PHYSICISTS, DEVELOPING A SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT, INVENTED A NEW KIND OF FINE ART

Science reveals universal, “suprahuman” patterns. Art studies man, cognizes the human in objects and phenomena with which man is connected, including in science itself. Science without art is a cold and often hostile phenomenon to man, but together they are a great song in praise of man. In order to penetrate the essence of things, it is necessary to create in your imagination an adequate model of the world, that very visible world about which we have spoken so much. And without art you will not achieve much here.

V. E. Demidov How we see what we see

In Search of a Holographic Visual Medium

In search of new forms, colors, textures, modern artists show fantastic ingenuity and sometimes find truly unusual solutions, using new paints, materials and technologies. Some findings delight us, cause surprise, and sometimes leave us stupefied. How good it is that there are bold experimenters in the world – they give us a chance to touch art through new impressive visual tools and innovative technologies. Holography has become no exception in the development of artistic visual means.

There is an amazingly enchanting magic in a holographic image. The mesmerizing eye, sparkling, red, green or blue laser light itself is aesthetically bright and capable of awakening strong feelings, and a hologram, in addition, discourages the viewer with its paradoxical depth. Many talented engineers began to work together with artists in the field of fine holography, where they unexpectedly found previously unseen tools and an environment with unique opportunities for creative exploration. Artists immediately drew attention to the brightness and amazing purity of colors of holographic gratings and the fantastic properties of three-dimensional figures. It is not surprising that fine holography immediately attracted the attention of creative interior designers. The amazing properties of holograms were creatively interpreted and used to create unusual effects, memorable futuristic three-dimensional scenes. And the combination of holography with traditional art forms opened up an even wider field of activity for artists, sculptors and designers.

In this chapter we will devote a few pages to the story of some outstanding masters in the field of artistic holography.

The world-famous artist Salvador Dali tried working in the holographic technique.

Thus, the first stage on this path was 1964, when he brought from New York plastic panels consisting of small cells, which when superimposed created a relief effect. This “moire”, reminiscent of an insect's eye, served as the basis for several paintings, including “Landscape with Flies” and “Laocoon Tormented by Flies”. In 1970, in the Louvre, he studied the canvases of Gerard Dou.

At the same time, he made two engravings – the first stereoscopic print – for his book “Ten Recipes for Immortality”. At the same time, using Fresnel lenses, he tried to simplify the technique, allowing several viewers to see the painting in stereoscopic form at once.

When the English scientist Dennis Gabor received the Nobel Prize for the discovery of holography, Dali saw in this invention the best means for his advancement towards three-dimensional imaging. In early 1972, thanks to the advice of Dennis Gabor, he created three compositions that were presented from April 5 to May 13 at the Noedler Gallery in New York.

In the introduction to the exhibition catalogue, Dali explains what holography means to the artist: “Holography, as an art, manifests itself as a synthesis of optical science and artistic creativity, in which many ideas require the joint work of scientists, designers and artists.”

For designers and artists, working with a brush and paints, a gas cutter or a chisel has always been a routine matter. Working with a laser beam and optical-mechanical devices for recording holograms, taking into account polarization, coherent properties of a light wave, the laws of quantum mechanics and wave optics – a task for an unprepared person is unimaginably difficult. But let's remember how at the dawn of photography, the first masters had to have a perfect command of knowledge in the field of optics, chemistry, artistic composition, and also independently produce photographic materials for their work. In the field of fine art holography, something similar has been happening since the discovery of this amazing method of recording three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional plane.

Holography, with its hyper-realistic space, some critics said, is by definition devoid of conventionality! How can one create an image without a subtle hint that allows one to awaken the viewer's imagination, to open up space for his thoughts and fantasy?

And this is how Dieter Jung, Margaret Benyon, Setsuko Ishii, Mary Harman, Martin Richardson, John Kaufmann and others did it! Look at their works, and you will understand how much artistic conventionality and expressiveness they contain. Of course, a photograph on a sheet of paper does not fully convey the volume, shades, colors and dynamics in a three-dimensional picture that are inherent only to a holographic image. To get a full impression of a holographic work, it is imperative to go to an exhibition of holograms, which are regularly held in our country and abroad.

One of the first outstanding masters of diffracted light in artistic holography was the German artist Dieter Jung. By controlling the properties of holographic diffraction gratings, he created impressive works in the form of colorful stained glass windows that sparkled with all the colors of the rainbow. He gave his stained glass windows movement, believing that to enhance the impression, one could add another coordinate – time.

Setsuko Ishii (Japan) created many interior compositions in public buildings, making sunlight play with all the colors of the rainbow as it passes through light, transparent sheets of holographic ornaments floating in the air.

In her latest projects, she began to use several types of holograms in one work at once – rainbow, pulse, multi-angle. Therefore, in front of her paintings, viewers are constantly in motion, trying to find and discern all the images placed on the hologram.

The works of Mary Harman, who combines holographic images with real objects, have a great philosophical subtext. For example, one can observe in dynamics how the “human soul” (holographic image) leaves the body (real plaster object), if one slowly observes the composition, moving from top to bottom.

“These figures have a lightness, clarity and simplicity that I tried to capture. I think it's about a certain stage of our existence, a part of the body, a part of the soul, perhaps a meditative state that will come in the distant future.”

Mary Harman

Many artists have used holographic images to create artistic collages consisting of several three-dimensional images.

Margaret Benyon is a British artist who lived in Australia. Her world is animals and plants intertwined with portraits of people, chaotic patterns, surrealism. But its main feature is that all of Margaret's paintings are holograms.

“There is also a documentary aspect to holographic portraits – it is a single moment at one stage of life and will never be repeated… a symbolic representation of frozen or deep time.”

Margaret Benyon

N. Solovyov (painting, design) and M. Shevtsov (holography) called their works synthesis art. A transparent hologram on a BHZ is superimposed on a painting. Under normal lighting, this is painting under glass. But if you direct the light at the right angle onto the hologram, bright volumetric details appear on the painting, located both inside and in front of the painting, giving it volume and a characteristic shine.

Transparent and bright phase holograms on the BHZ combine very well with polished optical glass, creating the illusion of “presence”.

From the series of art objects created by O. Shorokhova and M. Shevtsov in this style, the “Pyramid” stands out. The bronze figure of the pharaoh sitting inside the pyramid disappears when you look into the pyramid from the side or from behind, it's just that the pharaoh is not real, but holographic.

Artists have shown a sea of ​​imagination with the advent of pulse holography, starting with unusual portraits of people and ending with large-sized two-exposure holograms depicting scenes where three-dimensional characters live in a two-dimensional plane.

Volumetric images from computer screens were transferred to a layer of holographic emulsion in the form of coded holopixels, which could reproduce not only large-sized (up to 2×3 meters) volumetric, colored, multi-angle images, but also reproduce movement – all you have to do is light such a hologram properly and walk past it, and the image will “come to life”.

Exhibition galleries of artistic holograms

London is home to the amazing gallery owner, consultant and collector of art holograms Jonathan Ross. Together with a group of fellow enthusiasts, in 1978 he created a commercial company with the aim of promoting art holographic products on the market. Unsold goods from his gallery formed the basis of his home collection, which included works by holograph artists from all over the world.

One of the reasons for creating the home collection was the desire to make the best works of holographic art available to the general public. The diversity of the collected material characterizes the Jonathan Ross collection as a historical archive that clearly illustrates the development of holography over more than four decades. The variety of techniques, the boundless imagination of the authors and the highest quality of execution of the holograms collected in this unique collection are striking. Today, students, artists, collectors and designers can visit this gallery by appointment to see examples of creative works in the field of holography.

Fine holography as an art has successfully developed in the West in dialogue with innovative artists, merchants and art buyers. The few studios in the United Kingdom that have unique and expensive holographic equipment consider it a very profitable business to provide equipment to students and graduates of art schools to support their creative initiative. It should be noted that, together with the Royal Academy of Arts, Ross helps aspiring and established artists take part in annual public exhibitions. According to the rules, not only academics can take part in them, but also any artist who wants to, for which it is necessary to submit a work for consideration by the competition committee. Many works at the annual exhibitions are sold. Jonathan Ross takes an active part in all these events.

As an example, we will present several artistic holograms by different authors from the home collection of Jonathan Ross.

Note, friends, that all these images do not convey the three-dimensional holographic paradoxes now. Holograms must be seen live.