How do line, shape, and color behave when the gates of Time are suddenly opened to them?
I suggest that even the most skilled artisans have only just begun to explore this question. The prevalence of narrative in moving mediums has marginalized this question for many years. Of course a great film does wonders with line, shape, and color over time, but ultimately, it’s a film, and we’re there to get to know the characters and discover their fates. This question cannot be answered properly when narrative takes precedence. This is not a new conflict. We’ve seen it for centuries in the categorization of still images as paintings or illustrations. Although there is still a small, debated overlap, by and large illustrations are defined by What they depict rather than How. The power of paintings resides in How the depiction is made, through the heightened use of line, shape, and color(among other things). I argue that a similar distinction can be made regarding film and moving painting.
True moving paintings will make expert use of the How. Line, shape, and color as they proceed through time will form the basis for that.
