Oct 14, 2019

Bayshore Art Studio Creative Thinking Expansion: Lines and Direction

In geometry, a line is the path traced by a moving point, and the set of these moving points has spatial directionality. But when the movement of the point stops, does the set of points that form the path of the line still have visual directionality?

For example, consider this straight line:

Or this curve:

Or this broken line:

Or this irregular line:

It seems that they have a directional indication, but the visual guidance is not obvious. So, can we consider a line merely as a stationary length? Before answering this question, let’s first consider what direction is. Let’s take a look at the definition of direction:

Direction: the line or course on which something is moving or is aimed to move or along which something is pointing or facing.[1] In this definition, apart from "pointing/facing," which emphasizes the direction’s indication, "Moving/to move/along" are the key verbs I want to highlight. So, in a static image, how can we use lines to express or emphasize visual direction and dynamism?

Let me show you a few pictures:

Even though the straight lines are the same thickness, when arrows are added, doesn’t the feeling become more clear or strengthened in terms of directionality and visual movement?

The same straight lines, with the same thickness, combined with zigzag lines, can create a certain visual direction and sense of movement through the varying gaps between the lines.

The straight lines of varying thickness form a circular arrangement. Did you feel any sense of direction? Where will your visual focus be directed?

The curves with different thicknesses, using varying degrees of lightness, heaviness, and solidness, clearly give us a sense of directional movement, don't they? Is it expanding from the center outward, or from the edges toward the center? It’s obvious that they already provide a clear sense of spatial direction and movement.

Where do you think the branches at the tips of the tree will extend to? Why?

Where do you think the lightning in the sky comes from? Where does it go? Why do you think it gives you this visual impression?

So, back to our two previous questions: can we consider a line simply as a stationary length? In a static image, how can we use a line to express or emphasize the visual direction and dynamism? If next time you pick up a brush and want to express the dynamic endpoint of an object, how would you use lines? What kind of lines would you use?

The German artist Paul Klee once said, "Take a walk with a line," which speaks to the essence of a line in its emotional significance, expressing the artist's subtle feelings and delicate emotions. It also reveals the infinite space for imagination that rich lines offer us. So, at the end of this lesson, let's relax and enjoy the limitless imagination that a single line can bring.