Form and Content
Understanding how to identify and think about the form and content of art is a basic first step toward getting the most out of your visual art experience. Read this definition and explanation of the elements of art. Here, we define form and content and begin to understand why they are important.
Two basic considerations we need to be acquainted with are form: the physical and visible characteristics inherent in works of art, and content: the meaning we derive from them. Formal distinctions include a work's size, medium (painting, drawing, sculpture or another kind of work), and descriptions of compositional elements, such as the lines, shapes, and colors involved. Issues of content include visual clues that explain what the art tells us. Sometimes an artwork's content is vague or hidden and needs more information than is present in the work itself. Ultimately these two terms are roped together in the climb to understand what art has to offer us.
If you would like to learn more about form and content and the related concept of context, read the Elements of Art section in Art History: A Preliminary Handbook. It details the primary, secondary, and tertiary varieties of these concepts.
Saylor Academy Knowledge Check
Source: Christopher Gildow, http://opencourselibrary.org/art-100-art-appreciation/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.