Form: Shape More than meets the eye Artists take shapes that by themselves have no meaning and use them to represent their vision in a form that we can recognize and understand. Form, then, is shape made meaningful by the artist's skill and vision. How to tell a head from a hat Consider the following analogy. Can you recognize what the three shapes below represent? You can probably identify the middle shape as a human head in profile. The other two shapes do not provide enough visual information to make them recognizable. All we see are shapes, because the artist has not created an expressive form. Formless, factual, fascinating Now consider the three images below. The first image initially appears to be just a shape — the artist hasn't provided enough visual clues for us to identify it as a recognizable form at first glance. If the first image is somewhat obscure, the second is obvious. The artist tells us just what we need to know to recognize the subject, but nothing much more than that. This representation is minimal and matter-of-fact; the artist does not add to, enrich, or complicate the woman's profile. This form is informative, but not particularly interesting. In the third image, the artist has chosen a more unusual point of view, and added contrasts of light and shade. The resulting form may seem somewhat distorted — but it suggests much more to us than the second image, and is therefore more compelling as a work of art. Shape shifting As we see in the series of three photos above, a simple change in point of view can transform a shape from obscure and unsuccessful, to straightforward but uninteresting, to distorted and quite interesting. To give shapes meaning, an artist must make the right decisions about lighting, viewpoint, arrangement, and perspective. Forms we can relate to In this exercise, we have deliberately concentrated on the form of a work instead of its content (the subject or main ideas) — which is the opposite of how we normally approach a work of art. If artists are successful in finding the appropriate form to express their ideas, we will hardly notice the form at all. Consider this analogy with architecture: If the architects have done their job well, you will think of a building as a home, workplace, or theater — and not as a random collection of intersecting angles. Likewise, it takes a gifted artist to convey a childhood memory or a spiritual awakening with shapes on paper or canvas. With this in mind, consider how shape, form and content work together in these two abstract images. One of the two examples above is a work by Sam Francis, and the other is a simplification of the same image. These two images demonstrate how an artist successfully translates simple shapes into meaningful forms. A striking balance On the left, we see shapes that we can differentiate by describing their outlines, location, color, and size. In the image on the right, the individual shapes are still distinct — but their separate identities are less important than what they create collectively. The shapes strike a delicate balance, creating an expressive, dynamic composition that has an emotional resonance. The meaning of this work may not be literal — it may be only a mood or feeling — but it is palpable in the forms the artist has chosen. Is there an artist in the house? If you are tempted to say, "My kid could do this!" when you look at an abstract work of art, think of this pair of images. A kid could probably come up with something like the image on the left. But transforming a collection of shapes into an integrated, meaningful composition takes skill, training, and years of trial and error. It takes a gifted, dedicated artist to breathe life into a composition. Below are examples of artwork that use strong, expressive shapes to convey the content. Brian Cronin Kristine Bortles Laurie Polster Next: Light & shadow