Creating Movement with Shapes

Negative space isn't empty space.

“There is life in movement, death in stagnation. I approach every painting with the idea that I want that painting to continuously move.”

– Autumn de Forest

Movement in an image suggests narrative without words.

It implies the sensation of flow, force, direction, rhythm and even time. And it can direct a viewer’s feeling. Fast and chaotic movement creates tension; slow or flowing movement can create calm.

Look closely at the tree in the above print. Don’t think of it as a tree - think of it as a shape. And within that shape there are two elements - the dark lines and the empty spaces between the lines, the negative spaces.

Those negative spaces can tell a story. Compare the tree in the above print with the one just below. The tree at the top has many wiggly, closely spaced lines. This energy, this movement of the lines and tight spaces creates tension. It’s not a relaxed tree. The abundance of dancing branches and the bend in the trunk make the tree appear to be in strong wind. The green ball, by its very nature is unstable on a flat surface and you just know that wind, and the tree branches, will forcefully move the ball along. And the rectangular wall shape in the background is also in flex. A gentle flex but it’s moving adding to what’s a very active image.

Now look at the tree shape below. Although the lines are still somewhat wavy, there’s much more negative space between the lines creating a feeling of relaxed flow. But that’s the only thing relaxed about the image.

The blue shape at the top of the image seems to be pressing down on the tree creating a sense of tension and the rough round shapes appear to be boulders bouncing along the horizon with some speed.

And we also know that the viewer’s eye can’t experience all these concepts at once. The eye also needs to move. It travels along the image making the viewer an active participant in the movement of shapes on a static image.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers

Bob