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The term “form” can mean different things in art: it is one of the seven elements of art and describes a three-dimensional object in space. If we go a little deeper, the “formal analysis” of a work of art describes how its elements and principles come together, regardless of their meaning and the feelings or thoughts they may generate in the observer. Shape is also used to describe the physical nature of the work of art, such as a metal sculpture or an oil painting.
When used in conjunction with the word “art” as “art form”, it can also mean a medium of artistic expression recognized as belonging to the fine arts or an unconventional medium done very well, skillfully or creatively enough to elevate it to the level of art. of the fine arts.
shape and art
The elements of art are the set of components of a work of art normally used in its teaching and analysis, in combination with the principles of art.
Form is one of the seven elements of art, which are the visual tools an artist uses to make a work of art. In addition to the form, a work of art contains lines, figures, tones, colors, textures and spaces.
As an element of art, the form connotes something that is three-dimensional and contains volume, having length, width and height, unlike the figure (geometric or organic), which is flat, two-dimensional. A shape is made up of three dimensions and, like figures, it can be geometric or organic.
Geometric shapes are precise, mathematical shapes, and can be named after the basic geometric shapes: sphere, cube , pyramid, cone, or cylinder. A circle becomes a sphere in three dimensions, a square becomes a cube, a triangle becomes a pyramid. They are most frequently found in the architecture and constructions around us, although they can also be seen in the spheres of planets, bubbles, or in the crystalline pattern of snowflakes.
The organic forms are those that flow freely, are curved and fibrous and are not symmetrical, they are not easy to measure or to catalogue. It is most often found in nature, such as in the form of flowers, branches, leaves, puddles, clouds, animals, and the human figure, and can also be seen on buildings. striking and extravagant by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí (1852 -1926), as well as in many sculptures.
The shape in the sculpture
Form is most closely tied to sculpture, as it is a three-dimensional type of art and has traditionally integrated form with color and texture . Three-dimensional shapes can be viewed from different angles; conventionally the shapes could be viewed from all sides, they were called round sculptures. Unlike the reliefs in which the sculpted elements remain attached to a solid background; these are bas relief, high relief, and sunken relief. Historically, sculptures were made in the likeness of someone, in honor of a hero or a god.
In the 20th century, the meaning of sculpture was expanded by incorporating the concept of open and closed forms, a meaning that continues to expand today. Sculptures are no longer just static forms, solid, opaque masses that have been carved in stone or cast in bronze. Sculpture today can be abstract, created from different objects, moving, changing over time, or made of unconventional materials such as light or holograms, such as the work of renowned artist Jame Turrel.
The sculptures can be characterized in relative terms as closed or open forms; a “closed form” has a similar structure to the traditional form, with a solid, opaque mass. Even if spaces exist within the form, they are contained and confined, and have a focus directed inward, on the form itself, isolated from its environment. While an “open form” is transparent, revealing its structure and therefore has a more fluid and dynamic relationship with its environment.
Negative space is a main component and has an activating force of an open-ended sculpture. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Alexander Calder (1898-1976), and Julio González (1876-1942) are some of the artists who created open-ended sculptures made of wire and other materials.
The great English artist Henry Moore (1898-1986) together with Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) were the two most important British sculptors of modern art, and both revolutionized sculpture by being the first to create biomorphic sculptures (bio = life , morphic = shape).
She did so in 1931 and he in 1932, noting that “even space can have shape” and that “a hole can have as much meaning in its shape as a solid mass.”
The shape in drawing and painting
In drawing and painting, the illusion of a three-dimensional form is transmitted through the use of light and shadow, and the representation of intensities and tonalities . 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 and hues help give an object shape and context in space so that we can fully identify it.
For example, assuming a single light source illuminates a sphere, the highlighted point is where the light source is directly incident, the intermediate intensity is the center hue of the sphere, where the light is not directly incident, the core shadow is the area of the sphere where the light is not incident at all and is the darkest part of the sphere, the cast shadow is the area of the surrounding surfaces where the object blocks the light, and the reflected illumination is the light that is reflected again on the object, from the surrounding objects and surfaces. With these plays of light and shadow, any simple shape can be drawn or painted to create the illusion of a three-dimensional shape.
The greater the hue contrast , the more pronounced the three-dimensional shape becomes, with shapes rendered with little hue variation appearing flatter than those rendered with higher contrast.
Historically, painting has moved from a flat representation of forms and space to a three-dimensional representation of forms and space, and to abstraction. Egyptian painting was flat, with the human form represented frontally but with the head and feet in profile. The illusion of form did not develop until the Renaissance, with the discovery of perspective. Baroque artists such as Caravaggio (1571-1610) explored the nature of space, light, and experienced three-dimensional form through the use of chiaroscuro, strong contrasts between light and dark. The depiction of the human form then became much more dynamic with chiaroscuro and perspective, giving the forms a sense of solidity and weight, creating a powerful sense of drama.
Modernism freed artists to play with form in a more abstract way. Artists like Picasso, with the invention of cubism , broke with the formalism that implied associating movement with space and time.
A work of art
When analyzing a work of art we realize that the analysis is formal and independent of its content or context. A formal analysis means using the elements and principles of art to evaluate its visual effect. Formal analysis can reveal decisions in its composition that help reinforce the content, the essence of the work, the meaning and intention of the artist, as well as give clues about the historical context.
For example, the feelings of mystery, fear and transcendence evoked by some of the most important and enduring works of the Renaissance, such as the Mona Lisa (Leonardo da Vinci, 1517), The Creation of Adam (Michelangelo, 1512), The Last Supper (Leonardo da Vinci, 1498) are constituted from different elements and formal principles of composition such as line, color, space, shape, contrast, emphasis, effect and the timeless condition, which the artist uses to create the painting and that constitute its meaning.
Sources
- Form , Tate Museum, http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/f/form
- The Art of Sculpture , Encyclopedia of Art, http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/sculpture.htm
- The hole of life , Tate Museum, http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/articles/hole-of-life
- Barbara Hepworth vs. Henry Moore , CultureWhisper, https://www.culturewhisper.com/r/article/preview/3670
- Works of Antoni Gaudi , http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/320
- Henry Moore Foundation , https://www.henry-moore.org
- Barbara Hepworth , https://barbarahepworth.org.uk
- James Turrell , http://jamesturrell.com
