Description:
This image is for the reconstruction of Charles Bell’s, Side of face, from 1830. This original water color depicts what looks like a mans head from the side resting on a platform. The final product will look very similar to the original in that the composition of the figure won’t change. However, the materials used were changed in the final draft. Instead of watercolor I decided to use oil pastels on the face, as well as charcoal and watercolor in the background. Further tools needed for this reconstruction include a ruler, blending stump, vine charcoal, water, paper, eraser, and pencils. I am achieving the watercolors used by the original artist by mixing water with the acrylics I have. I also don’t have a ruler therefore I will use the straight edge container from the paint package. I was not sure the type of paper that Bell used therefore I will attempt to use three different kinds including card-stock, white paper, and newsprint. I assume Bell had access to the physical body when he was making his illustrations. For this reason, I would not have as much liberty with the true details and can only base my accuracy on Bells interpretation. For example, choosing to add additional markings or changing the position of the subject and his lighting. In addition to this, the image I am using as a reference is slightly blurry. This issue was slightly worsened when I transferred the image to a drawing software so I can lay gridlines. Having this software gives me an advantage in achieving an accurate representation rather than relying on my intuition. From this reconstruction I hope to portray the subject’s emotion and how he takes up the space around him. I also strive to create the natural and soft feeling of the human subject as Bell does.
Further Questions
What is this image for?
This image is for the reconstruction of Charles Bell’s, Side of face, from 1830. This original water color depicts what looks like a mans head from the side resting on a platform.
Where is the image coming from? What do we know of its source? Its audience?
This image is from Charles Bell found in the UCL Art Museum Collection. It is meant for anyone as it is made for public viewing but probably used for teaching and medical documentation purposes at the time it was made.
Materials & measurements
Can we identify all the materials needed to make it?
This image was made with watercolor on graphite and charcoal on paper.
Are there multiple varieties of tools used to make it?
From the soft and smooth shading, I assume that vine charcoal (or any kind of soft charcoal) is used. For the harsher and darker lines, a more dense charcoal can be used.
What is the stability of a material over time?
Not much was found on the type of paper that Bell used or his preservation techniques. However for this reconstruction, the paper used is prone to tears, oil stains, and other environmental damage. The color from the charcoal is also prone to smudging or fading. These issues can be combated by setting the charcoal with a spray or lamination.
Tools & equipment
What tools are necessary?
Watercolor, soft/dense charcoal, graphite, and paper are needed.
What are the best ways to replicate the effects of inaccessible tools?
If watercolor is not available, using acrylic paint and watering it down can have similar effects. Pencil can be used to replace soft charcoal to achieve soft, light gray effect.
How do technological changes impact our interpretation/expectation of the image? (e.g., engraving, woodcut, silver chromate)
Without the physical body, my interpretation of the image I will be based on Bell’s interpretation. To combat the blurriness of the image, I will reinforce my interoperation of the illustration with my understanding of muscle structure and brushwork.
FIELD NOTE 1 OF 3
Date: 02/11/2022
People Involved: Me
Location: Apartement
Reconstruction conditions:
72 degrees indoor temperature. No draft, minimal humidity.
Time and duration of reconstruction:
2pm for 2 hours.
Equipment and tools used:
An 8 by 11 card-stock all on flat surface on the floor was used. I also used a drawing software (SketchBook) to make digital gridlines. For sketching the outline and gridlines I used a 1 HB charcoal pencil and for darker regions I uses 6B and 8B charcoal pencils. Vine charcoal was also used as well as acrylic water color paint. Additional materials include brushes, rubber eraser, straight edge container, and shading stump.
Subjective factors, e.g., how things smelled/looked/felt:
The paint fumes smelled slightly. The charcoal and pencils and paper had no distinct smell. The card-sock paper was slightly smudge prone with the vine charcoal and pencils.
Prior knowledge that you have:
To get as accurate the reconstruction as possible, I made gridlines digitally and on paper. I also made sure the ratio of sizes were similar between each version. Breaking up the image in 16 squares allowed for more proportional lines. I also knew that card-stock was hard to shade with using fingers or paper towels. Thus I made sure to use the blending stump which provided smoother shading against the rough paper.
Reflection on your practice:
Erasing the gridlines made the process a bit messy as it blended with the wet paint and was abrasive for the paper. Although I didn’t have a ruler, the straight edge I used was satisfactory. The paper used was overall decent because it supports many layers of watercolor. However, it was too small and the details got clumped together. The watercolor was a bit difficult to control as the back of the subject was too blue. The platform that the head is resting on in my version is sharper and darker. Upon reflection I feel it takes away from the focus on the subject. In my next reconstruction, I will try to make the platform blend better with the background.
Photos/video documenting process:
Questions that arise:
I wonder how the paper prepared in the original image? Was it stained? Covered in charcoal? How was the image colored using water colors (use of brush strokes). Also, I noticed in the original image there is a sort of white and brown mass right under the ear. It is hard to guess what this structure is and I wonder what Bell had intended. The use of the blue for the cranium was interesting to me and I wonder its purpose. The smooth, cool surface contrasts nicely with the warm, stringy muscles I the front of the face. I also wonder why Bell used charcoal instead of completely with water colors.
FIELD NOTE 2 OF 3
Date: 02/12/2022
People Involved: Myself
Location: Apartement balcony
Reconstruction conditions:
The weather outside was windy and sunny at about 60 degrees.
Time and duration of reconstruction:
4 pm for 3 hours
Equipment and tools used: big newspaper paper.
Water color acrylic paint, brushes, vine charcoal, rubber eraser, blending stump, straight edge container, charcoal pencils, white paper, .
Subjective factors, e.g., how things smelled/looked/felt:
There were some fumes from the acrylic paint. The paper used was very white and much bigger than the first illustration at about 50 x 20cm .
Prior knowledge that you have:
Since the paper was larger and harder to blend paint with, I knew not to let the paint dry too quickly. From the first version, I learned that doing the charcoal background last will reduce amount of smudging and cross contamination between materials.
Reflection on your practice:
Even thought the paper was bigger, the paint was still difficult to manage for extensive detailing of the muscles. By the end, the individual muscles seemed almost abstract. The vine charcoal blended nicely with the paper. I found it hard to blend the platform with the background as the white paper left strong white highlights where there wasn’t any charcoal. Although I used similar gridlines as the first image, I noticed the proportions in this image were slightly off especially near the jaw. I did not like how prominent the mass under the neck was in this version as well. I also think stronger shading where the head rests on the platform could provide a better feeling that the head is resting on a solid object. In terms of distinct muscle structures, the only easily separable ones were the forehead muscles and the muscles around the eye.
Photos/video documenting process:
Questions that arise:
I wonder if colored pencils or oil pastels would be better for details and outlining the muscles. I also wonder if Bell used charcoal for parts of the subject that he did not want to highlight and therefore contrasted the watercolors with dull charcoal.
FIELD NOTE 3 OF 3
Date: 02/13/2022
People Involved: Me
Location: Bedroom in apartment
Reconstruction conditions:
Regular room temperature with dim lighting.
Time and duration of reconstruction:
It took about 2 and a half hour between the times 11-1:30pm.
Equipment and tools used:
Sketchbook software, charcoal pencils, acrylic paint, vine charcoal, newsprint, rubber eraser, oil pastels, straight edge container.
Subjective factors, e.g., how things smelled/looked/felt:
The oil pastels had a faint odor to them as well as the acrylic paint. The pastels were also very waxy and prone to smudges. The vine charcoal was brittle and the newsprint was thin and smooth. The newsprint paper was a slight brown/gray color and was also 50cm x 20cm big.
Prior knowledge that you have:
Due to the thin nature of the newsprint, I knew I couldn’t use watercolors to create the background or the body of the subject.
Reflection on your practice:
After the first coat of charcoal for the background and body, I realized the color was off compared to the original. In addition, the vine charcoal was very easy to smudge as it is very soft and loose. I decided to cover the charcoal with a thin layer of watered down brown paint. I figured the charcoal layer would give the newsprint an extra layer of protection from the water. The end product was relatively successful. The paper did not tear but required straightening out once the paint had dried. The substitution of oil pastels instead of watercolors to depict the face muscles was necessary because the paper would have not facilitated smooth clean details with water colors. In addition the first two reconstructions I had made are also difficult to use with watercolors. The oil pastels gave me more control and thus I could add more fine detail and the colors were able to blend when needed. The colors were also very vibrant which made the muscles stand out. My biggest goal for this reconstruction was to accurately capture the different muscles within the face as it was the focus in Bell’s original version.
Photos/video documenting process:
Questions that arise:
There was little I could find out about the background with this particular image. Through out the process I wondered what Bell’s purpose was for each line and brush stroke. One thing I realized upon second glance was the hairs on the subject which I suppose indicates the subject as a man. I wonder the intention behind that as many of Bell’s illustrations don’t feel as human like.
Big Questions
What kinds of larger social, historical, methodological questions can you ask from this process?
From doing this reconstruction project I wonder what kinds of materials they used during the 19th century and how did they differ from the materials we use now. Were they more natural? If so, did that make them easier to use? I also wonder what the set up looked like. How was lighting achieved? Did Bell use specific lighting to add to this image or was there a standard practice back then? Knowing Bell liked to take some artistic liberties with his images, I wonder which parts of the subject he changed from the original and which things he might have taken out. It is very possible that this is not unique to Bell alone as back then, the use of photographs was not as popular and much of the scientific images came from the perspectives and interpretations of the illustrators.
How did your questions change over time?
At first I wondered what the purpose of the charcoal was as it seemed dull and lifeless. After another version of the reconstruction, I wondered if this choice was to highlight the face muscles. Upon figuring out how to get the proportions right, my biggest question throughout each version was how to achieve the details in the muscles.
Which set of readings do you draw on as inspiration to frame your potential answers?
My main inspiration that I used to understand the illustration more was from the book, The nervous system and the anatomy of expression: Sir Charles Bell’s anatomical watercolors by Brendan Clarke and Chiara Ambrosio. The authors describe Bells intent with his image as focusing on the “facial musculature”. They say it is unique for Bell to use a man, which differs from the “composite of different perspectives on a dissected body, or a system of nerves extracted, and somehow abstracted, from a body”(Clarke, 113-114). Indeed, the muscles are the focal point of the image. Even more, I believe the choice to use color is crucial because muscles naturally have many shades and tones and introducing color allows for better separation of each fibers of muscles.
How do you engage with narratives about sensation, cognition, neuroscience, neurology, psychology, disability, and the emotions? How do you situate these narratives within histories of science and epistemology?
From what I gather, part of the work Bell does with his illustrations is to combine anatomy and aesthetics. I believe in doing so he adds additional value to the images that conventional objectivity does not. The artistic choices with Bell’s illustrations are able to guide the reader to the focus of the image as well as create useful details that allow deeper study. Moreover, the details with color, dark and light tones, and texture with the muscles provide emphasis on the structure and function of the muscles for the face and how they relate to one another. From my previous knowledge, I understood how fibrous and connected muscles were. After illustrating them many times with different media, my understanding deepened in terms of which muscles go where and how they are shaped. I began to wonder how manipulating each muscle would effect the facial movements. Historically, technological advancements have almost always been beneficial in uncovering more about the scientific world. For example, cameras, microscopes, and other imaging technology continues to be improved in hopes that the ability to capture more of the “objective” truth will strengthen our understanding. However, from the works of people like Bell, it is seen that objectivity is not necessarily the better option and in some cases lacks what individual interpretation and perceptive can provide for our knowledge.
How do you expect to answer your questions?
I am looking to find the answers to my questions through multiple reconstructions and readings on Bell and his technique. I also plan on revisiting readings on objectivity, as it relates to Bell’s work, and examine how it relates to my reconstruction project.