Study Guide Chapter 1.6 (Unity, Variety, and Balance)

Balance (symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial)

Actual objects have physical weight while parts of an artwork have visual weight or an impact. When a composition or form is balanced, our eyes will move across the artwork rather than staying in one area or place. An artwork seems complete when the artist successfully creates a visual balance by counterbalancing elements of the composition. When an artwork is divided in half, if balanced, will have a symmetrical, asymmetrical or radial balance.

1.6.14 Muqi (1210-1269). Six Persimmons. Southern Song Dynasty. c. 1250. Ryoko-in, Dailoxu-ji, Kyoto, Japan Asymmetrical balance

Asymmetrical balance. Composition is not the same on both sides when divided in half. Dark values tend to be visually "heavier." Achieved balance by placing a smaller persimmon lower on the picture plane. Items lower on picture plane tend to be visually "heavier." Besides what is mentioned in textbook, two things artist did to counter the weight of the two darkest persimmons. • On the left are two grey persimmons with just about the same value of gray. Visually combining the two, they seem to be larger than the darkest persimmon. • The two grey persimmons are diagonal to each other. Diagonals also tend to have more visual weight, though not always. It depends on the combination of elements used. Muqi, Six Persimmons Chinese artists have used asymmetrical balance to reflect on life and spirituality Dark, light, and the subtle differences in shape are not distributed evenly Muqi counteracts the visual "heaviness" of the right side by placing one shape lower on the left

1.6.13 Liu Ding (ritual container), China, late Shang Dynasty, c. 1600-c. 1050 BCE. Bronze. Shanghai Museum, China Symmetrical balance

Chinese bronze container with t'ao t'ieh design (see textbook page 140). Symmetrical balance. When divided in half, (with a vertical line) have the same design on both sides - mirror image Liu Ding (ritual container) The t'ao t'ieh is a hidden motif found widely in the art of ancient China It is a symmetrical collection of shapes and forms that reveal a monster mask May symbolize communication with the gods Symmetrical Balance If a work can be cut in half and each side looks exactly (or nearly exactly) the same, then it is symmetrically balanced. Near-perfect symmetry exists in the human body. For example, each side of our face has half a nose, half a mouth, half a chin, and so on. The same is true for most animals and a number of geometric shapes, such as circles and squares. Because it is a part of our physical body, symmetry can seem very natural and we can make natural connections to it. Artists of ancient China designed a creature born of symmetry called the t'ao t'ieh. The image of the creature in an artwork is not immediately apparent, because its form is "hidden" amongst many separate symmetrical shapes and forms. It is as if a symmetrical collection of elements coalesces to reveal a monster mask. The image of the t'ao t'ieh has been used widely in Chinese art since the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-c. 1050 BCE), when it appeared on ceremonial bronze objects. The meaning of this motif is mysterious, but it may symbolize communication with the gods. According to some accounts, the t'ao t'ieh mask represents a monster that, through its own gluttony, is devouring itself: a warning against overindulgence The t'ao t'ieh can be found on the bronze ritual container in 1.6.13 by identifying a pair of perfectly round "eyes" on either side of the central vertical ridge. On each side of this central ridge are patterns that mirror each other. Some of these signify horns, claws, fangs, ears, and even smaller images of animals. If you look carefully you may see two rams' heads in profile as they butt heads along the vertical central axis. The "monster" of symmetry lurks amongst the many parts of the image and waits for us to discover its hiding place.

Gestalt Unity

Gestalt is a German word for "to take shape or take form" Refers to something in which the whole seems greater than the sum of its parts We see a triangle but a triangle was not drawn. There are only unconnected dots. Our mind connects the dots and perceives a triangle. The whole is greater than its parts. Gestalt is a German word for form or shape Refers to something in which the whole seems greater than the sum of its parts The ideas that go to make an artwork, the composition, and our experience of it combine to create a gestalt

Variety (differences)

The diversity of different elements, ideas, and media used in an artwork. Counters sameness. is the visual diversity of different ideas, media, and elements Variety is a collection of ideas, elements, or materials that are fused together into one design Variety can invigorate a design

1.6.19 Amitayas Mandala created by the monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery, Tibet Radial balance

Radial balance. All elements radiate from a center axis point. Is a diagram of the universe. Has the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, west.) The "T" shapes are gates. A mandala can take anywhere from a few days to weeks to complete. Outlines of the geometric and organic shapes are drawn first and then color sand is added. A mandala is ritualistically destroyed after completing to symbolize the transitory nature of material life. The sand is placed into individual jars in a specific order and then released back into nature via a river or stream. Tibetan monks making a sand mandala. City Hall of Kitzbuhel, Austria. 2002 Details of Tibetan monks making a sand mandala. Amitayas mandala A mandala is a diagram of the universe Series of symbols are equidistant from the center and symmetrical The creation of a Tibetan sand painting is an act of meditation that takes many days, and is later destroyed

Romare Bearden (page 135 textbook)

Some artists create compositional unity while gathering together bits and pieces of visual information. The African-American artist Romare Bearden (1911-1988) captures the unity of New York in the fragments that make up his collage The Dove (1.6.7). In this work we see snippets of faces and hands, city textures of brick walls and fire escapes, and other associated images assembled into a scene that, at first glance, seems frenetic and chaotic. We may feel this pace of life when we visit a big city, but if we look beyond our first impressions, we often notice the orderly grid of streets and the organization that underpin city life. Bearden reflects this order in an underlying grid of verticals and horizontals in the street below, and in the vertical streetposts and buildings in the upper section of the work. The hectic composition is subtly coordinated by an implied triangular shape that runs from the cat in the lower left and the woman's feet in the lower right to the dove (hence the title) at the top center. These three points create a sense of depth while stabilizing the lively image of a bustling street scene.

Unity and Variety

Unity and variety are opposites on a spectrum. Too much unity may create blandness, perhaps boredom. Too much variety may create disorder, chaos. Artists usually try to achieve a balance between the two

1.6.8. Joseph Cornell (1903-1972). Untitled (The Hotel Eden). 1945. Assemblage with music box. 15⅛ x 15⅛ x 4¾". National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa Conceptual Unity

Unity: Rectangular forms and shapes (paper). Mostly white paint, including a couple of brush strokes and splatters on "Hotel Eden" brown paper. Variety: Yellow geometric ball, cut-out organic parrot, wire from a music box, string, and water bottle. Conceptual Unity: As Cornell made, Untitled (The Hotel Eden), he made conscious and/or unconscious decisions about •The appearance of the art •What he is communicating (meaning) •What objects to include to suggest meaning. The appearance of the art is related to compositional unity. What is communicated and what objects to include are related to conceptual unity. It is conceptual unity that motivates us to interpret the connection between the diverse objects. Cornell does not say what Untitled (The Hotel Eden) means, it is up to the viewer to determine a meaning. The viewer creates meaning based on the objects contained in the box as well as what the viewer brings to the art in the form of life experiences / knowledge. Textbook authors have one interpretation. There are many more possibilities. Joseph Cornell, Untitled (The Hotel Eden) Surrealist sculptor Cornell composed boxes of found objects Placed together, the different objects make an idea greater than any one of them could create on its own Results in a complex visual expression of the artist's personality and methods

Radial Balance

When all elements in an artwork are equidistant from a central point and repeat in a symmetrical way from side to side and top to bottom Radial balance (or symmetry) is achieved when all elements are equidistant from a central point and repeat in a symmetrical way from side to side and top to bottom Can imply circular and repeating elements

Asymmetrical Balance

When an artwork is divided in half and each side is not the same. The combination of elements balance each other. Artists often use different visual "weights" on each side of a composition Elements on the left and right sides are not the same, but the combination counters each other

symmetrical balance

When an artwork is divided in half and each side looks exactly or nearly exactly the same. If a work can be cut in half and each side looks exactly (or nearly exactly) the same, then it is symmetrically balanced Examples include the human body, most animals, and a number of geometric shapes

Three types of Unity

• Compositional • Conceptual • Gestalt

1.6.2 Katsushika Hokusai (1760 -1849). "The Great Wave off Shore at Kanagawa," from Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. 1826-33 (printed later). Print, color woodcut. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. - Compositional Unity

Japanese artist Hokusai created a unified composition by organizing repetitions of shapes, colors, textures, and patterns Depicts unity and visual harmony, even though the scene is chaotic Unity created with similar elements repeated. Shape of front wave and Mt. Fuji are similar; Organic shapes on tips of breaking waves repeated. Circular sea foam and circular heads of people; Shape of boats and people repeated. Pattern of alternating dark and mid-value blue curved shapes on waves. Organic shapes on waves lower right side: similar shapes and colors (white, light blue, dark blue.) Colors: almost monochromatic: white, light blue, medium blue, dark blue and different values of Raw Umber (brown). The sky and boats have similar colors. Background, middle ground, and foreground are unified with brown boats; color is similar to sky. Variety -different shapes and colors.

1.6.7 Romare Bearden (1911-1988). The Dove. 1964. Cut-and-pasted printed papers, gouache, pencil, and colored pencil on board. 13⅜ x 18¾". MOMA, New York

African American artist. Collages are memories of Harlem, Pittsburg and some of Charlotte. This one is Harlem, NY. Bearden was a social worker and studied art at night including one year in Paris. He had a studio where a group of artists gathered. In 1963 he asked the group how they could become artistically involved in the Civil Rights movement. Next meeting Bearden arrived with colored paper and magazines -he was the only one interested in collages. Though he is a painter, Bearden started to create collages. At first seems chaotic. There's bits and pieces of people formed by various images. The proportions of the people are not natural. A lot of variety and activity portraying a busy city street. See textbook, page 135. Bearden creates compositional unity by assembling and organizing the fragments that make up his collage At first, the street scene seems chaotic However, the order of the city is reflected in an underlying grid and by an implied triangular shape

Unity (similarity)

Creates a sense that all elements, ideas, and media used in an artwork belong together and make up a coherent and harmonious whole. All aspects of the artwork creates a harmonious whole. Unity refers to the imposition of order and harmony on a design Provides cohesiveness and helps communicate its visual idea Artists select and organize materials into a harmonious composition There are three kinds of unity: compositional, conceptual, and gestalt

Compositional unity

• Refers to the appearance of an artwork. • Similar elements are repeated in the composition. • A variety of elements are used to counter too much similarity. • A balance is achieved between sameness and variety - Depends on the artist's intent as to how much unity or how much variety is used An artist creates compositional unity by organizing all visual aspects Too much similarity of any single element or principle of art can be monotonous Too much variety can mean a lack of structure and the absence of a central idea

Conceptual Unity

• Refers to the cohesive expression of ideas within an artwork. •Ideas can be consciously or unconsciously expressed by the artist. Are the thoughts/ideas an artist desires to communicate. Can be achieved by using imagery or objects that are different in appearance but similar in an idea. Or use imagery or objects that have a symbolic meaning or an association connected to the imagery or object. Artists also bring their own intentions and experiences to their artwork. These ideas can be conscious or unconscious. Refers to the cohesive expression of ideas within a work of art An artist may link different images that conjure up a single notion The artist's ideas—conscious and unconscious—and cultural experiences can also contribute to the conceptual unity of a work