Shape and Form

MC EscherArt 1&2

Shape• 2 Dimensional area with a

recognizable boundary

Form• 3 Dimensional shape

Figure Ground

• Figure is the object• Ground is the

background• Sometimes it is hard to

distinguish

Positive and Negative Shape

Positive Shape• Term used to describe the

figure or subject

• Term used to describe the background

Negative Shape

Organic and Geometric Shapes

Open and Closed Shapes

Open Shapes have space around and between them and share some importance with the background

Closed shapes and forms seem solid and heavy

How is Shape Used Here?

The Old Plum, by Kano Sansetsu

Organic or Geometric? Open or Closed? What emotions do the shapes suggest?

Shape Constancy

• The tendency to see a shape as unchanging regardless of the angle at which you see it.

How is Shape Used Here?

House by the Railroad, by Edward Hopper

Does the house in this painting seem heavy and closed, or light and open?

Why do you think so?

What shapes have changed due to their angle?

Artists Who Utilize Shape

M.C. Escher• Accomplished printmaker• Got interested in art in high

school• Went to Graphic Arts

College

M.C. Escher

He is popular for:• Optical Illusions• Mathematics

Circle Limit IV, 1960

M.C. Escher

Inspiration• Nature• Reality

M. C. EscherInspiration• Dream Worlds• Impossible Perspective

M.C. EscherWhy do you think many people see a connection between his work and mathematics?

M.C. Escher

How does this work force the viewer to notice the interaction of figure and ground?

What possible meaning does it give this work?

Sketchbook Activity

• Choose an arrangement of 2-3 objects• Draw the outline of the objects enlarged• Fill in the negative shapes with differing

patters.