Iconografa-2011-eng-v1.doc First draft translation, London, November 2011 Please send corrections, comments etc. to openroads@gmail.

com

26/11/11

Iconography
I. GENERAL FRAMEWORK
A. The craft is framed within the general categories of all crafts. As with all work with a craft, this responds to the need for its use as support for the incorporation of the elements of PRECISION, PERMANENCE and PROPORTION. PRECISION: Precision manifests in the systematic way I carry out operations and in the way of operating. We can also observe precision as a gradual refinement throughout a piece of work. PERMANENCE: Permanence is the ability to maintain a plan, paying attention to any deviations from the proposed line. PROPORTION: Proportion gives tone, and the ratio for the measurements given by taking the golden section as a reference.

Attending to the structural is what allows us to find proportion "in" and not "for". For example, if we speak of a proportioned icon we do not just say that because it fits a particular measurement model, but we talk about proportion when we find a ratio for the measurements, a relation of the whole with the parts, the parts with the details and these with the whole. Precision, Permanence and Proportion in a structure rather than dissociated terms. Thus I cannot develop a plan if any of them is absent. B. Mastery of the craft. Mastery has to do with the incorporation of metrics, permanence and orderliness reflected in all the work of production. C. Icons in relation to the human being. Attempts to resolve the problem of the iconographic theme (the human being) have been given several possible frameworks: First we take moments of the temporal process, that is, age, this has allowed us to have various themes that serve as a framework for diverse contents. For example, although by saying old we are already including contents, we see that its extension may serve as a precise framing for various attributes, symbols or signs. Secondly we consider sex as a determining frame. So in the cases of the old and the young, we consider sex as neutral or ambivalent, due to its weakening in one and uncertainty in the other. Not so with the images of man, woman, and the young man or woman. We also have children as possible framing (not developed here). Thirdly comes another framework that is the character, complexion and appearance. So we can synthesize: the global framework, given by the human being as a reference and three more specific frames given by 1) Age 2) Sex 3) Character, complexion and appearance. All these are ambits for angular, curved, straight and other sensations, which are organized following an order and scale given by the designed plan. We should be clear that this way of operation

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Iconografa-2011-eng-v1.doc First draft translation, London, November 2011 Please send corrections, comments etc. to openroads@gmail.com

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allows us to work with the craft without, in principle, having to concern ourselves with issues of the symbolic, allegorical or signic meaning of the icon. D. Enneagram of images and forms Presentation

DEVELOPMENT: ENNEAGRAM OF IMAGES Each image serves as a framework for an evaluative inner triad, of character, complexion and appearance, which in turn fulfil the function of framework for the next level that will be about the forms that we choose. Consider this figure: DESIGNATION Image: A Old Man B Young Man C Man D Woman E Young Woman Rounded Slender Amiable F Adolescent

Character: Complexion: Appearance:

Rectilinear Meagre Severe

Angular Muscular Aggressive

Rigid Massive Imposing

Curvilinear Abundant Benign

Flexible Elongated Cheerful

Here we see how A is weighted by a straight character, a lean complexion and a severe countenance. But we must understand that these judgements are not fixed. (Even though in principle it is these that we want to manage). So A might be weighted by B, or F, resulting in a rigid, massive, imposing A, or a flexible, elongated and cheerful A. Working with these internal triads is what allows us to give proportion. For example: as the general frame I have the image E (the young woman). By going to the triad I find the rounded character, there I see I could find many forms with this character, and this is fine, but once I set the chosen form, I must fix according to it, the character of the other images to understand them better. For this I refer to the enneagram now charged with the characters. This enneagram is for analysis and is not considered essential for the work of examination that we will see.

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Iconografa-2011-eng-v1.doc First draft translation, London, November 2011 Please send corrections, comments etc. to openroads@gmail.com

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With respect to forms we distinguish two major qualities: hard and soft. They can vary in any way in their quality by working with the attributes of the other. For example, an undulating plane which can be varied in its quality by changing its attributes (curves instead of straight lines)

We distinguish three forms for each category, for the hard: acute angles and straight lines. The intermediate being those with a higher proportion of lines and less of angles. For the soft: round curves and sigmoids (those derived from the shape of the letter S), which have a component of movement as in the turn of a spiral. The intermediates are those that have a greater component of circular curves and fewer sigmoids. These qualities and form-attributes allow us to compose balanced "pallets". Here is an example (see palette sheet). I have a given body, a shell in this case, viewed from three locations. This object is located in soft by quality and in 7 by form. I work seeking its opposite (intermediate hard) by a change in its quality, and I complete the palette with these two intermediate components. Now I have a better understanding of the object and a number of forms connected with it. I can now perform different operations, giving rise to various forms. For example, I take the form located at 8 and that located at 4, Combining them I obtain another form which has the primary in 8 and a secondary in 4. Resulting from the Enneagrammatic proportion which indicates more than 8 (5) and less than 4 (3). In this way I can in turn increase the tertiary curves it has, resulting in another form which has the same primary (8) but its secondary (4) will be displaced resulting in an 854. We will now see another theme that will clarify the general way of operating.

II. PROCEDURES
1. Conventions valid for all icons FIRST CONVENTION: "make a void to all human form." This void which is created intentionally is compensated not according to an ideal or an epochal model, but looking for a reference, a form that will support on a level that is not human (geometric, animal, vegetable or mineral). By structuring the general plan or project or for example a AA42, what remains as a kind of act of search that is directed to the various levels operating through discarding until completing the forms that serve as support. SECOND CONVENTION: "forms from another plane will be structured by the limits imposed by the human metrics." So if on the vegetable plane is found a flower that serves as a form of reference for resolving an individuals hand, this flower will be restructured in its form in the proportion of an abstract of a hand. That is, the relationship measured between finger-palm and this with the rest

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Iconografa-2011-eng-v1.doc First draft translation, London, November 2011 Please send corrections, comments etc. to openroads@gmail.com

26/11/11

As a result of this we only take from the human quality the metrics, this being the ambit in which forms of another plane are organized. THIRD CONVENTION: "The human metrics is restructured in turn by observance of the Golden Ratio" Thus the human metric is referred to an auric adjustment which is ultimately the organizing principle of what is produced. 2. Method of examination The examination is an essential analysis for the good work in the craft because we will facilitate teamwork by allowing observations to be easily complemented with other observers, making us independent from time and space. We train in examination by drawing or shaping what is observed. Examining forms is equivalent to the method of extraction of "raw material" of other crafts. The four points to take into account in any work of examination are: a) Abstraction of the theme or meaning in order to observe the object as a form. b) Determine the interest c) Vary the perspective accumulating observations without changing the interest. Reiterate other interests. d) Synthesize what was observed and adjust by generalization. Support with the Enneagram machine and formula. In the examination we should not try to arrive to this or that formula but attend instead to the work that must be done. Before developing an example, it is convenient to define the terms we use. When we speak of interest, we refer to consciously putting a selection filter prior to the work of observation. By doing so, it is clear that other filters will appear but we attend to the data that this primary filter that we have put intentionally gives us. We will agree to use only three interests and work with them separately. Let us consider the triad. VOLUME - LIMITATION BY SILHOUETTE GEOMETRY It is clear that if we set in motion this triad, complex, mixed interests will appear to us, such as a geometrization of the planimetric or volumetric, reduction to geometrical silhouette, etc. But in the craft we are interested in working with the three mentioned interests.

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Iconografa-2011-eng-v1.doc First draft translation, London, November 2011 Please send corrections, comments etc. to openroads@gmail.com

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In the first case or geometry, the intention is to synthesize, by reduction, to the nearest geometric element (usually we support ourselves on straight lines). It is about recognizing the geometrical structure of what is observed. In the second case our intention is put on the silhouette, on the limits, observing how the object is "cut out" in space (for this, we generally rely on observation of the background and the figure). Another way is to see the silhouette of the space between things, the opposite of our usual tendency to see things in space. In the third case the intention is put in pointing out the spatial quality highlighting volumes, thicknesses, protrusions, indents and completing also the parts that are not seen, relying on resources such as dotted lines, cuts, scratches, etc.. (In general, emphasizing the use of curves). Here it will help us see how the form "models the light", if it is done with smooth transitions or passages or strong contrasts. Another term that we are interested to define is perspective: when we speak about perspective, we refer to spatial location with respect to the object. Thus the amplitude and finally the work of better or less definition in the observed or what we call focus. Thus, we have a triad:

Varying the location varies the form. By varying the amplitude we vary the frame (Going to the whole, or a part or a detail). Varying the focus, makes more precise or diffuse the object observed (we support ourselves on accommodating the eye for near or far vision). The triad of interest and that of perspective allows us to develop a comprehensive plan of observation previous to the examination. For example: take the same object that we analyzed previously but now with our plan (see the review sheet). INTEREST: geometry - silhouette - volume. LOCATION: Three different locations for every interest. AMPLITUDE: overall Finally we must consider whether the examined object has a general a tendency to disperse (typical of sharp points) or to concentrate (typical of curves). Now we will see the metrics 3. Human metrics We have seen how we understand proportion in structure. Human proportions are simple relations easy to remember and apply. Thus we see (see metric sheet) that the body is eight heads long, but also 10 hands, six feet, twenty one middle fingers or thirty two noses. The clavicle is the same length as the hand; the humerus is two hands or four middle fingers, the forearm, three middle fingers which is equal to the distance between the nipples ... etc.

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Iconografa-2011-eng-v1.doc First draft translation, London, November 2011 Please send corrections, comments etc. to openroads@gmail.com

26/11/11

Looking at the example drawing we see that the middle finger is the smaller segment of the total longitudinal segment of the head. The larger segment corresponds to the distance from the wrist to the tip of the thumb. The same type of relationship is found between foot and hand. If we understand this relational principle of proportion, it will be easy to see that we should not necessarily stick to a canon or a model, but that each icon will require its study and solution. The examples given of measurement, are the most traditionally used by different peoples. 4. Working experimentally The experimental work involves managing the various issues we have developed. It is in this work where metrics, permanence and orderliness should be exercised in a greater degree. In the palette where six images are presented by way of example, there are some criteria for the search for references on other planes which it seems appropriate to discuss. One criteria has been the centre of gravity. Such a centre in all the images we have given to the torso, and around which are organized the parts. So for all the images we have searched in the heads of animals for the reference form to resolve it. Our approach has been to take a plan and give each individual a range of the elements of the plane. In this way we took the vegetable plane, looking for references for our old man in the roots and bark, for the man in the trunks, for the young male in the branches, for the young female in the flowers, for adolescents in the stems and for women in fruits. The experimental work connects us with the work of enrichment of the database. 5. The Database As in all crafts, we have a database, which we have divided into sections that we are enriching and that contribute to the multi-contact between those who develop the craft. The sections are: IMAGES: accumulation of experiments for each of the sheets (A, B, C, D, E, F) FORMS: accumulation in primary forms of various levels (geometric, mineral, vegetable, animal). We agree to submit records of these works in 13x8 cm photographic prints. This allows us to make the study designs in any size and then reduce them, gaining in quality and operability. Equipment and material The minimum iconographic equipment is the basic drawing and some elements for modelling an item (pastes, clay, wax, paper). Geometry compass, golden compass and ruler. With these instruments we can operate. Now each material will require its own equipment, we call these auxiliary instruments. As for materials we may consider of use this auxiliary enneagram.

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