Basic design: the Dynamics of Visual Form was originally published in 1964. I received it as a textbook for art education classes in 1974. Now I reread it in the year 2016 and here is what I gleaned from it all these years later:
The author was a professor in Leeds, England. This book was very popular with his philosophy of modern art and the concept of design driving art with subject matter being secondary to the physical nature of the materials used and formal design concepts. Personal expression, interesting use of materials, using your personal experiences for expressive resources was the main focus of artistic development. It was a heady concept when I was a student in the 1970s.
It was worth rereading. It is a short book of 100 pages with many illustrations.
How will I apply this to my current work? I think I will be more conscious of my brushstrokes and paint colors. I am usually thinking about the shape/space composition of the picture plane. I may be less concerned with the fact if colors "go together" or not. Trust the gut feeling on that one.
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