Philip W Hamilton

Illustrations and Illusions Philip W Hamilton

Drawing perspectives by hand is a Renaissance innovation that anticipates how buildings and spaces appear to a stationary observer. It is a marriage of technical skill, science and art that once indicated the mettle and talent of architectural designers. These rendered images have been a specialty of the fine arts for over 500 years. It is fading fast due to computer generated graphic (CGI) software. What was once an artifact of design élan has become a standardized product, often outsourced to computerized assembly lines in Asia. The author presents samples from three decades of work as well as ideas about art, illustration, perception, and the ways handcrafts help mold and develop personality. He presents full color renderings, line drawings, pencil sketches and cartoons to create a visual accompaniment to nine thought-provoking essays. His writing ranges between anecdotal biography, social observation, and philosophical musing. The thoughts are held by a coherent thread that cherished social institutions, artistic tempering of technical workers, and even the humanizing potential of built environments will be lost to disruptive virtual possibilities.