Perceiving the Shape of Space

L-Mode

Paul Cezanne "Boy with the Red Vest" 1890

Henri Matisse "Self Portrait" 1918

Paul Cezanne "Still Life with Plaster Cupid" 1895

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R-Mode

Edgar Degas "L'Absinthe" 1875

Perceiving the Shape of Space, The Positive Aspects of Negative Space 

These next exercises will explore the contours of the positive forms and negative shapes in space.  If that doesn't make sense yet, just wait until we are done, and it will. Before we begin, ​let’s quickly review the five basic skills of drawing. Remember, these are perceptual skills:
The perception of • Edges (line of contour drawing) • Spaces (negative spaces) • Relationships (proportion and perspective) • Lights and shadows (shading)

What are negative spaces and positive forms?
Two terms traditionally used in art are “negative spaces” and “positive forms.” In the drawings of the bighorn sheep, for example, the sheep is the positive form and the sky behind and ground below the animal are the negative spaces. The word “negative” in negative spaces is a bit unfortunate because it carries, well, a negative connotation. I have searched in vain for a better term, so we’ll stick with this one. The terms negative spaces and positive forms have the advantage of being easy to remember and they are, after all, commonly used in the whole field of art and design. The main point is that negative spaces are just as important as the positive forms. For the person just learning to draw, they are perhaps more important!

Why is learning to see and draw negative spaces so important?
When a person just beginning in drawing tries to draw a chair, that person knows too much, in an L-mode sense, about chairs. For example, seats have to be big enough to hold a person; all four chair legs are usually all the same length; chair legs sit on a flat surface, and so forth. This knowledge does not help, and in fact can greatly hinder, drawing a chair. The reason is that, when seen from different angles, the visual information may not conform to what we know. Visually—that is, as seen on the plane—a chair seat may appear as a narrow strip, not nearly wide enough to sit on. The legs may appear to be all of different lengths. The curve of the back of a chair may appear to be entirely different from what we know it to be.  What are we to do? An answer: Don’t draw the chair at all! Instead, draw the spaces of the chair. Why does using negative space make drawing easier? I believe that it’s because you don’t know anything, in a verbal sense, about these spaces. Because you have no pre-existing memorized symbols for space-shapes, you can see them clearly and draw them correctly. Also, by focusing on negative spaces, you can cause L-mode again to drop out of the task, perhaps after a bit of protest: “Why are you looking at nothing? I do not deal with nothing! I can’t name it. It’s of no use … ” Soon, this chatter will cease—again, just what we want.

The Warm-up Activity:  L-Mode and R-Mode Thumbnail Sketches.

Step One:
In your journal, I will ask you to make a series of drawings using the 4 images to the left.  Begin by turning your journal horizontally, and  create two side by side rectangles that echo the proportions of  Cezanne's "Boy with the Red Vest". You can use a ruler to measure the rectangle on your screen, then use those measurements for your two rectangles. Neatly write the title of the painting at the top of your page.  Once you have finished this step, Please turn the page of your journal and repeat the steps for the next painting in our list titled "Self Portrait" by Henri Matisse.  Continue this step until you have set the stage for your study of all 4 paintings. 

Step Two:
After completing the directions in the first step, return to the Cezanne painting titled "Boy with the Red Vest". In the Left rectangle I want to you to spend 10 minutes creating a line drawing of what you see.  After  you have finished, I want you to do the same thing for  all bu the last image in the list. 

Step Three:
Once you have spent 30 minutes drawing the images in the list as you see them,  it's time to make the big shift over to the R-mode.  These paintings were chosen because they have figurative elements.  Faces have recognizable parts that the L-mode can easily label and symbolize.  Many of the drawings in the class were of what the students L-mode tricked them into thinking they were seeing.  It's likely that the students weren't really looking at the space around the figure because that's just not what the L-mode cares about. This next activity will force you to look not at the subject, but at the space surrounding the subject.

Move to the blank rectangle beside your drawing of Cezanne's "Boy with the Red Vest".  This time, I want you to draw only the shapes you see around the subject in the painting. Notice the areas where one color meets another, or where a lighter tone meets darker tone, and draw those differences as outlined shapes.  Take as much time to do this as you need until you've clearly defined All of the shapes in the negative space. 

Once you feel like you are finished with the first painting, move to the next.  Continue to draw these shapes in the negative space until you have completed both the "positive forms" and the "negative shapes" drawings  for the first three images in the list.   What you end up with should be a fairly clear visual of how your L-mode and R-mode dictate your vision. 

Step Four:
Now that you've seen the difference between how your L-mode and R-mode see, let's experiment with reversing the order of how we make these two drawings.  This time, I'd like you to start with the R-mode by drawing only the shapes in the negative space of  "L'Absinthe" by Edgar Degas.

Step Five:
The final step of this exercise is finishing the "positive forms" drawings for the final painting.  Because you began studying this painting in the R-mode, you will likely experience a shift in how you perceive the positive forms in this last  drawingx  As you draw, you may notice that you are now seeing, or at least more aware of both the positive and negative space in the painting.  In our next exercise, we will apply what we learned to drawings on a much larger scale and will be working from life rather than copying two dimensional images.