art vocab

Rhythm

Pattern that shows movement by repeating elements or objects.

Contrast

A strong difference between elements to make something stand out.

Movement

The path your eye follows through an artwork.

Value

How light or dark something is.

Line

A path made by a moving point; can be straight, curved, zigzag, etc.

Balance

Equal distribution of visual weight in a work of art.

Form

A 3D object or something that looks 3D (height, width, depth).

Unity

Making all parts of an artwork feel like they belong together.

Emphasis

The main part that stands out in a work of art.

Space

The area around, between, or inside objects.

Color

What we see when light reflects off something; has hue, value, and intensity.

Texture

How something feels or looks like it would feel (rough, soft, etc.).

Complementary Colors

Colors opposite each other on the color wheel (red-green, blue-orange, etc.).

Analogous Colors

Colors next to each other on the color wheel (like blue, blue-green, and green).

Shape

A flat, 2D enclosed area with height and width.

Proportion

The size relationship between parts of an artwork.

Pur (Pure Color)

A color in its most intense form without black, white, or gray added.

Variety

Using differences to make artwork more interesting.

Monochrome/Monochromatic

Using one color with its tints and shades.

Triad

Three colors evenly spaced on the color wheel (like red, yellow, blue).

Tertiary Colors

Made by mixing a primary and a secondary color (like red-orange).

Primary Colors

Red, yellow, blue – the colors that can't be made by mixing others.

Secondary Colors

Made by mixing two primary colors (orange, green, violet).

Neutrals

Black, white, and gray – not on the color wheel.

Hue

The name of a color (like red, blue, yellow).

Color Spectrum

Range of colors visible when light passes through a prism.

Surrealism

Art inspired by dreams and the subconscious.

Impressionism

Art that captures light and quick moments, often of everyday scenes.

Cubism

Art made of geometric shapes and multiple views of objects.

Vincent Van Gogh – Sunflowers

Bright yellow flowers with thick paint; emotional and textured.

Claude Monet – Impression, Sunrise

Soft, light-filled painting of a harbor at sunrise.

Grant Wood – American Gothic

Farmer and daughter with a pitchfork in front of a house.

Amedeo Modigliani – Anna Zborowska

Long-necked, stylized portrait with soft features.

Rene Magritte – Decalcomania

Surreal image with a man’s silhouette cut out from a textured background.

Pablo Picasso – The Tragedy

Blue-toned painting of sad figures during his Blue Period.

Caravaggio – Supper at Emmaus

Realistic painting with dramatic light showing Christ at a table.

Leonardo da Vinci – Mona Lisa & The Last Supper

Famous for detailed faces and balanced compositions.

Frank Lloyd Wright – Falling Water

A house built over a waterfall, blending architecture with nature.

Salvador Dalí – The Persistence of Memory

Surreal painting with melting clocks in a dream-like landscape.

Hatching

Shading using parallel lines.

Cross-hatching

Shading with crisscrossed lines.

Stippling

Shading with dots.

Blending/Shading

Smooth shading to show light and dark.

Scumbling

Using scribbles or messy lines for texture or shading.

Blind Contour Drawing

Drawing the outline without looking at your paper.

Continuous Line Drawing

Drawing without lifting your pencil from the paper.

Rendering Shapes to Forms

Adding shading to make a flat shape look 3D.