1.2: Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture
1. These four visual elements of art—form, volume, mass, and texture—are present in ________
works of art.
a. two-dimensional d. large
b. balanced e. modern
c. three-dimensional
2. Because it is three-dimensional, a form has these three spatial measurements: height, width, and
________.
a. length d. size
b. depth e. strength
c. mass
3. A two-dimensional object is called a shape, and a three-dimensional object is known as a
________.
a. form d. pyramid
b. relief e. cube
c. building
4. The sculpture of the Great Sphinx stands as a symbolic guardian of the pyramids at Giza. The
ancient Greek definition of a sphinx was a mythological creature whose features were:
a. the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and the head of a woman
b. the body of a man and the head of a bull
c. the body of a horse and the head of a man
d. the body of a lion and the head and claws of an eagle
e. the body of a woman, the wings of a bat, and the head of a pig
5. Forms such as pyramids, which tend to be precise and regular, are known as ________ forms.
a. textured d. implied
b. organic e. actual
c. geometric
6. The artist David Smith created sculptures of geometric forms. In his work Cubi XIX, Smith used
the following geometric shapes:
a. cuboids d. pyramids
b. rhomboids e. ellipses
c. spheres
7. Forms that tend to be irregular, and similar to naturally occurring objects, are known as ________
forms.
a. geometric d. organic
b. volumetric e. massive
c. implied
8. In the Roettgen Pietà from fourteenth-century Germany, the artist ________ the organic forms of
the bodies of Mary and Jesus in order to express pain and suffering.
a. abstracted d. simplified
b. contrasted e. colored
c. distorted
9. In the Roettgen Pietà from fourteenth-century Germany, the shrunken, twisted body of Jesus and
the oversized, anguished head of Mary are accentuated for expressive effect. This distortion of the
human body, ________ form that we can all understand, makes the viewer feel uneasy and
impresses on us the suffering of mother and son.
a. a geometric d. an organic
b. an implied e. a colorful
c. a textural
10. The organic form and abstract quality of Lino Tagliapietra’s sculpture, Batman, allow it to express
the idea of ________.
a. geometry d. death and despair
b. freedom and life e. line
c. contrast
11. The Italian glass artist Lino Tagliapietra created the work Batman in 1998 to express his feelings
about the “reality and fantasy of Batman’s world.” Discuss what you think Tagliapietra meant and
compare it with your own impressions of Batman.
12. A three-dimensional surface that is designed to be viewed from only one direction is known as a
________.
a. volume d. texture
b. form in the round e. mass
c. relief
13. To imply greater depth, the sculptor who created the relief carvings on the outside of the Ara Pacis
Augustae carved the figures in the ________ more deeply than those that are in the background, in
order to make them stand out more.
a. foreground d. drapery
b. round e. fresco
c. south
14. An upright stone that has an incised relief on its surface, such as the Maya sculpture (1.2.7), is
known as ________.
a. a stela d. a bust
b. a high relief e. an altar
c. an obelisk
15. This type of relief, which takes its name from the French word for low, does not imply great depth.
a. area relief d. actual relief
b. bas-relief e. a frieze
c. a plane
16. A sculpture designed in the round can be viewed from ________.
a. nearly every angle d. the interior
b. one direction e. the front and back only
c. above only
17. A sculpture that can be viewed from more than one side and that occupies space in the same way
as other real-life objects is called a ________ sculpture.
a. freestanding d. heroic
b. bas-relief e. implied
c. high relief
18. The Roman artist who sculpted Naked Aphrodite Crouching at Her Bath (Lely’s Venus) (1.2.8a,
1.2.8b) did so in such a way that it invites the viewer to move around the work to see more.
Describe the differences in the work from side to side that are evidence of this compositional idea.
19. The element of art that defines the amount of space occupied by an object is ________.
a. form d. texture
b. mass e. geometry
c. volume
20. ________ volume is a space that is enclosed by materials that are not entirely solid.
a. an open d. an implied
b. an actual e. a closed
c. a subversive
21. Sculptors Ralph Helmick and Stuart Schechter experimented with open volume when they created
this hanging sculpture, installed in the Evanston Public Library in Illinois.
a. Ghostwriter
b. Cubi XIX
c. Object
d. Cloud Gate
e. Monument to the Third International
22. Vladimir Tatlin’s Monument to the Third International was intended as a heroic symbol
commemorating the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. If it had been built, it would have been much
smaller than the Eiffel Tower.
23. The spiraling open volume of Vladimir Tatlin’s Monument to the Third International was intended
to give the design a feeling of ________.
a. restriction d. texture
b. conservatism e. dynamism
c. weight
24. American sculptors Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse created the work In the Blue (Crest) to
imply the presence of water. The work’s many empty spaces, which were created using irregular
horizontal members, are an example of ________ volume.
a. open d. restricted
b. closed e. organic
c. actual
25. The visual impact of the Olmec sculpture of a colossal head is directly related to its mass.
26. This term refers to the substance contained in an object, but it does not necessarily imply weight.
a. volume d. texture
b. mass e. open volume
c. form
27. Our experience of objects in the natural world often leads us to assume that a large object will be
heavy, but in fact this is not necessarily the case. This element of art is called ________.
a. space d. form
b. volume e. mass
c. texture
28. Rachel Whiteread is a British sculptor who fills empty spaces with concrete. For her work House,
created in 1993, Whiteread made a concrete cast using an entire house as her mold. What
assumptions might a viewer make about mass in the context of Whiteread’s work? How does it
help us to understand the difference between mass and volume?
29. Marisol was commissioned to create a sculpture of the Catholic missionary Father Damien. A stout
figure in heavy bronze, the statue possesses a weighty ________ that communicates the strong
beliefs and courageous determination of the priest.
a. mass d. belt buckle
b. color e. texture
c. outline
30. Marisol’s work Father Damien was created to memorialize the heroism of a priest who lost his life
helping the victims of leprosy. This sculpture stands in front of the State Capitol Building in the
U.S. State of ________.
a. Arizona d. Tennessee
b. Utah e. Pennsylvania
c. Hawaii
31. Because a form exists in “real” space, we can experience it not only visually, but also through our
sense of ________.
a. touch d. humor
b. balance e. hearing
c. mood
32. When we touch an object we experience a tactile sensation that artists refer to as ________ texture.
a. mass d. implied
b. actual e. organic
c. subversive
33. The ________ texture of Anish Kapoor’s sculpture Cloud Gate is appealing for viewers to touch.
a. smooth d. rough
b. implied e. silky
c. furry
34. The highly polished surface of Anish Kapoor’s sculpture Cloud Gate means that the viewer and
the city of ________ become a part of the work, in its reflection.
a. New York d. London
b. Los Angeles e. Paris
c. Chicago
35. By using ________ texture to contradict previous tactile experience, artists can invite viewers to
reconsider the world around them.
a. subversive d. smooth
b. expected e. rough
c. familiar
36. In her work Object, a fur-lined teacup and saucer, the Swiss artist Méret Oppenheim employed
subversive texture to contradict conscious logical experience. She belonged to the ________ art
movement, which drew on ideas and images from dreams and the unconscious mind.
a. Expressionist d. Impressionist
b. Cubist e. Surrealist
c. Futurist
37. Méret Oppenheim was part of an art movement that rejected rational, conscious thought. Her
fur-lined teacup and saucer, Object, conjures an unexpected and illogical sensation for the viewer
by using ________ texture.
a. subversive d. smooth
b. expected e. silky
c. familiar
38. Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and Louise Bourgeois’s sculpture Maman
exemplify many of the themes of this chapter. Identify two of the elements or principles discussed
in this chapter that either the architect or sculptor have used in creating their artwork. How have
these artistic devices been employed, and what effect do they have on the viewer?