Interactive Matisse
MAT594S - Techniques and Concepts in 3D Visualization, instructed by Ayoub Sarouphim
Introduction
We were tasked in this assignment to study a modern painting of our choice and create a three-dimensional space based upon our analysis. I chose to base my project on two works of Henri Matisse, Icarus (1943), and La Danse (1938).
Figures 1, 2 - Icarus and La Danse
The primary inspiration came from Icarus. I've always been fascinated by this and other works Matisse produced as part of his "Jazz" series, and I felt the sharp, cut-edged shapes and the bold use of color would make an interesting translation into three dimensions. The secondary inspiration came from La Danse. I felt the solitary figure in Icarus would be more appropriate as a sculpture versus attempting to create a three-dimensional space from it. The ring of dancers portrayed in La Danse, though in an different style than Icarus, was much more effective in defining a space.
Implementation
I implemented this project using EON Studio and 3DS Max. As mentioned above, I combined the look of Icarus with the layout of La Danse, and came up with the layout seen in figure 3 below, with a ring of dancer figures surrounded by a dome of stars.
Figure 3 - Project layout
To create the eight dancer figures, I began with a single, high-polygon model of a woman. By applying a random distortion deformation to the model, and then greatly reducing the polygon count, I was able to produce a chiseled, faceted look that was reminiscent of the two-dimensional cutouts used in Icarus, as seen in figures 3-7 below. A similar process was used to create the star shapes, which were based upon spheres.
;)
;)
;)
;)
Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 - Creation of dancer figure in 3DS Max (click image to enlarge)
Animation
(requires quicktime 6)
la_danse.mp4 (4.4MB)