Visual Arts-- Feast for the Eyes

What are the visual arts?

Art forms that we see—usually flat or two-dimensional—like paintings, drawings, photography, and computer art.

Why are sculpture and architecture not part of the visual arts category?

They are three-dimensional and come under separate headings.

What makes visual arts different from performing arts?

Visual arts stay in one place and are unmoving, while performing arts involve movement through time.

What is the “language” of visual arts?

Feeling—emotion, intuition, and form without words.

Why are the visual arts powerful to humans?

Because humans are primarily visual beings, process images faster than words, and have brain areas specialized for visuals.

What elements are artists’ “words” in visual communication?

Color, line, shape, and texture.

What should we look for first when interpreting a painting?

The feeling it gives us, not just its intellectual meaning.

Why do paintings make us react emotionally?

Because they communicate feelings that words often can’t express.

two-dimensional visual art forms

Painting, drawing, watercolor, charcoal, pastel, photography, lithograph, and silk-screen.

three-dimensional or electronic art forms

Carving, weaving, computer art, light displays, abstract video, and web art.

acrylics

Modern synthetic oil-based paint

lithographs

Prints made from a flat stone or metal sheet treated with chemicals that hold or repel ink.

silk-screen print

An image made by pressing ink through untreated parts of a silk or fine cloth screen.

etchings

Engravings made on metal plates or stones carved chemically with acid.

What is the scale from realism to abstraction?

Reality → Naturalism → Realism → Expressionism → Abstract Art → Nonobjective Abstract Art.

Abstract Expressionism

Expresses emotion through color and abstract form. (Kandinsky, Jackson Pollock)

Baroque

17th-century dramatic religious scenes with dark-light contrast. (Rubens)

Classicism

Calm, orderly, realistic art inspired by Greek and Roman ideals—reason over emotion.

Cubism

Shows multiple sides of an object at once using geometric shapes. (Picasso, Braque)

Expressionism

Emotional and intense art with vivid colors; focuses on strong feelings. (Van Gogh, El Greco)

Fauvism

Uses bright, decorative colors and free forms. (Matisse)

Impressionism

Captures light, color, and everyday scenes with shimmering effects. (Monet, Renoir, Degas)

Op Art

Uses repeated geometric forms to create optical illusions. (Mondrian, M.C. Escher)

Photo Realism

Paints realistic, detailed scenes based on photos. (Richard Estes)

Pointillism

Uses small dots of color that blend from a distance. (Seurat, Monet)

Post-Impressionism

Develops Impressionism further, adding personal meaning. (Renoir, Gaugin, Van Gogh, Picasso)