Form Discussion Questions

What do the forms on this sculpture remind you of?

Can you find geometric shapes?

Do some of the forms look like things in nature?

Imagine using an air pump to inflate flat shapes. What do you get? Form! Forms are shapes in
three dimensions:

These are geometric forms, which are precise and regular. They are often found in human-made
things, like buildings and machines while biomorphic shapes are found in nature. These shapes
may look like leaves, flowers, clouds—things that grow, flow, and move. The term biomorphic
means: life-form (bio=life and morph= form). Biomorphic shapes are often rounded and irregular
and can also turn into forms. Sculpture is the most obvious place to see form, or three-dimensional
shape, in art.

Look back at the PowerPoint for form and choose 3 artworks. Discuss the following questions for
each of them.

 Are the forms geometric or biomorphic? Or both?

 What do you think the sculpture is made of? Metal, stone, wood, plastic, clay, marble, or
something else?
 Do you think it’s made out of a single piece or multiple ones? If multiple, how would you attach
them together? (If you look closely at Martin Puryear’s Lever No. 3, you will discover seams of
laminated strips of pine, which the artist planed, sanded, and painted black. In many places, the
bare wood shows through, giving the sculpture a distinctly handmade look. Puryear is an ardent
craftsperson, who studied woodworking techniques as part of his artistic training.)
 If the work of art is abstract, what does the sculpture remind you of? Something man-made or in
nature?