Deck 6: Unity Variety and Balance

Question 1

Joseph Cornell created boxes that contain compositions of ________ objects.

A) found
B) dead
C) green
D) round
E) square

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Disparate visual elements can be linked together with a common idea.This is ________ unity.

A) symbolic
B) compositional
C) conceptual
D) virtual
E) actual

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The German word that refers to something in which the whole seems greater than the sum of its parts is ________.

A) alter
B) klein
C) bruder
D) gestalt
E) gegen

Answer 3

D

Question 4

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.

Question 5

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
B) conform to
C) entertain
D) support the ideas of
E) accept

Question 6

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
B) yellow
C) variety
D) emphasis
E) movement

Question 7

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
B) always use the color blue
C) unity
D) scale
E) none of the other answers

Question 8

What element describes the imposition of order and harmony on a design?

A) unity
B) variety
C) balance
D) rhythm
E) proportion

Question 9

The story of Vishnu dreaming the universe,as depicted in an Indian relief carving (1.6.9),is derived from the ________ religion.

A) Hindu
B) Buddhist
C) Taoist
D) Islamic
E) Eastern Orthodox

Question 10

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
B) conceptual unity
C) chaos
D) realism
E) symmetry

Question 11

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?

Question 12

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

Question 13

The design by I.Michael Interior Design creates ________ and interesting composition by using a balance of curved and straight lines.

A) a French-style
B) a chaotic
C) a Classical
D) a harmonious
E) an incoherent

Question 14

This is a kind of visual diversity that can bring many different ideas,media,or elements together in one composition.

A) rhythm
B) unity
C) balance
D) variety
E) proportion

Question 15

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
B) spherical
C) rectangular
D) square
E) triangular

Question 16

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
B) city . . . country
C) high up . . . low down
D) north . . . south
E) center . . . left

Question 17

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.

Question 18

Variety can ________ a design.

A) invigorate
B) regulate
C) order
D) connect
E) fuse

Question 19

An interior design that uses only straight lines might lack the visual interest of a more varied composition.

Question 20

Romare Bearden's work The Dove uses an underlying ________ reflecting the city streets to create a sense of order.

A) color
B) grid
C) texture
D) dark value
E) triangle

Question 21

Baltimore album quilts,which use variety to unify their composition,are named after these collections.

A) letters
B) museums
C) toy trains
D) scrapbooks
E) libraries

Question 22

________ 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
B) symmetrical
C) asymmetrical
D) radial
E) varied

Question 23

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
B) symmetrical
C) radial
D) unified
E) varied

Question 24

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?

Question 25

________ balance is achieved when both sides of a composition look exactly the same.

A) asymmetrical
B) symmetrical
C) gestalt
D) unified
E) varied

Question 26

This symmetrical Chinese motif appears in art as a monster that is made from many other designs.

A) t'ao t'ieh
B) dragon
C) egret
D) horse
E) fu dog

Question 27

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?

Question 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
B) asymmetrical
C) symmetrical
D) unpredictable
E) all of these answers

Question 29

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
B) mass and texture
C) contrast and focal point
D) unity and variety
E) scale and pattern

Question 30

________ balance is achieved when two halves of a composition are not mirror images of each other.

A) unified
B) symmetrical
C) radial
D) asymmetrical
E) varied

Question 31

Tibetan Buddhist monks create colored sand images with a radial design.This representation of the universe is called a ________.

A) prayer flag
B) mandala
C) prayer wheel
D) lotus
E) rotunda

Question 32

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?

Question 33

The Taj Mahal was commissioned by the grieving ________ as a memorial to his third and beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.

A) Kubla Khan
B) Gunga Din
C) Alexander the Great
D) Gengis Khan
E) Shah Jahan

Question 34

Creating visual weight and counterweight is part of an artist's use of the element of ________ in creating a work of art.

A) balance
B) proportion
C) rhythm
D) unity
E) variety

Question 35

The design of the Taj Mahal and gardens uses both ________ and ________ symmetry.

A) radial and bilateral
B) organic and geometric
C) positive and negative
D) round and square
E) left and right