J. Nicolaysen wrote: |
If you guys aren't inscribing your doodles on vellum with compass, calipers and square, I don't think you can trust your accuracy.
http://thomasguild.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-m...liper.html All in good fun. It's above my head anyhow. Sure appreciate the level of intelligence and precision tho. |
So you are saying.... What?
... That using a compass on vellum is *more* exact than a vector program?
But you bring up an important point: it *is* important to understand that compass and straight ruler were the tools of the trade. I have stressed the importance and consequence of this in just about every article I have published on this hypothesis, and it is worth stressing again.
Any attempt at reconstructing a system of design using geometry needs to take into account the degree of precision (or lack thereof) that is attainable with drawing tools. This precision is trainable but limited to the thickness of the lines and the quality and character of the medium. The quality and precision of a construction can also vary from person to person.
When we use a digital tool to construct geometry, we are certain about absolute precision. This is helpful in that we negate any drawing error on our own part.
However, it is crucial that the geometry that is constructed with the computer is of a kind that typically and realistically could be made with compass and ruler. This has been a guiding principle for me in my work on the geometry of the medieval sword.
It is also very important that we use just such "strategies" of construction that we know were used in period work. Geometry can be performed in many ways and the way it is constructed will have an effect on the look and character of the object that is designed. If we do not use the strategies of construction the medieval masters used in their work, our work is likely going to look more or less odd.
Nigel Hiscock has studied what symbolic significance numbers and geometric forms carried through out the medieval period. He has also compared geometric correlations in both medieval architecture and modern neo-gothic architecture. Interstingly, he can show clear fundamental differences between the authentic gothic architecture and the neo-gothic style. While both share a superficial similarity in aesthetic style, the neo-gothic architecture does not show the commensurable harmonic proportions that are typical for medieval gothic architecture.
-I think we can see an interesting correspondence for this is replica swords made today. We all recognise the typical brazil nut swords of the high medieval period. They are simple in form, but they are actually pretty hard to make to look right. There is a subtlety in their proportions that is elusive. I think this is a sword form that has its roots in the use of geometry for construction. Without awareness of this and without applying the same principles, it is a challenge to nail the form and proportions of these weapons.
We have proof of the "strategies" that were used in geometric construction of gothic ecclesiastical architecture. Lime washed floors and large scale parchments survive to our day. In these mediums we see traces of the tools used in creating the geometry. We also see the traces of *how* the geometry was constructed, what steps were used and what elements of geometry was involved in the construction. The circle, the square, the equilateral triangle together with the octagon, the hexagon together with the other regular geometric forms were like the letters of the alphabet in this creative language.
Professor Robert Bork of Iowa university has done important research on the construction methods and use of geometry in gothic architecture. "Geometry of Creation" is a very impotent publication anyone interested in this should study. Over the years I have discussed the use of geometry by medieval engineers, architects and artisans and showed him my results in the study of swords.
If we are serious in this study of the sword: trying to understand principles for design, we must also study other medieval art forms and constructions.
I take your comment made in jest to reach for something like this?
If so, I fully agree. I have made an effort to make these aspects central in this project.