Traditional Form and Colour in Contemporary Design

Journey through history and Indianness: reference - North-east India

A teaching module for introductory level

Utpal Barua
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY GUWAHATI

March 2004

Traditional Form and Colour in Contemporary Design

Journey through history and Indianness: reference - North-east India

A teaching module for introductory level

Utpal Barua Assistant Professor (Communication Design) Department of Design INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY GUWAHATI March 2004

A teaching module for introductory level

For students of Design and Art

The course material is developed with the financial assistance from Curriculum Development Cell under QIP of IITG for documentation and lecture notes preparation

The material presented here is in a slide presentation format. It may be used as a teaching aid with appropriate theory and context relevance. It is expected to create interest to the first level of learners of Form & Colour aspects and related human perception from old ages till present day practices. This gives a general information overview to assist newer search in this field. Supportive materials are collected from relevant literature and contemporary art and design practices and specifically tradition in North-eastern part of India is highlighted.

Preface In the Northeast India the folk and the contemporary coexist, each sustaining and transforming the other. This routine interface traces the journeywork from functionality to abstraction. The folk is an infinitely self-sustaining area and can accommodate all changes while maintaining its rooted character, which gives its own distinctive identity. The rich diversity of arts, crafts and music of the area with its multi ethnicity provides us with fresh spectrum of colours, motifs, sounds and designs ensconced in materiality- in objects and figures. My endeavour is to explore the possible transformations in the proposed modern adventure of colours and motifs in designs empowered by historical and ethnographic studies of the extant and continuing arts and crafts of the communities of the area. I seek predictive propositions to yield fresh insights for the modern. The area I have chosen comprises traditional crafts and arts including textiles.

Some of these are preserved only historically and ethnographically but others are vibrant and vitally alive. It is these, which I explore and exploit not only in my own work but also from the perspective of the technologically equipped design syndrome. This entails a study of pan-Indian symbology and the still burgeoning North eastern motifs. The functional-aesthetic imperatives of the folk arts and crafts of the region reflect an abiding community and it is there that we have to trace the sources of the motifs. The sources of culture are always local; there are no trans-local sources. The passage from the local to the universal is, therefore, natural and that is how the modern adventure is informed, through a lively, imaginative interest in the past and its complex continuity. This translation and transformation would interest any artist or designer and this, I believe, cannot only be illustrated with the arts and crafts of the region but they yield insights and ideas to facilitate the inter-active process.

Contents

Preface Module 1 Introduction: Perception of visual appearances (8 17) Module 2 Early age experience (18 24) Module 3 European explorations (25 32) Module 4 European Design Schools: birth of a utility application effort (33 45) Module 5 Indian pride of Indianness (46 61) Module 6 NE- a richness, contributing to Indianness (62 74) Acknowledgement References

Perception of visual appearances- colour in 2D & 3D Elements of art and design: There are typically six elements of design that can be found in most design or art work. Designers use these elements as a "visual alphabet" to produce all kinds of design forms. The way in which elements are organized is referred to as the Principles of Art & Design. Line is the most basic element of design; a continuous mark made on a surface can vary in appearance (length, width, texture, direction, curve). Five varieties of lines: vertical, horizontal. diagonal, curved, zigzag

Colour is produced when light strikes an object and reflects back in your eyes. This element of design has three properties: Hue -the name of a colour (e.g. red, yellow. blue) Intensity -the purity and strength of a colour (e.g. bright red or dull red) Value -the lightness or darkness of a colour Shape is two - dimensional (circle, square, triangle, rectangle) and encloses space - geometric, man-made or free form. Form is three-dimensional and encloses space and takes up Space - geometric, man-made or free form.

Space is defined and determined by shapes and forms. Positive space is where shapes and forms exist; negative space is the empty space around shapes and forms. Texture refers to the surface quality or "feel" of an object - smooth, rough, soft, etc. Textures may be actual (felt with touch - tactile) or implied (suggested by the way a designer has created the work of design -visual).

10

Applications are mostly visual appeal oriented i.e., for aesthetics and message transformation. It works through application of form variations and colour. Humans felt need to enrich life by his aesthetics application in day to day life since when he was staying in caves and still experimentation is continuing unconsciously as free will and sometimes with conscious efforts to deal with theories and practices, principles behind its various perceptions. A journey through subsequent slides would take us to understand various period of colour experimentations. Some selective examples are being shared herein to explore specific character of colour application and human perception and mood. As a specific context North East India, which is known for its ethnic diversity with myriad culture and traditional richness, are being explored.

11

Human and aesthetics

Aesthetics - The philosophy of art. The study or contemplation or appreciation of the (nature of) artistic value or beauty. The question Why do we find certain things beautiful? is familiar to any student of Art & Aesthetics. Many philosophers have struggled with the question of where beauty resides - in the object, the beholders mind, or the interrelationship of object with mind.

12

Human and aesthetics

The question many philosophers fail to address, however, is why do humans have aesthetic preferences (e.g. beauty)? It may well be true that our aesthetic preferences are based on the mental pleasure produce by certain features of things but why do we get pleasure from these features? Furthermore, if we understood why humans have aesthetic preferences, perhaps we would be in a better position to postulate what our preferences are; and thus what beauty is. Defining form, colour, texture, smell and overall feel varies from person to person a specific perception of a person may not be that of another. However, aesthetics is accepted as a common article or presentation.

13

Human, utility and aesthetics

when we judge a work of art to be beautiful we do not necessarily notice any utility or usefulness to our survival in the work. However, it is the utility that is present to the extent that we judge it to be beautiful. That is how we look at human perceptual biases and its relation to our aesthetic preferences in art and nature.

Utility has influenced the aesthetics application to encode message for next generation and/or to pass the knowledge to others.

14

We should know- what to know Habit and personal preferences - it is personal way of appreciation; it has to nurture and remain almost fixed to a persons thinking through out. Identity- An individual has specific colour and form preferences and that also varies in different times of a day as well as in different seasons. Combination of many individual likings form a group identity, e.g., Nagas are identified with black and red stripes. Rajasthani women can be identified with their black barfi-bandhni, where as Rajasthani men can be identified with coloured head gears etc. Culture- to retain the identity, specific practices followed by a community forms a culture and thus with retainment and changes in time makes a tradition. It got influenced by geographic location specific and environmental variations. Religious and ritual practices protect the values of a society.

15

Need to know

Exchange- Local influence creates local flavour. Interchanging ideas and know-how transfer enriches the concept of universality. Selective absorption makes perfection and sometimes offer scope to rejuvenating the old ideas and thus new trend sets. Blue colour (jeans) in dress has become a casual wear culture. Present scenario- Due to fast communication and exchange of information and material there is a constant struggle to expand beyond own socio-political boundary as well as how to retain identity intact. A balance should be made. For this when we are absorbing good elements from other cultures, we need to know our own. Root- Who are we, where from we come, what was our struggle to become what we now at present; we need to know our root, which lies in long back history.

16

We need to go back to our ancient period

In search of root, how form and colour has become an essential part of our life

17

Refined by need

Early age experience

Trough use of stick and stones as fruit knocker and bone crackers made early men able to discover handier shape.

18

Creation by instinct and intuition

They selected and appointed certain sticks or stones as tools because they had began to connect form and function. These were the first craft in human history which we have evidence, and with it we enter a phase of human development known as the Paleolithic.

19

Colour as a value addition

Cave painting Chauvet (France) 28,000 B.C. Lascaux, Altamira 15,000 B.C. The most striking works of paliolithic art are the images of animals incised, painted or sculpted, on the rock surfaces of caves. Mainly earth colour and some time bold out lines in black is used.

20

Colour as a value addition

Use of different colour palette

Bold out lines Realistic approach Subdued application

21

Colour as a value addition

Basic characteristics Vividness Vigorous outlines Expressiveness Colour used Earth colour Natural glue

22

Colour as visual language

Colour is used as an expressing medium, first explored by man when they did not have verbal language. Cave painting- which has turned to art in latter period.

23

Colour as visual language

What purpose these images serve? Livelihood-Knowledge transfer The traditional explanation is that their origin lies in hunting and rituals. According to the theory, in killing the image of an animal, people of the old stone age thought they had killed its vital spirit. Colour had taken an important role in depicting this aspect.

24

European explorations Impressionist-(1870-1880) Opposing academic doctrines Romantic ideals Non conventional colour application They sought to paint impression of what the eye sees rather then what the mind knows

Colour: Nature and mind

Impression: Sunrise 1872.

Claude Monet

25

Colour: Nature and mind

From direct observation and from studies in physics, the impressionists learned that light is seen as a complex of reflections received by the eye and reassembled by the mind during the process of perception. Therefore, they used small debs of colour that appear merely as separate strokes of paint when seen close up.

26

Colour: Nature and mind

The main concern of the impressionist was the depiction of light & colour in as they appear in nature First time using none Conventional method of using colour

27

Colour: Nature and mind

Edgar Degas He found no great inspiration in landscape and was less interested in light for its own sake than as a factor for conveying movement. Importance of Drawing Forms are vivid Weight less atmosphere Movement is predominant Soothing colour effect

28

Colour: Nature and mind

Seurat Tiny dots of brilliant colour Produce intermediary tints more luminous than those obtainable from pigments mixed on the Palette. This technique was known as pointillism A feeling of frozen movement is one of the characteristics of Seurats painting

29

Colour: Nature and mind

Czanne Every brushstroke is like a building block, firmly placed within the pictorial architecture

30

Colour: Nature and mind

Matisse Essence of the form Simple line 2 dimensional colour surface Unconventional composition Colour is predominant than form Use of primary colour

31

Colour: Nature and mind

Picasso Cubistic elements Traditional elements Contemporary expression Marc Chagall Cubistic elements Colours are taken from Russian folk tales
George Braque Robert Lallmant( Art Deco )

32

European Design Schools: birth of a utility application effort

Art & Design transition

Art Nouveau 1880-1910

33

Art & Design transition

The new art became the first popular in 20th century style Essentially European Organic form and decoration inspired largely by nature Familiar motifs included curvilinear element, sinuous lines

August Thonet

34

Furniture

Art & Design transition

Architecture

Decorative element and colour applications were superfluous

35

Art & Design transition

Publication Design

William Bradly- Series of Chap Book cover and posters William Bradley emerged as the nations premier draftsman Illustrator and poster designer in the Art Nouveau idiom.

36

Art & Design transition

Poster Decorative elements taken from the nature are predominant Botanical embellishment

Henry Van

37

Art & Design transition

Art and product

Peter Behrens

Francois- French Table lamp, depicting American dancer Loie Fuller

38

Art & Design transition

The Stijl (1917-1928) Dutch for the style, it is the name of a group of artists and architects who set out to create a universal style in architecture, graphic arts and design Using squares and rectangles in flat planes of bold primary colours along with black, gray and white, all carefully orchestrated with straight lines

Gerrit Rietveld

39

Art & Design transition

Packaging

Bart Ven Der Leck

Shopping Bag

40

Art & Design transition

Poster

Bart Ven Der Leck

41

Art & Design transition

Painting Composition with geometrical Structure

House under construction

Kasimir Malevich

Kasimir Malevich

42

Art & Design transition

Design and Art Colour & Form

Gerrit Rietveld

Piet Mondrian

43

Art & Design transition

Architecture Using basic principles of the stijl

44

Art & Design transition

Form & Design Bauhaus (1919-1933) Bauhaus School has come to represent the refinement of the modern movement Characterized by a Form follows function ideology The movement represent an important bridge between the decorative arts an industrial design

45

Indian pride of Indian ness Rich heritage of Ajanta & Ellora The elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesha has long been a part of Buddhism. There are several instances of Ganesha motifs in Buddhist cave shrines. Here is yet another image of the god carved into one of the three pillars in the cave.

Indian early works

Ref. The Telegraph Look, 14th March 2004

46

Symbolic colour application

Nature and abstraction

In Indian tradition colour used as symbol while practicing rituals Such as Red colour symbolized Shakti and Green is a symbol of fertility

47

Nature and abstraction

Symbolic abstraction Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas

Diagram of the evolving cosmic order, emanating by means of the disequilibriam of three forces, sattva, rajas, and tamas
Ref. Rajasthan c. 1900 Traditionally represented by the colours red, green, yellow

48

Nature and abstraction

Colour with symbolic value Sattva= White Rajas = Red, orange, yellow Tamas= Green

49

Theme and mood

Diverse culture: colour application Traditional value Home decoration Craft and clothing Body decoration Religious faith & rituals Colour influences colour in life

50

Theme and mood

House decoration Use of colour and form on the wall of houses in rural India is a essential and day to day activities, for performing rituals and simple house decoration

51

Theme and mood

Ethnic look in traditional dress code

Head gear, Arunachal pradesh

52

Naga textile, Nagaland

Theme and mood

Colorful Dress and ornaments are the essence of a specific community of North East (Arunachal)

53

Theme and mood

Festival and mood Contrast colour combination is an important aspects of festivity in Assam & Bengal

54

Theme and mood

Enhanced Facial expression in terms of various contrast colour in Katha kali dance form of India

55

Theme and mood

Decoration on elephants body specially on forehead is one of the characteristics of festivals as seen in south India

56

Theme and mood

Indian contemporary art

57

Theme and mood

Western influences

In contemporary Indian art we very often see lot of western influences in terms of various pictorial elements. The work of Nirod Majumder and K.S. Panikar were highly influenced by Picasso and Braque of cubism of the west.

58

Theme and mood

Depicting mood Application in packaging and poster in India

59

Nature and mood

Contemporary work: Theme Aesthetics with folk elements

60

by Utpal Barua

Nature and mood

Transformation of human feelings on the canvas in terms of various pictorial values give inner meaning to the art work. Attached figures represent Sadness and loneliness as predominant characters, where the gloomy atmosphere represents painful experience. In some of the works Nature comes across as a symbol of the inner void of human life, where flying butterflies appear as a symbol of hope and expectation.

by Utpal Barua

61

NE- a richness - contributing to Indianness

We possess a very rich cultural heritage, unique to its diverse application, as also seen in the cases of western counterparts. Specifically, North East region has experience of varied ethnic existences with community specific culture, tradition, custom, rituals, etc. I feel, there is enough scope to explore this area, to identify the common and specific features that can be used as elements in search of Indianness in the context of contemporary design.

62

This gradually made our tradition & culture contributing Indian ethos and values

63

Each area/localities/population group have developed their own tradition & culture and presented/used in their daily life/utility item - Indian ness

64

Most of the original art, craft and artifacts representing NE culture are preserved in museum, some are still available in private antique collections. The rich tribal tradition is on the verge of extinction due to many influences of modern civilizations. Still its essence is alive in the works and practices of the contemporary life of the region.

65

Present day design based on specific elements like form, shape &size and colour.

66

Dress code as ethnic predominance Assam: Predominantly use white with red ornamented boarders. Naga: Use primary colours, e.g., Black, red and white. Bodo: Use yellow, green and black Buddhist: Maroon-yellow Arunachal: Green and yellow Karbi: Red and black stripes etc.

Meghalaya

Arunachal

Manipur

Mizoram

Tripura

Meghalaya

Assam

Nagaland

67

Contribution of the Northeast to art & craft and design: Traditional form & colour and weaving

Textile motifs

68

Ornaments Traditional ornaments of Naga, Mnipuri, Karbi and other tribes of NE are mostly vibrant and beautiful in terms of colour application and designs

69

Ritual symbols To perform certain rituals in Naga and Mizo culture. They use human and animal skulls, bones and horns as their symbolic representation with diferent colour applications

70

Elements for identity of NE Colour- Predomination of primary colours like Red, black, White and yellow Form- Simple, decorative, geometric and mostly ornamented forms are available Special features- Oriental style of Assamese cloth with boarders Shape- Utilitarian or functional Theme- Nature, religious and ritual

71

Direct application of natural elements into culture

Headwear featuring mithun horn Mithun an animal of hilly NE, triangular head with special appearance of horns are very common

A traditional dance performed by a Kabui cultural troupe in Imphal wearing horned headgear but colour application similar to costume may be noticed

72

Extract/Exploration of elements for contributing Indianness An exploration with refined and contemporary application of traditional elements Direct application of features National games 2005 (Assam) symbol

73
Logo design By Utpal Barua

(As appeared in News paper)

Where to go

Colour and form play important roles in our life in many ways in terms of utility and aesthetics. From this entire journey it is clear that we can extract the basic essence of traditional elements that can easily be transformed in the context of contemporary art and design. Enough scope are there we need to explore.

74

Acknowledgement For preparing this document I acknowledge Dr. Debkumar Chakrabarti, Associate Professor, DoD IITG who has helped me in many ways.

75

References 1. Duncan Alastair, 1998, Modernism: Modernist Design 1880 1940, the Norwest Collection, Norwest Corporation, Minneapolis, 225p. 2. Mukherjee Ajit, 1985, Ritual Art of India, Timeless Books, New Delhi, 176p. 3. Janson, H.W. and Janson, F.A., 1997, History of Art, 5th Edn., Thames and Hudson, 1000p. 4. Jacob Julian, 1990, Hill People of Northeast India, The Nagas, society, Culture and the Colonial Encounter, Thamson and Hudson, New York, 359p. 5. Lalit Kala Akademi, 1997, Major Trend in Indian Art, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, India, 282p. And other material relevant to the topic form many places.

76

Authors biography Academic background: M.F.A, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, India Experience & Acheivement: Since 1979 he has been exhibiting his works at most of the major art galleries in India. Apart from his career in Art & Design he has been associated with regional films as an art director. In 1997 he worked in the film 'Wosobipo' (the spring) as an art director, which won the national award in 1990 and has entered Berlin International film festival in 1991 and Friburg International film festival in 1992. Included his work titled ' A butterfly was passing by' in 'Glimpses of Indian Art from 1947-97' a book published by AIFACS in the occasion of 50 years of art in independent India, inaugurated by H.E. Sri K.R. Narayanan president of India in 1998. Included his name in the dictionary of 'Modern Art and Artists of India compiled by Pratima Seth a well-known art historian. Life member of Kamrupa Anushandhan Samiti (a research society), Assam since 1990.
Utpal Barua

77

Authors biography

Exhibitions: Participated in over 35 major exhibitions in India including National Exhibition of Art, New Delhi. AIFACS, New Delhi. Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta. Birla Academy, Calcutta. Jahengir Art Gallery, Mumbai. Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal etc. Awards: Art Fest National Award 1997. AIFACS, State Level Award. 1997. Fellowship awarded by Ministry of Human Resources, 1998. Area of Interest: Basic Design, Illustration, Digital Art, Colour symbology, History of Art & Design, Visual Language etc. Area of research: Indianness in Art and Design,Traditional art and artifacts of Northeast India, and Semantics of form and colour symbology.

78

Back cover