Big Fat Abstraction

Lately, I have been working on a series of posts about fat in the visual arts. I want to examine how fat is captured in various art forms, what it symbolizes and its commentary on the culture in which its produced. I will add to it whenever I feel inspired to do so.

We are all too aware of negative portrayals of fat, especially in cartoons and film. However, positive portrayals of fat do exist and it is helpful to rediscover what makes them so special.

Let us start with examining some basic shapes and how they can be used either in abstract or representational art. I will use images from Google to illustrate my point and to let you use your imaginations.

The Circle

The circle is the most perfect of all shapes. Because it has no beginning or end and has perfect symmetry, it is a symbol of abundance and eternity. Its lack of edges connote warmth. Just a circle or a series of circles can be used to represent fat bodies or body parts in abstract art. If you want to show fat rolls, you can color the circle and use highlights in strategic locations. Highlights can be created by light shading, light erasing, or using no color to indicate light direction. Should you choose to use light colors, you can use shadowing to create the illusion of fat rolls as well.

In representational art, the circle is merely a skeleton to be appended like so:

A person, obviously, would not look like this, but what you can see is that other shapes are added to and intersect with the circle. Circles, lines, rectangles, or whatever forms you choose can intersect with the central circle, or body, and create multiple features of the humanoid form, like heads, arms, legs, etc. It’s helpful to go for the basic shapes first and add detail later.

Another variation of the circle theme is to have two semicircles. These can signify two fat people sitting either facing each other or away from each other. When they are sitting facing each other, it is a commentary on friendship and facing the world in a bold way. Something fat people are not expected to do.

When facing away, this can be a powerful commentary on how fat people turn away from the world and their own image in shame. Context matters, because without the right setting, it can reinforce negative images of fat people by suggesting that shyness, shame, and depression are natural for fat people. Or it could be something more mundane, like two shy people meeting for the first time who happen to be fat. Art can have a political message or it can just be a slice of life.

Place these semicircles in different positions and different locations to create a scene bustling with people. It could be in your mind or on paper.

What did you come up with?

A semicircle facing the ground can show us a fat runner at his mark, and a semicircle facing upward can show us a robust baby reaching for his mother or in fetal position. Again, with the baby we see the “warm” quality of the circle.

The Square

Squares are great for masculine fat representations because they are massive and angular. Like the circle, the square can be left alone or have other shapes or lines added to it.

Unlike the popular portrayal of the fatty today, which is an amorphous blob that signifies a lack of self-restraint, the square commands a presence and order. Men of import and of girth/muscularity can be formed using the square.

A collection of squares can signify both important and order.

In a different configuration, these squares could be men of royalty, men fighting, or in a formal photograph. If animated, it could show one fat person dancing across the page.

Another great quality of squares is that they have equally-sided straight edges, so it is easy to fit squares together in orderly fashion in an exact placement.

The Tri-Pear Combo

Here is the masculine:

And the feminine:

Yes, this is from a jewelry website. I had to settle for this because when I entered pear shape into Google, I either got degrading images of fat women or I got thinspo. Either way, it was a no-go.

Aside from using these shapes as skeletons for pear-shaped fat bodies, the feminine form can overlap the masculine triangle to create a lovemaking scene. If you prefer, two triangles or two pears can be overlapped at different angles for same-sex love scenes.

The Crescent

The crescent is what I call a specialty shape. It is ideally suited for a certain type of form, which is that of the seductive portraiture.

Imagine a fat person sitting on the floor or a bed with their legs out to the side and an arm raised gracefully above her head. The body of the crescent can be her body as well, and it can be draped in a dress or some other garment. Add color and tilt it at different angles.

It could also show someone just relaxing against a tree on a summer day. Whatever you want it to be. Either way, this shape is ideal for elegant portraiture.

And last but not least…

The Star

The star isn’t just attractive, it’s hugely symbolic. We call someone a star when they stand out like a bright star in a black night sky. Stars are colorful. Stars in the sky have very long lives. Stars are everything that fat people are not supposed to be: important, colorful, and remembered.

This is perhaps the easiest shape to reshape into human form. There is a discernible head, body, arms, and legs. The bodies of stars tend to be large, although skinny stars can also be drawn. Think of a fat person jumping for joy, dancing, or cheer-leading. Stars are meant to be eye-catching, so make sure you use a lot of color and plenty of space for your fat star. When devising a background, make sure it does not overpower your star. Like so:

Happy drawing and stay positive.