Aesthetic experience- your personal interaction with a work of art
Aesthetics- the philosophy or study of the nature and value of art.
Perceive – become deeply aware through the senses of the special nature of a visual object.
Artists – Creative individuals who use imagination and skill to communicate in visual form.
Elements of Art – Basic visual symbols in the language of art.
The elements are: Shape and form, color, value, texture, space , line.
Principles of Art – Basic rules that govern how artists organize the elements of art.
The principles are: Rhythm, movement, pattern, balance, proportion, variety, emphasis and harmony.
Subject – the image viewers can easily identify in a work of art.
Figure- human forms in works of art.
Composition – the way the principles of art are used to organize the elements of art.
Content – The message the work communicates.
Credit lines – Important facts about the art work.
Credit lines: the artist's name, the title of the work, year completed, medium used, size, location
Medium-Material used to make art (plural is media)
Nonobjective art- art that has no identifiable subject matter.
Abstract art- Twentieth century art containing shapes that simplify shapes of real objects. Objects are
still recognizable.
Subject- the image viewers can easily identify in an artwork.
Folk artists- untrained artists (no formal art school training)
Functional art- art which is meant to be used instead of only viewed. (such as furniture, bowls, etc.)
Symbol- something that stands for or represents something else.
Line – Element of art that is the path of a moving point through space.
Line- Can be used to control the viewer's eye movement.
Line appearance variations- length, width, textures, directions, and degree of curve
Five directions of line- vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, and zigzag
Active - expressing movement. Diagonal and zigzag lines are active. Opposite of static.
Sketch- quick, rough ,drawing without much detail that can be used as a plan or reference for later
work.
Static- Inactive. Horizontal and vertical lines are static.
Dimension – The amount of space an object takes up in one direction.
Value – The element of art that describes the lightness or darkness of an object.
Crosshatching – The technique of using crossed lines for shading.
Parallel lines- lines that move in the same direction
Hatched lines-technique of shading with finely spaced parallel lines
Stippling- technique of shading using dots.
Calligraphy – An Asian method of beautiful handwriting.
Shape – A two-dimensional area that is defined in some way.
Geometric Shapes – Precise shapes that can be described using mathematical formulas.
Free-Form shapes/forms – Irregular and uneven shapes/forms.
Organic shapes/forms- shapes formed by nature (fruit, trees, etc.)
Forms – Objects having three dimensions: depth, height and width).
Space – element of art: the emptiness or area between, around, above, below, or within objects.
Negative space- empty spaces surrounding shapes and forms. Negative spaces are also called ground.
Positive space- Shapes or forms in two and three dimensional art work .
Sculpture- a three-dimensional work of art
Free-standing or sculpture in the round- a sculpture which is surrounded on all sides by space.
Point of View – The angle from which your eyes see the object.
Chiaroscuro- Italian word meaning "the arrangement of light and shadow". Also called "shading"
Linear Perspective- creates the illusion of depth and volume on a 2-dimensional surface.
Linear Perspective- Originated in Italy during the Renaissance period.
Foreshortening- To shorten an object to make it looks as if it extends backward into space
Horizon line-Horizontal line parallel to the bottom edge of the paper. Indicates eye level
Vanishing points- used in linear perspective drawing. Points on the horizon line where receding parallel
lines seem to meet.
Color - an element of art derived from reflected light.
The Three properties of color are hue, value and intensity.
Hue - is the name of a color in the color spectrum
Intensity- the brightness or dullness of a color
Arbitrary color - color chosen by an artist to express his or her feelings. The opposite of optical color.
Optical color- Color perceived by the viewer due to light (how it actually looks- the "real" color).
Complementary colors- colors opposite each other on the color wheel
Split- complementary colors- one color and the colors on each side its complement on the color wheel.
Color wheel- the spectrum bent into a circle. Useful tool for organizing colors
Primary colors- red, blue, yellow
Transparent- quality of a material that allows light to pass through. The opposite of opaque.
Opaque - quality of a material that does not allow light to pass through.
Secondary colors- made by mixing two primary colors
Intermediate (tertiary) colors- made by mixing a primary with a secondary color that are closest
together on the color wheel.
Neutral colors- black, white, grey.
Value-element of art that describes dark or light
Intensity- the brightness or dullness of a hue (color)
Dyes- Pigments that dissolve in liquid. Dye sinks into a material and permanently stains it.
Paint- Pigments mixed with oil or water. Pigment particles in paint stick to the surface of the material to
which it is applied.
Monochromatic color scheme- one color and the tints/shades of that color
Analogous colors- at least four colors that sit side by side on the color wheel and have a common color
Warm colors- red , orange and yellow
Cool colors- blue, green, violet (purple)
Pigments- finely ground, colored powders that form paint with mixed with a binder.
Binder-a material that holds together the grains of pigment
Solvent- liquid that controls the thickness or thinness of the paint.
Tint- light value of a color made by mixing the color with white. Opposite of shade.
Shade- a dark value of a color made by adding black to it. Opposite of tint.
Texture- the element of art that refers to how things feel, or look as if they might feel, if touched.
Visual texture- the illusion of a three-dimensional surface, perceived through eyes.
Tactile texture-the texture that you feel, perceived by touch
Simulated texture- visual texture that imitatee real textures (like "fake" stone)
Trompe l'oeil- French for "deceive the eye".
Trompe l'loeil -Style of painting in which painter s try to give the viewer the illusion of seeing a 3-D
object.
Matte surfaces- reflect soft, dull light
Shiny surfaces reflects lots of bright light
Highlight- area of bright light reflected on a surface
Collage- created by pasting cut or torn materials such as paper, photographs, and fabric to a surface.
Frottage (Rubbing) - a technique for transferring textural quality of a surface by placing paper over the
surface and rubbing the top of the paper with crayon
Grattage- wet paint is scratched with a variety of tools such as forks, sticks, and combs to create texture
Decalcomania - paint is forced into random textured patterns by pulling apart canvases or papers
between which blobs of paint have been squeezed.
Rhythm- a principle of art that indicates movement by the repetition of elements or objects
Pattern- a principal of art that is concerned with decorative surface design
Motif- the unit that is repeated in a two-dimensional pattern
Module- the unit that is repeated in a three-dimensional pattern
Visual movement- the principles of art used to create the look and feeling of action and to guide the
viewer's eyes throughout the work of art.
Relief (bas) sculpture- type of sculpture in which forms project from a flat background. Opposite of
freestanding (example: objects that project on a coin).
Kinetic - sculpture that moves in space.
Mobiles- kinetic sculptures made of shapes that hang in space and actually move due to air currents.
Visual Balance- the principles of art concerned with equalizing visual forces, or elements, in a work of
art.
Central axis- a dividing line that works like the point of balance on a scale.
Symmetry- a type of formal balance in which two halves of a composition are identical, mirror images of
each other.
Asymmetrical- informal balance involves a balance of unlike objects.
Radial balance- type of balance in which elements of a design come (radiate) from a central point
Golden Mean (Divine Proportion) - ratio (a mathematical comparison of sizes) developed by the Greek
mathematician, Euclid, that many artists used to organize the sizes of their paintings. The ratio is 1:1.6
and also reflects the average adult male figure.
Scale- the size of something as measured against a standard reference
Hierarchal proportion-when figures are arranged in a work of art so that scale (size) indicates
importance.
Exaggeration and Distortion- deviations from the expected, normal proportions of figures or objects.
Expressive quality- those qualities that communicate ideas and feelings.
Variety is the principle of art concerned with difference or contrast.
Emphasis is the principal of art that makes one part of a work dominant over the other parts.
Focal point- the first part of a work to attract the attention of the viewer.
Harmony- the Principle of art that creates unity by stressing the similarities of separate, but related
parts.
Unity- a Principle of art, a quality of wholeness or ones that is achieved through the effective use of
the elements and principles of art.
Background- the part of the picture plane that seems to be farthest from the viewer.
Middle ground- area in a picture that is between the foreground and the background.
Foreground- the part of a picture that appears closes to the viewer, usually at the bottom of the picture
Portrait- Image of a person, especially the face and upper body.
Profile- side view of a face
Landscape- painting or drawing in which natural land scenery, such as trees or lakes, is the main feature.
Grid- pattern of horizontal and vertical lines (like a checkerboard)
Color triad - three colors equal distance from each other on the color wheel
Three-Dimensional- an object that has the dimensions of height, width, and depth.
Two-dimensional- an object that has the dimensions of height, and width
Picture plane-The surface of a drawing or painting
Implied line- A series of points that the viewer's eyes automatically connect. Implied lines are
suggested, not real.
Composition- the way the principles of art are used to organize the elements of art
Outline-A line that shows or creates the outer edges of a shape
Gesture drawing- Line drawing done quickly to capture movement of the subject's body.
Gesture- An expressive movement
Design- Plan, organization, or arrangement of elements in a work of art
Grid- pattern of intersecting vertical and horizontal lines.