A Matter of Form

Pick a letter of the alphabet. Study its shape. How does the shape change when it’s handwritten? Typed? In italics or cursive? The artists whose work is featured here play with type and form—an element of art—to create energetic and experimental compositions. They are more interested in how type looks than in what the letters and words mean.

Choose a letter from the alphabet. Study its shape. How does the shape change when it’s handwritten? Typed? Bold or in cursive? The artists whose work is on these pages play with type’s form, or shape, in their work. They are more interested in how type looks than in what the letters or words mean.

Stuart Davis was born in 1892 in Philadelphia. He moved to New York City as a young man to pursue a career in art.  In 1913, Davis was the youngest artist to show his work at the first Armory Show, an important exhibition featuring art from all over the world. His work was realistic, and he was amazed by the artists in the show who were experimenting with form. New York’s jazz scene also inspired Davis to start pushing conventions. “For a number of years, jazz had a tremendous influence on my thoughts about art and life,” he said.

Davis titled his 1945-51 work, top image, The Mellow Pad, which is jazz slang for “the cool place to be.” He includes the title near the center of the composition, styling each word differently. He layers abstract shapes and seemingly random letters across the picture plane. The result evokes jazz music’s high energy. The complex shapes twist and dance around one another, creating a visual rhythm. Like a jazz musician, Davis abandons the traditional rule of including one focal point. At the time, critics considered this a radical artistic decision. 

In 1892, Stuart Davis was born in Philadelphia. When he was a young man, he moved to New York City. In 1913, Davis was the youngest artist to show his work at the first Armory Show, an important exhibit of art from all over the world. The artists who were experimenting with form amazed him. Jazz music in New York also inspired him. “Jazz had a tremendous influence on my thoughts about art and life,” he said. 

Davis’s 1945-51 work, top image, is titled The Mellow Pad. He includes the title close to the center of the composition. It’s jazz slang for “the cool place to be.” He styles each word differently. Throughout the painting, Davis layers abstract, or simplified, shapes and letters. They seem to twist and dance around one another. He uses type to capture the high energy of jazz music. 

Nora Turato is a graphic designer from Croatia. She plucks phrases from scripts, literature, tweets, and other sources. Then she reinvents them in her work. 

In her 2020 installation let’s never be like that, above, Turato creates a dialogue between the space’s traditional architecture and her contemporary design. Bright concentric circles radiate from behind the door. The shiny enamel paint contrasts the natural wood details in the room. Horizontal bands of text in varied fonts cut across the space, presenting a strong voice. Turato says, “With this exhibition, I wanted to take up the space!” The phrases create an impression rather than a specific message or story.

Compare the works shown here. How do the artists take risks with type and form?

Nora Turato is an artist from Croatia. She uses phrases from TV, books, Twitter, and more in her work. 

She titled her 2020 installation above let’s never be like that. Turato fills the walls of an old-fashioned room with bright circles. The shiny paint contrasts with the wood. Turato creates a relationship between the classic architecture and her painting’s modern design. She adds horizontal text in different fonts on the walls. “I wanted to take up the space!” she says. 

How do each of these artists take risks with type and form?