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Look for the thinking head to help you identify the "big ideas" to take away from the lesson, as well as the open book to easily find definitions.
The visual element of form relates to the physical volume of a shape and the space that it occupies.
Forms are objects having three dimensions (length, width, and depth). Recall that the element of shape only has two dimensions (length and width).
Geometric and Organic Forms
Geometric and Organic Forms
Like the element of shape, there are two categories of form: geometric forms and organic forms.
Geometric forms
description:
are mathematical, precise
can be named (i.e. cube, cylinder, pyramid, sphere, and cone)
found in architecture and the built environment, but also found in nature (i.e. the spheres of planets and bubbles, and in the patterns of snowflakes)
what they convey:
suggest mechanical perfection as the edges, contours and surfaces of geometric forms appeal to our sense and need for order
seem unemotional or lacking feeling, appealing to viewers minds over their emotions
angular forms and forms with pointed projections remind us of sharp, jagged things that hurt (i.e. broken glass, sharp knives) -- we tend to be very cautious and nervous about these forms
Organic forms
description:
free-flowing, curvy, sinewy, and are not symmetrical or easily measurable or named
most often occur in nature (i.e. branches, puddles, clouds, animals, the human figure)
what the convey:
usually symbolize living things
smooth, curved outlines and surfaces are pleasing and soothing, so they create a comfortable feeling and appeal to us through memories of pleasant touching experiences
The element of Form in Sculpture: Degrees of Three-Dimensionality
The element of Form in Sculpture: Degrees of Three-Dimensionality
3D artwork has varying degrees of dimensionality.
Some types of 3D artworks that demonstrate this concept are: relief sculpture (high and low relief), frontal sculpture, sculpture in the round, walk-through art, installation art, and landscape art.
In relief sculpture an image is developed outward from a two-dimensional surface.
Low Relief
Low Relief
In low relief, the figures exist almost on the same plane as the ground, but they are carved with enough depth to cast shadows. Often times they tell a story.
High Relief
High Relief
In high relief, at least half of the figures project forward from the surface.
Frontal Sculpture
Frontal Sculpture
Three-dimensional work that is meant to be see from only one side is called frontal sculpture.
Sculpture-in-the-Round
Sculpture-in-the-Round
Full round sculpture is free-standing and meant to be seen from all sides.
Walk-Through Work
Walk-Through Work
An even greater degree of three-dimensionality is found in works that involve a space that the viewer must actually move through to fully appreciate it.
Installation Art
Installation Art
In installation art the artist creates a space, in which all objects relate to each other, and the viewer becomes a part of it by moving through it. There is no fixed view point, and the space oftens provides an almost transcendent experience for the viewer,set apart from the ordinary world.
Landscape Art
Landscape Art
In installation art the artist creates a space, in which all objects relate to each other, and the viewer becomes a part of it by moving through it. There is no fixed view point, and the space oftens provides an almost transcendent experience for the viewer,set apart from the ordinary world.
Closed and Open Forms
Closed and Open Forms
From the 20th century onwards, the element of form that is found in 3D objects has developed to being characterized as being either "closed" or "open."
Closed Forms
Closed Forms
description:
often carved from a larger mass, a closed-form appears solid, heavy, and structurally sound
even if spaces exist within the form, they feel contained and confined
what they convey:
have a sense of permanence
a closed-form has an inward-directed focus and feel isolated from surrounding space
closed shapes/forms give the sense of keeping people out
An example of “closed” form is found in historical Egyptian sculpture.
The statue of King Khafre shows Khafre with his arms tight by his torso and legs together next to his Queen. There is little open space in the form.
This work is called “frontal,” meaning it has a particular point of view. Walk around a closed form sculpture and you will notice that the various “sides” don’t relate to each other except as side of a block.
Open Forms
Open Forms
description:
open-forms have a range of dimensionality, with outward projections and inward recesses
are not solid masses since they have openings in them, or because lines and planes may replace solid volumes or enclosing surfaces in them
the "open" (or negative) space of a sculpture becomes a major component of the work
what they convey:
Open shapes/forms appear inviting and say, “come in,” like an open door or open structure invites you to come in and look at it
Augustus of Prima Porta is a classical Greek sculpture that is able to portray the figure in a kind of frozen action. As you walk around an ancient Greek sculpture all of the form has a flowing roundness to it.
Reclining Figure by Henry Moore, 1951 in Paris is a 20th century example of “open form” but with “closed form” elements that make it up.
George W. Hart created this open-form sculpture entitled Amazing Acrobats. The "open" or negative space is found between the acrobats' figures.
Active and Static Forms
Active and Static Forms
When discussing the element of form, we can also describe or classify forms as being either active or static.
Active Forms
Active Forms
Active forms seem to defy gravity. They are lively, and have a sense of movement and change.
They slant diagonally as if they are falling or running.
However, if you balance 2 diagonal objects against each other, they result in a static shape.
The Strata Center Building designed by architect Frank Gehry at the Institute of Technology Cambridge, Mass., campus in Boston, USA.
Unique forms of continuity in space, 1913
Bronze by Umberto Boccioni
Static Forms
Static Forms
Static forms appear to be still, stable, and unchanging. They evoke quiet, calm feelings and give a sense of immovable permanence
The orientation (or direction) of these forms is usually horizontal.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
The Great Pyramid and the Sphinx 1858
print by Francis Frith
Interior and Exterior Contours
Interior and Exterior Contours
Contour refers to the surface of a form.
Sculpture can have interior as well as exterior contours.
Reclining Mother and Child, 1960-1961, bronze by Henry Moore
Form in Drawing and Painting
Form in Drawing and Painting
In drawing and painting, the illusion of three-dimensional form is conveyed through the use of lighting and shadows, and the rendering of value and tone. Shape is defined by the outer contour of an object, which is how we first perceive it and begin to make sense of it, but light, value, and shadow help to give an object form and context in space so that we can fully identify it.
For example, assuming a single light source on a sphere, the highlight is where the light source hits directly; the mid-tone is the middle value on the sphere where the light does not hit directly; the core shadow is the area on the sphere that the light does not hit at all and is the darkest part of the sphere; the cast shadow is the area on surrounding surfaces that is blocked from the light by the object; reflected highlight is light that is reflected back up onto the object from the surrounding objects and surfaces. With these guidelines as to light and shading in mind, any simple shape can be drawn or painted to create the illusion of a three-dimensional form.
The greater the contrast in value, the more pronounced the three-dimensional form becomes. Forms that are rendered with little variation in value appear flatter than those that are rendered with greater variation and contrast.
Historically, painting has progressed from a flat representation of form and space to a three-dimensional representation of form and space, to abstraction. Egyptian painting was flat, with the human form presented frontally but with the head and feet in profile. The realistic illusion of form did not occur until the Renaissance along with the discovery of perspective. Baroque artists such as Caravaggio (1571 to 1610), explored the nature of space, light, and the three-dimensional experience of space further through the use of chiaroscuro, the strong contrast between light and dark. The portrayal of the human form became much more dynamic, with chiaroscuro and foreshortening giving the forms a sense of solidity and weight and creating a powerful sense of drama. Modernism freed artists to play with the form more abstractly. Artists such as Picasso, with the invention of Cubism, broke up the form to imply movement through space and time.
Sketchbook Assignment: (coming soon)
Sketchbook Assignment: (coming soon)
Invent your own series of organic forms
Sketchbook Assignment: Drawing Exercises
Sketchbook Assignment: Drawing Exercises
Exercises
Exercises
1. Draw a simple object using lines but no shading. Now, shine a bright light or flashlight on the same object and experiment with shading. Compare the two results to see the difference in dimensionality.
3. Take a sheet of paper and experiment with ways to create objects that appear to be hevier than others, using different colors, placement, size etc. to see how you can create implied mass.
4.Take some modelling clay and experiment with creating different types of forms: static, dynamic, open, closed, interior and exterior contours.
5. Select a small space in your home or outside your home. Think of simple ways you could alter the space by adding something or changing something. What kind of space would you like to create? How could you transform the space into something different from your ordianry world? Even a ball of string can change a space. What ideas can you think of?
Here are some examples of form in 2D and 3D art:
Here are some examples of form in 2D and 3D art:
Words that describe form:
Words that describe form:
amorphous
biomorphic
closed
distorted
open
organic (free-form)
full of spaces
geometric
heavy
light
linear
massive
nebulous
straight-edged
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© 2021 Senora Bizz
Sources:https://zevendesign.com/mood-lines-giving-designs-attitude/https://artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/visual-elements/line.htmlhttps://www.incredibleart.org/files/elements.htm#:~:text=Characteristic%20of%20Line%20are%3A%201%20Width%20-%20thick%2C,fuzzy%2C%20choppy%205%20Feeling-%20sharp%2C%20jagged%2C%20graceful%2C%20smoothhttps://yourartpath.com/types-of-line-in-art-meaninghttps://thevirtualinstructor.com/Shape.htmlhttps://www.incredibleart.org/files/elements.htmhttps://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-form-in-art-182437#:~:text=%20The%20Definition%20of%20%27Form%27%20in%20Art%20,of%20its%20content%20or%20context.%20A...%20More%20https://babbledabbledo.com/math-art-idea-3d-geometric-shapes/https://www.slideserve.com/boyce/shape-form-and-spaceElements of Art: Volume, Mass, and Three Dimensionality Tutorial | Sophia Learning
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