Art Glossary A-L

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Abstract art Twentieth-century art containing shapes that simplify shapes of real objects to emphasize form instead of subject matter.

Abstract Expressionism Painting style developed after World War II in New York City that emphasized abstract elements of art rather than recognizable subject matter, and also stressed feelings and emotions .

Acrylic paint Pigments mixed with an acrylic vehicle.

Available in different degrees of quality: school and artists' acrylics. School acrylics are less expensive than the professional acrylics, can be washed out of brushes and clothes, and are nontoxic.

Action Painting The technique of dripping and splashing paint onto canvases stretched on the floor . See Abstract Expressionism.

Active Expressing movement. Diagonal and zigzag lines (and diagonally slanting shapes and forms are active. Opposite of static.

Aesthetic experience Your personal interaction with a work of art .

Aesthetics The philosophy or study of the nature and value of art .

Afterimage Weak image of complementary color created by a viewer's brain as a reaction to prolonged looking at a color. After staring at something red, the viewer sees an afterimage of green.

Age of Faith See Middle Ages.

Air brush Atomizer operated by compressed air used for spraying on paint.

Alternating rhythm Visual rhythm set up by repeating motifs but changing position or content of motifs or spaces between them .

Analogous colors--Colors that sit side by side on the color wheel and have a common hue . Violet, red violet, and red are analogous colors. Analogous colors can be used as a color scheme.

Analysis In art criticism, the step in which you discover how the principles of art are used to organize the art elements of line, color, shape, form, space, and texture.

In art history, the step in which you determine the style of the work .

Animators Artists who create moving cartoons .

Applied art--Art made to be functional as well as visually pleasing .

Approximate symmetry Balance that is almost symmetrical . This type of symmetry produces the effect of stability, as formal balance does, but small differences make the arrangement more interesting.

Arbitrary color--Color chosen by an artist to express his or her feelings . Opposite of optical color.

Arch Curved stone structure supporting weight of material over an open space. Doorways and bridges use arches.

Architect A person who designs buildings that are well constructed, aesthetically pleasing, and functional .

Architecture Art form of designing and planning construction of buildings, cities, and bridges .

Art criticism An organized approach for studying a work of art. It has four stages: description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment .

Art history operations A four-step approach for organizing the way you gather information about a work of art .

Artistic style See individual style.

Artists Creative individuals who use imagination and skill to communicate in visual form .

Ashcan School Group of American artists working in the early twentieth century who used city people and city scenes for subject matter . Originally called "The Eight," they helped to organize the Armory Show.

Assembling A sculpting technique in which the artist gathers and joins together a variety of different materials to make a sculpture. Also called constructing .

Asymmetrical balance Another name for informal balance, in which unlike objects have equal visual weight or eye attraction .

Atmospheric perspective Effect of air and light on how an object is perceived by the viewer . The more air between the viewer and the object, the more the object seems to fade. A bright object seems closer to the viewer than a dull object.

B

Background Part of the picture plane that seems to be farthest from the viewer.

Balance Principle of art concerned with equalizing visual forces, or elements, in a work of art . If a work of art has visual balance, the viewer feels that the elements have been arranged in a satisfying way. Visual imbalance makes the viewer feel that the elements need to be rearranged. The two types of balance are formal (also called symmetrical) and informal (also called asymmetrical).

Baroque Artistic style that emphasized dramatic lighting, movement, and emotional intensity. It developed after the Reformation in the seventeenth century. Artists used movement of forms and figures toward the viewer, dramatic lighting effects, contrast between dark and light, ornamentation, and curved lines to express energy and strong emotions .

Bas relief A relief sculpture with positive areas that project slightly from the flat surface.

Binder A liquid that holds together the grains of pigment .

Blending Technique of shading through smooth, gradual application of dark value.

Brayer Roller with a handle used to apply ink to a surface.

Buttress Projecting brick or stone structure that supports an arch or vault. A flying buttress is connected with a wall by an arch. It reaches over the side aisle to support the roof of a cathedral.

Byzantine art Artistic style that developed around Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in the eastern Roman Empire. It featured very rich colors and heavily outlined figures that appeared flat and stiff

C

Calligraphic lines Flowing lines made with brushstrokes similar to Asian writing .

Complementary colors The colors opposite each other on the color wheel . A complement of a color absorbs all the light waves the color reflects and is the strongest contrast to the color. Mixing a hue with its complementary color dulls it. Red and green are complementary colors. Complementary colors can be used as a color scheme.

Composition The way the principles of art are used to organize the elements of art .

Content--The message the work communicates. The content can relate to the subject matter or be an idea or emotion. Theme is another word for content .

Contour drawing--Drawing in which only contour lines are used to represent the subject matter . Artists keep their eyes on the object they are drawing and concentrate on directions and curves.

Contour line A line that defines the edges and surface ridges of an object .

Contrast Technique for creating a focal point by using differences in elements .

Convergence Technique for creating a focal point by arranging elements so that many lines or shapes point to one item or area .

Cool colors Blue, green, and violet . Cool colors suggest coolness and seem to recede from a viewer.

Cool colors can be used as a color scheme. Opposite of warm colors.

Crafts Art forms creating works of art that are both beautiful and useful. Crafts include weaving, fabric design, ceramics, and jewelry making .

Crayons Pigments held together with wax and molded into sticks.

Credit line A list of important facts about a work of art.

A credit line usually includes the artist's name, the title of the work, year completed, medium used, size (height, width, and depth), location (gallery, museum, or collection and city), donors, and date donated.

Crewel Loosely twisted yarn used in embroidery.

Criteria Standards of judgment .

Crosshatching The technique of using crossed lines for shading .

Cubism Twentieth-century art movement that emphasizes structure and design . Three-dimensional objects are pictured from many different points of view at the same time.

Culture Behaviors and ideas of a group of people.

Studying art objects produced by a group of people is one way to learn about a culture.

Cuneiform The Sumerian writing system made up of wedge-shaped characters .

Curved lines--Lines that are always bending and change direction gradually .

Calligraphy An Asian method of beautiful handwriting .

Canvas Rough cloth on which an oil painting is made.

Carving A sculpting technique in which the sculptor cuts, chips, or drills from a solid mass of material to create a sculpture. Material is removed until the sculpture is complete; therefore, carving is referred to as a subtractive process.

Casting A sculpting technique in which molten metal or another substance is poured into a mold and allowed to harden. Just as in printmaking, an edition of sculptures can be made from the same mold.

Central axis A dividing line that works like the point of balance in the balance scale. The central axis is used to measure visual weight in a work of art. It can be vertical (balance between sides is measured) or horizontal (balance between top and bottom is measured) .

Ceramics Art of making objects with clay to produce pottery and sculpture. Pottery is fired in a kiln to make it stronger.

Chiaroscuro The arrangement of light and shadow. This technique was introduced by Italian artists during the Renaissance and used widely by Baroque artists. Chiaroscuro is also called modeling or shading.

Classical Referring to the art of ancient Greece and Rome. The Greeks created art based on the ideals of perfect proportion and logic instead of emotion. The Romans adapted Greek art and spread it throughout the civilized world .

Clay Stiff, sticky earth that is used in ceramics. It’s wet, and it hardens after drying or heating .

Clustering Technique for creating a focal point by grouping several different shapes closely together .

Coil Long roll joined into a circle or spiral. Clay coils are used to make pottery.

Collage An artwork created by pasting cut or torn materials such as paper, photographs, and fabric to a flat surface .

Color An element of art that is derived from reflected light . The sensation of color is aroused in the brain by response of the eyes to different wavelengths of light. Color has three properties: hue, value, and intensity.

Color-field painting Twentieth-century art created using only flat fields of color .

Color scheme Plan for organizing colors. Types of color schemes include monochromatic, analogous, complementary, triad, split complementary, warm, and cool .

Color spectrum The effect that occurs when light passes through a prism; the beam of white light is bent and separated into bands of color. Colors always appear in the same order, by wavelengths, from longest to shortest: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet..

Color triad Three colors spaced an equal distance apart on the color wheel . The primary color triad is red, yellow, and blue; the secondary color triad is orange, green, and violet. A color triad is a type of color scheme.

Color wheel The spectrum bent into a circle .

Compass Instrument used for measuring and drawing arcs and circles.

D

Dark Ages See Middle Ages.

Decalcomania A technique in which paint is forced into random textured patterns by pulling apart canvases between which blobs of paint have been squeezed.

Dense Compact; having parts crowded together. Dense materials are solid and heavy. Opposite of soft.

Description A list of all the things you see in the work .

Fiberfill Lightweight, fluffy filling material made of synthetic fibers.

Figure Human form in a work of art.

Fine art--Art made to be experienced visually. Opposite of applied or functional art .

Fire To apply heat to harden pottery.

Flowing rhythm Visual rhythm created by repeating wavy lines .

Focal point The first part of a work to attract the attention of the viewer . Focal points are created by contrast, location, isolation, convergence, and use of the unusual.

Folk artists--Artists who are self-taught and therefore have had little or no formal schooling in artistic methods .

Foreground Part of the picture plane that appears closest to the viewer. The foreground is usually at the bottom of the picture.

Foreshortening To shorten an object to make it look as if it extends backward into space . This method reproduces proportions a viewer actually sees, which depend on the viewer's distance from the object or person.

Formal balance Way of organizing parts of a design so that equal, or very similar, elements are placed on opposite sides of a central axis . Formal balance suggests stability. Symmetry is a type of formal balance. Opposite of informal balance.

Formal qualities How well the work is organized .

This aesthetic quality is favored by Formalism.

Formalism Theory that places emphasis on the formal qualities. One of the three aesthetic theories of art criticism, the others being Emotionalism and Imitationalism .

Forms Objects having three dimensions. Like a shape, a form has height and width, but it also has depth. Forms are either geometric or free-form.

Free-form shapes Irregular and uneven shapes (5). Their outlines are curved, or angular, or both. Free-form shapes are often referred to as organic (found in nature). Opposite of geometric shapes.

Freestanding Work of art surrounded on all sides by space. A three-dimensional work of art is freestanding.

Opposite of relief.

Frottage Designs and textural effects that are created by placing paper over objects that have raised surfaces and rubbing the paper with graphite, wax, or crayon.

Functional art Works of art made to be used instead of only enjoyed. Objects must be judged by how well they work when used .

Futurists Early twentieth-century Italian artists who arranged angular forms to suggest motion . They called the forces of movement dynamism.

G Gallery Place for displaying or selling works of art.

Genre painting Paintings that have scenes from everyday life as their subject matter.

Geometric shapes Precise shapes that can be described using mathematical formulas . Basic geometric shapes are the circle, the square, and the triangle. Basic geometric forms are the cylinder, the cube, and the pyramid. Opposite of free-form shapes.

Design Plan, organization, or arrangement of elements in a work of art.

Diagonal lines--Lines that slant Digital camera A camera that records images digitally.

These images can then be downloaded into computer applications where they can be altered and enhanced.

Digital system A system that processes words and images directly as numbers or digits .

Dimension The amount of space an object takes up in one direction . The three dimensions are height, width, and depth.

Distortion Deviations from expected, normal proportions .

Divine Proportion See Golden Mean.

Dome Hemispherical vault or ceiling over a circular opening. A dome rises above the center part of a building .

Dominant element--Element of a work of art noticed first. Elements noticed later are called subordinate .

Draw program A computer art application in which images are stored as a series of lines and curves.

Objects can be resized without distortion in draw programs .

Dyes Pigments that dissolve in liquid. Dye sinks into a material and stains it .

Dynasty A period of time during which a single family provided a succession of rulers .

E

Edition All the prints made from the same plate or set of plates .

Elements of art Basic visual symbols in the language of art. The elements of art are line, shape and form, space, color, value, and texture .

Embroidery Method of decorating fabric with stitches.

Emotionalism Theory that requires that a work of art must arouse a response of feelings, moods, or emotions in the viewer. One of the three aesthetic theories of art criticism, the others being Formalism and Imitationalism .

Emphasis Principle of art that makes one part of a work dominant over the other parts . The element noticed first is called dominant; the elements noticed later are called subordinate Engraving Method of cutting a design into a material, usually metal, with a sharp tool. A print can be made by inking an engraved surface.

Exaggeration Deviations from expected, normal proportions.

Expressionism Twentieth-century art movement. A style that emphasized the expression of innermost feelings .

Expressive qualities Those qualities that communicate ideas and moods .

F

Fauves French for "wild beasts." A group of early twentieth-century painters who used brilliant colors and bold distortions in an uncontrolled way. Their leader was Henri Matisse.

Fiber Thin, threadlike linear material that can be woven or spun into fabric .

G

Gesture An expressive movement .

Gesture drawing Line drawing done quickly to capture movement of the subject's body.

Glaze In ceramics, a thin, glossy coating fired into pottery.

In painting, a thin layer of transparent paint.

Golden Mean A line divided into two parts so that the smaller line has the same proportion, or ratio, to the larger line as the larger line has to the whole line . Perfect ratio (relationship of parts) discovered by Euclid, a Greek mathematician. Its mathematical expression is 1 to 1.6. It was also called the Golden Section and the Golden Rectangle. The long sides of the Golden Rectangle are a little more than half again as long as the short sides. This ratio was rediscovered in the early sixteenth century and named the Divine Proportion.

Gothic Artistic style developed in western Europe between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. Featured churches that seemed to soar upward, pointed arches, and stained-glass windows .

Gouache Pigments ground in water and mixed with gum to form opaque watercolor. Gouache resembles school tempera or poster paint.

Graphic designer A person who translates ideas into images and arranges them in appealing and memorable ways .

Grattage Wet paint is scratched with a variety of tools, such as forks, razors, and combs for the purpose of creating different textures .

Grid Pattern of intersecting vertical and horizontal lines .

Griots Oral historians who are also musicians and performers .

H

Hard-edge In two-dimensional art, shapes with clearly defined outlines. Hard-edge shapes look dense. Opposite of soft-edge.

Harmony Technique of shading with a series of fine parallel lines .

Hatching Technique of shading with a series of fine parallel lines (3).

Hierarchical proportion When figures are arranged in a work of art so scale indicates importance .

Hieroglyphics Picture writing used by ancient Egyptians (12).

High-key painting--Painting using many tints of a color . Opposite of low-key painting.

Highlights Small areas of white used to show the very brightest spots . Highlights show the surfaces of the subject that reflect the most light. They are used to create the illusion of form. Opposite of shadows.

High relief Sculpture in which areas project far out from a flat surface .

High-resolution Producing a sharp image.

Holograms Images in three dimensions created with a laser beam .

Horizon Point at which earth and sky seem to meet.

Horizontal line--Line parallel to the horizon. Horizontal lines lie flat and are parallel to the bottom edge of the paper or canvas.

Hue The name of a color in the color spectrum .

Hue is related to the wavelength of reflected light. The primary hues are red, yellow, and blue; they are called primary because they cannot be made by mixing other hues together. The secondary hues, made by mixing two primary hues, are orange, violet, and green. Hue is one of the three properties of color.

I

Illustrator A person who creates the visual images that complement written words .

Imitationalism--An aesthetic theory focusing on realistic presentation. One of the three aesthetic theories of art criticism, the others being Emotionalism and Formalism .

Implied lines A series of points that the viewer's eyes automatically connect. Implied lines are suggested, not real .

Impressionism Style of painting started in France in the 1860s. It featured everyday subjects and emphasized the momentary effects of light on color .

Individual style The artist's personal way of using the elements and principles of art to express feelings and ideas .

Informal balance Way of organizing parts of a design involving a balance of unlike objects .

Asymmetry is another term for informal balance. Opposite of formal balance.

Intaglio (in-tal-yo or in-tal-ee-o) A printmaking technique in which ink is forced into lines that have been cut or etched on a hard surface such as metal or wood. The plate's surface is then wiped clean and the prints are made .

Intensity The brightness or dullness of a hue. A pure hue is called a high-intensity color. A dulled hue (a color mixed with its complement) is called a low-intensity color.

Intensity is one of the three properties of color .

Interior designer A person who plans the design and decoration of the interior spaces in homes and offices .

Intermediate color A color made by mixing a primary color with a secondary color. Red-orange is an intermediate color .

International style A style of architecture developed after World War II that emphasizes a plain, austere building style .

Interpretation In art criticism, the step in which you explain or tell the meaning or mood of the work. In art history, the step in which you do research about the artist .

Invented texture A kind of visual texture that doesn’t represent a real texture but creates a sensation of one by repeating lines and shapes in a two-dimensional pattern . Opposite of simulated texture.

Isolation Technique for creating a focal point by putting one object alone to emphasize it .

J

Judgment In art criticism, the step in which you determine the degree of artistic merit. In art history, the step in which you determine if the work has made an important contribution to the history of art .

K

Kinetic A work of art that moves in space .

L

Landscape Painting or drawing in which natural land scenery, such as mountains, trees, rivers, or lakes, is the main feature.

Layout The way items are arranged on the page .

Line An element of art that is the path of a moving point through space. Although lines can vary in appearance (they can have different lengths, widths, textures, directions, and degree of curve), they are considered one-dimensional and are measured by length. A line is also used by an artist to control the viewer's eye movement. There are five kinds of lines: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, and zigzag .

Linear perspective A graphic system that creates the illusion of depth and volume on a flat surface. In one point linear perspective, all receding lines meet at a single point. In two-point linear perspective, different sets of lines meet at different points .

Literal qualities The realistic qualities that appear in the subject of the work .

Lithography A printmaking technique in which the image to be printed is drawn on limestone, zinc, or aluminum with a special greasy pencil or pencil. Ink is attracted to this material .

Location The technique of using placement of elements to create a focal point . Items near the center of a work of art are usually noticed first.

Logos Symbols or trademarks that are immediately recognizable .

Loom Machine or frame for weaving.

Low-key painting--Painting using many shades or dark values of a color . Opposite of high-key painting.

Low-relief See bas-relief.