Title: Disks of Newton (Study for “Fugue in Two Colors”)
By: František Kupka
Date: 1912
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Every month the Art Bead Scene challenges their readers to create jewelry inspired by a featured artwork. You have until the end of the month to share your work and then they pick two winners to receive beads and jewelry-making supplies from their sponsors. The only rule is that you must use at least one art bead in your piece!
April's challenge is based on the oil painting Disks of Newton (Study for “Fugue in Two Colors”) by František Kupka.
The title of this work refers to the seventeenth-century English physicist Sir Isaac Newton. He discovered that the light of the sun is composed of the seven colors of the spectrum: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. It includes the full range of the spectrum as well as white. The artist’s fascination with cosmology and astronomy suggests that the circular blades of color whirling out from the red center may relate to images of the planets and their orbits.
František Kupka (23 September 1871 – 24 June 1957), was a Czech painter and graphic artist. He was a pioneer and co-founder of the early phases of the abstract art movement and Orphic Cubism (Orphism). Kupka’s abstract works arose from a base of realism but later evolved into pure abstract art.
Kupka had a strong interest in color theory and freeing colors. He devekoped his own color wheels, adapting a format previously explored by Sir Isaac Newton and Hermann von Helmholtz. This work in turn led Kupka to execute a series of paintings he called “Discs of Newton” (1911–12).
This is a wonderful piece of art to use for inspiration. There are so many color combinations that are possible. I decided to focus on the bottom left corner of the oil painting. I saw this as an opportunity to use enameled tin components by Kimberly Rodgers of Numinosity. This also presented me with the chance to make totally different earrings then I have ever made. The components had the enamel with speckles of pinks, lavenders, grays, whites. The top third of them had an open space of gray tin. Since the components are tin they are very light weight. This presented lots of design opportunities to try without the concern of ending with heavy earrings. I try to keep my earrings around 2 inches and on the light side.
Kupka had a strong interest in color theory and freeing colors. He devekoped his own color wheels, adapting a format previously explored by Sir Isaac Newton and Hermann von Helmholtz. This work in turn led Kupka to execute a series of paintings he called “Discs of Newton” (1911–12).
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| Earrings by BayMoonDesign |
I first tried to cover the space with different sizes and kinds of wire with tiny seed beads. This gave me a chance to try out different colors of seed beads. Sadly, I didn't have any luck with the wire. I then decided to try Irish linen thread and tried several color combinations of the thread before settling on lavender with gray seed beads. The lavender Irish linen thread brought out the lavender in the enamel. I also decided to use some lavender and white crazy lace beads to further bring out the colors in the enamel.
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| Earrings by BayMoonDesign |
I am glad I invested the time in coming up with a new style of earring for my shop. It literally paid off. I sold these earrings--always good.
Great job on these Kathy! I would have never spotted that little corner in the original if you hadn't pointed it out. I like that these earrings have so many colors in them, if you look close enough, just like the painting.
ReplyDeleteI rarely explore the paintings beyond the color or shape that is most visible or striking :) Love the earrings and how you added the right details to highlight the gorgeous charms!
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