Believe it or not, the camera is almost 1,000 years old. Problem is, film was not invented until 1884. But that didn't stop people from making pictures.
The Camera Obscura
Naturally, those first "cameras" were not the cameras of today, with their motor-driven film advance, multiple lenses and auto-focus ease. In fact, most of us would be hard pressed to guess that the were cameras at all.
The camera obscura was a basically large dark box with a hole in one side for light to shine into. The light shining through this hole would project an upside down image of the world on the other side of the box. You made have done something similar in grade school to "view" a solar eclipse without injuring your eyes.
Most of the boxes were big enough that the artist could actually sit completely inside them -- though their were some "portable" models to choose from. Then the artist could simply trace the picture onto canvas or paper.
An Arab Invention
Abu Ali Al-hasen Ibn Alhasen, an Islamic mathematician is usually credited with the invention of this drawing box but the idea behind it was mentioned by earlier scholars, including Aristotle.
A Vast Collection of Pictures
Many, many artists from the 10th century right up to today have used this technique. Today artists typically use a device that projects a photograph onto the painting surface with lights and lens -- but the general idea is exactly the same. So -- if you have seen any paintings at all from the 10th century onward, chances are very good that you have seen at least one - probably many - of these "photos." Believe it or not.
No comments:
Post a Comment