PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1.2
Form, Volume,
Mass, and Texture
Copyright © 2022 Thames & Hudson
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Introduction
 Three-dimensional
works of art:
 Have height, width,
and depth
 Possess four of the
visual elements:
form, volume,
mass, and texture
1.2.1 Three dimensions: height, width,
and depth
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Form
 A two-dimensional object is a
shape; a three-dimensional object
is called a form
 Forms have two basic attributes
 Volume: the amount of space a
form occupies
 Mass: the volume is solid and
occupies space
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Great Sphinx of Giza
and Pyramid of Khafre
1.2.2 Great Sphinx of Giza (front), c. 2500 BCE, and Pyramid of Khafre, c. 2500 BCE, Giza, Egypt
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Great Sphinx of Giza
and Pyramid of Khafre
 The Great Sphinx is the largest
carving in the world from a single
stone; it guards tombs
 Pyramid of Khafre is an example
of regulated geometric form
 Egyptian art and architecture is
ordered and controlled; governed
by a canon (set of rules)
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Geometric Form
 Regular forms that are readily
expressible in words or
mathematics
 Cubes, spheres, cylinders,
cones, and pyramids are simple
examples
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Interactive Exercise
Geometric and
Organic Forms
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Video
The Pyramids of Giza
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: David Smith,
Cubi XIX
1.2.3 David Smith, Cubi XIX,
1964. Stainless steel, 113¼ ×
21⅝ × 20⅝". Tate Gallery,
London, England
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
David Smith, Cubi XIX
 Smith combines geometric forms
in angular relationships
 Uses cubes, cuboids, and a thick
disk
 Diagonal angles imply movement
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Organic Form
 The form of most things in the
natural world is organic: irregular
and unpredictable
 Living things (and their form)
change constantly
 Can be used for expressive effect
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Roettgen Pietà
(Vesperbild)
1.2.4 Roettgen Pietà
(Vesperbild), Middle Rhine
region, c. 1330. Wood, height
34½". Rheinisches
Landesmuseum, Bonn,
Germany
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Roettgen Pietà
(Vesperbild)
 The human figure is an organic
form
 Artist carves the bodies of Mary
and Jesus as irregular, awkward,
and distorted
 Expresses agony of death and
grief
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Portal Artwork:
Moai ancestor figures
3.5.19 Moai ancestor
figuresAhu Nau Nau, Rapa
Nui (Chile), Polynesia, before
the 15th century
Artwork: Lino Tagliapietra,
Batman
1.2.5 Lino Tagliapietra, Batman, 1998. Glass, 11½ × 15½ × 3½"
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Lino Tagliapietra,
Batman
 The form of this artwork is lively
and organic
 The natural energy of light is
captured in the glowing
transparency of glass
 Uses expressive form to allude
to the character Batman
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Form in Relief and
in the Round
 Relief
 A work in which forms project
from a flat surface
 Designed to be viewed from one
side only
 A form in the round can be seen
from all sides
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Interactive Exercise
Form in the Round
and in Relief
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Imperial Procession,
from the Ara Pacis Augustae
1.2.6 Imperial Procession, from the Ara Pacis Augustae, 13 BCE. Marble altar, Museo dell’Ara Pacis, Rome, Italy
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Imperial Procession,
Ara Pacis Augustae
 Figures in the foreground (high
relief) are more deeply carved than
figures in the background
 Depth of the carvings suggest that
some areas are further away
 Implies a large crowd
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Limestone stela with
Mayan glyphs
1.2.7 Limestone stela with
Mayan glyphs, Pusilhà, Belize,
c. 600–800 CE. Limestone, 86¼
× 45⅔ × 7″. British Museum,
London, England
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Limestone stela with
Mayan glyphs
 This artwork is an example of
bas-relief (low relief)
 Depicts pictographic symbols
(glyphs)
 All elements of the composition
are of equal visual weight
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Naked Aphrodite Crouching
at Her Bath (Lely’s Venus)
1.2.8a and 1.2.8b Naked Aphrodite Crouching at Her Bath (“Lely’s Venus”). Marble, Roman, 2nd century CE; copy of lost Greek
original of the late 3rd/2nd century BCE, height 44⅛". British Museum, London, England (on loan from Her Majesty the Queen)
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Naked Aphrodite
Crouching at Her Bath
 Sculptures in the round can be
viewed from all sides
 Aphrodite’s body is twisted, inviting
the viewer to walk around the work
 As the viewer moves, their
perception changes, revealing new
and different aspects of the work
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Portal Artwork: Giambologna,
Rape of a Sabine
2.4.2a Giambologna, Rape of
a Sabine (model), 1582.
Gesso, height 13'8". Galleria
dell’Accademia, Florence, Italy
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Volume
 Volume is the amount of space
occupied by an object
 Solid objects have volume; so do
objects that enclose an empty space
1.2.9 Volume (left) and mass (right)
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Interactive Exercise
Volume
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Open Volume
 When artists enclose a space with
materials that are not completely
solid, they create an open volume
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Ralph Helmick and
Stuart Schechter, Ghostwriter
1.2.10a Ralph Helmick
and Stuart Schechter,
Ghostwriter, 1994. Cast
metal/stainless cable, 36 ×
8 × 10'. Evanston Public
Library, Illinois
Artwork: Detail of Helmick and
Schechter's Ghostwriter
1.2.10b Detail of Ghostwriter
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Ralph Helmick and Stuart
Schechter, Ghostwriter
 Helmick uses carefully suspended
pieces of metal to create an open
volume
 When seen as a whole, the shape
of a large human head is implied
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Tatlin, Monument to the
Third International
1.2.11 Vladimir Tatlin,
Model for Monument
to the Third
International, 1919
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Tatlin, Monument to the
Third International
 This monument was never built
 Intended to be a huge steel-and-glass
tower commemorating the triumph of
Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution
 The proposed materials and the
interior's open volume symbolize the
modernism of Communism
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Mickett and
Stackhouse, In the Blue (Crest)
1.2.12 Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse, In the Blue (Crest), 2008. Painted cypress, 24 × 108 × 11'.
Installation at St. Petersburg Art Center, Florida
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Mickett and Stackhouse,
In the Blue (Crest)
 Open volume can make a work
feel light
 The negative space (openings
between wooden slats) and
irregular arrangement make the
work seem to float
 Implies the presence of water
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Mass
 Mass suggests that something
is solid and occupies space
 Mass can suggest weight but
it does not necessarily imply
heaviness
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Interactive Exercise
Mass
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Rachel Whiteread,
House
1.2.13 Rachel Whiteread,
House, 1993. Concrete. Bow,
London, England (demolished
1994)
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Rachel Whiteread, House
 Whiteread's House suggests great
weight and solidity
 She filled the interior of a house
with concrete before demolishing
exterior walls
 Empty volume of the interior is
turned into a memorial of the lives
of the people who used to live in it
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Marisol (Escobar),
Father Damien
1.2.14 Marisol (Escobar),
Father Damien, 1969. Bronze,
height 7'. State Capitol Building,
Honolulu, Hawaii
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Marisol (Escobar),
Father Damien
 Father Damien was a humanitarian
who served a leper colony in Hawaii
 Steadfast compassion is suggested
by the four-square mass
 The stout form communicates
stability and determination
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Portal Artwork:
Colossal Olmec, Head
3.4.9 Colossal head, San
Lorenzo, Olmec, c. 800–
400 BCE. Basalt, height
approx. 9′. With the help of
local villagers, Matthew and
Marion Stirling discovered
this 8-foot-tall colossal head
in San Lorenzo in the state
of Veracruz, Mexico, in
1945—a few years after
their discoveries at La Venta
Artwork: Constantin
Brancusi, The Kiss
1.2.15 Constantin Brancusi, The Kiss, 1916. Limestone, 23 x 13¼ x 10", Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania
Artwork: Auguste Rodin,
The Kiss
1.2.16 Auguste Rodin, The Kiss, c.1882. Marble, 71½ × 44¼ × 46", Musée Rodin, Paris, France
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Brancusi and Rodin:
Using Mass to
Describe Love
 Rodin decided to carve a
naturalistic image of two figures
embracing
 Brancusi carves directly into a
block of limestone to express the
idea of two lovers unified in their
relationship with each other
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Frank Gehry,
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
1.2.17 Frank Gehry, Guggenheim Museum, 1997, Bilbao, Spain
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Frank Gehry, Guggenheim
Museum, Bilbao
 The museum is located in Bilbao,
Spain, which was once a center for
shipbuilding
 Undulating surfaces and complex
shapes of Gehry’s creation extend
into space like a huge boat
 Uses contrasts in geometric and
organic form
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Louise Bourgeois,
Maman
1.2.18 Louise Bourgeois, Maman, 1999 (cast 2001). Bronze, stainless steel, and marble, 29’4⅜" x 32'9⅛" x 38'1".
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Louise Bourgeois,
Maman
 This sculpture stands beside the
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
 The massive solidity of the
building is contrasted with the
spindly form and open volume of
Maman
 Means “Momma” in French
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Texture
 Texture is the tactile sensation
when we physically encounter
a three-dimensional form
 We rely mostly on the impressions
we receive from our hands
 Looking at a surface, we can
imagine its texture based on our
past experience
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Interactive Exercise
Texture
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Portal Artwork: Anselm Kiefer,
Breaking of the Vessels
4.6.11 Anselm Kiefer,
Breaking of the Vessels,
1990. Lead, iron, glass,
copper wire, charcoal, and
Aquatec, 12′5″ × 27′5½″ ×
17′. St. Louis Art Museum,
Missouri
Artwork: Anish Kapoor,
Cloud Gate
1.2.19 Anish Kapoor, Cloud Gate, 2004. Stainless steel, 32'9" × 65'7" × 41'12". Millennium Park, Chicago, Illinois
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Anish Kapoor,
Cloud Gate
 Viewers of Cloud Gate experience
actual texture when they see and
touch the work
 Highly polished, organic form that
reflects the city of Chicago
 Artist wants the viewer to interact
with the sleek sculpture
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Wangechi Mutu,
She’s Got the Whole World in Her
1.2.20a Wangechi Mutu, She’s Got the Whole World in Her, 2015. Mannequin, paper, wax and lights, 9' × 5' × 3'5"
Artwork: Wangechi Mutu,
She’s Got the Whole World in Her
1.2.20b Wangechi Mutu, She’s Got the Whole World in Her, 2015. Mannequin, paper, wax and lights, 9' × 5' × 3'5"
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Wangechi Mutu,
She’s Got the Whole
World in Her
 This artwork features a female
figure surrounded by natural
textures—wood, animal horns,
and rough papier maché—gazing
at a lighted globe
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Subversive Texture
 This type of texture contradicts
our previous tactile experience
 Artists use subversive texture
to invite viewers to reconsider
preconceptions
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Artwork: Méret Oppenheim,
Object
1.2.21 Méret Oppenheim, Object, 1936. Fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon, height 2⅞". MoMA, New York
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Méret Oppenheim,
Object
 Oppenheim was a Swiss Surrealist
 Used texture to contradict the
conscious logical experiences
of viewers
 She counts on our tactile memory to
conflict with the actual experience
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Portal Artwork: Standing Power
Figure (nkisi nkondi)
2.4.11 Standing power
figure (nkisi nkondi), late
19th–early 20th century.
Wood, iron, raffia, ceramic,
pigment, kaolin, red
camwood, resin, dirt, leaves,
animal skin, and cowrie
shell, 43¾ × 15½ × 11”.
Dallas Museum of Art, Texas
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
MoMA Videos
To learn more about artists whose work uses form, volume, mass, and texture, watch these videos of MoMA
lecturers talking about artworks from the MoMA collection:
MoMA Video
Joseph Beuys,
Eurasia Siberian Symphony
MoMA Video
Umberto Boccioni,
Unique Forms of Continuity in Space
Dynamism of a Soccer Player
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
MoMA Videos (contd.)
To learn more about the use of time and motion in art, watch these videos of MoMA lecturers talking about artworks
in the MoMA collection:
MoMA Video
Constantin Brancusi
MoMA Video
Marcel Duchamp,
Bicycle Wheel
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Fourth Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1.2 Copyright
Information
This concludes the PowerPoint slide set for Chapter 1.2
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts
Fourth Edition
By Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields
Copyright © 2022 Thames & Hudson
PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Picture Credits for Chapter 1.2
1.2.1
Ralph Larmann
1.2.2
iStockphoto.com
1.2.3
Photo courtesy the Marlborough Gallery Inc., New York. © Estate of David Smith/VAGA at ARS, NY and
DACS, London 2022
1.2.4
Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn
3.5.19 © Albertoloyo/Dreamstime.com
1.2.5
Photo Russell Johnson. Courtesy Lino Tagliapietra, Inc.
1.2.6
Museo dell’Ara Pacis, Rome
1.2.7
Photo Trustees of the British Museum, London
1.2.8a Photo Mary Cameron-Sarani
1.2.8b Prisma/SuperStock
2.4.2a Ex S.S.P.S.A.E e per il Polo Museale della città di Firenze - Gabinetto Fotografico
1.2.9
Ralph Larmann
1.2.10a Photo Clements/Howcroft, MA. Courtesy the artists
1.2.10b Photo Clements/Howcroft, MA. Courtesy the artists
1.2.11
Photo Nationalmuseum, Stockholm
1.2.12 Photo Andrew Hawthorne. Courtesy the artists
3.4.9
Richard Hewitt Stewart/National Geographic Stock
1.2.13 Photo Sue Ormerod. © Rachel Whiteread. Courtesy Gagosian Gallery, London
1.2.14 © Estate of Marisol/ARS, NY and DACS, London 2022
1.2.15 Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950-134-4. © Succession
Brancusi – All rights reserved. ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2022
1.2.16 Photo Szilas
PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios
Chapter 1.2 Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
PART 1
FUNDAMENTALS
Picture Credits for Chapter 1.2
(contd.)
1.2.17 Petter Oftedal/Alamy Stock Photo
1.2.18 Photo Stefano Politi Markovina/Alamy Stock Photo. Bourgeois © The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
and DACS, London 2022
4.6.11
© Anselm Kiefer
1.2.19 Photononstop/SuperStock
1.2.20a © Wangechi Mutu. Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro, London
1.2.20b © Wangechi Mutu. Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro, London
1.2.21 Museum of Modern Art, New York, Purchase, 130.1946.a–c. Photo 2012, Museum of Modern Art, New
York/Scala, Florence. © DACS 2022
2.4.11
Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of the McDermott Foundation, 1996.184.FA.
Image courtesy Dallas Museum of Art
PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios