Atectonic

DEFINITION

Atectonic is a term mostly used in sculpture and architecture that refers to any shape or form that protrudes into open space, or contains within it a sense of &quot;open form&quot;. Coined by Heinrich W&Atilde;&para;lfflin in 1915, atectonic is paired opposingly with tectonic. W&Atilde;&para;lfflin also used the terms free/strict, irregular/regular but settled on &quot;open / closed&quot; as this offers a more general and ambiguous meaning, which is more suitable for this style. <br><br>In an open form, which is characteristic of 17th-century painting, the style &quot;everywhere points out beyond itself and purposely looks limitless&quot;, in contrast to the self-contained entity of a closed form, in which everything is &quot;pointing everywhere back to itself&quot; ~ W&Atilde;&para;lfflin 1950<br><br>With the advent of film, moving pitcures were seen as essentially open in form whereas the individual stills were considered closed in form.<br><br>