1. ARTTALK Chapter 6 Shape, Form, and Space

2. Before we start, here is a video about a blind artist
Before we start, here is a video about a blind artist. He uses feel to create his shapes.

3. Objectives for Chapter 6:
Explain the difference between shapes and forms.
Observe more carefully the shapes and forms in space around you.
Understand point of view and perspective.
Use point of view and perspective to create drawings.
Understand the expressive qualities, or meanings, of shapes, forms and spaces in a work of art.

4. Shape, Form, and Space
Every object you see around you has a shape, and a form, and takes up space.
Think about Stop Signs. You recognize their shape long before you can read it.
Shape, form, and space are elements of art that are closely related to one another.
You need to learn how to read the meaning of these elements, and how to use them to express ideas and feelings.
Throughout this lecture, you should begin to understand how artists create shapes, forms, and space in their artworks.

5. Where are the realistic three-dimensional forms?
Notice how the artist has used flat areas to create the illusion of depth in some areas of this assemblage, and has carved some three-dimensional forms and attached the to the flat surfaces in other areas.
Where are the realistic three-dimensional forms?
Where are the flat surfaces that have been rendered to look 3-D?
Why are the rocks included in the work?
Marisol. Poor Family I Wood, charcoal, stones, plastic doll. 78 x 156 x 84”.

6. Shapes A shape is a two-dimensional area that is defined in some way.
A shape may have an outline or a boundary around it, or you may recognize it by its area.
If you draw a square, you have created a shape.
Shadow is the shape of darkness.

7. You see two-dimensional shapes every day.
Look around you at the walls, floor tiles, the posters on the wall, table tops, books, folders, etc…
How many different types of shapes do you see?
All shapes can be classified as either geometric or free-form.

8. Geometric shapes are precise shapes that can be described using mathematical formulas.
The basic geometric shapes are the circle, square, and triangle, with all other geometric shapes being variations or combinations of these basic shapes.
Geometric shapes are used for decoration, uniformity, and organization.
Think of the different street signs and their shapes.

9. Free-form shapes are irregular and uneven shapes.
Their outlines may be curved, angular, or a combination of both.
They often occur in nature.
Think of the silhouettes of living things such as animals, people, or trees.

10. Which do you visually prefer?
Notice the decorative quality of the geometric shapes in the beadwork on the leggings shown on the left.
Compare those designs to the free-form shapes on the leggings on the right.
Which do you visually prefer?
Blackfeet Man’s Leggings. Montana Buckskin, glass beads, pigment.
Chippewa Man’s Leggings. Minnesota. C Cotton velveteen, polished cotton, glass beads, wool twill.

11. Forms
The words shape and form are often used interchangeably but they have much different meanings in the art world.
Forms are objects having three dimensions.
Forms have length, width, and depth.
See how two- dimensional shapes and three- dimensional forms are related in this table.

12. 2-Dimensional shapes: Their 3-dimensional forms
Circle – Sphere and Cylinder
Square – Cube
Triangle – Pyramid and Cone
Free-Form Shape – Free-Form Form

13. Geometric Forms vs. Free-Form Forms
David Smith. Cubi IX Stainless Steel x 59 x 44”.
Jean (Hans) Arp. Aquatique Marble. 14 x 26 x 10

14. Space Shapes and forms exist in space.
Space is the element of art that refers to the emptiness or area between, around, above, below, or within objects.
All objects take up space.
Shapes and forms are defined by the space around and within them.

15. Positive and Negative Spaces
In both two and three dimensional art:
Positive space - the shapes or forms (also known as figure).
Negative space - the empty space between and around the shapes or forms (also known as ground).

16. Jasper Johns. Cups 4 Picasso. 1972. Lithograph.
Do you see a vase or do you see profiles of Pablo Picasso? Jasper Johns has deliberately organized this work as a visual puzzle to confuse the viewer. One minute the faces are very clear and seem to be the figure, while the space between the profiles is the ground. The next moment the vase becomes figure and the space around the vase becomes the ground.

17. In a portrait, the image of the person is the positive space.
The negative space is the area surrounding the person.
Notice here how the negative space affects the look of the subject.
There is more negative space on the woman’s right than her left, and both spaces have different shapes.
The flat black background forces the viewer to pay attention to the details in the positive space.
Lavinia Fontana. Portrait of a Noblewoman. C Oil on canvas, 46 x 36”.

18. Rupert Garcia. Political Prisoner. 1976. Pastel on paper. 48 x 36”.
The shape and size of negative spaces affect the way you interpret positive spaces.
Large negative spaces around positive spaces may express loneliness or freedom.
When the positive spaces are crowded together, it gives the feeling of tension or togetherness.
The meaning of the work depends on the interaction between positive and negative spaces.
Rupert Garcia. Political Prisoner Pastel on paper. 48 x 36”.

19. M.C. Escher. Other World. Wood engraving in three colors. 13 x 11”.
It is not always easy to tell which are the positive spaces and which are negative spaces in 2-D art.
Sometimes it is hard to find any negative space.
Sometimes there is equal emphasis to both the figure and the ground.
Some artists try to confuse the viewer by creating positive and negative spaces that reverse themselves while you are looking at them.
How has Escher made this visual puzzle seem logical?
M.C. Escher. Other World. Wood engraving in three colors. 13 x 11”.

20. Space in Three-Dimensional Art
Over, under, through, behind, and around, are words that describe three dimensional space.
Three-dimensional art, such as sculpture and architecture, takes up real space.
You can walk around, look through, look behind, peer over, and reach into three dimensional art.

21. Architects shape space.
They design structures that enclose a variety of spaces.
The architect here was designing a space to look like it could hold all the world’s people.
Notice the use of line and implied line to emphasize the feeling of space
Wallace Kirkman Harrison. United Nation s Buildings. Assembly Building. Main Auditorium. New York

22. Barbara Hepworth. Figure for Landscape. 1960. Bronze. 106 x 51 x 27”.
Negative areas in three dimensional art are very real.
Freestanding sculpture, such as this one, are surrounded by negative space. The viewer must move through space to see all of the different views of 3-D work.
There is also negative space inside of this sculpture.
Barbara Hepworth. Figure for Landscape Bronze x 51 x 27”.

23. Perceiving Depth
Your eyes and brain work together to enable you to see in three dimensions – length, width, and depth.
Each eye sees an object from a slightly different angle.
The brain merges the two separate and slightly different views into one, creating a three- dimensional image.

24. ❶ Perceiving Depth To see how your eyes work, do the following:
Close your right eye.
Point to the ❶ below.
Without moving your pointer finger, open your right eye and close your left eye.
It will appear as if you have moved your finger, even though you know you have not. ❶

25. Point Of View
The shapes and forms you see depends on your point of view.
Your point of view is the angle from which you see an object.
Your point of view changes when you walk around an object.

26. Roman. Caligula. Marble. 30-41 CE.
How does your perception of this sculpture change in each view?
Roman. Caligula. Marble CE.

27. William Kurelek. Manitoba Party. 1964. Oil on Masonite. 48” x 60”.
Your point of view depends on where you are and where the object is that you are looking at.
Notice the different angles of the tabletops in this painting.
William Kurelek. Manitoba Party Oil on Masonite. 48” x 60”.

28. How Artists Create Shapes and Forms in Space
Shapes and forms can be classified as natural or manufactured.
Natural shapes and forms are made by the forces of nature. For example, animals, plants, and stones.
Manufactured shapes and forms are those created by people. Either mass produced in factories or made by hand.
Artists use many materials and techniques to make shapes and forms.

29. Henri Mattisse. Beasts of the Sea. 1950. Paper on canvas. 117” x 71”.
Here, Mattisse cut the shapes for this work directly from sheets of paper that he had painted on and then pasted them onto the canvas.
He cut the shapes free handed.
They look like abstracted forms from the sea.
Henri Mattisse. Beasts of the Sea Paper on canvas. 117” x 71”.

30. The Illusion of Form
Artists can create the illusion of three- dimensional form on a two dimensional surface.
They use changes in value to give the impression of depth and solidity.
The figures here are very solid and sculptural, looking as if they are carved from rock.
Giotto. Madonna and Child Paint on wood. 34 x 25”.

31. From the Italian chiaro meaning “bright”, and oscuro meaning “dark”.
Chiaroscuro is the arrangement of light against shadow to create a dramatic effect.
From the Italian chiaro meaning “bright”, and oscuro meaning “dark”.
Artists have learned how light is reflected off of three-dimensional forms, and how to represent shadows realistically.
Georges de La Tour. Saint Joseph the Carpenter. Oil on canvas. c. 1642

32. Highlights are small areas of white used to show the very brightest spots.
Highlights show the surfaces of the subject that reflect the most light.
They are used to create the illusion of form.
They are the opposite of shadows.
Shadows show the surfaces of the subject that reflect the least light.

34. The Illusion of Depth
In artworks, some objects seem closer than others.
It is as if you are looking through a window into a real place.
This idea – that a painting should be like a window into the real world – has dominated Western art since the early Renaissance.
Sandro Botticelli. The Adoration of the Magi. C Tempera on wood. 28 x 41 in.

35. The picture plane is the surface of a painting or drawing.
Foreground is the part of the picture plane that appears closest to the viewer.
Background is the part of the picture plane that appears farthest away from the viewer.
Middle ground is the area in picture between the foreground and background.

36. Depth There are six things that create an illusion of depth:
Overlapping
Size
Placement
Detail
Color
Converging lines
Sandro Botticelli. The Adoration of the Magi. C Tempera on wood. 28 x 41 in.

37. Overlapping. When one object covers part of a second object, the first seems to be closer to the viewer.

38. Size. Large objects appear to be closer to the viewer than small objects.
The farther an object is from you, the smaller it appears.
Cars far down a road seem to be much smaller than the ones close to you.

39. Placement. Objects placed low on the picture plane seem to be closer to the viewer than objects placed near eye level.
The most distant shapes seem to be exactly at eye level.

40. Detail. Objects with clear, sharp edges and visible details seem close to the viewer.
Objects that lack detail and have hazy outlines seem to be farther away.

41. Color. Brightly colored objects seem closer to you, and objects with dull light colors seem to be farther away.
Atmospheric perspective is the effect of air and light on how an object is perceived by the viewer.
The more air between the viewer and the object, the more the object seems to fade.
A bright object seems closer to the viewer than a dull object.

42. Converging lines. Linear perspective is one way of using lines to show distance and depth.
As parallel lines move away from you, they seem to move closer together toward the horizon line.
Vanishing point – point on the horizon where receding parallel lines seem to meet.

43. Linear perspective is a graphic system that creates the illusion of depth and volume on a two- dimensional surface.

44. One-point linear perspective – All receding lines meet at a single point.

45. Two-point linear perspective – Two sets of lines meet at two different points.

46. Can you find all six perspective techniques?
Notice the ways in which the artist has used perspective here to show depth in this painting.
Can you find all six perspective techniques?
Doris Lee. Thanksgiving Oil on canvas. 28 x 40 in.

47. What Spaces, Shapes, and Forms Express
Shapes, forms, and spaces in art communicate certain feelings.
When you see certain shapes or forms in a work of art, you think of objects from real life.
Any feelings you have about that object will affect your feelings about the artwork.
Artists use this relationship between art and your environment to communicate with you.

48. Outline and Surface
The outline of a shape and the surface of a form carry messages.
Smooth shapes with curved outlines and surfaces convey soothing and pleasing feelings.
These forms are comfortable.
They appeal to us through memories of pleasant experiences.
Egyptian. Figure of Hippopotamus – 1786 BCE. 5 x 8”.

49. Uncomfortable feelings. Think of broken glass and sharp knives.
Angular shapes with zigzag outlines and forms with pointed projections remind us of sharp jagged things.
Uncomfortable feelings.
Think of broken glass and sharp knives.
You would never carelessly grab a pointed, angular form.
Ben Shahn. The Blind Botanist Tempera on Masonite. 52 x 31”.

50. Geometric shapes suggest mechanical perfection.
Their lines, contours and surfaces are clean and crisp.
This appeals to people’s sense of order.
Geometric shapes express less feelings than other types.
They are unemotional.
Geometric forms in artworks appeal to viewers’ minds rather than their emotions.
Constantin Brancusi. Torso of a Young Man Polished bronze on stone and wood base. 18 x 11 x 7”

51. Density Density – how compact an object is.
Dense materials are solid and heavy.
They are so solid and firm that you cannot make a dent on their surfaces when you press on them.
They are associated with the idea of protection.
Soft, fluffy forms are less dense.
When you press them, you can make a dent.
They have air inside and look more comfortable than denser forms.
Constantin Brancusi. Bird in Space. Bronze x 8 1/2 x 6 1/2"

52. Openness An open shape or form appears inviting.
You can see into or through it.
An open door invites you to enter.
Transparent objects, such as glass, invite you to look inside.
Architects use glass walls to open small spaces.
Open spaces in sculpture invite your eyes to wander through work.
Phillip Johnson. Johnson House New Canaan, Connecticut.

53. Windowless buildings look forbidding.
Closed shapes and forms look solid, self-contained, and appear uninviting.
Windowless buildings look forbidding.
Folded arms close you off from people.
Open arms are inviting.
Notice the closed off form here.
Marie Apel. Grief Bronze. 20 x 7 x 6”.

54. Activity and Stability
Just like active and static lines, shapes and forms can also look as if they are about to move or as if they are fixed in one place.
Active shapes and forms seem to defy gravity.
They slant diagonally, as if falling or running.
Notice, in this sculpture, how the back of the wave and all the horse forms are arranged in diagonal, active positions.
Anna Hyatt Huntington. Riders to the Sea. C Bronze. 18 x 24 x 21”

55. Static shapes and forms are motionless, or stable.
Their direction is usually horizontal.
Static shapes or forms are firmly fixed in position, evoking quiet and calm feelings.
Two diagonal shapes or forms can balance against each other to create a static shape or form.
Henry Moore. Reclining Mother and Child Plaster. 52 x 86 x 42”.