Art terms Flashcards
A visual representation that may have little resemblance to the real world. Abstraction can occur through a process of simplification or distortion in an attempt to communicate an essential aspect of a form or concept.
Abstraction
Black, gray, or white with no distinctive hues.
Achromatic.
A color mixing system in which combinations of different wavelengths of light create visual sensations of color.
Additive system.
The perception of less distinct and value contrasts as forms recede into the background. Colors appear to be washed out in the distance or take on the color of the atmosphere. Also called atmospheric perspective.
Aerial perspective.
The branch of philosophy concerned with the beautiful in art and how the viewer experiences it.
Aesthetics.
Occurs after staring at an area of intense color for a certain amount of time and then quickly glancing away toward a white surface, where the complementary color seems to appear.
Afterimage.
A composition that distributes emphasis uniformly throughout the two dimensional surface by repetition of similar elements.
Allover pattern.
A rhythm that consists of successive patterns in which the same elements reappear in a regular order. The motifs alternate consistently with one another to produce a regular and anticipated sequence.
Alternating rhythm.
Obscurity of motif or meaning.
Ambiguity.
A dynamic and dramatic illusionistic effect created when an object is pointed directly at the viewer.
Amplified perspective.
A color scheme that combines several hues located next to each other on the color wheel.
Analogous colors.
A measure of the attributes and relationships of an artwork or design.
Analysis.
Term used to describe an image that has been optically distorted.
Anamorphic.
The implication of movement on a static two dimensional surface caused by the viewer’s past experience with a similar situation.
Anticipated movement.
A decorative style, popular in the 1920’s characterized by its geometric patterns and reflecting the rise of industry and mass production in the early twentieth century.
Art deco.
A late nineteenth century style that emphasized organic shapes
Art nouveau.
An assembly of found objects composed as a piece of sculpture.
Assemblage.
Balance achieved with dissimilar objects that have equal visual weight or equal eye attraction.
Asymmetrical balance.
A line of reference around which a form or composition is balanced.
Axis.
The equilibrium of opposing or interacting forces in a pictorial composition.
Balance.
Balance with respect to a vertical axis.
Bilateral symmetry.
Describes shapes derived from organic or natural forms.
Biomorphic.
A visual device in which most details and the edges of a form are lost in the rapidity of the implied movement.
Blurred outline.
Elegant flowing lines suggestive of writing with an aesthetic value separate from its literal content.
Calligraphy.
A law or accepted code that prescribes a set of standards.
Canon.
An architectural column in the form of a human figure.
Caryatid.
The use of light and dark values to imply depth and volume in a two dimensional work of art.
Chiaroscuro.
Relating to the hue or saturation of color.
Chromatic.
Suggestive of Greek and Roman ideals of beauty and purity of form, style, or technique.
Classical.
The placement of objects by which a composition keeps the viewer’s attention within the picture.
Closed form.
An artwork created by assembling and pasting a variety of materials onto a two dimensional surface.
Collage.
A psychological compensation for changes in light when observing a color. A viewer interprets the color to be the same under various light conditions.
Color constancy.
A perception of dissonance in a color relationship.
Color discord.
Any one of a number of color relationships based on groupings within the color wheel.
Color harmony.
Employing color to signify human character traits or concepts.
Color symbolism.
Three colors equidistant on the color wheel.
Color triad.
An arrangement of colors based on the sequence of hues in the visible spectrum.
Color wheel.
A color scheme incorporating opposite hues on the color wheel. Complimentary colors accentuate each other in juxtaposition and neutralize each other in mixture.
Complementary.
An overall arrangement and organization of visual elements on the two dimensional surface.
Composition.
Artwork based on an idea. An art movement in which the idea is more important than the two or three dimensional artwork.
Conceptual.
An aspect of human perception that allows us to see size or color or form as consistent even if circumstances change appearances.
Constancy effect.
An idea conveyed through the artwork that implies the subject matter, story, or information the artist communicates to the viewer.
Content.
A line or edge that continues from one form to another, allowing the eye to move smoothly through a composition.
Continuation.
The visual relationship between two or more individual designs.
Continuity.
A line used to follow the edges of forms and thus describe their outlines.
Contour.
A color closer to blue on the color wheel.
Cool color.
A process of criticism for the purpose of evaluating and improving art and design.
Critique.
Lines that appear to wrap around a form in a pattern that is at an angle to the outline of the form.
Cross contour.
A drawing technique in which a series of lines are layered over each other to build up value and to suggest form and volume.
Cross hatching.
Balance with equal emphasis over an entire two dimensional surface so that there is always the same visual weight or attraction wherever you may look. Also called allover pattern.
Crystallographic balance.
A form of abstraction that emphasizes planes and multiple perspectives.
Cubist. (Cubism)
Rounded and curving forms that tend to imply flowing shapes and compositions.
Curvilinear.
A verbal account of the attributes of an artwork or design.
Description.
A planned arrangement of visual elements to construct an organized visual pattern.
Design.
A departure from an accepted perception of a form or object. Distortion often manipulates established proportional standards.
Distortion.
The quality of drawing or rendering.
Draftsmanship.
Artworks created by altering a large area of land using natural and organic materials. Earthworks are usually large scale projects that take formal advantage of the local topography.
Earthworks.
A subjective approach to color use to elicit an emotional response from the viewer.
Emotional color.
Puzzling or cryptic in appearance or meaning.
Enigmatic.
Visual balance between opposing compositional elements.
Equilibrium.
An ambiguous space in which it is hard to distinguish the foreground from the background. Your perception seems to alternate from one to another.
Equivocal space.
An artistic style in which an emotion is more important than adherence to any perceptual realism. It is characterized by the exaggeration and distortion of objects in order to evoke an emotional response from the viewer.
Expressionism.
The face or frontal aspect of a form.
Facade.
A french term meaning “wold beast” and descriptive of an artistic style characterized by the use of bright and intense expressionistic color schemes.
Fauve.
Any positive shape or form noticeably separated from the background, or the negative space.
Figure.
A compositional device emphasizing a certain area or object to draw attention to the piece and to encourage closer scrutiny of the work.
Focal point.
Art and craft objects made by people who have not been formally trained as artists.
Folk art.
A distortion of a shape due to perspective wherein an object appears shorter than we know it to be.
Foreshortening.
When referring to objects, it is the shape and structure of a thing. When referring to two dimensional artworks, it is the visual aspect of composition, structure, and the work as a whole.
Form.
Traditional and generally accepted visual solutions.
Formal.
A mural painting technique in which pigments mixed in water are used to form the desired color. These pigments are then applied to wet lime plaster, thereby binding with and becoming an integral part of a wall.
Fresco.
A unified configuration or pattern of visual elements whose properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts.
Gestalt.
A line that does not stay at the edges but moves freely within forms. These lines record movement of the eye as well as implying motion in the form.
Gesture.
A mathematical ratio in which width is to length is to length plus width. This ratio has been employed in design since the time of the ancient greeks. It can also be found in natural forms.
Golden mean.
The ancient greek ideal of a perfectly proportioned rectangle using a mathematical ratio called the golden mean.
Golden rectangle.
Forms drawn or painted onto a two dimensional surface; any illustration or design.
Graphic.
A network of horizontal and vertical intersecting lines that divide spaces and create a framework of areas.
Grid.
The surface of a two dimensional design that acts as the background or surrounding space for the “figures” in the composition.
Ground.
The pleasing combination of parts that make up a whole composition.
Harmony.
