Art Principle: Unity
Unity is a sense of an artwork being 'whole.' Unity is about cohesion and belonging. Where variety is about using elements to contrast and be different, unity is about using elements that are similar and often repeat to create structure. To create structure you can simplify and pair back how much is going on in an artwork.
Unity can be created by:
Unity can be created by:
- Repetition
- Proximity or grouping things together
- Alignment
- Continuation
- Colour
Sofia Bonati
How has repetition been used here?
How does this repetition create unity?
How has repetition been used here?
How does this repetition create unity?
What happens if a yellow triangle is added?
Gloria Petyarre
This artwork focuses on the bush medicine dreaming.
This artwork focuses on the bush medicine dreaming.
Now that we have analysed these two artworks as a class, open your Design Principles Folio and analyse the work of John Brack.
Repetition is a large part of unity. You will look at the work of M.C. Escher and Islamic culture to inspire you to create your own tessellating pattern.
M. C. Escher used mathematics to create complex tessellating patterns and optical illusions.
Islamic culture uses a lot of geometry to create tessellating patterns. A good example of this is their architecture. In the example below you can see the complex shapes and patterns used. The blue mosaic sections show tessellation.
These examples show a closer view of a tessellating mosaic and a sketch which shows some of the underlying structure of this sophisticated tessellating design.
Your Task:
How to create your own tessellating pattern:
You will create a tessellated pattern to create structure and repetition, in other words, create unity.
Begin by creating a motif or character that can be repeated.
Basic steps:
1. Create the tessellating shape
2. Trace this shape 5 times to check that it actually tessellates
3. Create an outline design on the shape to create a character or animal
4. Add detail and colour to your character or animal
5. Scan onto the computer
6. Repeat the design on a computer file using copy and paste
- Analyse the artwork of John Brack in your Design Principle Folio
- Find 3 examples of tessellation from M.C. Escher and Islamic culture
- Create your own tessellating pattern
How to create your own tessellating pattern:
You will create a tessellated pattern to create structure and repetition, in other words, create unity.
Begin by creating a motif or character that can be repeated.
Basic steps:
1. Create the tessellating shape
2. Trace this shape 5 times to check that it actually tessellates
3. Create an outline design on the shape to create a character or animal
4. Add detail and colour to your character or animal
5. Scan onto the computer
6. Repeat the design on a computer file using copy and paste