STEFAN ARTENI

Perspective as Form and Medium

and
the Interplay of Proportion Systems
and Perspective

XXXI – Appendix VI - I

SolInvictus Press 2006

Communication
I
Niklas Luhmann defined communication explicitly as the unity of
information, utterance [message, Mitteilung], and expectation of
understanding. More specifically, communication “arises through a
synthesis of three different selections, namely, selection of information,
selection of utterance of this information, and a selective understanding
or misunderstanding of this utterance and its information.”

A helpful bridge is Luhmann's understanding of information: once

information is expressed it is no longer information per se; it has
exhausted itself. Though, this "automatic mechanism does not exclude
the possibility of repetition." Repetition itself is a form of
meta-information that can be interpreted as indicating the value of the
repeated (now) non-information. James Carey argues that the ritual view
focuses on the communication of this meta-information of commonality,
instead of novelty.
In calligraphy, a well-known text could be written in many
different ways; in painting, there may be many different
instantiations of a well-known image. Since the works are
often variations on established themes and usually allude to
earlier works, the repeated and now familiar information
(the content) appears as a construct that may be
dissociated from the form of the utterance.

There are two ways of looking at art and they are mutually
exclusive: one either looks at/for the content or one gazes
at the form of the utterance.
Arabic Calligraphy at Wazir Khan Mosque, Hakuin Ekaku, Zen Mu (No)
Lahore, Pakistan
Angelos
AKOTANTOS
BARNABA
DA MODENA
Bicci di Lorenzo

NICCOLÒ
DI SEGNA
DOMENICO
VENEZIANO
Anonymous
Spanish master
MASTER of Saint Veronica
Anonymous Florentine master Zanobi Machiavelli
JUAN DE FLANDES
Hans
MEMLING
LORENZO
DI CREDI
RAFFAELLO Sanzio
RAFFAELLO
Sanzio
Cristiano Castelfranchi distinguishes between communication [getting a
message] and signification [getting a meaning.]

There are empirical psychological data showing that humans and animals
are sensitive to the form of signals [such as ornamentation and rituals]
and not just to the information they convey. According to Magnus Enquist,
spectacular cultural phenomena can evolve that convey little meaningful
information, but still have strong impact on spectators. Signal forms or
visual displays are highly redundant. High-context cultures will focus on
'how' something is done and on the extensive use of cumulative rhetorical
style. For instance, it is well known that by altering specific aspects of a
familiar stimulus supernormal effects — stronger reactions — can usually
be produced, even when the new stimulus does not provide the receiver
with more information The stimulus is data rich, and information poor.

An increase in signal complexity may also allow qualitatively different

stimulation to be effective...the ability...to recognize patterns in time may
favor signals that are variable in time over monotonous repetitions of the
same signal. Costly signals may evolve for a number of reasons. Biases
in receiver's recognition mechanisms can promote the evolution of costly
exaggeration in signals. Learned recognition gives rise to more
exaggerated signals than inherited recognition .
Roman mosaic (photo by Dick Osseman)
Roman mosaic
(photo by
Dick Osseman)
Roman mosaic
(photo by
Dick Osseman)
Roman mosaic (photo by Dick Osseman)
Roman mosaic (photo by Dick Osseman)
Roman mosaic (photo by Dick Osseman)
Roman mosaic
(photo by
Dick Osseman)
Byzantine mosaic
Byzantine
miniature
Byzantine wall painting, Cappadocia
Byzantine wall painting, Cappadocia
Byzantine wall painting,
Cappadocia
Byzantine wall painting, Cappadocia
Byzantine wall painting, Cappadocia
Byzantine wall painting, Cappadocia
Novgorod Icon
Novgorod Icon
Novgorod Icon
Novgorod Icon
Icon
Serbian
wall painting
Serbian wall painting
Serbian
wall
painting
Georgian Icon
Armenian
miniature
Byzantine
miniature
Moldavian wall painting
Romanesque
miniature
Romanesque
miniature
Romanesque
stained glass
window,
Germany
Gothic
stained glass window,
Germany
MASTER
of the
Isaac Stories
MASTER
of the
Isaac Stories
Anonymous
Italian master
Duccio di Buoninsegna
GIOVANNI
DA MILANO
GIOVANNI DA MILANO
GIOVANNI
DA MILANO
GIOVANNI
DA MILANO
Greek Icon,16th century
 Unknown 14th century Italian master

Anonymous 14th century Florentine master

Bicci di Lorenzo
Pietro Lorenzetti
Giotto
(Ambrogio
Bondone)
Giotto (Ambrogio Bondone)
Giotto
(Ambrogio
Bondone)
Giotto
(Ambrogio
Bondone)
Giotto (Ambrogio Bondone)
Giotto (Ambrogio Bondone)
Master of Osservanza
 Sano di Pietro

Paolo Schiavo
(Paolo di Stefano
Badaloni)
Anonymous Spanish master
Juan
de BURGOS
MASTER
FRANCKE
Lucas MOSER
Hans MULTSCHER
Jan van EYCK
MASTER of the
Lyversberg Passion
Anonymous
German
master
Attributed to Nicolás Francés

Jaume Huguet
Jaume
Huguet
LORENZO Monaco
LORENZO Monaco
Paolo Schiavo
(Paolo di Stefano
Badaloni)
Jaume Baço
JACOMART
ARCANGELO
DI JACOPO
DEL SELLAIO
Luca della Robbia
Prayer Book of
Lorenzo de' Medici
1458
Bona Sforza's
Book of Prayers
Benozzo GOZZOLI
Benozzo
GOZZOLI
Benozzo
GOZZOLI
Ercole de’Roberti
Domenico Ghirlandaio
Domenico Ghirlandaio
Domenico
Ghirlandaio
Domenico Ghirlandaio
Filippo Lippi
Filippo Lippi
Francesco
del COSSA
Francesco del COSSA
Francesco del COSSA