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If you look around you, you will notice that almost everything we see is made up of a Shape or combination of Shapes. Some of the more common ones we have given names to, i.e.: circle, square and rectangle. Others are so unique we call them freeform shapes. Lines are used to draw Shapes. Artists draw Shapes when they are making preliminary sketches for a drawing, painting or sculpture. In the artroom it is often said "if you can draw the shapes, you can draw anything". Shapes are categorized as Geometric or Organic. Geometric shapes are usually angular and appear frequently in man-made objects. Organic shapes are usually more rounded and appear most often in nature. Now we'll see why Shape is an important Element Of Art.

This unique painting appears to be all about shapes. The shapes are squares and rectangles. This includes the spaces between the colored shapes as well. Even the shape of the canvas reflects the square patterns in the painting. Here Mondrian uses shape to convey his ideas about the mechanization of the world.

Mondrian was inspired by New York's Broadway and Boogie-woogie music. What elements of this urban life can you see in his work?
Piet Mondrian, (Dutch) 1872-1944, Boogie-Woogie, 1942-43. Oil on canvas, 50 x 50" (127 x 127 cm) . The Museum of Modern Art, New York.  
This is a colored paper collage made up of organic shapes that overlap. If you look carefully, you may see that this composition was based on the Fibonacci Numerals. Each shape represents the sequence of numbers found in Fibonacci's order: 0,1,2,3,5,8,13,21... Note the rounded edges of the shapes. Would you recognize these shapes in nature?
Sidra, 6th grade, Cut Paper Collage  

Artist Unknown, Mexico, Jaguar Mask, 1998, Wood, paint, leather and boar's hair and teeth

This jaguar mask from Mexico also emphasizes Shape. What shapes do you see? Are they Geometric, Organic or both?

Are the shapes arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically?

What shape did the artist use to accent the nose? How about the eyes?

What did the artist do to the yellow shapes that make up the skin of the jaguar?

 

This is an icon. An icon is a religious painting created during the Byzantine period. It was usually a portrait of a saint or the Virgin Mary. Often these icons were using egg tempera on gessoed wood panels and decorated in gold leaf. These wooden panels were used to decorate alters and churches. They can still be found decorating Greek and Russian Orthodox churches.

What shape do you notice first?

Chances are you noticed the circle around the woman's head. What does this circle represent?

Notice that the artist repeats the circle again and again throughout the painting. Why do you think he did this?


Korean Nok masks,		 These are masks from Korea. Each mask represents a different character in an age-old play about the interaction between the different classes. This ceremonial play is still performed today.
Notice the simplicity of the masks.
This simplicity makes the viewer aware of the shapes and lines unique to these masks.

Scene from the mask ceremony.		 Each mask represents a different character from the play. Though the style of the masks differ slightly from one region to another, the meaning of the story remains the same.

Can you guess what type of characters are represented by the three masks pictured here?


Louise Nevelson (American, born Russia), 1900-1988, Sky Cathedral, 1958 wood, painted black, 115 x 135 x 20", Albright-Knox Art Gallery, NY

How many shapes do you recognize in this work? Why do you think you notice the shapes first in this sculpture?

This is an assemblage. Nevelson collected scraps of wood and assembled this sculpture. She painted it one color. By doing this, the viewer is made more aware of the many shapes of the wood and the spaces between the wood.

Joan Miro (Spanish) 1893-1983, The Policeman, Oil on canvas,1925, 248 x 194.9 cm, The Art Institute Of Chicago

Surrealism promoted the free play of ideas and imagination in the arts. The Spanish painter Joan Miró let shapes and forms emerge spontaneously as he worked, rather than through careful planning. To create The Policeman, one of his "dream paintings," Miró poured, brushed, and wiped with rags large areas of washes and glazes of paint on the surface of the canvas.

This brings up an important question. Must all art be carefully planned and organized to be considered great works of art?

What basic shapes do you see? If you did not know the title, would you have been able to recognize this picture as a policeman?

Create Your Own Mondrian (Studio Activity)
The Shape Detective (Print and Complete)