106. Outlines are lines which, returning to themselves, make inclosures and describe areas of different measures and shapes. What has been said of lines may be said, also, of outlines. It will be worth while, however, to give a separate consideration to outlines, as a particularly interesting and important class of lines.
As in the case of dots and lines, I shall disregard the fact that the outlines may be drawn in different tones, making different contrasts of value, color, or color-intensity with the ground-tone upon which they are drawn. I shall, also, disregard possible differences of width in the lines which make the outlines. I shall confine my attention, here, to the measures and shapes of the outlines and to the possibilities of Harmony, Balance, and Rhythm in those measures and shapes.
HARMONY, BALANCE, AND RHYTHM
IN OUTLINES
107. What is Harmony or Balance or Rhythm in a line is Harmony, Balance, or Rhythm in an Outline.
Fig. 162
In this outline we have Measure-Harmony in the angles, Measure-Harmony of lengths in the legs of the angles, Measure and Shape-Balance on a center and Symmetry on the vertical axis. The same statement will be true of all polygons which are both equiangular and equilateral, when they are balanced on a vertical axis.
Fig. 163
In this case we have Measure-Harmony of angles but no Measure-Harmony of lengths in the legs of the angles. We have lost Measure and Shape-Balance on a center which we had in the previous example.