Q&A Hero

Q: Graphic artists, like the manga group CLAMP, know that by arranging lines in diagonals it is possible to indicate movement and energy. Suggest two images from popular culture that use diagonals to convey a sense of movement and energy. For each image, give reasons why the artist might have wanted to create an energetic composition.

Q: In The School of Athens, Raphael focused our attention on two Greek philosophers positioned in the center of the work. They are ________ and ________. a. Aristotle . . . Socrates d. Diogenes . . . Socrates b. Socrates . . . Plato e. Diogenes . . . Aristotle c. Plato . . . Aristotle

Q: Pick the three words that would best describe a regular line. a. controlled e. cool-headed b. wild f. expressive c. geometric g. emotional d. organic

Q: This proportional system uses a ratio of 1:1.618. a. Standard Cubit d. Rule of Thirds b. Fibonacci Sequence e. Golden Section c. Root 5 Rectangle

Q: This aspect of culture is integral to both ancient Greek and Yoruba figural art, despite the differences in how the resulting artworks look. a. politics d. family b. religion e. food c. social status

Q: Compare and contrast the visual differences between the modern photograph of the Church of Saint Spirito (1.1.2b) with Dosios drawing (1.1.2a). What did the artist change?

Q: In traditional African art of the Yoruba tribe, human imagery follows the ideal proportions identified by the ancient Egyptians in palm and hand measurements.

Q: In the illustration from the manga Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, the artists used diagonal lines to create a strong sense of ________. a. calm d. happiness b. movement e. humor c. sadness

Q: Dorothea Tannings work Eine Kleine Nachtmusik uses deliberately distorted scale to create an abnormal or ________ effect. a. peaceful d. thoughtful b. intimate e. supernatural c. heroic

Q: One definition of this element is a mark that connects two points. a. line d. value b. shape e. mass c. color

Q: An artist would probably use distorted scale if he or she wanted to create a lifelike scene that the viewer could relate to.

Q: The line that defines the edge of a shape is called the ________. a. contour d. volume b. outline e. scale c. implied line

Q: The relationships between the sizes of different parts of a work make up its ________. a. volume d. mass b. scale e. character c. proportions

Q: The lines that create the image of the Nazca Spider drawing define the ________ of a ________. a. contour . . . volume d. mass . . . form b. direction . . . line e. pattern . . . square c. outline . . . shape

Q: In two-dimensional art, this is the area in which an artist creates their work. a. square d. round b. cast e. format c. mold

Q: The Nazca Lines are engraved into the surface of the earth, but the image can only be seen from above. Since this artwork was made before man had the ability to hover above the Earth, what reasons might the artist(s) have had for creating this work?

Q: In ancient Egypt, this part of the human body was used as a standard of measurement. Six of these equaled a cubit. a. palm d. torso b. toe e. eye c. leg

Q: The artist Dosio, in his drawing of the Church of Saint Spirito, created an impression of three dimensions by using line to show the division between ________. a. planes d. colors b. time periods e. two figures c. mountains

Q: Compare ancient Greek ideal human proportions with the art of the Yoruba. In your opinion, which culture uses proportions that are most descriptive of the human figure? Why?

Q: In his drawing of the Church of Saint Spirito, Dosio used line to accentuate the patterned surface of the ceiling and differentiate it from the ________. a. sky outside b. walls c. floor d. stained-glass windows e. ceiling in the building next door

Q: The dark printed words on the page of a book are easily read because they are printed on a light ground. This is an example of the principle of ________. a. harmony d. proportion b. variety e. emphasis c. contrast

Q: The Swedish-born artist Claes Oldenburg uses this kind of scale in his sculptures to express admiration for the little things in everyday life. a. human d. hierarchical b. small e. proportional c. monumental

Q: Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen collaborated to create Mistos, a larger-than-life sculpture of this everyday item. a. a book of matches d. a spoon and cherry b. a clothes pin e. a bottle c. a baseball bat

Q: In his figural portraits, Robert Lostutter uses this kind of scale to create an intimate viewing experience. a. hierarchical scale d. small scale b. monumental scale e. proportional scale c. human scale

Q: An artist might use a small scale for a portrait of a lover because it implies ________. a. intimacy d. importance b. epic virtues e. heroism c. distance

Q: When an artist uses scale to indicate the relative importance of elements in a composition, he or she is employing this kind of scale. a. human scale d. hierarchical scale b. monumental scale e. proportional scale c. small scale

Q: This type of scale is common in the relief sculpture of ancient Egypt, where it was used to indicate social importance. a. monumental d. lifesize b. human e. hierarchical c. miniature

Q: The elements of art form the basic ________ of art. a. media d. techniques b. symbols e. methods c. vocabulary

Q: The Flemish artist Jan van Eyck used hierarchical scale to communicate ________ importance in his painting Madonna in a Church. a. spiritual d. aesthetic b. social e. intellectual c. political

Q: The principles of design are a kind of ________ that artists apply to the elements of art. a. technique d. logo b. perspective e. grammar c. sketch

Q: Historically, hierarchical scale has been used by artists to communicate power or rank in social and religious contexts, but identifying importance using scale (or implied scale) may also be used in visual communication design. Can you think of an example from everyday lifeperhaps in advertisingwhere scale is use to indicate importance? How is it being communicated and is it effective?

Q: A flat work of art has two dimensions: ________ and width. a. height d. size b. depth e. mass c. breadth

Q: This group of artists sometimes used distorted scale to create dreamlike images that subvert our conscious experiences. a. Pop artists d. Cubists b. Surrealists e. Orphists c. Futurists

Q: 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?

Q: The kind of scale used for objects that appear larger than they are in real life is called ________ scale. a. monumental d. meaningful b. human e. proportional c. hierarchical

Q: The size relationships between parts of an object, or its ________, affects how a viewer will interpret it. a. proportions d. values b. colors e. facade c. mass

Q: This symmetrical Chinese motif appears in art as a monster that is made from many other designs. a. tao tieh d. horse b. dragon e. fu dog c. egret

Q: ________ 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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?

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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?

Q: ________ 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

Q: 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

Q: Variety can ________ a design. a. invigorate d. connect b. regulate e. fuse c. order

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: Creating visual weight and counterweight is part of an artists use of the element of ________ in creating a work of art. a. balance d. unity b. proportion e. variety c. rhythm

Q: ________ balance is achieved when both sides of a composition look exactly the same. a. asymmetrical d. unified b. symmetrical e. varied c. gestalt

Q: Joseph Cornell created boxes that contain compositions of ________ objects. a. found d. round b. dead e. square c. green

Q: 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.

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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?

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

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

Q: The many viewpoints in Marie Marevnas Cubist work Nature morte la bouteille could produce excessive variety, but the artist was able to unify the composition. Discuss the elements that Marevna used to create unity.

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: Romare Beardens 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

Q: Disparate visual elements can be linked together with a common idea. This is ________ unity. a. symbolic d. virtual b. compositional e. actual c. conceptual

Q: What element describes the imposition of order and harmony on a design? a. unity d. rhythm b. variety e. proportion c. balance

Q: 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

Q: This medium involves the human body and usually includes the artist. a. performance art d. narrative painting b. bioart e. collage c. Futurism

Q: Discuss how performance art differs from other types of performances, such as music, athletics, or theater. Why is performance art different? When confronted by a performance work, how can you tell the difference between it and other disciplines?

Q: Performance artists the Blue Man Group rely on bodily movements to communicate ideas without speech.

Q: This type of sculpture can move and change its visual form. a. relief d. geometric b. in the round e. contemporary c. kinetic

Q: Alexander Calder invented the ________, a type of suspended, balanced sculpture that uses air currents to power its movement. a. zoetrope d. relief b. stabile e. mobile c. mime

Q: If Alexander Calders Untitled mobile was powered by a small motor, rather than air currents, it would not be an example of actual motion.

Q: The elements of time and motion are not applicable to the art of photography.

Q: The sequence of photographs Dorothea Lange took of a migrant family in 1936 shows how photographers move around their subject and anticipate the right time to capture the image they seek. In this way, photography is still deeply concerned with the elements of ________ and time. a. motion d. volume b. color e. texture c. light

Q: Motion is not the only indicator of the passage of time in art. ________ use the changing properties of organic material to create a sense of time passing in their art. a. Impressionists d. Surrealists b. Fauvists e. Pointillists c. Bioartists

Q: In her work Astroculture (Shelf Life) bioartist Suzanne Anker experiments with growing plants in artificial light for use in ________. a. outer space d. farming b. painting e. underwater cities c. art museums