shape - a figure that
appears to be flat, Pablo
Ruiz Picasso,
Picador
1959
1. Shapes
a. geometric shapes - circles, squares, rectangles,
triangles, etc., Sycamore student,
geometric shapes
b. biomorphic shapes / organic shapes - shapes that resemble
or are derived from structures in nature (ameobas, leopard spots,
tree branches, etc.) Piet Mondrian,
Tableau, 1914
c. invented shapes - conform to no notions of order
Jean Fautrier, Nude, 1943
(This image could be considered an organic shape. I generally
picture an invented shape as a rectangle with an organic protrusion
from it. I chose this image as a tongue in cheek comment on the
multiple and merciless depictions of the female nude by male
artists.)
d. everyday shapes
1. enlarged lines, letters, and numbers
Khairat Al-Saleh, The Creation
II, 1989
2. flattened three-dimensional objects
Gorky,
Self Portrait With Mother,
1927
e. unified areas as shapes
gestalt
1. areas of the picture plane that share a similar
attribute (color, texture, value, etc.) Jim
Cogswell,
The Letter N, 2001
2. figure-ground reversal - when the "negative space" can
also be seen as a shape Salvador Dali
Great Paranoiac, 1936
(simultaneity)
a. physical figure-ground reversal - the figure and
ground areas are equal Escher,
Heaven and Hell
b. optical figure-ground reversal - physically more of
one color than another - but impossible to differentiate figure
from ground Ellsworth Kelly,
Black and White, 1961
f. implied shapes - figures in unworked areas of the
ground, or larger shapes implied by subtle variations in a pattern
Bridgette Riley, Hidden Squares,
1961
2. Relating Shapes
a. overlapping - parts of the "farther" shapes obscured by
parts of the "nearer" ones Milton Avery,
Cello Player in Blue, 1944
b. abutting - be next to
c. interlocking - done by matching one curve to another, or
by using intermediary implied shapes (strong shapes between two
elements), etc. Hans Jaeger,
Munch, 2001
d. mutual tension - 2 pieces placed closely enough for a
gravitational pull to take effect, giving the area of
attraction/separation a tension
Odd Nerdrum,
Iron Law, 1983
e. suggestion of a continuous whole: ie. heavy outline,
group of similars, etc. Portia Munson,
Pink Project, 1994
3. Edges
a. hard edged - precise values and strong value contrasts
render shapes clearly distinct from surroundings
Ellsworth Kelly, Red Curve, 1999
b. soft edged - the boundaries between shapes and
surrounding areas are blurred John Singer
Sargent Madam X, 1884,
Emily, 1877
More Art:
Antonia Eirez,
Between the Lines, 1993
Roman Opalka,
Detail, 1965-2002
Portia Munson,
Nest, 1995
Klimt Judith,
1901
Maurits Cornelis Escher,
Mosaic 2, 1957
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