Sihan Yang - Kovats Untitled from Miernology Series 2005

1) INTRODUCE THE DRAWING IN GENERAL TERMS 
•What is the title of the drawing?
Untitled

•What is the name of the artist?
Kovats

•What is the year the drawing was done?
2005

•What is the medium? (ie the materials used to produce the picture, for example charcoal on paper, pen and ink etc) 

Watercolor and pencil on paper

•What is the subject matter or general theme of the work? (eg is it a figure drawing, a map, a portrait, an autobiographical work, a picture about nature, a drawing of the city etc?) 
A drawing of the composition of overlapping solid geometries.

•Does the drawing have a particular purpose? eg Is it a diagram that explains how something works? Does it record accurately record the appearance of something? Does it express the artist's emotion or memory?

YES. The drawing aims at using different sizes of cubes which overlap each other to form a big irregular solid geometry, making a three-dimensional effect and a space with complex perspective.

2) DESCRIBE THE DRAWING IN DETAIL

•How is line used? What does it do/express? 

The lines which are mainly used to contour the cubes are almost at the same quality that they are so thin that almost disappear. The thin line benefits the three-dimensional effect especially the line on the bright side of the tubes because if the boundary is too apparent,the cubes will seem to be trapped in a certain frame.
Although the lines are used to contour the cubes, they are not absolutely straight but actually a little bit casual and curved. This reduces the stiffness causing by the analogous geometric shapes and avoids the patterns become too mechanized.

•How is tone used? What does it do/express? 

Tone is used to better show the depth and space of the composition. The light source comes from the left part and three faces of cubes which we can see from our direction are in three degrees of hue. On the one hand, the tone clearly shows the shapes of the solid geometries and the relationship of overlapping. On the other hand it creates an interesting illusion that although there is no single integral cube whose corner or face are free of being cut or blocked, we can still know they are cubes and how they connect with each other. Especially the tone of the brightest face of the cube is the same as the blank negative space.


•What can you say about shape and/or form in this picture? What is the effect? 
The form in this picture is monotonous. They are all cubes in different sizes. The artist uses this single kind of geometric shape to form an irregular and multi-angle aggregate, showing the aesthetic value of repeated geometries and how monotonous shapes turn into delicate,complex,dynamic object that contains a potential to grow and expand.


•Is texture a feature of the drawing? 
YES. The texture in this drawing comes from the texture of the solid cubes. The artist used simple line and clear tunes to show the hard,solid,plat texture of the faces of the cubes. Meanwhile the stable,hard,sharp angle of the cubes help contributing to the whole texture of hard,stable,sharp and solid. 


•What can you say about the composition of the drawing? What is the effect of this type of composition on the overall drawing?
Monochromatic solid cubes in different sizes with smooth faces,apparent tone and almost invisible contour overlap,combine,block off with each other,creating an unbalanced but solid effect using single pattern and the contrast of darkness and brightness of the different faces of cubes.
This type of composition contains single elements but organizes them in a complex way, making an interesting evolution from the simplest element to extending tendency of intricate whole.

•Is rhythm important in this picture? If so, say more about it...
YES. The rhythm in this picture is created by the repetition of cubes. These elements show a solid,odd rhythm with a progressive trend. When looking at the picture I can’t help myself imaging putting them into digital effect that the cubes begin to overlap at the bottom and keep overlapping one by one and growing into an unexpected shape with a very digital sound as the background music emphasizing its rhythm. And this potential of growing and expanding leads to a sense of movement, and this movement creates the rhythm.


•Is the picture balanced? Explain...
No. First it is not symmetrical since there are no so-called opposites sides. We can see a tendency of growing and expanding from the picture that the the assembling of the cubes seems to start from the bottom left of the picture, then they keep overlapping and growing till the middle and gradually form an unbalanced and uneven platform on the top right corner and keep growing towards right side. The cubes at the junction and on the platform have more visual weight than composition at the beginning of the growing process which creates a unbalance perspective.

•Is perspective used in the picture? If so, describe the way that the illusion of three-dimensional space has been created.
YES. In terms of the individual form, all the cubes have perspective. As for the whole picture, the composition of the countless cubes also have depth and space.The cubes in the middle seem to be nearer to us than the cubes at the bottom left and top corner right. The irregular combination of the cubes builds up a structure and this structure contains angles and depths that make perspective.


•Is the picture harmonious? If so, in what way? 
YES. The separate parts are similar in shapes and tones that they won’t be mess when they are gathered altogether. And the way how they are formed together makes no use of other forms,shapes or lines but smaller cubes as a connection or cubes getting into others. The similarities of separate parts and the subtle way of connecting parts create harmony.


•Are there any strong contrasts in the picture? Say more...
YES. The contrast comes from the tone of the objects. The brightest face of the cubes which reflects light is as white as the background while the dark side is almost black that they make a strong contrast.



3) INTERPRETATION AND EVALUATION


•What is the mood of the drawing?

Although this drawing is very geometric, it still contains a particular mood that the complex composition, the solid,hard,sharp texture of the edges of the cubes, the unbalance of the structure, the intensive gathering of some small cubes show a sense of tension. It seems like with the growing and accumulating of the cubes, the sense of tension and disturbing also expand. The geometric forms normally have no strong expression of mood and they seems to represent mathematics, science or disciplinary but the artist combines them together, creating an odd mood that it truly gives people some emotional feeling.

•What does the drawing express? 

The drawing shows a possibility to create a three-dimensional space with complex, changeable perspective on a two-dimensional platform, which express the experimental idea of playing with the structure, composition, relationships of geometric units. Meanwhile it expresses a specific mood of tension, anxiety by successfully form this whole dimensional structure. And obviously this mood is created mostly by the interesting composition of different sizes of cubes. In a word, by exploring and experimenting the way of using one single form to create a space with a potential to expand and overlap, the artist manages to express both this experimental idea and a specific mood.


•In your opinion, why is this work interesting/moving/ clever/ imaginative/thought-provoking/......? Choose the adjective(s) that best fit(s) the work, and then justify your conclusions by referring to specific features and qualities of the drawing (including those you have discussed above).

The three dimensional effect contributes most to the interesting attraction of the picture. It’s not easy to create a three-dimensional form on a 2D paper, not to mention successfully creating a twisted and illusion space with complicated depths only using one type of geometry. It is also very creative that it inspires the idea that three-dimensional structure can be built up in flat. Shapes or forms combine in a irregular or random way constructing a twisted space with potential or trend to keep expanding.