Positive and Negative Shapes

Artists are sneaky.

Remember when we discussed implied lines?  These were lines that don't physically exist in a work of art but make your mind think or feel like they are there.

Artists use sneaky shapes too.

A shape is an enclosed line.  In your homework, you learned about geometric and organic shapes.

Geometric shapes have names like squares, circles, triangles, dodecahedrons, etc.

Geometric Shapes

Organic shapes don't have names and you usually see them in nature.

Organic Shapes

Artists also use Positive and Negative shapes.

Positive shapes are shapes that are filled by objects.  

Where are the positive shapes in the photograph below?

If you said inside the flower, you are correct!  The areas that are filled by the flowers, flower buds, and stems are positive shapes.

Positive Shapes

Negative shapes are usually empty spaces in a work of art.  

Where are the negative shapes in the photograph?

If you found the empty spaces between the flowers, flower buds, and stems then you are correct!

Negative Shapes

Look at the photograph below of the lily pads.  The negative shapes are the dark shapes of the water around the lily pads.  Imagine there were no dark shapes and lily pads filled the entire photograph.  Would it be as interesting?

Where are the positive and negative shapes in the photograph below?  Why did the photographer leave so much empty space around the three objects?