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, a cultural preference for depictions of characters/objects that have been simplified, or as a choice to accentuate the simplicity of an already simple character/object.

Simplification of form also, of course, is particularly suited to a Simple/Clean (p.186) aesthetic, and might be employed to create works that provide an escape from the complexity of the world.

Featured: Spring Turning by Grant Wood.