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

HOW TO MAKE FORMAL DIVISION OF YOUR CANVAS WORK INFORMALLY IN A RECTANGLE - An Introduction.

    Oddly enough, the first example I am going to use to explain symmetry in equally split fields being presented as one canvas, is to re-show you something from a prior posting on the subject "LIne for itself".

    The beauty of what follows is significant in subtlety. The way line, controlling the eye with planning - leaving nothing to happenstance -  might go totally unrecognized, This gracefully controlling line will become totally apparent in this reviewed illustration on line for the sake of line.

     This is the epitome of design presented formally while your eye is controlled by informal design.  Do you see it? Look for it...
   

     The entire 8 equally sized divisions make up a formal balance "canvas" of formal division while being controlled by informal line. Even if the informal line skips between boxes, the informal line purposely "hooks up" to take you box to box. Overall it is beautiful, in concept and design. This is truly 'line for itself " This elegant line is graceful and intrinsically beautiful and planned. Did you miss it the first time in the earlier pages about line. Never again will you look at line in the same way, as foriegn, as unnecessary to plan, to control. Give birth to line purposefully in your paintings, it's there anyway and can devour the success of your artwork unless you tame it with masterful planning.

     Here is another example of a formal balance presentation, which divides equally into two sides. Each side is informal line or asymmetrical. The asymmetrical line controls the eye's movement from one side to the other and back again. This painting is masterful at being 3 paintings in one presentation. The audience sees the painting on the left, the painting on the right, aand the entire painting all at once. this painting below is "Rideau Chrichon et Compotier" by post impressionist painter, Paul Cezanne (1893). It is the most expensive still life ever to be sold at auction, I believe, currently to today's date. It sold  for $60,502,500.00 on May 10,1999.

 Feast you eyes on the composition:  

Also look at this complex design of Pablo Picasso's Madre y Hijo,(Mother and Child) 1921 

There is a lot more to complex composition! But, this is a start! Remember, Start with asking, What is my line. Do your thumbnails,. I assure you, planning is what produced superior artists and their art.

Formal and Informal Composition

Formal design is symmetrical

Focal point on a square canvas is placed high.

    Above is another example of formal balance in a rectangle. There are ways of breaking rules with more rules. In an informal design it is advisable not to take line to the corners. A formal design is opposite.

    This formal design is two nearly square fields upper and lower The focal point is set high in the composition with a counter focal point set below. Divide the canvas at the most center point, disregard what is below for a moment. You will discern the focal point is her forehead, right above her eyes. Now look below in the bottom half and find the stop point  which is the crucifix  "GIVE" opens up and out, and the hands direct back in framing "give" as focal. The veil does the same  to direct your eyes back out and back in. The triangle sitting from the rim of the offering plate points you right to the focal area of the eyes and brows dead center. If you divide the canvas into two canvases, it is easy to see the focal point is set high, then counter balanced low at matching junctures.in the two halves.. The formal balance has multiple focal points each subservient to the other. 

Informal Design

Informal design is asymmetrical with a whole set of different rules guiding us to understand how to make good compositions.Here is an  example.to explain the placement of asymmetrical composition  within a glance in the manner of simplest design. 

So The first question you ask yourself before you paint is WHAT IS MY LINE?

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Repeating Geometric Form to Describe and Create Line.

Andrew Loomas, Ggranddaddy of Design ,- Creative Illustration

 The illustration above speaks for itself introducing us to the repetition of Geometric form. Below is a selection to be compared to Jean Kline's Painting "Glenarm Castle" use of repeated Geometric Form.  

More Andrew Loomas

  

 

Critique on "Line"

This is a critique I did of Jean Kline and her painting "Glenarm Castle". Her reference comes from Sara Finn.

A Note About Andrew Loomas

A Little On Loomis...

Andrew Loomis may be from another Era but he wrote the Bible on composition and design!

      I would like to take a moment to introduce to you Andrew Loomas. He is the definitive on composition and design. His teachings are so concise that his concepts are so frequently quoted today that he can no longer be copyrighted. He is legend in architecture advertising, illustration, fine art and more. To paraphrase Loomas constitutes less. To redraw his charts for teaching purposes is less than genius when his art and mind are the definitive examples of clarity of thought and skill. Throughout this blog I will share his gift to us with you. It is such a privilege to use his art and to quote him so freely, all because Loomas has become standard in so many Creative professions around the world.