The Artist's Toolkit: Visual Elements and Principles
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Encyclopedia: Line: Types of Line
 

Line
Shape
Color
Space
Texture

Balance
Emphasis
Movement/
Rhythm

The Artist's Toolkit: Visual Elements and Principles
EncyclopediaShape

 

Positive shapes occupy positive space. The area around positive shapes, the background, is negative space. A solid piece of sculpture occupies space, and makes the space around it come to life. In fact, sculptors think of the entire composition, the interplay between solid and space, when they create a work of art. In this diagram, the negative shapes are as clear and distinct as the positive shapes.

Positive and negative shapes diagram  

 

The negative shape inside this sculpture repeats the overall structure of the sculptor's positive shapes. The geometry of the boxes piled high emphasizes gravity, and the negative shape in the middle of the sculpure gives it a light, playful appearance.

David Smith, Cubi IX, 1961, stainless steel, Walker Art Center, Gift of the T. B. Walker Foundation

David Smith
Cubi IX
1961
stainless steel
Walker Art Center
Gift of the T. B. Walker Foundation
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In this ceramic vase the negative shapes on either side of the upper neck nearly mirror the lower bulbous, positive shape. The result is a dramatic and finely balanced work of art.

Magdalene Odundo, Reduced Black Piece, 1990, Ceramic, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund

Magdalene Odundo
Reduced Black Piece
1990
Ceramic
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund
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Walker Art Center The Minneapolis Institute of Arts ArtsConnectEd