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Shape and form (visual arts)
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<h2 id="form">Form</h2> <p>A form is an artist's way of using elements of art, principles of design, and media. Form, as an element of art, is three-dimensional and encloses space. Like a shape, a form has length and width, but it also has depth. Forms are either geometric or free-form, and can be <a href="/facts/Symmetry/hpu7DK8p">symmetrical</a> or <a href="/facts/Asymmetry/U009nepR">asymmetrical</a>. </p> <h2 id="categories">Categories</h2> <h3>Geometric and organic</h3> <p><i>Geometric shapes</i> are precise edged and mathematically consistent curves, they are pure forms and so consist of circles, squares, spirals, triangles, while <i>geometric forms</i> are simple volumes, such as cubes, cylinders, and pyramids.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> They generally dominate architecture, technology, industry and crystalline structures. </p><p> In contrast, <i>organic shapes</i> are free-form, unpredictable, and flowing in appearance. These shapes and <i>organic forms</i> visually suggest the natural world of animals, plants, sky, sea, etc... The addition of organic shapes to a composition dominated by geometric structures can add unpredictable energy.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a></p> <h3>Positive and negative</h3> <p>A positive shape is a shape, that has details inside it, such as an outline of a human, with body features. Contrarily, a negative shape is a shape without any details; it's just an outline. </p> <h3>Representation</h3> <p>A shape that is representative is created by the flattening out of three-dimensional objects. <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> Nothing is actually geometric, but can be interpreted as such by breaking it down to shapes that, when put together, form a recognizable silhouette.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Elements_of_art/QtprDnM8">Elements of art</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Composition_(visual_arts)/ts4RRPV8">Composition (visual arts)</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Design_elements/Gf5svUAL">Design elements</a> and <a href="/facts/Design_principles/XPQ9H42E">design principles</a></li></ul> <h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2> <ul><li>Gatto, Porter, and Selleck. Exploring Visual Design: The Elements and Principles. 3rd ed. Worcester: Davis Publications, Inc., 2000. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0-87192-379-3</li> <li>Stewart, Mary (2006). <i>Launching the imagination : a comprehensive guide to basic design</i> (2 ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0-07-287061-3. <a href="/facts/OCLC_(identifier)/Yqad8waq">OCLC</a> <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/58422580">58422580</a>.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20040624191040/http://www.niu.edu/art/foundations/site/Vocabulary.htm">Basic 2D Vocabulary</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"NIU School of Art Vocabulary". Archived from the original on 2004-06-24. Retrieved 2008-12-15. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20040624191040/http://www.niu.edu/art/foundations/site/Vocabulary.htm" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20040624191040/http://www.niu.edu/art/foundations/site/Vocabulary.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Stewart 2006, p. 381 - Stewart, Mary (2006). Launching the imagination : a comprehensive guide to basic design (2 ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-287061-3. OCLC 58422580. <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/58422580" target="_blank">https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/58422580</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Stewart 2006, pp. 378–384 - Stewart, Mary (2006). Launching the imagination : a comprehensive guide to basic design (2 ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-287061-3. OCLC 58422580. <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/58422580" target="_blank">https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/58422580</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Stewart 2006, p. 32 - Stewart, Mary (2006). Launching the imagination : a comprehensive guide to basic design (2 ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-287061-3. OCLC 58422580. <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/58422580" target="_blank">https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/58422580</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Fisher, Mary; Zelanski, Paul (1996). Design Principals and Problems. San Antonio: Harcourt Brace College Publishers. p. 90. ISBN 0-15-501615-6. <a href="0-15-501615-6" target="_blank">0-15-501615-6</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Fisher, Mary; Zelanski, Paul (1996). Design Principals and Problems. San Antonio: Harcourt Brace College Publishers. p. 90. ISBN 0-15-501615-6. <a href="0-15-501615-6" target="_blank">0-15-501615-6</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>