1
DO NOT WRITE ON
https://www.sophia.org/tutorials/elements-of-art-volume-mass-and-three-dimensionali
ELEMENT: FORM
Form = Three-dimensional enclosed volume and mass (real or implied) includes height, width and depth
Volume and mass (density)
Volume = a shape in three dimensions
Shapes are flat. If you take a shape and give it three dimensions, it has volume.
A three-dimensional form has volume. Volume (three-dimensionality) can be simulated in a
two-dimensional work (like a painting).
This self portrait by Rembrandt is an example of simulated, or implied volume. The face
looks three-dimensional. In actuality, however, it is a two-dmensional (flat) artwork, a print.
Rembrandt Van Rijn
Self-portrait in a cap, with eyes wide open, etching and burin, 1630
Signed and dated bottom center: RHL 1630. A copy is kept in the: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam . Source: Dake, wikipedia. com
This group of sculptures by Magdalena Akanowicz have actual volume; they are threedimensional. Because the figures are open they allow a glimpse of what the inside of a
sculpture looks like, (including welded together sections of separate castings). This
openness gives a sense of volume. If they were closed, they would appear to have density,
or mass.
Magdalena Akanowicz Nierozpoznani ("The Unrecognized Ones") 2002
Cytadela Park, Pozna, Poland (whole installation) photo by Radomil
Imagine a drawing of a glass. The drawing would be flat (two-dimensional) But it would look
like it was three-dimensional (simulated or implied volume). Now imagine an actual glass
(that is empty). The glass would have volume (it would be three-dimensional).
Mass = volume + density
Imagine that glass again, this time filled with water. Now the glass has mass, or density.
The density of a material is scientifically defined as its mass per unit of volume. For
example, a rock has more density than a cotton ball.
Imagine three containers. The first one is empty (filled with air); it has volume. The second
container is filled with feathers. Now the container has density, or mass. The third
container is filled with sand. The third container has more density than the second one.
In art its easier to think of density as actual or perceived weight.
These ancient Olmec sculptures illustrate the concept of density, or mass. They appear to
be (and actually are) very heavy in weight. They are very large and there are several of
them (17 have been unearthed). You can imagine encountering a group of these colossal
heads, and the sense of power they convey.
Monument 6, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan Olmec civilization
1500 BCE to about 400 BCE
Monument 1, one of four colossal Olmec heads at La
Venta. 9.8 ft (3 meters) tall. circa 900 BCE -400 BCE
La Venta Park, Villahermosa, Mexico
Image: Hajor
Implied Mass
Mass or volume can be simulated in two-dimensional work through the use of
Modeling and Shading
Color--darker and more intense colors appear heavier
Placement--objects closer to the lower edge of the picture plane appear heavier
Size--larger objects appear heavier
Overlapping objects creates a sense of space
Implied Mass: Valentina Kulagina
This poster from 1930 is a good example of implied mass. The soldiers of the Russian Army
are portrayed as huge figures marching from the factories to fight the war. Notice the size,
color and placement of the figures. In contrast, the airplanes of the royalists are shown as
light, small, and overwhelmed by the figures.
Valentina Kulagina To Defend USSR 1930
Image Source: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/06/13/100-years-of-propaganda-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
Degrees of Three-Dimensionality
Three-dimensional artwork has varying degrees of dimensionality.
Relief Sculpture
In relief sculpture an image is developed outward from a two-dimensional surface.
Low relief. In low relief, the figures exist almost on the same plane as the ground,
but they are carved with enough depth to cast shadows. Often times they tell a story.
India, Northern: Gandhara period
Tympanum in shape of a stupa, decorated with relief scenes from the life of the Buddha, 3rd century C.E.
Musee Guimet, Paris AICT/Allan T. Kohl
High relief. In high relief, at least half of the figures project forward from the
surface.
Francois Rude The Departure of the Volunteers of 1792 ("La Marseillaise") 1833-1836
group from right side, east face, Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France
Frontal sculpture. Three-dimensional work that is meant to be seen from only one side is
called frontal sculpture.
David Smith Pittsburgh Landscape 1954, painted steel relief
The Hirshhorn Sculpture Gardens, Washington DC
In the round, or full round sculpture. Full round sculpture is free-standing and meant
to be seen from all sides.
Auguste Rodin Pierre de Wiessant
(detail of study for figure from "The Burghers of Calais"), 1884-1886
Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa
Walk through work. An even greater degree of three-dimensionality is found in works
that involve a space that the viewer must actually move through to fully appreciate it.
Installation art, in installation art the artist creates a space, in which all objects relate to
each other, and the viewer becomes a part of it by moving through it. There is no fixed
view point, and the space oftens provides an almost transcendent experience for the
viewer,set apart from the ordinary world.
8
Rachel Whiteread
Embankment
2005 Turbine Hall, The Tate Modern, Bankside, London
14,000 translucent, white polyethylene boxes (casts of the inside of cardboard boxes) Photographer: Fin Fahey
Landscape art. In landscape art the artist works with the landscape itself. Gardens and
other spaces provide an aesthetic experience that the viewer can not only walk through,
but spend time in contemplation and enjoyment of the space. Sometimes these spaces
have a spiritual purpose as well.
Dry Garden in Ryoanji (The Temple of the Dragon at Peace) Kyoto, Japan, late 15th century.
Characteristics of Three-Dimensional Art
Three-dimensional art can take many different forms.
Open and closed forms.
Closed forms are often carved from a larger mass in a form that allows for structural
soundness. They appear very heavy, solid, and have a sense of permanence.
Block statue of Sennefer ( 'Overseer of sealbearers' in the reign of Thutmose III)
From western Thebes, Egypt 18th Dynasty, around 1450 BC British Museum
Open forms have more of a range of dimensionality, with outward projections and
inward recesses.
Jacques Lipchitz Prometheus Strangling the Vulture II 1944/1953 bronze: 91.75 x 90 x 57 inches
Walker Art Center Gift of the T.B. Walker Foundation, 1956
Static and dynamic forms.
Static forms appear to be still, stable, and unchanging. They give a sense of
immovable permanence. The Great Pyramid and the Sphinx of Giza is a perfect
example. A pyramid is the most stable form that exists.
Francis Frith The Great Pyramid and the Sphinx 1858
Albumen print 38 .50 x 49.50 cm
National Galleries of Scotland Commons Edinburgh, Scotland, UK Gift of Mrs. Riddell in memory of Peter Fletcher Riddell 1985
Dynamic forms. Dynamic forms are lively, have a sense of movement and change.
India,Chola period Shiva Vinadhara - Dakshinamurti 11th century C.E.
Musee Guimet, Paris
