significant form

In art, form refers to the elements that compose a work's unity and individuality as an object of sensory experience. This includes the arrangement of lines, shapes, colors, tones, and textures into an expressive pattern. Art critic Clive Bell famously proposed the theory of "significant form," asserting that the purely formal qualities of a work—the relationships and combinations of lines and colors—are its most important elements.123

The appreciation of art, whether abstract or representational, depends on perceiving this inherent order and reasonableness. A work of art should possess "organic unity," meaning all its parts function interdependently, contributing to a cohesive whole, much like the parts of a living organism. This formal organization gives a great painting its self-sufficiency and presence.142