view

 POINT OF VIEW: Perspective is a point-of-view. In a way it is regarding something through a specific filter. Each perspective or filter has unique characteristics that direct how something is considered. Context or contextual knowledge relates to perspective, in that all perspectives are shaped by the circumstances around them that constitute a kind of background they form within. 

 3 Basic Types of Perspective 

 Cultural Perspective - Culture is a complex concept that encompasses the ways that social life effects and informs our experiences. , in whatever form they take, contribute to ‘made meanings’ of culture, specifically as visual culture. As Gillian Rose points out- these representations, whether they are high art or advertisements, are not transparent windows on the world, rather- they interpret the world.




 Historical Perspective - As time passes, scholarship and research occur and many people become aware of a particular artwork, art form, art style, etc. Recognition may increase (and sometimes decreases). Vincent Van Gogh is an example here—totally unappreciated while he was alive, he’s recognized worldwide as a notable painter. Other examples might be the negative attitudes towards jazz music or hip-hop in the mid-twentieth century.







 Personal Perspective - Personal perspectives are formed by the layered aspects that form our individual identities. This could be any number of defining aspects such as, gender, class, race, where you were born and raised, education, aspects of family, group affiliations, etc., and the list goes on. These aspects form our unique biographical experiences that constitute our identities and color our personal point of view or the way we interpret our life experiences. You may find that your personal response to art and artworks will change as you learn more about design, art making, and the history of art in general. Knowledge and/or education about art usually helps us appreciate and understand it. Sweeping judgments based purely on a personal emotional response can be colored with bias and often come from having little knowledge of a subject or artwork or the larger cultural context. These are habits of thinking that inhibit a critical understanding of things that are new to us like artwork. In





general, it’s a good idea to take a generous stance to art forms or artworks we don’t like or don’t understand or just don’t connect

Applied Arts-

 


The applied arts are all the arts that apply design and decoration to everyday and essentially practical objects in order to make them aesthetically pleasing. 

It combines aesthetics, design, consumer need, and finding practical solutions to problems. 

It is an area in which design and decoration come together to create objects and ideas that are both useful and beautiful. 

The applied arts are very distinct from fine art, where the aim is to produce an aesthetic that is beautiful for its own sake or that consciously places itself within an artistic tradition or movement. 

And although the boundary between the two areas is often blurred, it can be summarized in the following way: fine art is essentially an intellectual pursuit, whereas applied arts focuses on utility and usefulness.


Applied Arts- Book cover design and illustration, cartoon, poster, advertisements for newspaper, magazine, hoardings, T.V., photography, computer graphics, animation, printing processes. 

The term "applied art" refers to the application (and resulting product) of artistic design to utilitarian objects in everyday use. Whereas works of fine art have no function other than providing aesthetic or intellectual stimulation to the viewer, works of applied art are usually functional objects .

Works of applied art comprise two different types: 



standard machine-made products which have had a particular design applied to them, to make them more attractive and easy-to-use; 

and individual, aesthetically pleasing but mostly functional, craft products made by artisans or skilled workers.

 Artistic disciplines that are classified as applied arts, include industrial design, fashion design, interior design, and graphic art and design (including computer graphics), as well as most types of decorative art (eg. furniture, carpets, tapestry, embroidery, batik, jewellery, precious metalwork, pottery, goldsmithing, basketry, mosaic art, and glassware). 

Illuminated manuscripts and later book illustration are also classified as applied arts. Architecture, too is best viewed as an applied art.


https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/applied-arts-meaning-kinds


CONTEMPORARY ART (1970–PRESENT)

 The 1970s marked the beginning of contemporary art, which extends through present day. This period is dominated by various schools and smaller movements that emerged. 

the term contemporary art refers to art—namely, painting, sculpture, photography, installation, performance, and video art—produced today. Though seemingly simple, the details surrounding this definition are often a bit fuzzy, as different individuals' interpretations of “today” may widely and wildly vary. Therefore, the exact starting point of the genre is still debated; however, many art historians consider the late 1960s or early 1970s (the end of modern art, or modernism) to be an adequate estimate.

  Postmodernism: In reaction against modernism, artists created works that reflected skepticism, irony, and philosophical critiques. 

  Feminist art: This movement arose in an attempt to transform stereotypes and break the model of a male-dominated art history.

  Neo Expressionism: Artists sought to revive original aspects of Expressionism and create highly textural, expressive, large works. 

  Street art: Artists such as Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Barry McGee, Banksy, and more created graffiti-like art on surfaces in public places like sidewalks, buildings, and overpasses. 

  The Pictures Generation: Artists Cindy Sherman, Louise Lawler, Gary Simmons, and others who were influenced by Conceptual and Pop art experimented with recognizable imagery to explore images shaped our perceptions of the world. 

  Appropriation art: This movement focused on the use of images in art with little transformation from their original form. 

  Young British Artists (YBA): This group of London artists were notorious for their willingness to shock audiences through their imagery, and a willingness to push beyond limits of decency. They’re also known for their zestful, entrepreneurial spirit.

  Digital art: The advent of the camera lent way to this artistic practice that allowed artists to use the infusion of art and technology to create with mediums like computers, audio and visual software, sound, and pixels. Art movements throughout the history of Western art have offered a swath of diverse, influential styles, techniques, and media across the globe. Each movement shed light on distinctive painting, sculpture, architectural achievements, and other defining works. Understanding the timeline of art history and how each period has influenced later movements is paramount to building a thoughtful, cohesive collection.


History: Major Contemporary Art Movements and Artists

Given its “art of today” definition, you may be surprised to hear that contemporary art actually has a relatively long history. To trace its evolution, let's take a look at the major movements and important artists that compose its history.

 

POP ARTIntended as a reaction to preceding modern art movements, contemporary art is thought to have begun on the heels of Pop Art. In post-war Britain and America, Pop Art was pioneered by artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. It is defined by an interest in portraying mass culture and reimagining commercial products as accessible art. While the movement lasted roughly from the 1950s through the early 1970s, it was reborn as Neo-Pop Art in the 1980s thanks to artists like Jeff Koons.

Conceptualism
In turn, Pop Art also helped shape Conceptualism, which rejected the idea of art as a commodity. In conceptual art, the idea behind a work of art takes precedence. Major conceptual artists include Damien HirstAi Wei Wei, and Jenny Holzer. Though this experimental movement is rooted in art of the early 21st century, it emerged as a formal movement in the 1960s and remains a major contemporary art movement today.


Like Conceptualism, Minimalism materialized in the 1960s and is still prevalent today. According to the Tate, both movements “challenged the existing structures for making, disseminating and viewing art.” What sets Minimalism apart, however, is that its simple, abstract aesthetic invites viewers to respond to what they see—not what they think a given work of art represents.

Another movement with Conceptualist roots is Performance Art. Beginning in the 1960s and retaining its popularity today, performance art is a drama-inspired approach to art. While the art form is performed by artists (as the name suggests), it is not solely intended as entertainment. Instead, its goal is to convey a message or idea. Predominant performance artists include Marina AbramovićYoko Ono, and Joseph Beuys.

As one of the most recent contemporary art movements, street art is a genre that gained prominence with the rise of graffiti in the 1980s. Often rooted in social activism, street art includes murals, installations, stenciled images, and stickers erected in public spaces.

 

The Six limbs of Indian Art

The definition of art is the product of imagination and creativity, particularly in a physical form. A painting, theatrical performance and a sculpture are each an example of art.

Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in.

 

Roopabhedah pramanani bhava-lavanya-yojanam | Sadrishyam varnakabhangam iti chitram shadakam ||”

This Shloka enumerates the six limbs of Indian Art- Rupa-bheda (secrets of form), pramanani (proportion), bhava (emotional Disposition), lavanya-yojanam (gracefulness in composition), sadrisyam (('similitude')and varnika-

Indian art is considered to have originated during the peak of the Indus Valley Civilization, somewhere around 2500 BC. Indian paintings during the time were often inspired by spirituality and sensuality, making it stand out in terms of content and aesthetics, an aspect that is appreciated even today.

Saranga-The Art Of Painting.  

Those are the variety of form, proportion, infusion of emotions,the creation of lustre and iridescence, portrayal of likeliness and the colour mixing to produce the effect of modelling. The Sadanga translated mean: Roopbheda – The knowledge of looks and appearances.

 

Now, India of the 1st century BC had seen the evolution of the ‘Sadanga’ or the Six Limbs of painting, which are considered as the prime principles of the art even today. 

 The Six Limbs are:“Roopabhedah pramanani bhava-lavanya-yojanam |  

The Sadanga translated mean:

Roopbheda – The knowledge of looks and appearances.

‘Roopa’ means the outer form or appearance of the subject. ‘Roopabheda’ enables an artist to perceive and depict things as they appear. Of course, this knowledge cannot depend solely on the power of sight. Experience is as much important as the former.

·         


Pramanani – Accuracy and precision of measurement and structure.


This principle is governed by certain laws, which give us the capability of proving the correctness of our perception and delineation. ‘Pramamani’ teaches us the exact measure, proportion and distance of the subjects. It provides an insight into the structural anatomy of objects, too.

Bhava – The feelings on forms.Bhava’ means an emotion, a feeling, an intention, or an idea. This aspect of art is depicted in the form of feelings expressed by the subject. . A bhava is like a breeze of air – it gives the painting the much-needed motion.

Lavanya Yojanam – Blending grace in an artistic representation.Your painting should be gracefully high in its artistic quality. 

Abanindranath Tagore, the famous artist from West Bengal, has described lavanya yojanam as a ‘loving mother,’ who is also careful about the rules of raising up her child. We can also imagine the aspect as a round pearl without its luster. It won’t attract buyers, anyway.

·         Sadrisyam or Resemblance.

This is perhaps the most challenging task of creating a painting. Sadrisyam suggests the degree to which a depiction is similar to an artist’s vision or the subject itself. In a way, it is also a way of depicting similitude.

Why do poets often compare a woman’s locks of hair with a snake? Why is a beautiful girl called ‘moon-faced’? Why are her lips like rose petals and eyes like those of a deer? . The delineation must come from their artistic way of painting.

·         Varnakabhangam - An artistic way of making use of the brush and colours.

The term translated means the way a subject is being drawn and coloured. So, obviously, there shall be the use of brush and pigments. What this principle focuses on, is the way the strokes are being applied to a canvas, and the knowledge of the artist about the different colours.

The Sadanga is an inevitable part of every great Indian masterpiece. From the ancient paintings of Ajanta to those created by Raja Ravi Verma, and Hussain of today, you will observe that every notable artist has silently put to use all the six principles. 

 


Wednesday, 11 May 2022

Short story writing

 


Starting to write short fiction

The short story is a form of literature in its own right, and is loved because

 it is able to strike directly into the heart and mind without preamble. A short story is a short, self-contained work of fiction that generally falls between 1,000 and 10,000 words. 

 The compulsion to tell stories is a very powerful and ancient one which continues to have a place in our modern culture.

Short stories demonstrate how diverse, funny, sad, illogical, cruel, rapturous, shocking and mysterious the human experience can be.

It is often said that a short story should provide a snapshot of a moment of illumination.


 

 Short stories typically contain between 1,000 and 10,000 words. Stories longer than 10,000 (but shorter than 40,000) words are generally considered novellas. You might even come across the term novelette to refer to a story between 7,500 and 17,000 words. Once you hit about 50,000 words, you’re in novel territory .

What’s in a short story?

Every short story has these five elements:

·                     Character

·                     Plot

·                     Theme

·                     Conflict

·                     Setting

Characters are the people or animals, aliens, mythical creatures, or sentient objects who do the action in your story. Your protagonist is the character who undergoes some kind of change or lack thereof as a result of the story’s main conflict.

Your antagonist is the character or something abstract attempting to prevent the protagonist’s change.

To clarify, the antagonist doesn’t have to be a person—

1.      it could be the protagonist’s environment,

2.    their society, or

3.    even an aspect of themselves. 

Plot is the series of events that illustrate the story’s conflict.,

A short story’s theme is its central message. This is the point the author wants readers to take away from their work. 

Conflict is the action that drives the story’s plot. It’s the obstacle the protagonist has to overcome or the goal they’re attempting to reach.

 A conflict can be internal, like to prove to herself .

 it can be external, like the protagonist striving to prove to her society

Setting is the time and place where a story’s action occurs. For example, our alien story’s setting might be Nevada in 1955. 

How to write a short story

Mine your imagination

Just like every other type of writing, a short story starts with brainstorming. I

Start your brainstorming session with the elements you already have, then flesh out your story idea from there.

 Write down your setting,

your characters,

 the conflict they face,

 and any key plot points you have in mind.

 Without a conflict, you don’t have a story. Although all of the five elements listed above are necessary for writing a great short story, conflict is the one that drives your plot, shapes your characters, and enables you to express your theme. 

 

The next step in writing short fiction is outlining your story. 

When you outline your story, you organize the notes from your brainstorming session into a coherent skeleton of your finished story.

Outlining your story is a key part of prewriting because it’s where you develop your story’s framework and sketch out how each scene follows the previous scene to advance the plot.

This stage is where you determine any plot twists or big reveals and fit them into the story’s sequence. 

·                     Keep the ending in mind.

·                     Listen to how people speak.   Then, write dialogue that sounds like real conversations. These conversations won’t necessarily be grammatically correct, but they will make your characters sound the way people naturally speak.

Once you have a finished first draft, let it rest. If you have the luxury of waiting a day or so to come back and read what you wrote, do that. That way, you can read your writing again with fresh eyes, which makes it easier to spot inconsistencies and plot holes. 

 

Then it’s time to edit. Read your writing again and note any places where you can make the writing more descriptive, more concise, more engaging, or simply more logical. At this stage, it can be very helpful to work with readers’ feedback. If you’re comfortable sharing your work and receiving constructive criticism, share your rough draft with friends and family—and, if possible, with other writers—and let their feedback guide the revisions you make.  

Tuesday, 10 May 2022

Script Layout Formats

 

Basic Script Layout Formats

 There is not one standard script layout. Script layout styles can vary widely. Some prefer a single-column cinematic format, with transitions in a left margin, and all video and audio information in a single main column.

 Other versions use two vertical columns, with picture treatment (cameras, switching) on the left, and action and dialogue on the right, together with studio instructions and lighting/effects cues.


Single-Column Format

 Although there are different variations of the single-column format, all video and audio information are usually contained in a single main column. Before each scene, an explanatory introduction describes the location and the action. Reminder notes can be made in a wide left-hand margin, including transition symbols (for example, X = cut; FU = fade-up), cues, camera instructions, thumbnail sketches of shots or action, and so on. 



This type of script is widely used for narrative film-style production and single-camera video, in which the director works alongside the camera operator. 

Two-Column Format

This traditional television format is extremely flexible and informative. It gives all members of the production crew shot-by-shot details of what is going on. They can also add their own specific information (e.g., details of lighting changes) as needed Two versions of the script are sometimes prepared. In the first (rehearsal script), the right column only is printed.

 



Planning is an essential part of a serious production, and the script forms the basis for that plan. The script usually begins the production process.

 The Dramatic Script

 The dramatic full script may be prepared in two stages: the rehearsal script and the camera script. The rehearsal script usually begins with general information sheets, including a cast/character list, production team details, rehearsal arrangements, and similar details. There may be a synopsis of the plot or storyline, particularly when scenes are to be shot/recorded out of order. The rehearsal script generally includes the following types of details: 

• Location: the setting where the scene will be shot. 

• Time of day and weather conditions.

 • Stage or location instructions: (The room is candlelit and a log fire burns brightly.)

 • Action: basic information on what is going to happen in the scene, such as actors’ moves (Joe gets in the car). 

• Dialogue: speaker’s name (character) followed by his or her dialogue. All delivered speech, voice-over, voice inserts (e.g., phone conversation), commentary, announcements, and so on (perhaps with directional comments such as “sadly” or “sarcastically”) (Figure 5.2). 


• Effects cues:

The Dramatic Script The dramatic full script may be prepared in two stages: the rehearsal script and the camera script. The rehearsal script usually begins with general information sheets, including a cast/character list, production team details, rehearsal arrangements, and similar details. There may be a synopsis of the plot or storyline, particularly when scenes are to be shot/recorded out of order. The rehearsal script generally includes the following types of details:

 • Location: the setting where the scene will be shot.

 • Time of day and weather conditions.

 • Stage or location instructions: (The room is candlelit and a log fire burns brightly.) 

• Action: basic information on what is going to happen in the scene, such as actors’ moves (Joe gets in the car). 

• Dialogue: speaker’s name (character) followed by his or her dialogue. All delivered speech, voice-over, voice inserts (e.g., phone conversation), commentary, announcements, and so on (perhaps with directional comments such as “sadly” or “sarcastically”) (Figure 5.2). 

• Effects cues: indicating the moment for a change to take place (lightning flash, explosion, Joe switches light out).

 • Audio instructions: music and sound effects.


 Scriptwriting Basics A successful script satisfies two important requirements: 

• The program’s main purpose: to amuse, inform, intrigue, persuade, and so on.

 • It must be practical. The script must be a workable vehicle for the production crew. Fundamentally, we need to ensure that:

 • The script meets its deadline. When is the script required? Is it for a specific occasion? • The treatment is feasible for the budget, facilities, and time available. An overambitious script will necessarily have to be rearranged, edited, and have its scenes rewritten to provide a workable basis for the production.

 • The treatment usually must fit the anticipated program length. Otherwise, it will become necessary to cut sequences or pad the production with added scenes afterwards to fit the show to the allotted time slot.

 • The style and the form of presentation are appropriate for the subject. An unsuitable style, such as a lighthearted approach to a very serious subject, may trivialize the subject. • The subject treatment is suitable for the intended audience.