Week 8 Blog

Source: "Lycurgus Cup Roman 4th C." Ancient Glass Blog of The Allaire Collection.

The most interesting thing that I found about NanoTech, and how it can relate to art, is the idea of changing color on the nanoscale. The Lycurgus cup is a marvel to me, how a very common material, gold, can be made to have color properties very different than exist on the macro scale (Lycurgus Cup). I’m curious why more materials, glasses in particular, don’t have this effect today, it would be most striking, especially as the techniques have been rediscovered and quantified by NASA (High Tech Art).

"Pointillism." Artcyclopedia

Quantum dots are another really interesting idea which I think will revolutionize how art is perceived. These particles change color based on their size, a 50nm particle will have a different color than a 75nm particle, despite being made of the same materials. I would love to see art begin to join pointillism with this kind of technology, where entire paintings can be developed using pointillism. The sheer range of colors available with this kind of art would be phenomenal.

Source: "Buddy Ebsen." Wikipedia. 

These kind of quantum colorings also have the ability to revolutionize how pigmentation is done. One of the most famous cases of pigmentation gone wrong was Buddy Ebsen’s portrayal of the Tin Man in the 1939 Wizard of Oz, where he was almost killed by a reaction to the aluminum body paint used to make him appear to be made of tin (Snopes). Quantum dotting, and the promise of true nontoxic pigments of every color, would make this kind of accident impossible, while opening up the possibility of artistic expression.

"Buddy Ebsen." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 May 2015.

Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech Jim Pt4." YouTube. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 25 May 2015.

High Tech Art: Chameleon Glass. N.p.: NASA, 1993. Print.

"Lycurgus Cup Roman 4th C." Ancient Glass Blog of The Allaire Collection. N.p., 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 May 2015.

"Pointillism." Artcyclopedia. Artcyclopedia, n.d. Web. 25 May 2015.

"Quantum Dots." Sigma-Aldrich. Sigma-Aldrich, n.d. Web. 25 May 2015.

"Wizard of Oz and Buddy Ebsen." Snopes.com:. Snopes, 17 Aug. 2007. Web. 25 May 2015.