Unity of Shape
This carefully composed photograph taken by Lewis Hine in the early 1920’s uses a series of repeating curves and circles to unify the work. The main circle of the pump surrounds and holds attention at the focal point. The big framing arc of pipe at the top directs the eye back down to the focal point via the secondary circle. A third small circle back in the shadows adds reinforcement to the unifying curves.
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![Lewis Hine [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4897a5_caec5f9ae89e4cccaee5faf57a87d2d7~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_721,h_1021,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/4897a5_caec5f9ae89e4cccaee5faf57a87d2d7~mv2.jpg)
Lewis Hine (1874-1940) Power House Mechanic (1920-1921) – silver gelatin photograph.
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The ploughed fields in the photograph below are held within a unifying square network of roads. Each square is broken into a number of geometric fields of varying shapes and sizes.
The interlinking patterns of fields are contained by the square grid of the roads creating a giant, unified, jigsaw like pattern only visible from above.
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Ploughed Fields