1.6: Unity, Variety, and Balance
1. What element describes the imposition of order and harmony on a design?
a.
unity
d.
rhythm
b.
variety
e.
proportion
c.
balance
2. The three kinds of unity are:
a.
compositional, conceptual, gestalt
b.
asymmetrical, symmetrical, radial
c.
radial, proportional, volumetric
d.
compositional, symmetrical, gestalt
e.
radial, conceptual, gestalt
3. Compositional unity strikes an interesting balance between the monotony of too much similarity,
and the chaos of too much ________ in a work of art.
a.
texture
d.
emphasis
b.
yellow
e.
movement
c.
variety
4. What principle of art did Katsushika Hokusai employ in “The Great Wave off Shore at Kanagawa”
in order to bring harmony to what could otherwise be a very chaotic scene?
a.
pattern
d.
scale
b.
always use the color blue
e.
none of the other answers
c.
unity
5. Katsushika Hokusai, in his woodcut “The Great Wave off Shore at Kanagawa,” simplified and
ordered the visual elements in the work to create ________.
a.
compositional unity
d.
realism
b.
conceptual unity
e.
symmetry
c.
chaos
6. The design by I. Michael Interior Design creates ________ and interesting composition by using a
balance of curved and straight lines.
a.
a French-style
d.
a harmonious
b.
a chaotic
e.
an incoherent
c.
a Classical
7. An interior design that uses only straight lines might lack the visual interest of a more varied
composition.
8. The many viewpoints in Marie Marevna’s Cubist work Nature morte à la bouteille could produce
excessive variety, but the artist was able to unify the composition. Discuss the elements that
Marevna used to create unity.
9. In his painting The Flagellation, Italian artist Piero della Francesca created unity by concentrating
groups of figures in two different areas, ________ and ________.
a.
foreground . . . background
d.
north . . . south
b.
city . . . country
e.
center . . . left
c.
high up . . . low down
10. Romare Bearden depicted a hectic street scene in his work The Dove. He created a sense of unity
and stability in the busy composition with an implied ________ shape.
a.
hexagonal
d.
square
b.
spherical
e.
triangular
c.
rectangular
11. Romare Bearden’s work The Dove uses an underlying ________ reflecting the city streets to create
a sense of order.
a.
color
d.
dark value
b.
grid
e.
triangle
c.
texture
12. Disparate visual elements can be linked together with a common idea. This is ________ unity.
a.
symbolic
d.
virtual
b.
compositional
e.
actual
c.
conceptual
13. Joseph Cornell created boxes that contain compositions of ________ objects.
a.
found
d.
round
b.
dead
e.
square
c.
green
14. Look at the work of two Surrealist artists, and try to find elements of conceptual unity within their
artworks. If you decide that their artworks do not have conceptual unity, discuss why this might be.
15. The German word that refers to something in which the whole seems greater than the sum of its
parts is ________.
a.
alter
d.
gestalt
b.
klein
e.
gegen
c.
bruder
16. The story of Vishnu dreaming the universe, as depicted in an Indian relief carving (1.6.9), is
derived from the ________ religion.
a.
Hindu
d.
Islamic
b.
Buddhist
e.
Eastern Orthodox
c.
Taoist
17. Discuss the Indian relief Vishnu Dreaming the Universe (1.6.9) as it relates to gestalt unity. How
do the iconography and composition of the work create a wholeness that reflects gestalt unity?
18. This is a kind of visual diversity that can bring many different ideas, media, or elements together in
one composition.
a.
rhythm
d.
variety
b.
unity
e.
proportion
c.
balance
19. Variety can ________ a design.
a.
invigorate
d.
connect
b.
regulate
e.
fuse
c.
order
20. When Robert Rauschenberg, in his work Monogram, chose to use a variety of non-traditional art
materials and techniques instead of those accepted by the art world, he made a conscious effort to
________ the established art world.
a.
rebel against
d.
support the ideas of
b.
conform to
e.
accept
c.
entertain
21. Baltimore album quilts, which use variety to unify their composition, are named after these
collections.
a.
letters
d.
scrapbooks
b.
museums
e.
libraries
c.
toy trains
22. An artist creates an artwork made up of many different shapes, all in varying shades of blue. This
artwork uses the following principles of art:
a.
time and motion
d.
unity and variety
b.
mass and texture
e.
scale and pattern
c.
contrast and focal point
23. Creating visual weight and counterweight is part of an artist’s use of the element of ________ in
creating a work of art.
a.
balance
d.
unity
b.
proportion
e.
variety
c.
rhythm
24. ________ balance is achieved when both sides of a composition look exactly the same.
a.
asymmetrical
d.
unified
b.
symmetrical
e.
varied
c.
gestalt
25. This symmetrical Chinese motif appears in art as a monster that is made from many other designs.
a.
t’ao t’ieh
d.
horse
b.
dragon
e.
fu dog
c.
egret
26. ________ balance is achieved when two halves of a composition are not mirror images of each
other.
a.
unified
d.
asymmetrical
b.
symmetrical
e.
varied
c.
radial
27. In his work Six Persimmons, the thirteenth-century Chinese monk Muqi used different visual
weights on each side of the composition. This is known as ________ balance.
a.
asymmetrical
d.
unified
b.
symmetrical
e.
varied
c.
radial
28. If an artist painted a street scene with one large building on the left-hand side, and two smaller
buildings on the right-hand side, this would be an example of ________ balance.
a.
radial
d.
unpredictable
b.
asymmetrical
e.
all of these answers
c.
symmetrical
29. Choose two artworks from the textbook: one that is an example of symmetrical balance, and one
an example of asymmetrical balance. Why might each artist have chosen to create their artwork in
this way? Which do you think is more effective?
30. The Taj Mahal was commissioned by the grieving ________ as a memorial to his third and
beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.
a.
Kubla Khan
d.
Gengis Khan
b.
Gunga Din
e.
Shah Jahan
c.
Alexander the Great
31. The design of the Taj Mahal and gardens uses both ________ and ________ symmetry.
a.
radial and bilateral
d.
round and square
b.
organic and geometric
e.
left and right
c.
positive and negative
32. The designers of the Taj Mahal went to great lengths to use symmetry. Based on what you have
read about the building and its history, what were the main ideas that the architects wanted to
communicate to viewers? Why?
33. ________ balance is achieved when all elements in a work of art are equidistant from a central
point and repeat in a symmetrical way from side to side and top to bottom.
a.
unified
d.
radial
b.
symmetrical
e.
varied
c.
asymmetrical
34. Tibetan Buddhist monks create colored sand images with a radial design. This representation of the
universe is called a ________.
a.
prayer flag
d.
lotus
b.
mandala
e.
rotunda
c.
prayer wheel
35. Why might the Buddhist monks who make sand mandalas employ radial balance and symmetry in
their work? Do you think that using these principles creates a gestalt unity between the visual look
of a mandala and the ideas that it expresses?
