In this research project, I will be looking at photorealism and point of view in rendering digital spaces. Architects and designers use photorealistic images to tell the story of their design. In a still image, a large portion of this story is determined by how the image creator frames the image and what point of view is represented. In 3d animations, the designer has time as a tool for telling a story, but with the single 2d rendered view, every detail of object placement, lighting and presence or absence becomes integral in understanding a space and the designer’s intent.
For this project, I will take an existing iconic image, Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, and recreate it digitally. I have chosen this image because it is a classic art image that deals with interior and exterior space. The image also tells a story of confinement with an empty urban street and three lonely diners who are each lost in their own thoughts. It is apparent that there is no way out of the bar area, as the three walls of the counter form a triangle which traps the attendant, and the diner has no visible door leading to the outside. By recreating this scene digitally, it will be possible to explore points of view that Hopper chose not to paint, providing a better understanding why this one view serves to tell the story most fully. Plus it will allow an exploration of the space of the diner that is only hinted at in the painting.
I suspect that creating the scene will be a creative endeavor in interpreting the existing data from Hopper’s painting. So although the digital model may not be an accurate rendition of the actual diner, (which once existed in Greenwich Village) it will be an interpretation of Hopper’s interpretation. I expect to find many views that represent many emotions or ideas, and hope to have a better understanding of how Hopper chose this particular view of the diner to portray this story.
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