Line is fundamental in the visual arts. It is a principle element in design. Yet there is no line in nature. It is an epiphenomenon like the shadow—something perceived as being but which is actually the byproduct of something else.
The simplest definition of a line is a mark that stretches between two points and has the properties of width and height (thickness). But in our daily lives and conversation there are many kinds of line. We hear and speak of: bus lines, party lines, border lines, crossing the line, firing lines, lines of fire, fire lines, starting lines, finish lines, family lines, assembly lines, toeing the line, tow lines, timelines, clothes lines, battle lines, sight lines, blood lines, and shore lines. But never is there a specific, physical thing that is a line and nothing else. A line is always determined and perceived in context.
© 2017 Michael Maurer Smith