What is the Function of FORM?

The second Question you ask yourself in critiquing your art is  "What  is my Form?"

        Let's look at form in some other paintings so that you can recognize it in your own art, and so you can make sure your painting excels as to its form. Plan your line and your form in thumbnails before you paint. 

 First an elementary look at what form is:

• Form is the puzzle pieces that your painting is made up of.
• Good form creates interlocking puzzle pieces.
• It is the quality of the interlocking that creates good form.
• Form is created by the grouping of elements in your painting to make up one form and then hook it to another form (group to group) to lock the painting together.
• Good form creates the integrity of the painting.

Here is an example of the interlocking puzzle pieces of form:

Van Gogh's "Cafe Terrace at Night View"- 1888


Note the puzzle pieces of form  and how they interlock.

      In order to understand form you must be able to see and identify form and line separately - how they go together - how they are different, See line below:

      Line is the direction the eye travels. Form is the combinations of shaapes that lock the painting together .How you design line controls the direction the eye  travels through the painting. Form locks it together. How you paint each form along with stops controls the speed in which the eye travels and how much it engages within each form.

Homework exercise:

 1.   Dissect the paintings below into the forms. mark the line as it pushes through the painting. See that the path is separate from the form. For instance, one strong line enters in the midst of the foliage on the left and travels through into the purple ties of the apron. It comes out at the hardest push against the right figure. See  line below  You can print out this page and practice on top the images  if you care to. Good luck.

 Gauguin

Paul Cezanne  Mont Sainte - Victoire

 Part 2 of this lesson gives you some harder Challenges to identify form. If you like, save your pages of homework to add in stops when we get to that more advanced concept of Composition. 

Part 2

 See how you fare with the delacroix images above and below. Print out the page 3 times for Homework #2 in part 2. First page, mark what you think the line is. Then on a separate print-out mark the form, Now go back to see the line again and re-mark the line as direction more clearly to show the best description of line on the last page. See how line is different than form.  Please post remarks so I can judge the clarity of this lesson. Please tell me how you did.

 Part 2 of this lesson gives you some harder Challenges to identify form. If you like, save your pages of homework to add in stops when we get to that more advanced concept of Composition.

Eugene Delacroix - Self Portrait - 1840

Le Morte de Sardonapale - Eugene Delacroix - 1827