What are the characteristics of diatoms?
Diatoms are microscopic,
single-celled algae surrounded by beautiful, glassy shells. There are hundreds
of thousands of species of diatoms with unique shapes. Diatoms
range in size from 5 microns to 200 microns. A micron is one thousandth of a
millimeter. Arranging 100 diatoms in a beautiful and dazzling artistic
form is equivalent to the space between two “” punctuation marks for a
medium-sized text.
For more information of the characteristics and importance of diatoms watch the attached video (x).
When did the art of arranging diatoms begin?
The first arrangement of diatoms in an artistic form
dates back to the early 19th century, but the art reached its peak in
the latter part of the same century. This period was a period of great interest
in biological sciences, and it was also a period of strong connection between
the arts and sciences.
What are the skills of professionals in the art of arranging diatoms?
Diatoms were often arranged
artistically by professional microscopists. These beautiful high quality slides, along with
other curiosities, including microscopic images, were sold for huge sums to
wealthy amateur naturalists to display at their social gatherings as a form of
pleasure and prestige.
What is the period of time that an artist needs to master the art of arranging diatoms?
Mastering this art requires a period of time that may
extend to eight years of experimentation before the artist is able to arrange
the diatoms in high quality manner. And put them together into wonderful geometric patterns,
faces, landscapes, and other compositions. Many of these works of art
are smaller than a single grain of rice, and are invisible to the human eye.
However, under a microscope, their shine and colors vary depending on how light
affects them, like stained glass.
Why is the art of arranging diatoms not widespread in the past?
Unfortunately, the first scholars of this art during the
Victorian era in England were competing with each other, which led them not to
accurately reveal the secrets of their techniques. All their knowledge and
skills were buried with them in the graves. As for the later ones, they spent
years of research and experimentation using glue to find the perfect solution
for arranging diatoms in a beautiful and high quality way under the microscope, and their
method for arranging diatoms has become available to the public these
days.
Who is the most prominent artist of the art of arranging diatoms in the modern era?
One of the most prominent contemporary artists of this wonderful
art is the Japanese professor Osamu Oku. He was fascinated by the beauty
of diatoms while he was a graduate student at Tokyo Fisheries University
(now Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology). At university, he saw diatoms
for the first time while peering into a microscope to see plankton from Tokyo
Bay as part of his research on the marine environment. He also saw many shells
that looked delicate and elegant in shape, like sculptures. His research on diatoms
came after completing his graduate studies. While pursuing his graduate
studies, he founded a company in 2007 to sell ready-made diatom slices to those
interested in viewing or examining diatoms for research and educational
purposes, and at the same time he also began his artistic creations, namely
arranging diatoms under a microscope into exquisite shapes.
Due to his limited time due to his research projects and
lectures at the College of Graduate Studies and other places, he did not
produce artwork in large quantities. In many cases, he would sell his works for
tens of thousands of yen apiece; because he wants more people to learn about
the magic of diatom art, even though the prices are not worth the
effort. He felt that what he was doing was beyond imagination and that he was
creating treasures. He even wished to keep all his paintings. He has produced
about 600 pieces in the past decade. But as his creations gained wide
popularity, Oko published a book containing pictures of his works and his
creative methods to introduce readers to the magic and beauty of the world of
microscopes and the world of diatoms.
How to draw a diatoms painting?
The first step to creating an artistic painting of diatoms
is to collect diatoms from their natural sources. Then it is washed of
mud and other impurities from sea and river water, then cleaned with chemicals.
In this art, hand tools and needles are used to arrange the diatoms
on a glass slide with an adhesive on them, allowing the artists of this art
enough time to arrange the diatoms under the microscope (fans of this art
have a unique glue formula that allows them to work over the course of days,
and also provides them with sufficient time, to make complex arrangements with
dazzling shapes without them polymerizing”. Once the diatoms are
arranged in the glue medium, a high-refractive fixative is added, allowing the diatoms
to be seen more clearly. Finally, a thin glass cover is placed on top of the
slide to protect this exquisite artistic arrangement.
What precautions should be taken into account when arranging a plate of diatoms?
It is worth noting that while drawing an artistic painting of diatoms: to pick up the diatoms with a hair from the eyelash or eyebrow connected to the tip of a sharpened pencil in order to avoid some of the diatoms breaking once they are shaken. At the same time, avoid coughing or sneezing to prevent dust from falling on the painting. It is also prohibited to use air conditioning devices during inspection and arrangement.
References
https://natashavannetten.com/2020/06/18/a-historical-invisible-artform-diatom-arranging/
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