3. The child up to this time has seen the surface in connection with solids. He now receives the embodied surface separated from the solid, and gradually abstracts the general idea of "surface," learning to regard it not only as a part, but as an individual whole.
This gift also emphasizes color and the various triangular forms, besides imparting the idea of pictorial representation, or the representation of objects by means of plane surfaces.
4. The gift leads the child from the object itself towards the representation of the object, thus sharpening the observation and preparing the way for drawing.
It is also less definitely suggestive than previous gifts, and demands more creative power for its proper use. It appeals to the sense of form, sense of place, sense of color, and sense of number.
5. The geometrical forms illustrated in this gift are:—
| Squares. | |
| { Right isosceles. | |
| Triangles. | { Obtuse isosceles. |
| { Equilateral. | |
| { Right-angled scalene. | |
| { Oblong. | |
| { Rhombus. | |
| { Rhomboid. | |
| { Trapezoid. | |
| In combination. | { Trapezium. |
| { Pentagon. | |
| { Hexagon. | |
| { Heptagon. | |
| { Octagon. |
6. The law of Mediation of Contrasts is shown in the forms of the gift. We have in the triangles, for instance, two lines running in opposite directions, connected by a third, which serves as the mediation. Contrasts and their mediations are also shown in the squares and in the forms made by combination. This gift, representing the plane, is a link between the divided solid and the line.
Step from Solid to Plane.