Week Six Art Terminologies & Concepts

Three-Dimensional

Possessing height, width, and depth; artworks that exist in space and can be viewed from multiple angles.

Freestanding

A type of sculpture that is meant to be viewed from all sides and is not attached to a background.

Relief

A type of sculpture in which the sculpted elements remain attached to a solid background and project out from that background.

Bas Relief

Sculpture that projects only slightly from the background surface; the depth of the forms is shallow.

High Relief

Sculpture that projects significantly from the background surface, often with elements that are almost detached.

Additive Sculpture

A sculptural process where material is built up to create the final form, such as modeling with clay.

Modeling

A sculptural technique where pliable material is shaped and built up by hand.

Armature

A rigid internal support structure used in sculpture, providing stability for soft materials.

Plastic / Plasticity

Plastic refers to a material that is easily shaped; plasticity is the quality of being moldable.

Ceramic

Objects made of clay and hardened by firing in a kiln.

Greenware

Unfired pottery or ceramic sculpture; dry but very fragile.

Porcelain

A fine, hard, translucent ceramic material known for its durability and delicate appearance.

Firing

The process of heating clay or ceramic objects in a kiln to harden the material permanently.

Cast

A sculptural process where a liquid material is poured into a mold and allowed to solidify.

Patina

A surface coloration that develops on materials due to age, oxidation, or chemical treatment.

Bust

A sculptural portrait depicting only the head, neck, and shoulders of a person.

Kinetic Sculpture

Sculpture that incorporates movement as an essential part of its artistic expression.

Performance Art

A live art form where the artist's body is the medium, involving actions performed in front of an audience.

Fiber

Materials made from natural or synthetic fibers, used in textiles, weaving, and fiber arts.

Knitting

A method of creating fabric by interlocking loops of yarn with needles.

Scale

The size of an object or artwork relative to another object or a system of measurement.

Human Scale

The size of an object or artwork in relation to the typical human body.

Monumental

Referring to an artwork that is impressively large in scale, conveying grandeur.

Proportion

The relationship of parts to a whole, or of one part to another in terms of size and degree.

Texture

The perceived surface quality of a work of art, how it feels or looks like it would feel.

Tactile Texture

The actual physical surface quality of an artwork that can be felt by touch.

Artificial Texture

Texture created or altered by human intervention.

Balance

The distribution of visual weight in an artwork, creating a sense of stability.

Symmetry

A type of balance where elements are arranged identically on either side of a central axis.

Asymmetry

Balance in which elements are arranged differently but still create visual harmony.

Harmony

The pleasing combination of parts into a whole, creating a sense of completeness.

Unity

The sense of oneness and cohesion in a work of art, where all elements work together.

Gestalt Psychology

The mind organizes perceptions into meaningful wholes.

Closure

The principle that our brains tend to complete incomplete figures by filling in missing information.

Gestalt Principle of Similarity

The tendency to group together elements that are similar in appearance.

Prägnanz

The principle that states we tend to perceive things in the simplest and most stable way possible.

Context

The circumstances or environment that influence how we interpret visual information.