Spectrum Nr. 2(7)/2007 - VU naujienos - Vilniaus universitetas

tyrinėjimaiReconstruction of lunar (top) and terrestrial (bottom)landscapes illuminated by the sunlight. Diff erent coloursof the sky, objects and their shadows appear due to thepresence of the atmosphere.Light in the History of ArtLet us consider why “to see” and “tounderstand” mean almost the same inseveral languages. The crucial importanceof “light and vision” as structural elementsin several cultures is revisited by14-panel excursion over “light in the historyof art”, from ancient Egypt cultureuntil modern times.Reflection of the sunlight: artist`s impression(Vincent Van Gogh) and a modern photograph.Colours of the ShadowIs the shadow a grey object? Is the skyred at sunset? Objects are indeed seen tobecome reddish in the sun-setting lightby letting the light to traverse a long pathin the reconstructed, underwater atmosphere.The sky, however, maintains itsblue colour and shines intense blue lightover the scene. Under the sky, shadowsare never grey, but blue, the effect becomesmore and more evident when the sunis setting down. Visitors are allowed tochange the length of the ray path in theatmosphere, to insert clouds at the horizonor just over the scene, and to changerelative intensity of the sun and sky lightby means of computer-controlled motorizedsystems. Music and poems about lighthelp to grasp the origin of various coloursduring different hours, seasons and meteorologicalconditions. Underwater modelsallow visitors to re-discover Vilnius architectureunder sky and sunlight.Detail of the wall painting on the tomb of Nefertari, Valley of the KingsThe Cathedral of Rouen by Claude Monet (left) and the indoor reconstruction with the afternoon illumination (right).Sky and SunWhy do the eyes enjoy the merging ofblue with red-yellow tones? Why is such acolour approach used so often by paintersin classical as well as modern art? In theshow, a model of the Rouen cathedral isilluminated by seven coloured projectors,which reconstruct the sun and sky lightduring the course of the day. Several hundredpaintings are revisited with the helpof music and poetry, starting with thefamous “cathedral series” by Monet andending with contemporary masterpieces.Surprisingly, their beauty is found to beentangled with the by-chromatic inherentnature of the outdoor light, coming fromthe sun and the sky.12