VISUAL INTEREST: SHAPE WELDING

James Gureny did an incredible study on shape welding in paintings:

http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2007/10/shape-welding.html

It’s about how depth planes and elements are merged together through hyper unity to simplify a composition. I wanted to expand this study to film, photos and promotional artwork that share this concept.

The same graphic effect can be achieved with live action. The blacks merge together create a 2D, negative space around a 3D center of interest.

This color-linking concept is used throughout Drew Struzan’s work to create a flow of one element to by “massing'“ them together:

Like in the examples above where warm values are merged, shape-welding can be used beyond black just values. Notice how the clothing welds to isolate the heads of the subjects.

Lazy Sunday:

Shape welding can also be found in nature:

My recent attempt at shape-welding in photography and still life painting: