As I sat at my drafting table this morning, with the light pouring in from the window, I was struck by the way beauty of the light as it illuminated the bottles filled with jojoba oil and perfumers alcohol. I'm sure there was a clarity to the electromagnetic radiation, visible light, from the recent rain. I started really paying attention to light while in art school, when all kinds of visual perception on a whole reached new heights.
It was mostly drawing, painting and photography classes that stimulated this new awareness. We would look at sources, quality and color of light. How light affects mood and most importantly that color is produced by light. In art history classes we learned about the artists who mastered different aspects of light and color from Caravaggio to one of my personal favorites Rothko.
When I met my husband Greg he was constantly talking about light, which expanded my horizon even more. Greg often points out the differences in the color of light when we go on walks or travel, noting how California often has the same "pink" light that is found in Venice. Lately he has been turning me onto how color is used in films. As I have mentioned here before the 1998 version of Great Expectations has glorious use of color.
Some of my other favorites include "Amelie", "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover", and the "The Matrix". If I were to choose one for use of light I'd say "Barry Lyndon". How about you, which films do you feel use color really effectively?
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