1. Ms. Tanguay Visual Art I FCHS
Unit #4 Shape and Form
Ms. Tanguay
Visual Art I
FCHS

2. 4.2 What you should know or do!
I can understand that figure/ground relationships can determine how we understand an artwork
I can perceive and describe Picasso’s and Escher’s use of positive and negative shapes.

3. 4.2 Shape Shape is a 2-D area with a recognizable boundary.
Lines describe shapes (particularly outlines) and the edge of a shape implies a line.
Figure and ground:
Figure tends to stand out, to be “on top of” the ground.
A ground appears to be underneath and surrounding a figure.
Figure is also known as positive shape.
Ground is also known as negative shape.

4. Circle Limit IV by M.C. Escher
Which is figure: black or white?
Can you see it either way?
Can you see it both ways simultaneously?

5. M.C. Escher ( )
Experimented with many repeating patterns in which the edges of one object help to form the shape of another.
He was an accomplished printmaker who became interested in art in high school in the Netherlands.
He had formal training in graphic design in college.
He developed an obsession with invented landscapes and dreamy worlds filled with strange creatures and impossible perspectives.
Escher was inspired by the geometric tile patterns that he saw in the Islamic architecture of Spain.

6. Escher’s artworks often appear in math textbooks.
Suggest reasons why many people see a connection between his art and mathematics.
Circle Limit III
Verbum

7. Haper’s Bazaar by A. M. Cassandre
In what ways does the cover express the theme (American Fashion)?
Do you think it is successful?
What do the stripes and stars suggest to Americans?
How is the sewing machine related to a fashion magazine?
How is this cover different from most contemporary fashion magazines?

9. The Three Musicians by Pablo Picasso
It is difficult to distinguish between figure and ground, or between positive and negative shape.
Suppose this was an album cover. What kind of music would it be used for?

10. How has each artist repeated shapes to create pattern?
List everything you see in The Three Musicians.

11. Pablo Picasso
Often included a person in a harlequin suit in his artworks as a symbol of himself.
Traditionally the harlequin figure was a clown or buffoon in Italian pantomimes.
He created two versions of The Three Musicians, both in One hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The other is in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
This was a study for a possible sculpture, a monument to the French poet Apollinaire who died in 1918.
The figures are the mime clown Pierrot (Apollinaire), a harlequin (Picasso), and a monk (Max Jacob)

12. Assessment!! Assess the importance of shape in artwork.
How can shapes suggest meanings?
How can they create mood?
What effect might the size of shapes have on an artwork?
Do you think negative shapes can be as meaningful as positive shapes? Why or why not?

13. 4.3 What you should know or do!
I can understand how artists use foreshortening to suggest D forms on a flat surface.
I can understand the concept of size and shape constancy.

14. 4.3 Form Forms have height, width, and depth. Forms in Pictures
The representation of 3-D objects on a 2-D surface
Ellipse vs. Ellipsoid
Shape constancy is the tendency to see a shape as unchanging regardless of the angle at which you see it.
Foreshortening makes a three dimensional object in a picture seem to recede in space by shortening the depth dimension.

15. Portrait of Georg Gisze of Danzig by Hans Holbein
How many items in this work of art have been foreshortened? (pg. 67)
Notice that the pattern on the table cloth changes shape as it bends over the edge of the table and recedes to the back.

16. Preacher by Charles White
Identify examples of foreshortening in this piece.
Where was the artist when he drew this in order to see this view?
How did White indicate the form of the arms?
Point out the positive and negative shapes in this piece.

17. Charles White
Early in his career he was considered to be a historical painter who specialized in murals.
His early work was focused on historical themes and inspired by the Mexican muralists.
He later shifted his focus to drawing individualized and humanistic portraits of everyday people.

18. Sari Dienes by Alice Neel
Looking at this painting what can you determine about it’s subject?
How has Neel suggested the woman’s age and personality?
Should artists paint a person exactly as the person appears?
Where do we see foreshortening in this piece?

19. To make something appear farther away in a picture, the artist makes it smaller. To make it closer, the artist makes it bigger.
Size constancy is the tendency to think of an object’s size as unchanging no matter how close or far away it is.
Real Forms
Sculpture, pottery, metalwork, and architecture are just some examples of three-dimensional art.
When you look at real forms you need to move around them in order to see all sides of it.
You can also view it by using your hands and sense of touch.

20. Burghers of Calais by Auguste Rodin
Created in memory of the six brave men who surrendered themselves to King Edward III in 1347 to save the rest of the town’s citizens.
Notice the tension and agony expressed in their arms and hands as they expect to be killed.

21. Assessment!! Exit Slip On a sheet of paper answer the following.
Explain how and why artists use foreshortening in 2-D art works?
Describe the concepts of size and shape constancy and tell why they help artists create scenes we can recognize.

22. 4.4 Expressive Qualities of Shapes and Forms
Oraganic shapes and forms: found in nature, are irregular (not measureable, edges and surfaces are never perfect)
Geometric shapes and forms: typically found in things made by people, are regular (straight lines, perfect curves, typically measurable).
Closed shapes and forms: have few or no openings (negative shapes)
Open shapes and forms: emphasize openings (negative shapes)