Movements & Angles

But does this theory fit with the human figure?

If we depict her lying down. She's dead or asleep. 0 degrees is nothing. Total rest on the horizon.

90 degrees is life. A vertical figure tells us that it is alive or appears to be alive. Total opposition to gravity. But that's it. There is no action. We have a living figure, which is no small thing, but without doing anything. There is a balance between the vertical of life and the horizontal of fleeting or eternal rest.

If we want it to do something, that balance has to be broken. And it breaks down creating forces that move the body parts diagonally. The diagonals are the action.

To start walking, your body will break the vertical enough to force your feet to change position so as not to fall to the ground. Any angle represents an unsustainable imbalance. It's an impossible position. The reader will be aware that it is an image that represents a unique and concrete moment. Something that cannot last over time. That action is bound to vary. It will have a movement from one point to another. It's one position evolving into another. So, as long as the body picks up those few degrees, it will need foot movement to keep itself from falling. As you get more degrees, you will need faster leg movement. The closer to 0º the angle, the faster the movement.

Following the example of typography, this could be the reason why to represent situations that have to do with action or sport, slanted fonts are usually chosen.