8:UNITY
Key Vocabulary : unity dominance subordinate
I. UNITY
a. When parts combine to create a sense of oneness
b. All members work toward a common goal
c. In art, a feeling of wholeness or harmony; all parts of the design are working together
II. Dominance
a. A single visual element plays a major part in the design
b. Lesser parts are said to be subordinate or secondary
III. Repetition of Visual Units
a. Used by artsists to develop a feeling of unity within a design
b. boredom and monotony can result when a shape is repeated without varying
c. To create variety, an artist might repeat a shape but change it slightly
IV. Use of Color
a. Color is one of the simplest ways of creating unity
b. An artist might use analogous colors to retain a strong feeling of unity
c. Analogous colors are hues that are next to each other on the color wheel and have a single color in common. For example: yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange
V. Surface Quality
a. Texture or surface quality is an important element of any design.
b. To keep a design visually interesting, an artist might vary widths of brush strokes or colors. A sculptor might include smoother (quiet) areas with very little texture.
c. Artists can use surface texture to unify a work
Review Questions
1. Why do artists often try to create unity in their artworks?
2. List four ways to create unity in an artwork.
3. Explain what dominant and subordinate elements are in as design. Name an example of an image in this chapter that has a dominant element. Identify that element.
4. Name an image in this chapter that uses repetition of shape to create unity.
5. Select one image in this chapter that uses an overall surface texture to create unity. Describe the texture.
6. Explain what prompted Kathe Kollwitz to create her series of prints, The Weavers’ Uprising.
7. With what two countries was Nogucji most closely associated? How did these cultures influence his work?
Unity: the sense of oneness or wholeness in a work of art.
Dominance: a concept that one primary element attracts more attention than anything else in a composition. The dominant element is usually a focal point in the composition.
Subordinate: anything that is of lesser importance than the dominant element in an artwork.
