Key Concepts in Art and Design Theory

subject

the person, object, event, or idea on which an artwork is based.

stereotype

a fixed generalization based on a preconception.

simile

a figure of speech in which one thing is linked to another, dissimilar thing using the word like or as.

representational shapes

shapes derived from specific subject matter and strongly based on visual observation.

recontextualization

a postmodern practice in which the meaning of an image or object is changed by the context in which it is placed.

pure form

a circle, sphere, triangle, cube, or other form created without reference to specific subject matter.

postmodernism

a collection of artistic styles that arose in the 1970s as a reaction to modernism.

modernism

a collection of artistic styles, most prominent from around 1860 to 1960, that emphasized the importance of form, introduced new materials and production methods, and sought to express universal truths.

metaphor

a figure of speech in which one thing is directly linked to another, dissimilar thing.

low definition

describes blurred or ambiguous visual information.

layering

a postmodern practice in which an accumulation of multiple (and often contradictory) visual layers is used to create a single artwork.

iconography

the study of symbolic visual systems.

hybridity

the creation of artworks using disparate media to create a unified conceptual statement.

high definition

sharply focused visual information that is easily readable.

form

the physical manifestation of an idea, as opposed to the content, which refers to the idea itself.

critique

any means by which the strengths and weaknesses of designs are analyzed.

context

in art, the set of circumstances or facts that surround when a work of art was made, where, how, and for what purpose.

content

the emotional and/or intellectual meaning or message of an artwork.

cliche

an overused expression or a predictable visual treatment of an idea.

appropriation

a postmodern practice in which one artist reproduces an image created by another and claims it as his or her own.

aesthetics

the study of human responses to art and beauty.

analogy

a similarity or connection between things that are apparently separate and dissimilar.

anesthetic

a chemical or action used to induce insensitivity or unconsciousness.

abstract shape

a shape that is derived from a visual source, but is so transformed that it bears little visual resemblance to that source.