Idea of form in art

Destruction of the point births the line,
Dimension brings the real to life.
Yet the point holds no dimension—
From point to line,
The before, the after, and the in-between remains unknown.

Beyond lies concern, the limitation becomes real.
Virtue transforms to the visible,
The visible becomes the known.
But when do they begin?
When do they end?

A question becomes a question,
Only when the questionable exists.
So, when do they exist?
...Form!"

When we delve into the chapters of human evolution, the concept of form emerges as a fundamental aspect, potentially predating the notion of the divine or the primordial, depending on one's viewpoint. It's not that the idea of God overrides all other forms as the pinnacle of human evolution, but rather that God symbolizes faith. This specific form has been practised and manifested across millennia. The question of "What is a form?" about God may not be as elusive as it seems. While the concept of God may wrestle with its own formative questions, it has nevertheless been a constant form within human history.

An idea can take on the status of a form under particular conditions, expressed through frameworks like dimensions, constructs, or continuums. Yet, when removed from these conditions—forms in themselves—the inquiry into "how a form develops" becomes a complex enigma that challenges physical and metaphysical understanding. Historically, intellectuals have addressed the question of form through two broad approaches.

One group, like Sage Kanada in India or the atomists in the West, attempted to reduce the universe to its most basic elements. Conversely, scientists and artists have sought to understand the cosmos through its relationships, dimensions, and entanglements, expressed through theories such as relativity, quantum mechanics, string theory, or even aesthetic forms in art. The inherent complexity in these explorations lies in the fact that they often use one abstract form—yet to be fully comprehended—to explain another. Suppose intelligence is the application of experience to potentialities based on empirical knowledge. In that case, the notion of abstract forms explaining other abstract forms becomes a paradox in human comprehension.

Language's structural limitations—where letters or words may not carry full meanings—may help explain humanity's fascination with order and form. Intelligence, absent thought, is merely an experience. Without language, thought cannot exist; without thought, there can be no structures or forms. Setting aside metaphysical debates about the origins of space and primordial intelligence, human evolution clearly demonstrates a profound relationship between form and intelligence.

Communication, one of the earliest forms developed by our ancestors, was not a strictly intellectual act but an evolutionary response. Similarly, physical forms—like art—are not static; they are nature's evolutionary experiments. However, these modifications become "artistic" only when framed within the structures of human aesthetic thought. Thus, from a human perspective, a form comes to life in the mind rather than in its physical existence. This mental isolation and selection of one form from many marks the first step in shaping human intelligence.

Revisiting the earlier claim that "intelligence without thought is merely experience," we now see a deeper insight into how language underpins thinking. Without language, there can be no conceptual forms, and intelligence remains only an isolated experience.

As such, the human quest for form—from the earliest days of animism to contemporary virtual reality, from primitive realism to abstract expressionism—has been a continuous thread. Like any aspect of human culture, the art of form is inseparable from the intellectual and evolutionary process that creates it. Whether through geometric precision or the free-flowing movements of surrealism, the pursuit of form tells the story of how humans have engaged with their world for thousands of years. Form, both physical and intellectual, is the art of human life.