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Form and shape are areas or masses which define objects in space. Form and shape imply space; indeed they cannot exist without space. There are various ways to categorize form and shape. Form and shape can be thought of as either two dimensional or three dimensional. Two dimensional form has width and height. It can also create the illusion of three dimension objects. Three dimensional shape has depth as well as width and height.

Form and shape can also be described as either organic or geometric. Organic forms such as these snow-covered boulders typically are irregular in outline, and often asymmetrical. Organic forms are most often thought of as naturally occurring.

Some artists such as Andy Goldsworthy use such organic shapes as the basis for their own work. (broken pebbles 2001)

Geometric forms are those which correspond to named regular shapes, such as squares, rectangles, circles, cubes, spheres, cones, and other regular forms. Architecture, such as this example by Frank Lloyd Wright, is usually composed of geometric forms. These forms are most often thought of as constructed or made.

However, not all made objects are geometric; many designed forms have irregular contours. Although this kimono is geometric in its construction, the surface design is organic in form.

Nor are all naturally occurring objects organic; snowflakes and soap bubbles are among many geometric forms found in nature

There are some other terms commonly used to describe form and shape in composition; these have to do with what kind of representations the forms have. If we can recognize every day objects and environments, we refer to the images as being realistic , or naturalistic . However, if the images are difficult or impossible to identify in terms of our normal, daily visual experience, we may refer to the images as abstract .

There are several kinds of abstract images. Generally, abstractions are "abstracted" or derived from realistic images - perhaps even distorted--, but perhaps in such a way that the source is not immediately apparent. An example of this would be one of Georgia O'keefe's paintings of a detail from a flower. This kind of abstraction in art is sometimes referred to as an objective image -- that is, it is derived from an actual object

On the other hand, some abstract art images are based on a pure study of form, line, and color, and do not refer to any real-world object or scene. such art works are sometimes referred to as non-objective images IKB 79 Yves Klein 1958

Charicature is a special instance of abstraction, in which realistic images are distorted to make a statement about the people, places, or objects portrayed. This is probably the kind of abstraction we are most familiar with, as it is constantly presented to us via all sorts of popular media. However, it is important to remember that had not the more difficult-to-understand conventions of abstraction in the fine arts not broken ground with experiments in distortion, we would not be able to make sense out of some charicature images. A century ago, there was really nothing equivalent to our modern cartoons.

The character and source of light also changes the perceived character of the object. Lighting in a photographic portrait, for example, can make the subject look older, younger, dramatic, or rather abstract.

Two Dimensional Form Two dimensional form is the foundation of pictorial organisation or composition in painting, photography, and many other media. It is created in a number of ways. It can be defined by line , in all the ways described above. Line, either explicit or implied, provides the contour of forms

Value (the relative lightness or darkness of a color) can also define form. Strong contrasts in value within a composition may define the boundaries of forms. Gradations of value, or shading, can also create the illusion of contour and volume.

In the same way, hue contrasts and gradations can also define forms. Form may also be defined by change in texture , even when hue and value remain essentially consistent. However, most typically, form is defined by a combination of these factors , as is the case in this print by Max Ernst.

Form in relation to positive and negative space Forms and shapes can be thought of as positive or negative . In a two dimensional composition, the objects constitute the positive forms, while the background is the negative space. For beginning art and design students, effective use of negative space is often an especially important concept to be mastered.

Some artists play with the reversal of positive and negative space to create complex illusions. The prints of M. C. Escher often feature interlocking images that play with our perception of what is foreground and what is background.

When we look at an image and initially form an impression, there is a tendency to latch on to that conclusion about its meaning, and then ignore other possible solutions. This may make it hard to see the other images. Training the eye to keep on looking beyond first impressions is a crucial step in developing true visual literacy.

Two Dimensional Illusion of Three Dimensional Form Two dimensional forms can create the illusion of three dimensional shapes and spaces Whenever we look at a flat surface (a picture, a television screen) and assume we are looking at spaces and objects that have depth, we are accepting a set of visual signals that create an illusion of three dimensional space. 3D cues are so common today that we are almost unaware of them. However, these signals were not always used and understood; even today in some preliterate societies, people may have difficulty understanding 3D illusions. Understanding how these illusions work is a key to developing our ability to think spatially. Spatial concepts come into play whether we are trying to find our way through the streets of a strange town, figure out how to wrap cloth around a body to achieve a fashion idea, envision the inner structures of a complex mechanism or body part, or simply do an accurate drawing of what we see.

The ancient Romans had the ability to depict depth in their paintings

However during the Middle Ages European artists lost the skill of depicting three dimensional illusions accurately Indeed, this kind of realism was not important for the purposes of visual images in the early Christian era, when figures and landscapes were intended as a kind of generic shorthand for the religious and historical stories being told. Realistic copies of the material world were not valued; instead, stylized symbols of historical and religious subjects were desired, executed in a strictly traditional way that could be easily recognized by a devout, but illiterate, public. As a result, Medieval images like this one were generally flat in appearance, or gave mixed signals about the three dimensional space depicted.

All this changed in the late 15th century, when architects and artists discovered the value and power of three dimensional effects in drawing and painting. This blended with the intellectual explorations of the period, in which truth, realism, and individuality were prized. Three dimensional effects were greeted as a sensational, almost magical illusion that made painting into a kind of magic window into a very believable world. The paintings of Raphael are dramatic examples of the Renaissance fascination with this new bag of tricks

We’ve become so used to the tricks of perspective in creating 3 dimensional illusions that simple diagonal and horizontal lines coupled with placement order in a composition that mirrors the top-bottom / far-close relationship can trick our perception of an image.

M.C Escher’s “Waterfall” is just one example of artists using this phenomenon in their work.

Three Dimensional Form Three dimensional shape and space is the basis of architecture and most designed objects. There are added design considerations in that the object will be experienced from more than one side. In the case of architecture, the design of the shape is almost secondary to the design of the space it contains, since the end use mainly involves the space which will be occupied. In sculpture, too, the space defined by the shape of the sculpture may be an important aspect of the total design.

Other designed objects such as furniture, tools, and appliances must be conceived in relation to function and, often, the contours of the human body that will use the object. Fashion designers face special problems of engineering and spatial thinking, in that the problem is to translate a two dimensional material (cloth) into a three dimensional form (body-shaped garment)-- a unique and complex problem in topographical engineering.

Three dimensional shape has an expressive vocabulary similar to that of line This obviously follows, since line is always implied by the contours of shapes. For example, rectilinear shapes suggest stability

Angular shapes placed diagonally in relation to gravity suggest instability

Shapes that exhibit softly curving surfaces suggest quiet, comfort, and sensuality

Movement Movement is the design element that operates in the fourth dimension - time. Movement is the process of relocation of objects in space over time. We can speak of movement as literal or compositional .

The physical fact of movement is part of certain designed objects; we are speaking here of literal movement . Sometimes the physical movement is signaled by symbolic forms that suggest speed and motion. For example, cars, when first invented met their movement function, but the form did not suggest movement. Even after the mass production of automobiles began, the design had little to do with the fact of movement.

The engineering concepts of aerodynamics in the 1930's, originally developed in connection with the airplane, were transferred to automotive design as well, particularly as cars became faster, and marketing of cars became more competitive. The result was forms that suggest movement and speed; we have all come to recognize aerodynamic forms as a symbol for speedy movement.

Both the development of the car and of motion pictures in the early 20th century created a romantic fascination with speed and movement; many artists began to focus on movement as subject matter. The question for painters and others working in static media was how to capture the sense of implied movement in the fixed image that could not literally move

However, new approaches were suggested by the multiple frame images of motion picture film, and stop action photography. Futurist painters such as Balla used these ideas to celebrate speed and movement. Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase also attempted to capture the entire sequence of action through "stop-action" imagery.

Finally, Alexander Calder began to create sculptures that actually moved, which he called mobiles. Subsequently many artists have used movement involving mechanical or electronic means that bridged the worlds of art and engineering. “ Aztec Josephine Baker “ 1929

Another way to think about movement is to consider how the viewer's eye moves through the composition. This is what we refer to as compositional movement . In this case we are not concerned with the presence (or lack of) implied motion in the image. We are concerned instead with how the viewer perceives the composition-- how the components relate and lead the viewer's attention.

Compositional movement may be classified as static : that is, movement of the eye that jumps and hops between separate components of the image, attracted by similarities and simply shifting to shapes with related shape or color Compositions exhibiting static movement are characterized by repetition of closed, isolated shapes and contrasts of color and/or value

Movement may also be classified as dynamic. Dynamic movement is characterized by movement of the eye that flows smoothly from one area of the composition to another, guided by continuations of line or form, and by gradations of color or form. Dynamic movement is characterized by open shapes or shapes that closely relate to adjacent shapes.

The eye will always move through the composition in some way, so there is always some sort of compositional movement. All compositions can be described in terms of one or the other of these concepts - or both.

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