Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
tion—the visual order and relationships of the figure and ground—is entirely abstract,
but depends greatly on how the brain interprets the information that the viewer sees.
Visual logic, all by itself, can also carry meaning. An extremely active relationship
between figure and ground might be appropriate for one kind of communication, con-
veying energy, growth, and aggression; a static relationship, communicating messages
such as quietness, restraint, or contemplation, might be equally appropriate in another
context. The degree of activity might depend on how many forms are interacting in
a given space, the size of the forms relative to the space, or how intricate the alterna-
tion between positive and negative appears to be. However, a composition might have
relatively simple structural qualities—meaning only one or two forms in a relatively
restrained interaction—but unusual relationships that appear more active or more com-
plex, despite the composition's apparent simplicity. In some compositions, the figure/
ground relationship can become quite complex, to the extent that each might appear op-
tically to be the other at the same time. This effect, in which what appears positive one
minute appears negative the next, is called “figure/ground reversal.” This rich visual
experience is extremely engaging; the brain gets to play a little game, and, as a result,
the viewer is enticed to stay within the composition a little longer and investigate other
aspects to see what other fun he or she can find. If you can recall one of artist M.C.
Escher's drawings—in which white birds, flying in a pattern, reveal black birds made
up of the spaces between them as they get closer together—you're looking at a classic
example of figure/ground reversal in action. The apparent reversal of foreground and
background is also a complex visual effect that might be delivered through very simple
figure/ground relationships, by overlapping two forms of different sizes, for example,
or allowing a negative element to cross in front of a positive element unexpectedly.
DARKER AND LIGHTER FIELDS
of color are used interchangeably for light and shadow to define
a three-dimensional space.
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