Reading: Kubler’s The Shape of Time

This reading discussed a relationship between time and art that we have not covered yet. Instead of looking at how an artist incorporates time as a theme in their art, Kubler explains how the time an artist creates a piece effects what we think of it. The time period in which a piece is created effects how famous the piece becomes and what people think of it. In other words, the position of art in history may be more important than the degree of talent that it took to create the piece. The time period in which an artist makes a piece is also important because an artist may be following a predecessor’s ideas or they may be rebelling from tradition.

Time Passing in 2D Images

Our reading, Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud, discussed how time is represented in comics through sound and motion. It is important for an artist to effectively display sound and motion because the reader needs to know how time is passing in order to fully understand and enjoy the comic. When an artist uses words in a comic the reader knows time is passing because speaking or sound takes a certain amount of time. The longer the word or sound or the more people that are speaking can lengthen the time that passes in one panel. When the artist displays motion in a panel, this also signals to the reader that time is passing because time cannot be frozen if someone or something is moving. One interesting example that McCloud gives is showing how some artists draw multiple images in one panel to display motion. This reminds me of some of the work that the Futurists did, like the piece Dog on a Leash.

I thought it was interesting when McCloud describes how the panels or frames of a comic can also depict time passing. I would have never thought about how making a panel longer can portray that more time is passing. Also, if a panel runs off the side of the page, this can suggest endless time.

When we think of time, we usually think of it as linear. So, when reading comics, we usually read from left to right. In the reading, there was a circular comic that reminded me of the Mayan calendar. There is no start or finish, but the story keeps moving in a circle. Comics like this are often difficult for us to read because we are used to thinking of time as simply linear.

I was thinking how comics are like photographs in that they are still 2-D images, but unlike photographs, comics have the ability to portray the passing of time. For our next project I am going to be making a flip book. I am going to incorporate some of the ideas from the comic book reading to think about how I am going to show motion with a set of photographs. Even though the photographs are each a frozen moment in time, when they are put in order in the flip book they portray motion and tell a story. I am going to think about how the shape of my photos and the way I bind the flip book could bring out different themes are ideas about the story I am telling, like how the shape of the panel in a comic can effect what a reader thinks.

For our research project, I think it would be interesting to look at an artist that represents the passing of time in a 2D work of art like a drawing or painting, like the futurist drawing above. I also think Eadweard Muybridge’s photographs are very interesting, like his piece Animal Locomotion. There is not one specific person that I want to do, and am interested in exploring some more options.