Morphogenesis refers to the generation of form in Biology. Much is known about molecular mechanisms of regulation, but little is known about the physical mechanisms by which an unpatterned blob of cells develops into a fully structured and formed organism. The actomyosin cortex is a thin layer underneath the cellular membrane that can self contract, which drives many of the large-scale morphogenetic rearrangements that are observed during animal development. We are just beginning to understand how the actomyosin cortex reshapes and deforms, and how such morphogenetic processes couple to singnaling. I will discuss physical activities of the actomyosin cytoskeleton that emerge on the mesoscale and that drive cell-scale morphogenetic processes, for example the generation of active tension and active torque. A particular focus will be the coupling of biochemical regulation with active mechanical processes for generating spatiotemporal patterns and form.