What type of balance is formal elements are equally distributed on either side of a central vertical axis one side duplicates or mirrors the other side which suggests stability?

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📅 Updated April 16, 2020

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The need for a different texture, design, elements which is something out of the box and creative is the artistry work of artists. Whether it's a painting, wall texturing or coloring, sculpturing, etc. Everyone craves for modern and attractive designs. This quiz has developed to test your knowledge about the principles of design for artists and learners who like to paint and draw. Let's take this quiz and seek answers. All the best!

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Question 1 / 12

What are the Principles of Design?

Question 2 / 12

What refers to a way of combining similar elements of art to create an uncomplicated look to an overall composition?

Question 3 / 12

_______ is usually created when an artis repeats or alternates a specific element creating a feeling of movement.

Question 4 / 12

Balance if the arrangment of visual elements to create an "even" or "equal" feeling. What are they three types of Balance? Separate values by commas. (ex. 1, 2, 3)

Question 5 / 12

What type of balance is: (formal) elements are equally distributed on either side of a central vertical axis; one side duplicates or mirrors the other side; which suggests stability.

Question 6 / 12

What type of balance is: (informal) a balance of unlike objects that create a "felt" balance of the total artwork; images on either side of a central line are different yet give the feeling o

Question 7 / 12

What type of balance is: (radiate) elements branch/radiate out from a central point.

Question 8 / 12

Point of interest in a work of art - attracts more attention than anything else in composition; Dominant element or form in artwork - often the focal point; noticed.

Question 9 / 12

Choose an example of emphasis.

Question 10 / 12

What are repeating lines, shapes or other elements that create a pattern?

Question 11 / 12

Which combination completes this sentence? Unity is the way various parts of a design relate to each other to promote a sense of oneness or whleness in a work of art. You create unity in your

Question 12 / 12

What are some examples of Variety/Contrast? ex. _______ and _______ .

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Discussion

Balance in art is one of the basic principles of design, along with contrast, movement, rhythm, emphasis, pattern, unity, and variety. Balance refers to how the elements of art (line, shape, color, value, space, form, texture) relate to each other within the composition in terms of their visual weight to create visual equilibrium. That is, one side does not seem heavier than another.

In three dimensions, balance is dictated by gravity, and it is easy to tell when something is balanced or not (if not held down by some means). It falls over if it is not balanced. On a fulcrum (like a teeter-totter), one side of the object hits the ground while the other rises. In two dimensions, artists have to rely on the visual weight of the elements of the composition to determine whether a piece is balanced. Sculptors rely both on physical and visual weight to determine the balance.​

Humans, perhaps because we are bilaterally symmetrical, have a natural desire to seek balance and equilibrium. Artists generally strive to create artwork that is balanced. A balanced work, in which the visual weight is distributed evenly across the composition, seems stable, makes the viewer feel comfortable, and is pleasing to the eye. A work that is unbalanced appears unstable, creates tension, and makes the viewer uneasy. Sometimes, an artist deliberately creates a work that is unbalanced.

Isamu Noguchi's (1904-1988) sculpture "Red Cube" is an example of a sculpture that intentionally looks off balance. The red cube is precariously resting on a point, contrasting with the gray, solid, stable buildings around it, and it creates a feeling of tension and apprehension. 

Types of Balance

There are three main types of balance that are used in art and design: symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial. Symmetrical balance, which includes radial symmetry, repeats patterns of forms systematically. Asymmetrical balance counterbalances different elements that have equal visual weight or equal physical and visual weight in a three-dimensional structure. Asymmetrical balance is based more on the artist's intuition than on a formulaic process.

Symmetrical Balance

Symmetrical balance is when both sides of a piece are equal; that is, they are identical or almost identical. Symmetrical balance can be established by drawing an imaginary line through the center of the work, either horizontally or vertically, and making each half identically or very visually similar. This kind of balance creates a sense of order, stability, rationality, solemnity, and formality. Symmetrical balance is often used in institutional architecture (government buildings, libraries, colleges, and universities) and religious art.

Symmetrical balance may be a mirror image (an exact copy of the other side) or it may be approximate, with the two sides having slight variations but being quite similar.

Symmetry around a central axis is called bilateral symmetry. The axis may be vertical or horizontal.

"The Last Supper" by Italian Renaissance painter Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is one of the best well-known examples of an artist's creative use of symmetrical balance. Da Vinci uses the compositional device of symmetrical balance and linear perspective to stress the importance of the central figure, Jesus Christ. There is slight variation among the figures themselves, but there is the same number of figures on either side and they are situated along the same horizontal axis.

Op art is a kind of art that sometimes employs symmetrical balance biaxially — that is, with symmetry corresponding to both the vertical and horizontal axis.

Crystallographic balance, which finds harmony in repetition (such as color or shape), is often quite symmetrical. It's also called mosaic balance or all-over balance. Think of works by Andy Warhol with repeating elements, the Parlophone "Hard Day's Night" album cover by The Beatles, or even wallpaper patterns.

Radial Symmetry

Radial symmetry is a variation of symmetrical balance in which the elements are arranged equally around a central point, as in the spokes of a wheel or the ripples made in a pond where a stone is dropped. Thus, radial symmetry has a strong focal point.

Radial symmetry is often seen in nature, as in the petals of a tulip, the seeds of a dandelion, or in certain marine life, such as jellyfish. It is also seen in religious art and sacred geometry, as in mandalas, and in contemporary art, as in "Target With Four Faces" (1955) by the American painter Jasper Johns.

Asymmetrical Balance

In asymmetrical balance, the two sides of a composition are not the same but appear to have an equal visual weight nonetheless. Negative and positive shapes are unequal and unevenly distributed throughout the artwork, leading the viewer's eye through the piece. Asymmetrical balance is a bit more difficult to achieve than symmetrical balance because each element of art has its own visual weight relative to the other elements and affects the whole composition.  

For example, asymmetrical balance can occur when several smaller items on one side are balanced by a large item on the other side, or when smaller elements are placed farther away from the center of the composition than larger elements. A dark shape can be balanced by several lighter shapes.

Asymmetrical balance is less formal and more dynamic than symmetrical balance. It may appear more casual but takes careful planning. An example of asymmetrical balance is Vincent van Gogh's "The Starry Night" (1889). The dark triangular shape of the trees visually anchoring the left side of the painting is counterbalanced by the yellow circle of the moon in the upper right corner.

"The Boating Party," by American artist Mary Cassatt (1844–1926), is another dynamic example of asymmetrical balance, with the dark figure in the foreground (lower right-hand corner) balanced by the lighter figures and particularly the light sail in the upper left-hand corner. 

How the Elements of Art Influence Balance

When creating an artwork, artists keep in mind that certain elements and characteristics have greater visual weight than others. In general, the following guidelines apply, although each composition is different and the elements within a composition always behave in relation to the other elements.

Color

Colors have three main characteristics (value, saturation, and hue) that affect their visual weight. Transparency can also come into play.

• Value: Darker colors seem visually heavier in weight than lighter colors. Black is the darkest color and the heaviest weight visually, while white is the lightest color and the lightest weight visually. However, the size of the shape matters, too. For example, a smaller, darker shape can be balanced by a larger, lighter shape. 
• Saturation: More saturated colors (more intense) are visually heavier than more neutral (duller) colors. A color can be made less intense by mixing it with its opposite on the color wheel.
• Hue: Warm colors (yellow, orange, and red) have more visual weight than cool colors (blue, green, and purple).
• Transparency: Opaque areas have more visual weight than transparent areas.

Shape 

• Squares tend to have more visual weight than circles, and more complex shapes (trapezoids, hexagons, and pentagons) tend to have more visual weight than simpler shapes (circles, squares, and ovals)
• The size of the shape is very important; larger shapes are heavier visually than smaller shapes, but a group of small shapes can equal the weight of a large shape visually.

Line

• Thick lines have more weight than thin lines.

Texture

• A shape or form with texture has more weight than one that is not textured.

Placement

• Shapes or objects located toward the edge or corner of the composition have more visual weight and will offset visually heavy elements within the composition. 
• Foreground and background can balance each other.
• Items can also balance each other along a diagonal axis, not just vertical or horizontal.

Any type of contrast can be employed in the striving for balance: still vs. moving, smooth vs. rough, wide vs. narrow, and on and on.

Balance is an important principle to heed, for it communicates so much about a work of art and can contribute to the overall effect, making a composition dynamic and lively or restful and calm.

Sources

"5 Famous Op-Artists." Weebly.

"Andy Warhol." Weiner Elementary School.

Beatles, The. "A Hard Day's Night." 2009 Digital Remaster, Enhanced, Remastered, Digipack, Limited Edition, Capitol, September 8, 2009.

"Biography." The Noguchi Museum, NY.

"Red Cube, 1968." New York City Public Art Curriculum.

"Target with Four Faces: Gallery Label." The Museum of Modern Art, 2009, NY.

"The Boating Party: Overview." National Gallery of Art, 2018.

"The Starry Night: Galley Label." The Museum of Modern Art, 2011, NY.

What type of balance is that has formal elements equally distributed on either side of a central vertical axis?

What type of balance is elements are equally distributed on either side of a central vertical axis one side duplicate or mirrors the other side which suggest stability?

What are the types of formal balance?

What is a type of balance that refers to the distribution of elements around a central point in all directions?