History of Interior Design II
06 Art in 15th-17th Century Tutor : Amal Shah Spring 2021 Faculty of Design, CEPT University
Visual Arts- Frescos
The Apotheosis of St Ignatius (1691-4) in San Ignazio, Rome. The finest Quadratura fresco of Catholic Counter-Reformation Art of the 17th century.
Brancacci Chapel Frescoes By Masaccio. one of the great works of Renaissance art of the early phase of the Italian Renaissance.
The art term Fresco (Italian for 'fresh') describes the method of painting in which colour pigments are mixed solely with water (no binding agent used) and then applied directly onto freshly laid lime-plaster ground (surface).
Fresco was practised as early as 2000 BCE by the Minoans during the bronze age civilization of Crete. Famous Cretan buon fresco wall paintings include "The Toreador". It was during the Italian Renaissance that fresco painting reached its apogee, except for Venice which was too damp. 15th-Century artists throughout Italy used fresco techniques in particular for their religious paintings in cathedrals and churches.
The surface is typically a plastered wall or ceiling. The liquid paint is absorbed by the plaster and as the plaster dries the pigments are retained in the wall. Before paint was applied, the artist usually made a preparatory drawing (sinopia) in red chalk.
Visual Arts- Paintings Characteristics The surface is typically a plastered wall or ceiling. The liquid paint is absorbed by the plaster and as the plaster dries the pigments are retained in the wall. Before paint was applied, the artist usually made a preparatory drawing (sinopia) in red chalk.
Types of Frescos There are three main types of fresco technique: Buon or true fresco, Secco and Mezzo-fresco. Buon fresco, the most common fresco method, involves the use of pigments mixed with water (without a binding agent) on a thin layer of wet, fresh, lime mortar or plaster (intonaco). The pigment is absorbed into the wall as described above.
The Tribute Money By Masaccio.(1425)
Expulsion of Adam & Eve From the Garden of Eden. Iconic Christian art by Masaccio(1426)
Secco painting is done on dry plaster and therefore requires a binding medium, (eg. egg tempera, glue or oil) to attach the pigment to the wall, as in the famous mural painting known as The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci. Mezzo-fresco involves painting onto almost but not quite dry intonaco so that the pigment only penetrates slightly into the plaster. By 1600 this had largely replaced buon fresco on murals and ceilings.
Michelangelo, Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, fresco, 1508-1512 (Genesis Fresco)
Last Judgement fresco (1536-41) By Michelangelo
Visual Arts : Frescoes and Paintings : 15th century
Fra Filippo Lippi, Madonna and Child with Two Angels, tempera on wood, 1455 - 1466 Early Rennaisance : The figures appear so human—that in some ways we can hardly tell that these are divine figures
The Virgin of the Rocks (1483) Leonardo da Vinci demonstrates Leonardo's revolutionary technique of using shadows, rather than outlines, to model his figures.
Michelangelo, The Creation of Adam, 1511 from the sistine chapel ceiling. High Rennaisance : Works display restrained beauty where all of the parts are subordinate to the cohesive composition of the whole painting. It's a delicate application of developments from early renaissance.
Visual Arts : Frescoes and Paintings : 16 th - 17 th century
Jan van Eyck, The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin, oil on panel, c. 1430-35, 66 x 62 cm The painting is a careful study of how light reacts to the varying textures. But the scene is an imagined one.
Van Eyck is credited with the invention of the oil-glazing technique, which replaced the earlier egg-tempera method
The Art of Painting (detail) Johannes Vermeer (c. 1662–1668) Oil on canvas Vermeer's extraordinary technical mastery, the crystal-clear light which illuminates the scene, the purity of the volumes and the unique psychological distancing of the figures are all characteristics of his work that here reach an extraordinary level of refinement.
The Disembarkation at Marseilles by Paul Peter Ruben (1625)Widely considered one of the most important artists of the Baroque era, Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens produced a prolific and influential body of work. He produced work political and religious in nature
Visual Arts- Paintings In Italy the Renaissance proper was preceded by an important “proto-renaissance” in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, which drew inspiration from Franciscan radicalism. St. Francis had rejected the formal Scholasticism of the prevailing Christian theology and gone out among the poor praising the beauties and spiritual value of nature. His example inspired Italian artists and poets to take pleasure in the world around them.
Lamentation of Christ
The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli Created in 1485, the painting shows Goddess Venus arriving on the island of Cyprus. She is depicted as a pure and mature woman standing on a seashell. Botticelli had given much attention to every detail of Venus.
The most famous artist of the proto-renaissance period, Giotto di Bondone (1266/67 or 1276–1337), reveals a new pictorial style that depends on clear, simple structure and great psychological penetration rather than on the flat, linear decorativeness and hierarchical compositions of his predecessors and contemporaries, such as the Florentine painter Cimabue and the Siennese painters Duccio and Simone Martini..
Visual Arts- Sculptures An equally important feature of Renaissance art was its naturalism. In sculpture, this was evident in the increase of contemporary subjects, together with a more naturalistic handling of proportions, drapery, anatomy, and perspective. A third feature was the reemergence of classical subjects and forms. The revival of classicism in sculpture began about the time of Nicola Pisano (c.1206-1278), and, though checked in the 14th-century, continued throughout the 15th-century. Classicism took over completely only during the High Renaissance (c.1490-1530)
Verrocchio. "Bartolommeo Colleoni", Venice 1479
Adoration of Magi by Nicola Pisano
Renaissance sculpture is often thought to have begun with the famous competition for the doors of the Florence baptistry in 1403, which was won by Lorenzo Ghiberti.
Donatello, David Medici owned this statue and placed it in the courtyard of the Palazzo Medici in Florence.
Proportion
‘Noah is Disgraced’ by Michelangelo (1508-1515 AD) The hands are positioned as though grasping the golden proportion and intentionally showcasing its use. It can be viewed as a visual metaphor of human desire to grasp the Divine
The golden ratio, known then as the Divine proportion, was a highly regarded tool for artistic composition and expression in the Renaissance art. It was thought to embody an essence of the Divine.
God divides the Water (1508-1515 AD) Michelangelo appears to have used the golden ratio in the positioning of the primary characters within each painting
Composition and Proportion The Creation of Adam Composition of Alternating Pattern that applied the golden proportion : A. A large painting, whose dimensions are based on the outside border of the separating section B. A small painting, whose dimensions are based on the inside border of the separating section
The positions of the numerous human figures sitting along the opposite sides of the ceiling are based on the golden ratio of the width of the center section of the ceiling.
Movement and Dynamism : Depicting God-ly figures with less human-like attributes as compared to Baroque paintings
B
A
Point The Golden Proportion and lines for composition Vesica Pisces : Prerogative shape for Venus Sacred Triangle 3-4-5 ratio Point as the sacred navel of Jesus
Entire canvas in Golden ratio proportion The width to height ratio is 1.617
The vesica piscis, the prerogative of Venus, then combines with the queen figure of this geometry, the sacred triangle (3-4-5), to form a magnificent figure of synthesis φ and √3 ratios depict the sexuality of numbers and the painting
Lines, Point and Proportions : Different layers of proportion lines are gathered to emphasize the navel of Venus (point)
Line Composition : Baroque artists were also interested in movement. Here we see the moment when Christ is being lowered into his tomb. It's a process happening before our eyes—so we have a caught moment in time.
In the High Renaissance, we saw compositions in the shape of a pyramid—a very stable shape. Here in Baroque art we see diagonals, or
sometimes interlocking diagonals in the shape of an X. Pietro Paolini, Allegory of the Five Senses, c. 1630,
Caravaggio organized the composition so that it looks like the body of Christ is being lowered right into our space, as though we were standing in the tomb. One of the most important goals of Baroque art is to involve the viewer.
Realism : The artist is giving us a very real sense of this moment. The body of Christ looks truly dead, the figures struggle to hold the dead weight of his body and ease him down gently into his tomb.
Caravaggio, The Cardsharps, c. 1595
Everything is located very much in the foreground of the painting, very close to us to experience ourselves in the actual painting
Albrecht Dürer. St. Jerome in His Study, 1514. Engraving
Representation of Space
The School of Athens' by Raphael (1505), a fine example of architectural perspective with a central vanishing point, marking the high point of the classical Renaissance. Raphael's use of linear
perspective was to represent the space as well as to indicate famous literary figures in the painting.
Shape and Form
(By Raphael, from the Renaissance) It uses a time tested triangle for its composition. It conveys stability and strength, as well as some religious symbolism.
(By Rubens) It uses two diagonals and a more dynamic composition. The shapes create a triangular frame for the child. The main diagonal is often reinforced by lines running parallel to it.
Colour, Light and Shadow Chiaroscuro in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achieve a sense of volume in modelling three-dimensional objects and figures
Joseph Wright of Derby painted several large groups with strong chiaroscuro, such as A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery, 1766
The Matchmaker by Gerrit van Honthorst, 1625
Giovanni Baglione. Sacred and Profane Love. 1602–1603, showing dramatic compositional chiaroscuro
Texture
Uses of texture to convey a sense of what the materials would feel like during the Renaissance Period. Examples of different types of cloth, hair, fur, and metals. Portrait of Isabella of Portugal, Rogier van der Weyden Edward VI as a Child, Hans Holbein the Younger,
Colour and Texture
Peter Paul Rubens, Samson and Delilah, c. 1609-1610, oil on panel Composition as a side-on view to add drama
Portrayal of flesh and musculature is evident in Delilah’s décolletage and Samson’s muscled back. A fascination with textures and textiles is seen in the gold-brocaded fabric.
Diego Velázquez, The Surrender of Breda, 1634-35
The center of the painting composition is dominated by the exchange of the keys. The muted earth tones and a soft light give the painting a naturalistic character. Without blatant symbols, allegorical figures, or even idealized figures, the viewer is invited to encounter the scene as if they had been there.
Elements of Baroque Art
Light and Shadow Movement Emotive Intensity Depth Hidden lines and forms for composition
Sculptures (15 - 16th century)
Bronze, copper and tin with Lost wax method
David by Donatello, (1440 AD) (commissioned by the Medici) Sculpted figures had finally been detached from architecture and are once again independent in the way they were in ancient Greece and Rome. Because he was free-standing, he seems more human, more real made with classical knowledge of contrapposto
The Deposition by Michelangelo (1547)
Contrapposto is an Italian term that means "counterpoise". It is used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot, so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs in the axial plane.
Pietà by Michelangelo (1499) has inspired emotion, faith, and imitation through its elegant depiction of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. The elaborate drapery of Mary has been carved out extensively from Carrara marble
Principles of Composition in Art
Balance, symmetry, and emphasis Balance is an even use of elements throughout a work of art. Symmetry is a very formal type of balance consisting of a mirroring of portions of an image. Bilateral symmetry, that is, two- sided symmetry, is the most common, in which two halves of a work of art mirror each other. Perugino, Christ Giving the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter, Sistine Chapel,
Balance, symmetry, and emphasis Radial symmetry Radial symmetry is created when an image is symmetrical around a central point or axis, like a sunflower viewed head-on. Radial symmetry creates a strong sense of unity in a work of art, and is common in sacred images. In a Shingon Tantric Buddhist World Womb Mandala, all points seem to radiate outward from the central figure of the Buddha. The numerous figures around him are bodhisattvas, individuals who have chosen out of compassion to delay their entry into Nirvana in order to help others who are suffering. It is fitting that they are shown as if emanating out of the Buddha, himself, as his enlightenment and compassion are the source and model for theirs. The image also gives a sense that the universe itself is highly ordered.
Balance, symmetry, and emphasis Asymmetrical Balance the use of asymmetrical balance is evident as the artist has punctuated large areas of shadow with much smaller areas of bright light. The focal point, the woman holding the balance, is right of center and is counterbalanced by the large, relatively plain and empty areas to the left. However, perfect symmetry is not necessary to create a sense of balance in an image. Asymmetrical balance is created when two sides of an image do not mirror each other, but still have approximately the same visual weight, the same amount of detail or shapes or color, and so on.
Emphasis
Emphasis is the principle of art that helps the audience put the story of a painting together in their own minds. Any object or area of emphasis is called a focal point. The focal point is meant to be the part of an artwork to which the viewer's eyes are first attracted. The Last Supper (1490 AD) Leonardo da Vinci
Pattern, repetition and rhythm, variety and unity Repetition and pattern Repetition can be less structured than pattern, which is more regular. Both can work to create a sense of rhythm, as discussed below. The large base of a Ming Dynasty Chinese Bronze statue of Vairochana Buddha is composed of literally thousands of tiny bodhisattvas (Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have chosen to stay on earth to help others achieve enlightenment), which therefore seem to serve to support Buddha figuratively, as well as visually. Their repetition is very regular, establishing a clear pattern. This is also the case in the Buddhist mandala from the 9th century. The pattern in both cases emphasizes the unity of purpose shared by these thousands of figures, each an embodiment of the ideal of compassion. Vairocana Buddha, 16th-17th century, China, bronze
Pattern, repetition and rhythm, variety and unity Rhythm Rhythm is the visual tempo set by repeating elements in a work of art or architecture. The arches and columns of the Great Mosque of Cordoba provide a good example. They are spaced very evenly, setting up an even tone to the building. This is then enlivened by the rhythm created by the striped pattern on the arches.
Pattern, repetition and rhythm, variety and unity Variety and Unity Variety is the use of different visual elements throughout a work, whereas unity is a feeling that all the parts of a work fit together well. These do not have to be opposites, as a work filled with variety might also have unity. At a distance, they all become one, expressing great unity, but taken one at a time, each as an object of contemplation, they contain more variety than it would at first appear. The night watch by Rembrandt
Movement Movement in element Visual movement is the principle of art used to create the impression of action in a work of art.
Movement as Composition Movement can apply to a single component in a composition or to the whole composition at once. The Entombment of Christ, Caravaggio
Renaissance Literature & Drama The renaissance was a movement which occurred in Europe between the 14th and 17th century that mainly affected the culture and the lifestyles of people (Mason 5). Due to its nature, the renaissance period is viewed as a transition between the middle ages to the modern era. William Shakespeare’s and the Renaissance are inseparably associated due to the playwright’s impact on the period.
Shakespeare (1564-1616) William Shakespeare was among the people who brought about a lot of changes during the renaissance period in England and transformed literature, thus affecting later culture. His biography evidences that Shakespeare (1564-1616) was among the most prominent poets and authors who ever lived.
Shakespeare & Renaissance: Cultural Influence Shakespeare is usually referred to as the Renaissance man due to the contributions he had on the lives of people during this period. There were a lot of cultural changes during this period. Most of these changes were initiated by the elite people in the society who felt that the rights and freedoms of individuals in the community were being violated. These people noticed that the few people of the upper class were using the law and religion to their advantage, which led them to benefit more from the available resources as compared to the other people of the society who composed the bulk of the community. This led to the emergence of a group of philosophers, artists, writers, and scholars who were inquisitive about their surroundings.
Shakespeare & Renaissance: Social Hierarchy Shakespeare updated the simplistic, two-dimensional writing style of pre-Renaissance drama. He focused on creating human characters with psychological complexity. Hamlet is perhaps the most famous example of this. The upheaval in social hierarchy allowed Shakespeare to explore the complexity and humanity of every character, regardless of their social position. Even monarchs were portrayed as having human emotions and were capable of making terrible mistakes. Consider King Lear and Macbeth.
Questioning social hierarchy by portraying the lives of the elite
Capturing Psychological complexities through emotions
Shakespeare & Renaissance: Impact of Religion Elizabethan England endured a different form of religious oppression than that which had dominated the Middle Ages. When she took the throne, Queen Elizabeth I forced conversions and drove practicing Catholics underground with her imposition of the Recusancy Acts. These laws required citizens to attend worship in Anglican churches. If discovered, Catholics faced stiff penalties or even death. Despite these laws, Shakespeare did not appear to be afraid to write about Catholicism nor to present Catholic characters in a favorable light. His inclusion of Catholicism in his works has led historians to hypothesize that the Bard was secretly Catholic. Catholic characters included Friar Francis ( "Much Ado About Nothing"), Friar Laurence ("Romeo and Juliet"), and even Hamlet himself. At the very least, Shakespeare’s writing indicates a thorough knowledge of Catholic rituals. Regardless of what he may have been doing secretly, he maintained a public persona as an Anglican. He was baptized in and buried at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, a Protestant church.
Renaissance: Music
The Renaissance era of classical music saw the growth of polyphonic music, the rise of new instruments, and a burst of new ideas regarding harmony, rhythm, and music notation.
Sacred & Secular Music Sacred: Early Renaissance music was dominated by the Latin Mass due to the supremacy of the Catholic church. As a result, the sacred music was mostly polyphonic masses in Latin for use in church.
Secular: Secular music in the early Renaissance was very dependent upon the courts, which could finance and support musicians.
Renaissance: Music Secular Music: As the period progressed, the secular music pushed the boundaries a bit more and laid the foundation for functional harmony (major and minor keys). Composers tried to get increasing emotion into the pieces. Secular Renaissance music was mostly vocal music, but instrumental music in its own right developed (instead of just being accompaniment for vocals or dance accompaniment). e.g. fantasia and variations. Popular vocal genres also influenced composers who used simplified bass lines which highlighted a smaller number of closely related harmonies. This laid foundation for the more complex chord progressions of the Baroque era.
Renaissance Music: Social Impact Religious music was still ubiquitous in the Renaissance period, but the church’s decline in influence meant that composers gained more artistic freedom and were allowed to write creative music for its own sake. There had been a recent revival of interest in ancient cultures, and composers began to take inspiration from the art and mythology of Ancient Greece and Rome, as well as from astronomy and mathematics.
Baroque: Music One of the major philosophical currents in Baroque music comes from the Renaissance interest in ideas from ancient Greece and Rome. The Greeks and Romans believed that music was a powerful tool of communication and could arouse any emotion in its listeners. As a result of the revival of these ideas, composers became increasingly aware of music’s potential power, and cultivated the belief that their own compositions could have similar effects if they correctly emulated ancient music. ce in the late sixteenth century,
Contrast | Different instrumental sounds Contrast is an important ingredient in the drama of a Baroque composition. The differences between loud and soft, solo and ensemble (as in the concerto), different instruments and timbres all play an important role in many Baroque compositions. Composers also began to be more precise about instrumentation, often specifying the instruments on which a piece should be played instead of allowing the performer to choose. Brilliant instruments like the trumpet and violin also grew in popularity.
Elements of Art and Design
Primary Elements All pictorial form begins with the point that sets itself in motion… The point moves ... and the line comes into being—the first dimension. If the line shifts to form a plane, we obtain a two-dimensional element. In the movement from plane to spaces, the clash of planes gives rise to body (three-dimensional) . . . A summary of the kinetic energies which move the point into a line, the line into a plane, and the plane into a spatial dimension.” Paul Klee The Thinking Eye: The Notebooks of Paul Klee
Primary Elements: Point A point marks a position in space. Conceptually, it has no length, width, or depth, and is therefore static, centralized, and directionless. As the prime element in the vocabulary of form, a point can serve to mark: • the two ends of a line • the intersection of two lines • the meeting of lines at the corner of a plane or volume • the center of a field Although a point theoretically has neither shape nor form, it begins to make its presence felt when placed within a visual field. At the center of its environment, a point is stable and at rest, organizing surrounding elements about itself and dominating its field. St. Peter’s Square, Rome
Primary Elements: Line A point extended becomes a line. Conceptually, a line has length, but no width or depth. Whereas a point is by nature static, a line, in describing the path of a point in motion, is capable of visually expressing direction, movement, and growth. A line is a critical element in the formation of any visual construction. It can serve to: ●
● ●
join, link, support, surround, or intersect other visual elements describe the edges of and give shape to planes articulate the surfaces of planes
Two parallel lines have the ability to visually describe a plane. A transparent spatial membrane can be stretched between them to acknowledge their visual relationship. The closer these lines are to each other, the stronger will be the sense of plane they convey. A series of parallel lines, through their repetitiveness, reinforces our perception of the plane they describe. As these lines extend themselves along the plane they describe, the implied plane becomes real and the original voids between the lines revert to being mere interruptions of the planar surface. Cloister of Moissac Abbey, France,
Primary Elements: Line The orientation of a line affects its role in a visual construction. While a vertical line can express a state of equilibrium with the force of gravity, symbolize the human condition, or mark a position in space, a horizontal line can represent stability, the ground plane, the horizon, or a body at rest. An oblique line is a deviation from the vertical or horizontal. It may be seen as a vertical line falling or a horizontal line rising. In either case, whether it is falling toward a point on the ground plane or rising to a place in the sky, it is dynamic and visually active in its unbalanced state. Even the simple repetition of like or similar elements, if continuous enough, can be regarded as a line. This type of line has significant textural qualities. St. Philibert, Tournus, France, This view of the nave shows how rows of columns can provide a rhythmic measure of space.
Primary Elements: Line Linear members that possess the necessary material strength can perform structural functions. In these three examples, linear elements: • express movement across space • provide support for an overhead plane • form a three-dimensional structural frame for architectural space A line can be an imagined element rather than a visible one in architecture. An example is the axis, a regulating line established by two distant points in space and about which elements are symmetrically arranged. At a smaller scale, lines articulate the edges and surfaces of planes and volumes. These lines can be expressed by joints within or between building materials, by frames around window or door openings, or by a structural grid of columns and beams.
Primary Elements: Line Vertical and horizontal linear elements together can define a volume of space such as the solarium illustrated to the right. Note that the form of the volume is determined solely by the configuration of the linear elements. “The column is a certain strengthened part of a wall, carried up perpendicular from the foundation to the top … A row of columns is indeed nothing but a wall, open and discontinued in several places.” - Leon Battista Alberti Laon Cathedral, Nave
Primary Elements: Plane line extended in a direction other than its intrinsic direction becomes a plane. Conceptually, a plane has length and width, but no depth. Shape is the primary identifying characteristic of a plane. It is determined by the contour of the line forming the edges of a plane. Because our perception of shape can be distorted by perspective foreshortening, we see the true shape of a plane only when we view it frontally. The supplementary properties of a plane—its surface color, pattern, and texture—affect its visual weight and stability. The ground plane ultimately supports all architectural construction. Along with climate and other environmental conditions of a site, the topographical character of the ground plane influences the form of the building that rises from it. The building can merge with the ground plane, rest firmly on it, or be elevated above it.
The Spanish Steps, Rome
The ground plane itself can be manipulated as well to establish a podium for a building form. It can be elevated to honor a sacred or significant place; bermed to define outdoor spaces or buffer against undesirable conditions; carved or terraced to provide a suitable platform on which to build; or stepped to allow changes in elevation to be easily traversed.
Primary Elements: Plane In the composition of a visual construction, a plane serves to define the limits or boundaries of a volume. If architecture as a visual art deals specifically with the formation of three dimensional volumes of mass and space, then the plane should be regarded as a key element in the vocabulary of architectural design. Overhead Plane The overhead plane can be either the roof plane that spans and shelters the interior spaces of a building from the climatic elements, or the ceiling plane that forms the upper enclosing surface of a room. Wall Plane The wall plane, because of its vertical orientation, is active in our normal field of vision and vital to the shaping and enclosure of architectural space. Base Plane The base plane can be either the ground plane that serves as the physical foundation and visual base for building forms, or the floor plane that forms the lower enclosing surface of a room upon which we walk. Hall of Mirrors in Palace of Versailles
Primary Elements: Plane Exterior wall planes isolate a portion of space to create a controlled interior environment. Their construction provides both privacy and protection from the climatic elements for the interior spaces of a building, while openings within or between their boundaries re establish a connection with the exterior environment. As exterior walls mold interior space, they simultaneously shape exterior space and describe the form, massing, and image of a building in space. As a design element, the plane of an exterior wall can be articulated as the front or primary facade of a building. In urban situations, these facades serve as walls that define courtyards, streets, and such public gathering places as squares and marketplaces. S. Maria Novella, Florence, by Alberti The Renaissance facade by Alberti presents a public face to a square. Piazza of San Marco, Venice. The continuous facades of buildings form the “walls” of the urban space.
Primary Elements: Volume A plane extended in a direction other than its intrinsic direction becomes a volume. Conceptually, a volume has three dimensions: length, width, and depth. All volumes can be analyzed and understood to consist Of: • points or vertices where several planes come together • lines or edges where two planes meet • planes or surfaces that define the limits or boundaries of a volume Form is the primary identifying characteristic of a volume. It is established by the shapes and interrelationships of the planes that describe the boundaries of the volume. As the three-dimensional element in the vocabulary of architectural design, a volume can be either a solid— space displaced by mass—or a void—space contained or enclosed by planes. Piazza Maggiore, Sabbioneta, Italy. A series of buildings enclose an urban square.