What Is the Definition of Shape in Art

In the study of art, a shape is an enclosed space, a bounded two-dimensional form that has both length and width. Shapes are one of the seven elements of art, the building blocks that artists use to create images on canvas and in our minds. A shapes boundaries are defined by other elements of art such as lines, values, colors, and textures; and by adding value you can turn a shape into an illusion of its three-dimensional cousin, form. As an artist or someone who appreciates art, its important to fully understand how shapes are used. What Makes It a Shape? Shapes are everywhere and all objects have shape. When painting or drawing, you create a shape in two dimensions: length and width. You can add value to give it highlights and shadows, making it look more three-dimensional. However, it is not until form and shape meet, such as in sculpture, that a shape becomes truly three-dimensional. That is because form  is defined by including a third dimension, depth, to the two flat dimensions. Abstract art is the most obvious example of the use of shape, but the element of shape, organic and geometric alike, is central to much if not most artwork. What Creates a Shape? At its most basic, a shape is created when a line is enclosed: a line forms the boundary, and the shape is the form circumscribed by that boundary. Line and shape are two elements in art that are nearly always used together. Three lines are used to create a triangle while four lines can make a square. Shapes can also be defined by the artist using value, color, or texture to differentiate them. Shapes might include a line in order to achieve this, or it might not: for example, shapes created with collages are defined by the edges of contrasting material. Geometric Shapes Geometric shapes are those that are defined in mathematics and have common names. They have clear edges  or boundaries and artists often use tools such as protractors and compasses to create them, to make them mathematically precise. Shapes in this category include circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, polygons, and so forth. Canvases are typically rectangular in shape, implicitly defining the clear edges and boundaries of a painting or photograph. Artists such as Reva Urban purposefully break out of the rectangular mold by using non-rectangular canvases or by adding on pieces that protrude out of the frames or by adding three-dimensional swells, dips, and protrusions. In this manner, Urban moves beyond the two-dimensionality of a rectangular confinement but still references the shapes. Geometric abstract art such as Piet Mondrians Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow (1930) and Theo van Doesburgs Composition XI (1918) established the De Stijl movement in the Netherlands. American Sarah Morriss Apple (2001) and street artist Maya Hayuks work are more recent examples of paintings including geometric shapes. Organic Shapes While geometric shapes are well-defined, biomorphic or organic shapes are just the opposite. Draw a curving, semi-circular line and connect it where you began and you have an amoeba-like organic, or freeform, shape.   Organic shapes are individual creations of the artists: they have no names, no defined angles, no standards, and no tools that support their creation. They can often be found in nature, where organic shapes can be as amorphous as a cloud or as precise as a leaf.   Organic shapes are often used by photographers, such as Edward Weston in his remarkably sensual image Pepper No. 30 (1930); and by artists such Georgia OKeeffe in her  Cows Skull: Red, White, and Blue (1931). Organic abstract artists include Wassily Kandinsky, Jean Arp, and Joan Miro. Positive and Negative Space Shape can also work with the element space to create positive and negative spaces. Space is another of the seven elements, and in some abstract art, it defines shapes. For instance, if you draw a solid black coffee cup on white paper, the black is your positive space. The white negative space around it and between the handle and the cup helps define the basic shape of that cup. Negative and positive spaces were used with great imagination by M.C. Escher, in examples such as Sky and Water 1 (1938), in which dark images of a flying goose evolve through progressively lighter and then darker steps into dark swimming fish. Malaysian artist and illustrator Tang Yau Hoong uses negative space to make political commentary on cityscapes, and modern and ancient tattoo artists use positive and negative spaces combining ink and un-tattooed flesh. Seeing Shape Within Objects In the first stages of drawing, artists will often break their subjects down into geometric shapes. This is intended to give them a basis on which to create the larger object with more details and in correct proportion.   For example, when drawing a portrait of a wolf, an artist might begin with basic geometric shapes to define the animals ears, snout, eyes, and head. This forms the basic structure from which he will create the final work of art. Leonardo da Vincis Vitruvian Man (1490) used geometric shapes of circles and squares to define and comment on the anatomy of a human male. Cubism and Shapes As an acute observer, you can break any object down to its basic shape: Everything is made up of a series of base shapes. Exploring the work of the Cubist painters is a great way to see how artists play with this elementary concept in art. Cubist paintings such as Pablo Picassos Les Desmoiselles dAvignon (1907) and Marcel Duchamps  Nude Descending a Staircase No. 3 (1912) use geometric shapes as playful and haunting references to the organic shapes of the human body. Sources and Further Reading Beck, Paula D. Fourth-Grade Students’ Subjective Interactions with the Seven Elements of Art: An Exploratory Case Study Using Q-Methodology. Long Island University, 2014. Print.Davidson, Abraham A. Cubism and the Early American Modernist. Art Journal 26.2 (1966): 122-65. Print.Kelehear, Zach. Pass the Crayons: Leadership, Art Production, and Communities of Practice. International Journal of Education Policy Leadership 5.10 (2010). Print.Pasko, Galina, et al. Ascending in Space Dimensions: Digital Crafting of M.C. Eschers Graphic Art. Leonardo 44.5 (2011): 411-16. Print.Silk, Gerald. In and out of Shape: The Art of Reva Urban. Womans Art Journal 34.2 (2013): 21-28. Print.Stiny, George, and James Gips. Shape Grammars and the Generative Specification of Painting and Sculpture. The Best Computer Papers of 1971. Ed. Petrocelli, O.R. Philadelphia: Auerbach, 1971. 125-35. Print.

Technology And Technology Essay - 1014 Words

Technology is always advancing, and is used almost everywhere. Society uses it in their jobs, homes, and everyday life. Recently the use of electronics has also made an immense impact on the way people learn. In schools, students have the ability to use the internet for a mixture of thing including, reading, and finding information. Teachers can even post tests and homework online so the students do not miss anything when they are absent. The general public has different opinions on the use technology, and if it is a good tool for schooling. Some believe the use of the devices can help with creativity, and comprehension. Others believe that the internet lessens imagination, and will leave the pupils not understanding what they have read.†¦show more content†¦Wolpert (2009, para. 1) explains â€Å"As technology has played a bigger role in our lives, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have declined.† Now that technology is right at students fingertips, they ar e not forced to think deeply anymore, and will not read as fully as they need to. A university professor has explained that if the teachers dont help the kids slowdown and read deeply, they wont comprehend what they are reading (Simpson, 2016, para. 13). If students do not understand what they are reading, because they have not read deeply enough, it will not benefit their learning. â€Å"Wiring classrooms for internet access does not enhance learning† (Wolpert, 2009, para. 12). Another downside to technology is false information, and distraction. â€Å"With internet always at your fingertips, it is obvious that distractions can be made that will keep you from learning, and the information you receive may not be the most valuable either† (S, Skovira, personal communication, September14, 2017). Before the use of electronic devices, many people would read for pleasure, in recent years that has declined. Reading for pleasure allowed children to think more deeply and en hance the imagination in ways that technology can not (Wolpert, 2009, para. 3). Reading from online sources, and using the internet for information is not the only way technology has impacted learning. Many video games have also played aShow MoreRelatedTechnology And Technology Essay918 Words   |  4 PagesTechnology is being rapidly integrated into society. Despite this being the obvious route in our evolution, there are lots of people who are against the ‘commensalism’, of sorts. 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Technology is a privilege, but we are letting it destroy our lives; the more technology we have the less we actually socialize with people. It can be a great tool, but overuse holds us back from living our lives to the fullest. Sometimes we need to put technology aside, and allow ourselves to see how beautiful life really is. Everyone in today’s society has a cell phone. TheRead MoreTechnology And Technology Essay704 Words   |  3 PagesTechnology has made such an impact on society’s culture today. The opportunities with the web has opened many doors. It has allowed many businesses to grow. The internet has opened ways to connect to the latest information. This society is introduced to great aspects and a negative side with this invention. Technology affects a lot of people around the world. The comparison of differences arranges between safe internet use and unsafe internet use that operators can be oblivious of, but also proper

Equality for All free essay sample

Equality for All Illegal, unconstitutional, disgusting and sinful are only a few words people use to describe what I consider a personal right. Gay marriage has been a topic of discussion in the United States for the past couple years. Lately the subject has increased along with the arguments from both sides of the spectrum. I am a gay male and look forward to finding the man of my dreams and marrying him some day but this can only happen if the minds of certain individuals change along with the laws prohibiting it. Gay marriage should be legal throughout the country; it does not hurt anyone and can be beneficial for many. Some individuals label gay marriage as weakening the definition and respect of the institution of marriage. The issue I see with that statement is the definition they are referring to should not only be stereotyped to same sex couples but to all couples. We will write a custom essay sample on Equality for All or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are a lot of marriages that end in divorce due to unforeseen circumstances along with marriages based on lies including cheating, money, and fame. These are the reasons the definition of marriage has weakened and lost its respect, not same sex marriages. Being denied these rights is to deny someone their civil rights. I believe it is a orm of minority discrimination. You would not discriminate against a persons freedom of speech or their freedom to learn because of their background or sexual orientation so why would you deny them the right to marry their partner? The definition of marriage to me is life partners with the person you want to be with forever not based on gender. Recognizing same sex marriage would benefit the economy in multiple ways. Thinking about how much people spend on weddings and receptions, more marriages would bring in more money to hotels, banquet centers and churches all over the United States. Traveling couples would bring in money to resorts in all areas of the world even if it is Just for the honeymoon. One trip for one new married couple per state could save one hotel or resort and that is Just a minimal number. The real estate community would increase also because newlyweds would purchase more housing together with combined income and the ability to afford more substantial homes. Gay marriage would also help out local communities in multiple ways. Same sex couples cannot naturally reproduce and adoption numbers would increase. According to a study done by UCLA school of Law and the Urban Institute, Same-sex ouples and homosexual singles applying for adoption tend to be older, better educated, and have more economic resources than their heterosexual counterparts (Wagner 7). This would help in many different areas including: fewer children in foster care and orphanages which means less government money being past to that direction, couples sending their adopted children to local schools which would increase local school funding, and these children growing up in loving families There are benefits to the same sex couple that come with marriage also. These include: Joint ownership of possessions shared between the couple, medical ecision-making in tough situations, insurance coverage for ones partner and most of all love is love we should be able to love who we want and marry them. So why can we not agree that this would be a great move for the United States to legalize gay marriage? The question is still being asked to many people. Slowly but surely we are getting closer to equal rights for everyone, but we still need to educate more people on the positives of gay marriage and focus less on the negative stereotypes. According to Lars Eighner, Some material things are white elephants that eat up the possessors substance (486). This is not a white elephant; it is personal right that everyone should be granted to. It can be done, but the only way is by coming together as a one and following our nations core rights: the right to be who we want, do what we want and most of all to live happy in a nation founded on freedom. Works Cited Eighner, Lars. On Dumpster Diving. 1993. 75 Readings Plus. Ed. Santi V. Buscemi and Charlotte Smith. 9th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2007. 476-86. Wagner, Cynthia G. Homosexuality and Family Formation. Futurist 44. 3 (2010): 6-7. American Search Premier. Ebsc. MCTC Lib. , 9 May 2010.