Figure Ground and Camouflage

Modified: 2024-06-12 8:55 PM CDST

• Figure-ground refers to the relationship between an object and its surround.
  • Sometimes the relationship is strong, meaning that it is easy to pick out the figure from the ground.
  • Other times the relationship is weak, meaning it is difficult to pick out the figure from the ground.
  • Rarely, the relationship is ambiguous, meaning that the figure could be the ground or vice-versa.

• Camouflage is the deliberate alteration of figure-ground so that the figure blends into the ground.
  • Duck and turkey hunters wear camouflaged clothing so that game will not perceive them.
  • Some hunters even use camouflage tape on the barrels of their shotguns.
  • During the Gulf War, all American tanks had to be repainted from a woodland camouflage pattern to a desert camouflage pattern because camouflage is terrain specific.
  • That specificity is also evident when one goes to purchase camouflage clothing; it comes in several patterns, each best suited to particular environments or seasons.
• In photography classes, in contrast, students are taught to alter figure-ground so that the figure, or the person being photographed, stands out.
  • Novice photographers often will take pictures of subjects against cluttered backgrounds.
  • Such portraits are less aesthetically pleasing than portraits taken against solid backgrounds.
  • The latter set of portraits will stand out better than the former.