Study_2
This real-time project explores the artistic interpretations of sunflowers by three major painters of the modernist era: Egon Schiele, Vincent van Gogh, and Gustav Klimt.
Although each artist’s style is distinct, a shared fascination with sunflowers connects their work. Klimt brings an ornamental, golden opulence to his subjects; van Gogh captures the scene through vigorous, defined brushstrokes; and Schiele reveals a stark, almost brutal honesty in his depictions.
These painters, contemporaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, likely found appeal in the sunflower’s structural beauty, symbolic resonance, and accessibility. This study aims to convey each painter’s unique palette and stylistic approach using modern tools: a 3D scan of a real sunflower and audioreactive point clouds in TouchDesigner.
Using point clouds enabled dynamic exploration of the sunflower from multiple angles, allowing a focus on specific parts while animating noise and thresholds to distort the flower’s form. This approach echoes how each artist would distort reality to express the sunflower’s character. Color maps based on each painter’s palette and additional background elements mimic the "brushstrokes" and varying plasticity, bringing new interpretations of the iconic styles of Schiele, van Gogh, and Klimt.
Touchdesigner setup
This is a 3D scan of a real sunflower created with Scaniverse app. The scan requires some practice but delivers excellent results
Vincent van Gogh. The warm, earthy tones and the textured look of the point cloud, especially the focus on the brushstroke-like texture, align with van Gogh's vivid, expressive style. The orange bloom has a raw energy that feels very much in his spirit.
Gustav Klimt. The contrast of deep greens with hints of gold and warm tones reflects his ornamental style, bringing a sense of decorative quality that is in line with Klimt’s gilded and intricate compositions.
Egon Schiele. The color palette is muted, and there’s an almost skeletal, spindly quality to the flower’s structure that mirrors Schiele’s raw and unembellished approach to form. The delicate detailing and minimalist composition mimics the starkness often found in his work
