Gestalt

The general meaning of gestalt as I understand it is as follows, more than one shape or form coming together to create a larger unified pattern or image. I did not originally cite this because I was already aware of it's definition, but I looked it up on Wikipedia and the definition was similar to my own, just worded differently.

Adobe Illustrator

This was not an easy challenge for me, I must say. I am not familiar with my own PC, let alone a Mac or Adobe Illistrator. The tasks were helpfull in getting a grasp on the basic concepts and tools of the program. I still do not feel too confident in my ability to manipulate the intricacies of Adobe, but I suppose it just takes practice. Probably more for myself than most. But you sure can creat some interesting things with it when you know what you're doing.

String Theory

The string activity was quite invasive. The idea of being able to unwind a ball of string and wrap it around the center of the room seemed like it would be a lot of fun, and it was. I found myself mostly to one side of the room, and I think a lot of people ended up segregated to one area during the project. After the first few rounds it became too difficult to move far. Some of the shapes that were created were very interesting, but for some reason I found myself more concerned with the tension of the string as it made its way from one hinge to another. I enjoyed the concept of what we were doing, playing with line and shape on a scale larger than ourselves, but I wish we could have seen it from a bird's eye view. And of course, having to unstring and untangle all of it was no kind of fun.

Critique

In this image, a white curvey shape spreads from the bottom left corner of the painting toward the upper right corner, tapering off around the center. It is set on a blue background. The shape ends in five white oval like extensions. The bottom two extensions hold a blu semicircle each. whith a brown and black line at the tip. The top extension ends in small circular shape, near the top of the image, with a pointed protrusion facing downward. The shape contains a yellow circle center, surrounded by a black and red outline. At the tip of the protrusion a white oval hangs, crossed over by a thin black line.
The image is a very simple one, consisting of only two main colors. The shapes are flat and almost bulbous in their outlines. There is a smooth feeling of tranquility as blue meets white. And the birdlike image at the top, in black red and yellow, nicely accents the simplicity of the rest of the piece.
Overall I find the piece a successful one, simple in the majority but seemingly purposefully so and very well executed. The intermingling of blue and white soft shapes conveys the soothing feeling the painting seems to be going for. The space is used well, and the small use of more dramatic color draws the eye nicely.

Line Shape

I suppose I would say only B is a line, and A, C, and D are shapes. But...

My general theory on the difference between shape and line is that shapes are defined by lines. Where as lines are defined by the space surrounding them. But this really just ends up being a fruitless attempt to define something seemingly cyclic. When I think of a shape I think of something with mass, something broad, but a polygon can take on any form. And what is a line when magnified, afterall, but a stretched and thinned polygon, a shape. Does a shape cease to be a shape when it gets thin enough that we can no longer distinguish its angles and sides? Do we then call it a line? If you scrutinize and magnify a general line until it possesses the same characteristics of a rectangle has it gone from defining a shape to becoming one, has it changed? I give up.