Trianglism

A closer look

Triangles act as structural decisions: pointed directions, broad bases, unequal scales, shared edges and deliberate gaps. The image may remain flat and abstract or describe a recognizable subject through angular planes; a triangular texture alone is not the whole idea.

One word, more than one practice

In a February 2018 press release supplied by Howard Schoor, the artist describes his work as Trianglism and connects its recurring triangle to his earlier engineering life. The release presents the name as part of his professional artistic identity. It is a useful primary account of his own practice, not an independent verdict on who invented triangular art.

The ArtBrake! profile of Richard “Dick” Seed also uses Trianglism, describing his move toward the triangle as a basic form and attributing a founder claim to the North Chatham Bugle. The profile places this discussion alongside his wood and metal work. These separate accounts establish multiple uses of the word; they do not establish a single organized movement, agreed founder or universal manifesto.

What this entry means by triangular composition

AOI uses the visual exercises below to explore the triangle as a governing form. The generated images are original studies, not works by Schoor or Seed, and they do not claim to reproduce either artist's complete method. A triangle might be the dominant silhouette, an internal division or the interval left between other shapes.

Choose which of those jobs matters. In a flat composition, a large triangle can gather smaller ones toward a point. In a portrait, angled planes can describe the turn of a cheek without covering every feature in an equally dense mesh. In a landscape, broad triangular masses can organize depth before smaller fragments describe terrain.

Direction, weight and the space between

A broad base can make a shape feel planted; a narrow tip can pull attention toward a distant corner. Rotate a few forms against the main direction to create tension, then decide whether they interrupt the rhythm or destroy it. Repeated orientation supplies coherence, while one carefully placed exception creates an event.

Scale does much of the work. Use a small family of large, medium and small triangles rather than a uniform carpet of shards. Leave an area with fewer divisions so the eye can rest. Negative space can be triangular too, but it need not repeat the same proportion as the colored forms around it.

Flat color, volume and material

For flat abstraction, give neighboring planes colors with a deliberate value relationship. A limited palette of ivory, charcoal, ochre and one saturated hue can reveal the structure more clearly than a different color for every cell. Thin outlines are optional; shared edges and contrast can separate the forms.

For suggested volume, make planes turn consistently from light to shadow. For a material study, describe whether the pieces resemble painted wood, cut paper or translucent glass. Those choices change edge thickness, reflection and shadow. A generated material effect remains an illustration, not a verified fabrication plan.

Trianglism, Cubism and triangulation

The Metropolitan Museum's account of Cubism describes fractured forms, shallow pictorial space and multiple or contrasting viewpoints. Cubism is therefore not simply a picture made from cubes, and changing the number of sides does not create a historical successor by arithmetic.

Likewise, a digital triangulated mesh is a construction method, while Trianglism is an artist-used label whose meaning depends on context. The two can overlap visually. Ask whether triangles merely cover an existing photograph or actually change its composition, rhythm and interpretation. Both can produce attractive images, but they solve different problems.

A useful working sequence

Start with three large masses and a focal point. Divide only where a division clarifies a turn, redirects the gaze or creates a useful interruption. Test the design without color, then introduce a restrained palette and a material character. At thumbnail size, the main relationship should survive.

This approach can serve paintings, editorial illustrations, surface patterns and spatial concepts. Its common weakness is automatic fragmentation: every surface receives the same treatment, and the subject loses hierarchy. Keep some broad shapes intact. Precision is valuable when it supports a decision, not when it merely increases the number of edges.