The simplification of forms might be a reduction in the number of folds/turns found within a character or object and/or it might be an effort on the artist’s part to reduce the forms to nearly geometric shapes, such as spheres, cones, cylinders, or flat, curved, convex, or concave planes.

Simplification might occur due to an artist’s unconscious tendencies, a conscious preference for a simpler world, social pressure to depict characters/objects in a simplified manner, or as a choice to accentuate an already simple character/object.

Featured: Spring Turning by Grant Wood.