Elements of Art

Intensity

The brightness or dullness of a color

abstract art

art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors, and textures.

achromatic colors

white, black and gray

asymmetrical

irregular shape

Balance in art

Refers to the positioning of objects in such a way that none of them overpower other components of the artwork.

Symmetrical

Asymmetrical

composition

the makeup of something

chromatic

relating to color

contrast

Difference between things

didactic

Intended to instruct; teaching, or teaching a moral lesson

emphasis

Special importance, value, or prominence given to something.

foreshortening

The use of perspective to represent in art the apparent visual contraction of an object that extends back in space at an angle to the perpendicular plane of sight.

form

shape

ground line

In paintings and reliefs, a painted or carved baseline on which figures appear to stand.

hue

a particular shade of a given color

idealistic

believing in the idea of perfection or a perfect world

illusionistic

depicting figures, objects, and the space they occupy so convincingly that an appearance of reality is achieved

intensity

The brightness or dullness of a color

intermediate color

a color produced by a mixture of a primary color and a secondary color

intrinsic value art

View that art has value unto itself; Belief that art is fully self-justified being simply created for the sake of itself

irregular

not following a pattern; not regular

linear perspective

parallel lines appear to converge with distance

material value

art that holds importance due to the precious material from which it is made, both financial and cultural

monochromatic

one color

nationalistic value

some art is valued because it represents a particular culture or nation

naturalistic

derived from real life or nature, or imitating it very closely

orthogonal lines

Lines on an object that lead to the vanishing point

pattern

A repeated decorative design.

pigment

A colored chemical compound that absorbs light, producing color.

primary color

red, yellow, blue

psychological value

art that creates a mental or emotional response

relief sculpture

sculpture that projects from a flat background. A very shallow relief sculpture is called a bas-relief

bas-relief sculpture

Sculpture that is flat on the back and slightly raised.

religious value

works of art being valued based on its religious significance

Representational Art

art that recognizably represents or depicts a particular subject

rhythm in art

Repetition of a pattern or repeated elements

sculpture/statue

a three-dimensional work of art

secondary colors

orange, green, violet

stylized

art that represents objects in an exaggerated way to emphasize certain aspects of the object

symmetrical

balanced

trompe l'oeil (fool the eye)

a painting so real you want to touch the objects, French for "fool the eye." A two-dimensional representation that is so naturalistic that it looks actual or real (or three-dimensional).

Vanishing point

A point in space, usually located on the horizon, where parallel edges of an object appear to converge.

analagous colors

colors that are next to each other on the color wheel