Geometric Expressionism

In an art class, you may have be told that blue is a cool colour and that red is warm. You may also have been told that blue and yellow are complimentary. But what have you been told about the symbolism of shape and its impact upon emotions? Furthermore, if you have been taught perspective, have you also taught its limitations that isometric and oblique compositions can perhaps remedy?

Geometric Expression is a manifesto of art that considers such issues. Because it synthesises centuries of art theory across cultures and disciplines, it provides opportunities to actively engage with that theory. Not only does this result in a deeper form of learning the theory and art history, if approached with passion, it will also result in the production of great art.

Art history study - Geometry

1. What is the affect of geometry on the emotions of the audience?

2. How does the symbolism of shape communicate?3. How do theories of 3d representation affect our

compositions?

We can’t be too prescriptive about what shape communicates, which perhaps explains why it is rarely taught. While we can say a colour is hot because of our prior associations with the sun etc, the same justifications can’t be used so easily with geometric form. We need to search in ourselves and in collective expressions of others to infer meaning.

Topic 1. Emotional affect of geometric forms

Pablo Picasso – Weeping woman 1937

What do you feel?

What I feel For me, when I look at the painting, I feel like I am

looking at a woman’s tears in an intellectual way. I feel I am studying the woman, not feeling her pain. Ironically, this restrains emotion in a way that makes me feel some emotional tension.

Picasso’s explanation Cubist theory – a mosaic of perspectives in a 2-

dimensional plane

“For me she's the weeping woman. For years I've painted her in tortured forms, not through sadism, and not with pleasure, either; just obeying a vision that forced itself on me. It was the deep reality, not the superficial one... Dora, for me, was always a weeping woman....And it's important, because women are suffering machines.”

Kasmir Malevich – Black Square 1915 What do you feel?

What I feelI have an intellectual response Emotion resides in colour. If colour is removed, emotion

is lost as well. Black is a mourning colour because emotions hurt.

We sometimes refer to “squares” as people who follow rules and who are not the most passionate people in life.

I have an emotional response I have a sense of wonderment and curiosity that comes

from mystery. I feel something that I can’t quite explain.

Malevich’s explanation"Hence, to the Suprematist, the appropriate means of

representation is always the one which gives fullest possible expression to feeling as such and which ignores the familiar appearance of objects.

Objectivity, in itself, is meaningless to him; the concepts of the conscious mind are worthless. Feeling is the determining factor ... and thus art arrives at non objective representation at Suprematism...Everything which determined the objective ideal structure of life and of "art' ideas, concepts, and images all this the artist has cast aside in order to heed pure feeling... Suprematism is the rediscovery of pure art which, in the course of time, had become obscured by the accumulation of "things."

In more simple language, by moving away from realistic objects and context, Malevich aimed to facilitate a cognitive desert in which the audience could create pure feeling that was uncorrupted by socially constructed meaning.

Da Vinci – Vitruvian Man What do you feel?

What I feelIntellectual response Enlightenment that comes from the symbiosis of

different fields of intellectual endeavour.

Emotional response Appreciation, completeness and respect.

Explanation of Vitruvian manThe drawing is based on the correlations of ideal human

proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise De Architectura. Vitruvius described the human figure as being the principal source of proportion among the Classical orders of architecture. Vitruvius determined that the ideal body should be eight heads high. Leonardo's drawing is traditionally named in honor

of the architect.

Topic 2 - Symbolism of shape

Temple of Heaven What feelings does the circle, square and rectangles

give?

Parthenon What is the feeling of the columns?

Federation Square

What are the feelings given by sharp angular lines?

Opera House or National Gallery

Which one has more feeling for you? How would you describe the differences in feeling?

Traditional theoryIn design, circular shapes are associated with

tenderness, friendship, support, protection and compassion. These connotations could be seen in Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, which uses rectangular shapes to symbolise earth, and circular shapes to represent heaven. Vertical shapes and lines are used to convey feelings of masculinity, strength, brutality and domination. Examples could be found in Greece’s Parthenon. Sharp angled lines are believed to create feelings of energy, liveliness, violence, explosiveness and anger. Examples could be Melbourne’s Federation Square.

Do shapes affect us in a universal or subjective way?

What is your favourite shape?

PsychogeometricsWith around 87% accuracy, psychogemetrics

claims to predict personality based on people’s favourites shape.

Circle personalities tend to be caring social worker variety.

Squares like rules. Rectangles are logical engineers that work in

teams. Triangles are scientists. The squiggly lines are the right brain creatives,

such as artists or salesmen.

Brain scans Is the Dali painting perceived differently to the Picasso

painting?

Research Japanese researchers were able to ascertain whether

subjects were looking at a cubist painting by Picasso or a fluid painting by Dali by scans of their brains alone.

(Yamamura, Hiromi; Sawahata, Yasuhito; Yamamoto, Miyuki; Kamitani, Yukiyasu, Neural art appraisal of painter: Dali or Picasso? NeuroReport: 9 December 2009 - Volume 20 - Issue 18 - pp 1630-1633)

Topic 3. Illusions of 3d

Which is the correct way to represent a cube?

One-point perspective

Creates a focal point (there are 6 perspectives)

Limitations and benefits of perspectiveLimitations Following perspective means obeying rules. The position of the vanishing point determines how all

shapes look relative to each other. A vanishing point gives a painting a focal point that in

turn gives the painting a kind of value hierarchy.

Benefits Replicates how a composition would look in a

photograph.

Isometric A pictorial representation of an object in which all three

dimensions are drawn at full scale rather than foreshortening them.

Isometric makes optical illusions possible Escher Waterfall

Isometric allows for composition without focal points

Romance of the Three Kingdoms, China, c. 15th century.

Oblique One side of the object is drawn flat and the other sides

at an angle of 45 degrees, but instead of drawing the sides full size they are only drawn with half the depth creating 'forced depth‘.

Almost real but looks a bit weird.

Van Gogh Chair Somewhere

between two-point perspective and isometric. The wonkiness of tiles and chair gives the intrigue.

Review1. Brain scans and our own responses indicate that

shapes influence emotional state.2. Shape has symbolic power that has been used in

psychology and architecture.3. There are multiple ways to represent the illusion of

3d. Perspective representation reflects life with a focal point that defines all other elements. Isometric allows for illusions and different kinds of relationships.

Next slideshow: Geometric Expressionism; using geometry in our paintings.

About author Chad Swanson is an Australian visual artist with an

educational background in both visual art and psychology. In 2009, he had the solo exhibition, Meeting Van Gogh, in which he presented a visual application of Geometric Expressionist theory using the portraits of Vincent van Gogh as a subject.

Twitter: @artofchad