Philippine Contemporary Art and Design

Vocabulary flashcards covering the definition of art, its elements and principles, color theory, and the history and characteristics of contemporary art in the Philippines.

Art

The conscious use of creative imagination and technical skill to produce aesthetic objects, express human emotions, and communicate meaning.

Elements of Art

The visual or structural building blocks that students use to create and analyze artworks, including line, space, form, shape, color, and texture.

Line

A mark with greater length than width.

Horizontal Lines

Lines that convey calmness, peace, and stability.

Vertical Lines

Lines that represent strength, power, and height.

Diagonal Lines

Lines that suggest movement, action, and tension.

Zigzag Lines

Highly erratic lines that evoke chaos, anxiety, and confusion.

Curved Lines

Lines that evoke softness, comfort, and grace.

Shape

A closed line forming a $2$-dimensional ($2$D) area.

Geometric Shapes

Shapes that are precise, mathematical, and man-made, such as squares, circles, and triangles.

Organic Shapes

Shapes that are irregular, flowing, and inspired by nature.

Form

A $3$-dimensional ($3$D) shape possessing volume and depth.

Geometric Forms

Mathematical, precise, and easily named structures like cubes, spheres, cones, and cylinders, most commonly associated with architecture and human-made objects.

Organic Forms

Free-flowing, curvy, and irregular structures that are typically asymmetrical and commonly found in nature, such as leaves, clouds, or the human body.

Space

The area around or between objects.

Positive Space

The physical objects, shapes, or forms of interest in an artwork, such as the subject of a portrait or the structure of a sculpture.

Negative Space

The empty, unused area or "white space" surrounding and flowing through the positive spaces, vital for defining silhouettes and creating balance.

Color

An element of art produced when light strikes an object and reflects back to the human eye, composed of hue, value, and intensity.

Hue

Another name for 'color.'

Value

The lightness or darkness of a color.

Intensity

The brightness or dullness of a color.

Color Wheel

A visual tool that shows the relationships between colors.

Primary Colors

Colors used to create other colors that cannot be created through mixing other colors.

Secondary Colors

Colors that result from mixing two primary colors together.

Tertiary Colors

Colors that result from mixing primary and secondary colors.

Analogous Colors

Three or more colors that are next to each other on the color wheel and have a pleasing, similar appearance.

Texture

The surface quality of an object.

Principles of Art

Basic guidelines that artists follow to organize their pieces, including balance, emphasis, unity, contrast, pattern/repetition, proportion, and movement.

Balance

The distribution of visual weight in an artwork.

Movement

The path the viewer's eye takes through the artwork.

Contrast

The arrangement of opposite elements, such as light versus dark colors, to create visual interest.

Emphasis

The creation of a focal point that catches the viewer's attention.

Proportion

Relates to the size and scale of elements within a composition to create a sense of realism, balance, or emphasis.

Pattern/Repetition

Repeating elements or combinations of elements to create harmony.

Unity

The feeling of harmony between all parts of the artwork, creating a complete whole.

Visual Arts

Art forms perceived primarily by the eyes that occupy physical space.

Architecture, Designs, and Allied Arts

The art and science of designing spaces and structures that are both functional and artistic.

Literature

The art of written or spoken language.

Music

The arrangement of sounds, silence, harmony, and rhythm.

Theater

A live, collaborative performing art where narrative, drama, and performance intersect on a stage.

Dance

The art of rhythmic body movement mobilized across time and space.

Film (and Broadcast Arts)

The technological translation of theater, capturing moving images, sound, and narrative.

Contemporary Art

A new style of art that emerged after World War II, serving as a statement about life, thoughts, ideas, and the human experience rather than just copying a model.

Mimesis

The traditional art practice of copying a model exactly.

Victorio Edades

The pioneer of contemporary art in the Philippines who rejected natural forms and traditional perspective, known for "The Builders ($1928$)."

Carlos "Botong" Francisco

An early contemporary pioneer who brought Western-influenced styles to the local Philippine scene.

Galo Ocampo

An early contemporary pioneer who, alongside Edades and Francisco, influenced the local scene with Western abstraction and surrealism.

Romeo Tabuena

An artist known for experimenting with forms, such as painting a heavy black carabao on thin legs over a flat background.

Hernando Ocampo

An artist who utilized geometric forms dominated by strong red colors overlapping with shades of yellow and brown.

Vicente Manansala

An artist who painted human forms engaged in everyday genre scenes using abstract cubism.

Cesar Legaspi

An artist who employed transparent cubism with flowing lines to create social commentaries on the harsh reality of hard labor.

Found Objects

Non-traditional materials originally meant for construction or other purposes used by artists like Mona Alcudia to create art.

Collaborative Construction

A characteristic of contemporary art where conceptual artists employ external professionals like fabricators, carpenters, or welders to bring their ideas to life.