ROMAN HOLIDAY 2024 - Massimo Polello - Order & Chaos: The Secret of Composition

Order & Chaos: The Secret of Composition by Massimo Polello – Level: (A) All levels

"With order there is peace
with chaos creativity
with order there’s rest
with chaos there’s pleasure
with order one can breathe
with chaos—experience
with order there is past and there’s future
with chaos an ongoing present"
~Yishai Gaster

According to classical science, the definition of chaos is the absence of order. Order and Disorder, Cosmos and Chaos are etymologically related. Greek myth, in fact, maintains that the cosmos, i.e., the order of the world that is rational and beautiful, always arises out of chaos.

We will use what is called “Chaos Theory” to understand more about what to do with our letters and calligraphy to improve our compositions. I assure you that the discoveries will be very interesting. The first part of the course will focus on Order. The aim will be to present the Roman Letters in their purest form, their construction, proportions, spacing and their "orderly" regular rhythm. But this won't be a workshop on Roman Letters only. We will soon begin to realize that the letters are perhaps not as "in order" as they seem or would like to be. Basic form always depends on luck, time, and the moment of writing.

We will then focus on Chaos. We will develop and explore the different ways of executing a freer form of writing, freer in the sense of unexpected, random and fantastic. This is a form of writing that is driven by instinct, and that comes from the “gut”, writing that arises from Dionysus’ CHAOS, which has apparently no rules. My aim is to encourage every student to develop his/her own technique and opinion, maybe even with the help of some examples of contemporary artists that I love very much.

Finally, we will combine in one place both orderly and free elements, Order-Chaos, Apollonian-Dionysian, creating combinations that will reveal unexpected compositions in your work. We also, at the end as always in my workshops, will make and bind a book of our results exploring Order and Chaos finally together.

Class Supplies

Pens and Tools:

• 3 mm ornament nib pen
• Speedball C/1 to C/5, OR Brause or Mitchell from 0.5mm to 3mm
• Automatic pen #5 or 4
• Ruling pen or cola pen (folded pen)
• Flat brush of good quality—I suggest Winsor & Newton series 995 in 3/4" or 1/2"
• Pentel Aquash brush, fine point

Medium:

• Black ink of your preference, suggested: Sumi ink, Quink, walnut ink
• Extra-fine quality gouache, suggested Talens or Winsor & Newton, colors of your choice (white or light color required)
• Water-based Acrylic Enamel Paint glossy or matte, (small pot 100ml) You can find this in a normal home improvement or paint store.

Paper/Supports:

• 1 sketch pad, 9" x 12" (22.9 x 30.5 cm), 74-90gsm paper. Paper should have some tooth; not a super smooth paper (recommended/suggested in US/Canada: Canson XL Sketch)
• 3 to 5 sheets good quality paper, maximum 180 gsm, around 19.5" x 27.5"/50 x 70cm. Recommended/suggested: Arches Text Wove; Arches (or Artistico) cold-press watercolor paper; Canson Mi-Teintes; mixed light colors as you prefer; or similar papers you already own.
• Some transparencies projection sheet
• Some very old book pages to tear
• 1/2 sheets black paper (or very dark color) 50 x 70cm 160/180 gsm.
• Optional: 2 big sheets of light transparent paper like "pergamin" paper

Other:

• Containers for water and colors
• Rulers
• Pencils
• Eraser
• Small cardboard frame 8" x 8" (20 x 20cm)