Nat 5 Expressive Flashcards

KEY TERM: Composition

How things are arranged in an artwork.

For example, in a Still Life painting, how the different objects are placed.

You can talk about:

Leading lines, viewpoint, focal point, symmetry, balance, pose, negative space, busy composition, simple composition (see separate flashcards for more on these)

A composition may form shapes that lead your eye around eg a circle or triangle

How does composition affect the mood/atmosphere and visual impact?

Focal point

The main focus in an artwork.

Focal points are created by the artist using different techniques, such as tone, colour, and line.

Important: not all work has a focal point. Some paintings may be more busy or more minimalist and not feature a single main focus.

Negative Space

The space around something in an artwork.

For example, the black space around the flower.

This can be used to frame something to make it seem more important.

It could also create a feeling of calm or loneliness.

Busy composition

A composition that has lots of things in it.

This could make the painting feel:

busy

stressful

energetic

Claustrophobic (a scary lack of space)

Symmetry

As if there was a mirror in the artwork and the facing parts match each other.

Symmetry can make a painting feel:

Organised

Harmonious

Balanced

Saturated colours

Strong, bold colours

These can be used to make parts of the painting stand out.

They might also make the painting feel:

Happy

Energetic

Bright

Intense

Unreal/dreamlike

Muted colours

Colours that are not very strong.

This might make the painting feel:

Calm

Sad

Depressed

Sleepy

Unreal/dreamlike

Monochrome

Where only one colour has been used. Different shades of the same colour might also be present.

This might make the painting feel:

Calm

Sad

Intense

It depends on what is in the painting and what colour has been used.

Restricted palette

Only a few colours have been used.

This might make the painting feel:

Calm

Sad

Unreal/dreamlike

It depends on what is in the painting and which colours have been used.

Warm colours

Red, pink, orange, yellow, purple.

These can make a painting feel:

Warm

Happy

Intense

They can also be used to highlight part of a painting. Are their contrasting or cold colours anywhere?

Cold colours

Blue, green

These can make a painting feel:

Calm

Sad

They can also be used to highlight part of a painting.

Are their contrasting or warm colours anywhere?

Complementary or contrasting colours

Colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel.

These can make different parts of the painting stand out from each other.

Cold and warm colours contrast each other.

Leading lines

Lines in the artwork which lead our eye to something.

They might lead our eye to the focal point.

They could be exact lines, or the edges of objects could be placed to act as leading lines.

KEY TERM: Shape

Shapes are 2D.

They can be geometric or organic, regular or irregular.

Jagged shapes could suggest a scary mood.

Round shapes could suggest a calm mood.

Bold shapes could draw our eye and make us look at them.

Shapes can be used to create a pattern.

KEY TERM: Form

Forms are 3D.

Paintings can have forms in them: they are flat but have the illusion of form.

For example, the skulls here are flat but they look 3D because the artist has added tone.

KEY TERM: Line

Lines might be the outline of something or they could be leading lines

They can lead your eye around a painting

They can be bold and make things stand out

They can be light and faint to create a calm mood

They can create patterns

They can be used to add tone (e.g. through cross-hatching)

Heavy lines could make a painting feel:

Angry

Intense

KEY TERM: Materials

What is the artwork made from? What are the properties of that material?

Common materials include:

Oil paint

Acrylic paint

Charcoal

Pencil

Watercolour

Oil paint

Oil paint takes longer to dry: artists can work on their pieces for a long time

You can blend more realistic colours from it

It is a lot more expensive than acrylic paint so some artists cannot afford it

It was invented much earlier than acrylic paint

Acrylic paint

Acrylic paint dries quickly so it's not as easy to make changes

Acrylic paint produces more bright, artificial colours than oil paint

It is cheaper than oil paint so it is more accessible for artists

It is a more modern invention so painters before the 1930s couldn't have used it

Watercolour

Watercolour is quite transparent: you can see through it. It needs to be built up in layers.

The white of the paper usually shows through, so watercolour paintings tend to be very light and bright.

Watercolour paints must be used on paper, not on canvas as they are not bold enough to show up on canvas

KEY TERM: Mood

Think about human emotions

Words to describe mood:

Happy, sad, excited, bored, cheerful, optimistic, scared, calm, angry, tense, nostalgic, etc...

Mood can be created using subject matter, colour, line, tone, etc.

In the question paper, mood always appears with atmosphere. I have split them up here to make it easier to understand.

KEY TERM: Atmosphere

Think about vibes

Words to describe atmosphere:

Uncomfortable, calm, tense, disturbing, mysterious

Atmosphere can be created using subject matter, colour, line, tone, etc.

In the question paper, atmosphere always appears with mood. I have split them up here to make it easier to understand.

KEY TERM: Pattern

Repeated elements

You can describe the pattern:

Decorative, striped, checked, spotted, floral, irregular, geometric, organic, linear etc.

Patterns can affect the mood and atmosphere. They could make it more energetic or more calm/harmonious.

Patterns could increase the visual impact (the power of the painting)

KEY TERM: Perspective

How 3D objects/places are shown in 2D space.

In the exam, you can answer this very similarly to viewpoint

You can talk about aerial perspectives (seen from above) or multiple perspectives (multiple viewpoints)

You can talk about the illusion of space or depth created

How is perspective created in the piece? How does it affect the visual impact (power of the painting)?

KEY TERM: Scale

The dimensions of the work OR the proportion of elements within the work

Look at the description of the work for clues!

A huge painting/artwork will have a very different impact to a tiny one.

Within the painting, are any elements much larger/smaller than others? How does this change the visual impact? What details are made to seem important?

Words to describe scale:

in proportion, out of proportion, realistic, distorted, large, small, larger-than-life, miniature, life-size

Proportion

The size of elements of the work in relation to other elements.

E.g. in this example, the comb is out of proportion with the bed as it is a lot larger. This creates a dreamlike feeling in the work.

Geometric shape

Precise shapes that you find in maths

E.g. square, rectangle, triangle, circle, hexagon, etc

Their use in an artwork could make it feel:

Precise, harmonious, balanced, busy, etc.

Organic shape

Imperfect shapes that are found in nature.

Words to describe organic shapes:

round, fluid, bumpy, irregular, jagged

Use of organic shapes could make a painting feel:

Natural, dreamlike, calm, etc.

KEY TERM: Style

Like the personality of an artwork/artist

Words to describe style:

Realist, expressive, graphic, experimental, geometric, abstract, playful, childlike, precise, messy, etc.

How does the style affect the mood/atmosphere? Clue: imagine the opposite style, and think how the mood would be different. This should help you work out the effect on mood/atmosphere.

Realist style/realism

Artwork that looks like real life

Shows the artist's skill

More traditional

May not show the artist's individual style

Expressive style

Artwork that expresses a mood, emotion, or the artist's personality rather than looking like reality

More contemporary than realist art

May not show the artist's traditional skills

May be more visually powerful to look at

Graphic style

Artwork that looks like a comic or illustration

It usually has bold lines and flat colours

It can make a painting feel:

childlike, playful, bold

It can make it more eye-catching or powerful to look at

It can remind us of graphic novels or adverts

KEY TERM: Subject matter/imagery

What is in the painting/artwork?

People, places, objects

How is it arranged?

Can you work out what might be happening in the scene?

What effect does it have on the mood/atmosphere or visual impact?

For example, a painting of a person holding a gun would be very different if they were holding a flower.

Charcoal

This material can be used to make quick, expressive drawings

You can add a lot of tone with charcoal

It smudges easily so may be less practical to use outside the studio

KEY TERM: Techniques

Think about what tools the artist has used:

Paintbrush

Palette knife

How has the artist applied the paint?

Some words to describe techniques:

Impasto, blending, expressive, directional brushstrokes, visible brushstrokes, chiaroscuro, sgraffito, pointillism

How do the techniques used affect the mood/atmosphere and visual impact?

Impasto

Paint that has been thickly applied

Impasto paintings are usually expressive rather than realist.

Chiaroscuro

Strong contrast between light and shade in a painting

This can make a painting feel:

Spooky, scary, dramatic

It can also be used to create the illusion of form (make things seem more 3D)

Visible brushstrokes

You can see the brushstrokes made by the artist. They are not blended together.

Paintings with visible brushstrokes are usually expressive rather than realist.

Directional brushstrokes

Do all the brushstrokes point in the same direction? Do they lead your eye somewhere?

Paintings with directional brushstrokes are usually expressive rather than realist.

Sgraffito

Scratching through the top layer of paint to reveal the colour/canvas that is underneath

It is done using a palette knife

Sgraffito can give a painting a scratchy feel

It can be used to add smaller details or texture

Pointillism

Painting using loads of tiny dots to build up the colour

This technique is very time-consuming

It is usually expressive rather than realist

It can increase a painting's visual impact, making it more bold or dreamlike, and can express a strong mood/atmosphere

KEY TERM: Texture

How something would feel to touch

2D surfaces can have the illusion of texture

Words to describe texture:

Bumpy, smooth, jagged, rough, soft, furry, coarse, fine

Techniques that create texture:

Impasto, sgraffito, collage, visible brushstrokes

How does the texture affect the mood/atmosphere or visual impact?

KEY TERM: Tone

Light and shadow in the artwork

Key words:

Highlight

Midtone

Shadow

Tone can be flat, graduated, or contrasting.

Chiaroscuro could be used.

How does tone affect the mood/atmosphere?

Visual impact

The power of the artwork. What will you remember about it once you look away?

An artwork could be:

Powerful, depressing, upsetting, calming, mysterious, frightening

This can be created using scale, tone, subject matter, colour, focal point, viewpoint, etc.