Art Appreciation Unit 1

Form

the volume and shape of a three-dimensional work, perhaps including unfilled areas that are integral to the work as a whole.

medium

material of the art object, technical process, ex. painting, sculpture, drawing are each a different medium.

content

subject matter, the ideas included in a work

style

characteristics that identify work or make it distinctive, kind of work , consistent use of form and composition, one's style.

formal elements

purely visual aspects, such as line, shapes, color, texture, spatial qualities and composition.

line

a mark that defines shape that is more or less continuous.  A mark that follows an edge or a contour.

edge

the characteristics of the boundaries between objects, how the medium of an artwork describes the border of an object or area

drafting

the act of representing an image on a surface by means of adding lines and shades, as with a pencil, crayon, pen, chalk, pastels, etc.  to make sketches, studies, cartoons or more complete works

shading

used to build atmosphere or volume

crosshatched

Crosshatched lines can also be used to create atmosphere or volume

contour line

an outline that depicts the edge of a figure or volume

implied line

the suggested lining up of juxtaposed objects

shape

the external appearance of an object as opposed to its structure; an area which stands out from the space next to it or around it because of a defined boundary of a difference of value, color, or texture.

biomorphic shape

Biomorphic forms or images are ones that while abstract nevertheless refer to, or evoke, living forms such as plants and the human bod

geometric shape

an object with a fixed structure

color

hue, value, intensity

hue

the word for the color itself

value

the quantity of white or black in the hue

intensity

the quantity or saturation of color, or hue, in the paint or ink you are looking at.

opacity

the state or quality of not letting light passed through

translucency

the state or quality of letting light passed through but defusing it so that objects on the other side cannot be distinguished

transparency

the state or quality of letting light passed through

Texture

tactile quality of surface, actual and implied

spatial qualites

negative space and positive space, in three-dimensional space, mass and volume

negative space

the unoccupied or empty space left after the positive shapes have been laid down by the artist; however, because these areas have boundaries, they also function as shapes in the total design.

positive space

The main subject mater such as shapes, forms, or objects - opposed to the empty or 'negative space' around them.

space

the distance extending without limit in all directions and the distance, interval or area between or within things

mass

a broad, cohesive area in a work of art that forms a significant element in the composition

volume

essential in sculpture as it contributes to the overall sense of weight, presence, and spatial relationships within the work

bas-relief

a shallow, sculptural form whose image has shallow depth,  frequently used in architecture

scale

the proportion or relationship of an object to its environment or to other objects

distortion

Distortion can have similar characteristics with changed scale.  However, distortion is more often a change in the shape of an entire image or a part of an image.

rhythm

pattern of arrangement; a continuance, a flow, or a feeling of movement achieved by the repetition or regulated visual units.

composition

organization or arrangement of form in a work of art including pictorial depth, foreground, middle ground, background

gravity

an understanding that all bodies tend to be drawn towards the center of the earth

balance

any quality of weight, mass, strength, etc. equipoise or just proportion

symmetry

similarity of form or arrangement on either side of a dividing line or plane

asymmetrical

not symmetrical