Mass
Read this discussion of mass and its significance for two- and three-dimensional works of art.
Mass, or form, refers to a shape or three-dimensional volume
that has or gives the illusion of having weight, density, or bulk.
Notice the distinction between two and three- dimensional objects: a
shape is, by definition,
flat but takes on the illusion of mass through shading with the
elements of value or color. In three dimensions, a mass is an actual
object that takes up space.
Eugene Delaplanche's sculpture Eve After the Fall
from 1869 epitomizes the characteristics
of three-dimensional mass. Carved from stone with exaggerated
physicality to appear bigger than life, the work stands heavily against
the space around it. Delaplanche balances the massive sculpture with his
treatment of the subject matter. Eve sits,
her body turned on two diagonal planes, one rising, the other
descending, her right hip being the meeting point of the two. She rests
her head in her hand as she agonizes over the consequences of what she's
just done, the forbidden apple at her feet
as the serpent slinks away to her left.
Rama, Eve after the Fall, Eugene Delaplanche, 1869, marble. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Although actual mass and form are physical attributes of any
three-dimensional art, they are manifested differently depending
on the culture they are produced in. For example, traditional western
European culture is known for its realistic styles,
represented by Delaplanche's Eve After the Fall. In
contrast, look at the figurative sculpture from the Cameroon culture in
Africa below to see how stylistic changes make a difference in the form.
The sculpture is carved from wood, generally
more available to the artist in sub-Saharan Africa than marble.
Moreover, the Cameroon figure stands upright and frontal to the viewer
and is carved without the amount of descriptive detail seen in
Delaplanche's work. Yet, the unknown African artist
still gives the figure an astonishing amount of dramatic character
that energizes the space around it.
Gedenkfigur Kamerum. Berlin-Dahlem
Form and space, whether actual or implied, are markers for how we perceive reality. How objects relate to each other and the space around them provides evidence for the visual order in our world. The artist's creative manipulation of these elements determines the stylistic qualities in a work of art that, in the end, always contains the subjective fingerprint of the artist's idea of the real.
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.