What is it?
•Formalism describes the study of art by analysing and comparing form and style. It’s topic also includes the way objects are made and their purely visual or material aspects.
Seven Basic Elements to photographic art:
- Line-“a straight or curved geometric element that is generated by a moving point and that has extension only along the path of the point/ Straight lines often show up in manmade objects. Curved lines can be manmade but are often organic in nature. Solid lines are common in scenes.”
- Shape-“the visible makeup characteristic of a particular item or kind of item/ spatial form or contour/ a standard or universally recognized spatial form.
- Form-“form is three-dimensional. Form has overall height, width, and depth.”
- Texture-“the visual or tactile surface characteristics and appearance of something/ texture in “real life” can be, basically, smooth or rough. We can use other descriptors as well: slimy, wet, hard, soft, bumpy, shiny, etc.”
- Colour-“the aspect of the appearance of objects and light sources that may be described in terms of hue, lightness, and saturation for objects and hue, brightness, and saturation for light.“
- Size-“physical magnitude, extent, or bulk : relative or proportionate dimensions”
- Depth-“the direct linear measurement from front to back“
Can you add images to each of the formal elements that you have explained?
You can also develop this post by analysing on of your own photos (or someone else’s) using as many of the formal elements as possible.