The line is a point set in motion by an external force — the greatest antithesis to the point

Kandinsky defines the geometric line as the track made by the moving point — its product. The point’s intense self-contained repose is destroyed by a force applied from outside, and the leap from static to dynamic occurs: the point becomes a line. The line is therefore the greatest antithesis to the pictorial proto-element (the point), and is designated a secondary element. The force can vary in number and combination, generating all line forms. In generative work this means lines carry directional energy (tension + direction) absent from points, which carry only tension. A line’s character is set by the forces that generated it: constant single force → straight line; alternating forces → angular; simultaneous double forces → curved.

Examples

In p5.js: line(0,0,width,height) draws a diagonal — a point moved by a constant diagonal force. beginShape(); vertex(); curveVertex(); endShape() traces a curved path — two simultaneous forces at work. In Hydra: osc().rotate(0.3) — the lines are conceived as points in perpetual lateral motion.

Assessment

For each of the following: point, straight line, curved line, angular line — state (a) how many external forces produce it, (b) what type of tension it carries, (c) its inner ‘temperature’ (warm/cold/neutral).