Modeling Light

Harvard GSD

The invention of Skiagraphia by ancient Greek painter Apollodorus left an indelible mark on western civilization. Applying shade and shadow to drawn work, or ‘rendering,’ fundamentally transforms 2-dimensional drawings from abstractions to representations of phenomenal experience. It prefigured an explosion of exploration into the qualities of light and perspective during the Renaissance, inspiring the scientific revolution’s quest for a philosophical and physical understanding of light, and…