Introduction to Aesthetics and Art Fundamentals

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering basic aesthetics, art roles, formal elements, principles of design, and diversos media and techniques as outlined in the lecture notes.

Aesthetics

A branch of philosophy concerned with the emotions evoked through sensory experiences; pertaining to the beautiful or emotional as opposed to the useful, scientific, or logical.

Maya Lin

The artist who designed the abstract Vietnam Memorial, which is described as looking like a scar.

Art Criticism

The analysis and judgment of the merits and faults of literature or art work; to speak, write about, and respond to art.

Representational (realism)

Art that aims to look like the natural world.

trompe-l’oeil

A technique in art literally meaning "to fool the eye."

Abstract (stylized)

Art that distorts, exaggerates, or simplifies the natural world to convey an idea or feeling.

Nonrepresentational

Art that does not represent or depict a being, place, or thing in the natural world.

Form

The way a work of art looks.

Medium

The material from which a work of art is made.

Composition

The relationship between various elements and an image; the organization of the elements of art.

Style

A pattern of distinct characteristics that can be discerned in a group of images, often related to culture, time, place, or a specific artist.

Subject matter

Specific to what the work is showing.

Content

What the work of art is about.

Iconography

Symbolism within a work of art that adds to the content.

Context

The personal and social circumstances surrounding a work of art.

Chiaroscuro

A technique for representing three-dimensional objects using light and dark (Light/Dark).

Hatching, cross hatching and stippling

Techniques used in art to create value and the illusion of three-dimensional form.

Properties of color

Hue, value, and intensity/chroma/saturation.

Complementary, monochromatic, analogous

Color schemes where colors are opposite, single-hued, or next to each other on the color wheel.

Space

The arrangement of elements often including overlapping, position, linear perspective, atmospheric perspective, and foreshortening.

Pigment

Color particles used in making paint.

Binder (or Medium or Vehicle)

The substance that holds the pigment together.

Solvent

A substance that thins the medium and pigment, such as water, turpentine, or mineral spirits.

Support or Substrate

The surface or object on which paint is applied, including wood panels, stretched canvas, paper, or walls.

Encaustic

A painting method where pigment is mixed with wax.

Fresco

A painting done in wet plaster.

Cartoon

A preparatory drawing used for a larger work of art.

Tempera

A painting medium where pigment is mixed with egg yolk.

Oil Paint

Pigment mixed with oil, typically linseed oil.

Impasto

The process or technique of laying on paint or pigment thickly so that it stands out from a surface.

Watercolor

A medium consisting of pigment mixed with gum arabic and water.

Intaglio

Any printing method in which the printed image is below the surface of the block or plate, such as engraving, drypoint, and etching.

Lithography

A printing process dependent on the principle that oil and water do not mix.

Serigraphy

Also known as a screenprint, it involves a wooden frame with stretched fabric and a stencil.

Monotype/monoprint

A unique print that is not part of an edition, created by drawing or painting onto a surface and pressing it onto a support.