Subjectively, it may be modified to suggest many emotional states and responses. 2 Nature contains only mass and is described in art by contours. All shapes have their own personalities derived from our different responses to them. Vertical shapes are more exciting and more active. Vertical shapes rebel against the earth s gravity and imply energy.
Diagonal shapes are dynamic because they imply motion or tension.
The upper half of a picture is a place of freedom, happiness and triumph. The bottom half of a picture feels more threatened, heavier, sadder, or constrained. An object placed higher upon the page can have greater pictorial weight. The center of the page is an effective center of attention. The edges and corners of the picture appear to be the edges and corners of the picture world.