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DO NOT WRITE ONhttps://www.sophia.org/tutorials/elements-of-art-shape

What is a shape?

Two-dimensional/ flat area within an outline Like lines, we see shapes all around us. One of the easiest ways to see the shape of an object is to look at shadows. Shadows flatten a three dimensional object into a flat shape. This enables you to see the object in a different way, without details like color and texture. 

Shadow of a snow bank   image: Lucy Lamp

This self portrait uses shadows to create flat shapes and a silhouette image.  Why would the artist choose to use shadows and flat shapes to portray himself? What does this image tell you about him?

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André Kertész  Self Portrait, Paris 1926Gelatin silver print 11 1/16 x 10 3/4 in. (image) 13 15/16 x 11 in. (35.4 x 2...

Minneapolis Institute of Arts  Gift of Fred Scheel 

Organic shapes and geometric shapesLike lines, there are organic shapes and geometric shapes. Geometric shapes are mathematically determined. Organic shapes are the type you see in nature. 

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                                   Organic Shapes  image: Lucy Lamp                                 

 

   Geometric Shapes image: Lucy Lamp

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Although these two photos both have water in them, they feel differently from each other because of the use of organic or geometric shape. The one on the right appears more ordered and controlled.

Positive and negative shapes1. Positive shapes are the shape of the actual object (like a window frame). Negative shapes are the spaces

that are created in between objects. (like the space within the window frame).

In the following two images it is very easy to see the distinction between the positive shapes and negative shapes (the structures are the positive shapes, and the space within the arches are the negative shapes).

Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater) Rome, Italy  72-80 C. E.

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Aqueduct, Segovia: detail of arcade, view from west, ca. early 1st-early 2nd century C.E.Segovia, Castile, SpainImage courtesy of Mary Ann Sullivan, Digital Imaging Project

 The next image--the yin yang symbol--is a good example of the contrast and ambiiguity of positive and negative shapes.

Yin and Yang Symbol with white representing Yang and black representing Yin.

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Sometimes it is not so easy to distinguish the figure and the ground. In this image, if you look at it long enough what you see as the positive shape becomes the negative shape, and what was the negative shape can also be read as a positive shape.  This called a figure-ground reversal.

Cup or faces paradoxOriginal image: Cup or faces paradox.jpg uploaded by User:Guam on 28 July 2005, SVG conversion by Bryan

Derksen  

Artists can have a lot of fun playing with the relationship between figure and ground. M.C. Escher is known for creating ambiguous shapes and spaces in his work. In these images you can see the transition between figure and ground, and how one object changes into another.

 M. C. Escher    Metamorphosis II 1   939-1940   woodcut 19.2 cm × 389.5 cm (7.6 in × 153.3 in)

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Implied Shapes.Like line, there are implied shapes. These are the spaces between objects that are placed in relationship to each other. We see those spaces as shapes, even though they are not meant to be.In this image, the shapes are placed in a way that causes us to "see" a circular shape in the center, although it is not actually a shape.

  

In this gouache and collage work by Henri Matisse, the colored shapes interact with each other according to their size and color. The spaces between them create more shapes, and these interact with the colored shapes, creating a lively, animated composition

 

Henri Matisse  The Snail, 1953Gouache on paper, cut and pasted, on white paper, 287 cm × 288 cm (112 3/4 × 108 inches), Tate Gallery,

London 

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Hard and soft-edged shapesLike line, shapes have different characteristics.  One characteristic is the hardness or softness of its edges. Hard edged shapes are clearly distinguished from each other and give a sense of order, clarity, and strength.  Soft edged shapes have a tendency to blend with each other or the ground. They convey a sense of fluidity, ambiguousness, flexibility, and tend to feel lighter in weight. 

Hard Edged: Charles Sheeler

Charles Sheeler   Golden Gate, 1955Oil on canvas           H. 25 1/8 in. (63.8 cm), W. 34 7/8 in. (88.5 cm)

George A. Hearn Fund, 1955 (55.99)Source: Charles Sheeler: Golden Gate (55.99) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of

Art 

Soft-Edged: Georges Seurat

Georges Seurat, Gray weather, Grande Jatte 1888.Size: 28 by 34 inches (71 by 86 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA.

Source: WebMuseum, Paris, Originally uploaded to en.wikipedia by Arpingstone