Form: a quarterly of the arts (1.1916/1917)

FOKM&DEV

A DIALOGUE
BY FRANCIS MARSDEN

A.

ELL,what
i s y o u r
ideaabout
Form?

B. Oh,
your all
pervading
humour,
A! Butif
you wish

I will venture a suggestion that Form infers finite
shape.

A. Aha! andwhat does aninfinite shape infer?

B. Perhaps chaos.

A. Good. Then Form and creation, in your
opinion, are related.

B. Perfectly, but it is Idea which gives life.
Form without idea is sterile. Form is the envelope
and Idea the seed.

A. Then which was first, Form or Idea?

B. That is not our concern, this discussion is
about the principles of Art, not on Humour or
Metaphysics. Possibly the existenceof Form im-
plies idea, but if you will grant the premises thus
far we may proceed with the analysis.

B. Then to proceed. The function of Form is,
in Art, to express Idea. But what is Idea? Many
good painters imitate objects seen, the Impres-
sionists by scientific analysis of colour painted
light and atmosphere.

B. In the most objective pictures Idea must
enter, perhaps unconsciously. The technical

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