APAH Vocab

All of vocab

Foreground

Objects in an artwork closest to the viewer (bottom of the picture plane)

Iconography

The visual images and symbols used in a work of art

Medium

The materials used to make a work of art

Attribution

who is responsible for a work of art. 

Patron

Financial supporter of an artist/commissions artwork

Composition

How an artwork is arranged using elements and principles

Middleground

Objects in an artwork between the foreground and background (middle of the picture plane)

Background

Objects in an artwork furthest from the viewer (top of the picture plane)

The Elements of Art

• Line 

• Shape

• Form

• Value

• Color

• Space

• Texture

Line

an element of art that can be 2-D, 3D, or implied. An extended point.

Color scheme

An organized arrangement of color.

Main Types: Complementary, Analogous, Triadic, Split-Complement and Monochromatic

COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

Colors opposite each other on the color wheel (when placed together creates the most visual contrast and energy)

Monochromatic

A color scheme made up of one color plus its tints,tones, and shades

Value

refers to the lights and darks of grays and colors.

Texture

refers to the way objects feel or the way they appear to feel

Positive Space

 the area of the artwork that is the subject matter

Negative Space

the area of space that is surrounding the subject matter

Organic Shape

irregular, flowing, and imperfect shapes that mimic forms found in nature

Geometric Shape

straight lines, angles, and points

Form

An element of art that is 3-D and encloses volume.

The Principles of Design

• Emphasis 

• Contrast

• Pattern

• Rhythm

• Movement

• Balance

• Unity

Balance

distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space.

Ex. Asymmetrical,Radical,Symmetrical

Asymmetrical

Cut it in half and it’s NOT the same on either side

Symmetrical

Cut it in half and it’s the same on either side

Unity

creates a sense of harmony and wholeness, by using similar elements within the composition and placing them in a way that brings them all together.

Rhythm

Suggests movement through the use of repeating elements of art.

Pattern

design in which lines, shapes, forms or colors are repeated with recognizable organizable.

Emphasis

When one area of the artwork attracts more attention then the rest

Contrast

arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a piece so as to create visual interest

Movement

creating a path for the viewer's eye to take through a work of art, suggestions motion

Anthropomorphic

having characteristics of the human form, although the form itself is not human

Archaeology

the scientific study of ancient people and cultures principally revealed through excavation

Cong

a tubular object with a circular hole cut into a square-like cross section

Proportion

How one piece of an artwork relates to other parts of the artwork

Henge

a Neolithic monument, characterized by a circular ground plan; used for rituals and marking astronomical events

Lintel

a horizontal beam over an opening

Megalith

a squared stone of great size used in the construction of a prehistoric structure

Stylized

non-realistic manner of representing the visible world and its contents abstracted from the way that they appear in nature

Stele

an upright stone slab used to mark a grave or site, used during Neolithic period(6th-4th millennium B.C.E.)

Post and Lintel

a method of construction in which two posts support a horizontal beam called a lintel

Shamanism

a religion in which good and evil are brought about by spirits which can be influenced by shamans, who have a access to these spirits

Menhir

a large uncut stone erected as a monument in the prehistoric era; a standing stone

Mortise and Tenon

a groove cut into stone or wood, called amortise that is shaped to receive a tenon, or a projection of the same dimensions