Gateways to Art Chapter 1.6 & 1.7

Compositional unity

The organization of all the visual aspects of a work.

Composition

The overall design or organization of a work.

Background

The part of a work depicted furthest from the viewer's space, often behind in the main subject matter.

Proportion

The relationship in size between a work, the individual parts and the whole.

Format

The shape of the area an artist uses for making a two-dimensional artwork.

Asymmetry

A type of design in which balance is achieved by elements that contrast and complement one another without being the same on either side of the axis.

Golden section

A unique ratio of a line divided into two parts so that A + B is to A as A is to B. The result is 1:1.618 .

Collage

A work of art assembled by gluing materials, often paper, onto a surface. From the French coller, to glue.

Scale

The size of an object or artwork relative to another object or artwork, or to a system of measurement.

Surrealism, surrealist

An artistic movement in the 1920s and later; its works were inspired by dreams and the subconscious.

Positive

An image in which light areas are light and dark areas are dark (opposite of a negative).

Found image , object

An image or object found by an artist and presented, with little or no alteration, as part of a work or as a finished work of art itself.

Symmetrical balance

An image or shape that looks exactly ( or nearly exactly ) the same on both sides when cut in half.

Axis

An imaginary line showing the center of a shape, volume, or composition.

Gothic

Western European architectural style of the 12th and 16th century, characterized by the use of pointed arches and ornate decorations.

Negative(s)

A reversed image, in which light areas or dark and dark areas are light (opposite of a positive).

Mandela

A sacred diagram of the universe, often involving a square and a circle.

Still life

A scene of an inanimate objects, such as fruits, flowers, or motionless animals.

Cast

A sculpture or artwork made by pouring a liquid, for example molten metal or plaster, into a mold.

Relief

A sculpture that projects from a flat surface.

Grid

A network of horizontal and vertical lines; in an artwork's composition, the lines are implied.

Foreground

A part of a work depicted as nearest to the viewer.

Classical period

A period in the history of Greek art, c. 480-323 BCE.

Renaissance

A period of cultural and artistic change in Europe from the 14th to the 17th century.

Balance

A principle of art in which elements are used to create a symmetrical or asymmetrical sense of visual weight in an artwork.

Cubism, cubist

A 20th century art movement that favored a new perspective emphasizing geometric forms.

Style

A characteristic way in which an artist or group of artists uses visual language to give a work an identifiable form of visual expression.

Motif

A design or color repeated as a unit in a pattern.

Gestalt

Complete order and indivisible unity of all aspects of an artwork's design. German word for form or shape, refers to something here a work of art in which the whole seems greater than the sum of its parts. The composition and ideas that go to make it work of art - as well as our experience of it .

Monumental (scale)

Having massive or impressive scale. Indicates heroism or other epic virtues.

Radial balance ( or symmetry)

Is achieved when all elements in a work are equidistant from a central point and repeat and asymmetrical way from side to side and top to bottom. It can imply circular and repeating elements.

Conceptual unity

Refers to the cohesive expression of ideas with in a work of art.

Hierarchical (scale)

Refers to the deliberate use of relative size in a work in order to communicate differences in importance.

Principles

The "grammar" applied to the elements of art - contrast, balance, unity, variety, rhythm, emphasis, pattern, scale, proportion, and focal point.

Elements

The basic vocabulary of art - line, form, shape, volume, mass, color, texture, space, time and motion, and value (lightness/darkness).

Symmetry

The correspondence in size, form and arrangement of items on opposite sides of a plane, line, or point that creates direct visual balance.

Variety

The diversity of different ideas, media, and elements in the work.

Unity

The imposition of order and harmony on a design.

Value

The lightness or darkness of a plane or area.

Medium ( plural media)

The material on or from which an artist chooses to make a work of art, for example canvas and oil paint, marble, engraving, video, or architecture.