Test 2 The Principles Ch2 & Ch3

Balance

A state of equilibrium or equal relationship/harmonious proportion.

Minimalism

A style of art originating in the mid-20th century in which art elements are restricted to an extreme "minimum."

Illusionism or Illusionistic

A type of art in which othe objects are intended to appear real.

Variety

A way of combining art elements in involved ways to achieve intricate and complex relationships.

Complexity

A way of combining art elements in involved ways to create intricate and complicated relationships.

Contrast

A way of combining art elements to stress the differences between those elements.

Harmony

A way of combining elements to accent their similarities and bind the picture parts into a whole. (achieved by the used of repetition and simplicity.)

Harmony

A word often used interchangeably with unity.

Naturalism

Naturalistic images are those that look very much like images in the natural world.

Style

The constant form, manifested in recurring elements, compositional approaches, and content , in an individuals or groups art.

Style

The handling of distinctive elements and particular media throughout the various artistic periods associated with the work of an individual artist, a school or movement, of a specific culture or time period.

Rhythm

The ordering of elements or features in regular or irregular ways.

Context

The physical, social, and cultural backgroud or setting of a work of art.

Realism

The portrayal of people and things as they are seen by the eye or as they are thought to be without idealization, without distortion.

Simplicity

The practice of using a limited number of similar elements to secure a more uniform appearance.

Golden mean

The principle that a small part of a work should relate to a larger part of the work in proportion to the manner in which the larger part relates to the whole.

Proportion

The relationship of the size of the parts to the whole.

Scale

The relative size of an object compared to other objects, the setting, or people.

Idealism

The representation of forms according to a concept of perfection.

Repetition

The same elements are used over and over again.

Iconography

The study of the themes and symbols in the visual arts.

Exact symmetry

The symmetry is so perfect that the two sides of the composition are mirror images of one another.

Visual Unity

The unity in a work of art is created by use of visual elements. Unity is achieved by repetition an continuity.

Hierarchical Scale

The use of relative size to indicate the comparative importance of the depicted objects or people.

Balance

The way the elements are arranged to create stability.

The Principles of Design

The ways the elements of Design are organized to create a work of art. ( Unity, Variety, Balance, Rhythm, Pattern, Emphasis, Scale, and Proportion.)

Period style

The works of a certain time period, age or era manifested in shared formal characteristics and content different from earlier or later styles within the culture.

Conceptual Unity

Unity in a work that is achieved through the relationship between the meaning and function of the images.

Contrast and elaboration

Used to created dominance/emphasis and to achieve variety in a composition.

Contextualism

emphasizes the study of everything that surrounds and relates to the work of art: the viewer; the artist; the physical setting of the work; and the art, culture, and society that gave birth to it.

Unity and variety

exist on a spectrum, with total blandness at one end, total disorder at the other.

Symmetry

forms in the two halves of the composition on either side of an imaginary vertical dividing line or axis correspond to one another in size.

Realism

(with a Capital R) also defines a specific school of art that flowered during the mid-mineteenth century in France.

Canon of Proportions

A set of rules governing the proportions of the human body as they are to be rendered by artists.

Focal Point

A specific part of a work of art that seizes and holds the viewer's interest.

6 ways that the visual weight works

1. A large form is visually heavier than a smaller form. 2. A dark form is visually heavier than a light form of the same size. 3. A textured form is visually heavier than a smooth form of the same size. 4. A complex form is visually heavier than a simple form of the same size. 5. Two or more small forms can balance a larger one. 6. A smaller dark form can balance larger light one.

Radial balance

A composition in which all visual elements are balanced around and radiate outward from a central point.

Economy

A paring down of details of form in order to create a work that is simple and direct.

Golden rectangle

A rectangle based on the golden mean and constructed so that its width is 1.618 times its height.

Unity

Also known as Harmony. The oneness or wholeness of a work of art.

Formalist criticism

An approach to art criticism that concentrates on the elements and design of works of art rather than on historical factors or the biography of the artist.

Contextualism

An approach to the understanding of art that centers on the study of arts "in context," that is, in relation to the rest of life.

Imbalance

Areas of a composition are unequal in visual or actual weight.

Subordination

Certain areas of the composition are purposely made less visually interesting, so that other areas of emphasis can stand out.

Abstract

Characteristic of art in which natural forms are not rendered in a naturalistic way, but instead are simplified or distorted to some extent, often in an attempt to convey the essence of form.

Non-objective or Nonrepresentational

Descriptive of works of art that have no reference to the natural world images.

Golden section

Developed in ancient Greece, a mathematical formula for determining the proportional relationship of the parts of a work to the whole.

Cultural styles

Distinctive styles associated with specific cultural or sub cultural groups.

Three types of Symmetrical Balance

Exact symmetry, relieved or approximate symmetry, and radial balance.

Content

Fellings thoughts, underlining meanings, or themes.

Trompe I'oeil

French for "fool the eye." A type of illusionistic painting that deceives the eye with its appearance of reality.

School or movement

Group styles are those of artists in specific organizations, political or artistic movements that share a general outlook or set of values. Examples: Futurist movement and Op Art.

Expressionistic

In expressionistic art, form and color are freely distorted by the artist in order to achieve a heightened emotional impact. Expressionism (with a Capital E) is a modern art movement.

Abstraction

May be slight or may have little resemblance to the real world. Present in varying forms in all works of art, from full representational to complete non-objectivity. It can occur through a process of simplification, distortion or rearrangement in an attempt to communication the essential aspect of a form or concept.

Emphasis

Known as dominance. A design principle that focuses the viewer's attention on one or more parts of a composition by accentuating certain shapes, intensifying value or color, featuring directional lines, or strategically pacing the objects and images.

Asymmetrical balance

Known as informal balance. A way of organizing the parts of a design so that one side differs from the other without destroying the overall harmony.

Symmetrical Balance

Known as pure, formal or bilateral balance. A way of organizing the parts of a design so that one side duplicates the other.

Pattern

Known as regular pattern. The repetition of a visual element or module in a regular and anticipated sequence.

Approximate symmetry

Known as relieved symmetry. The symmetry is slight differences in the design create a composition.

Time Period

Looking at cultures over long periods of time.

Semiabstract

Partly representational but simplified and rearranged.

Individual artists

Personal styles of specific artists- constant qualities of an individual artist's work. Example: van Gogh has a distinctive style.

Figurative

Presenting the likeness of a recognizable human or animal figure.

Bilateral Symmetry

Pure or formal symmetry.

Representational or Objective

Representing actual objects in recognizable form. Having to do with reality and fidelity to perception.

Elaboration

The addition of minute detail or embellishment of the surface to certain areas of the composition.

Visual weight

The apparent heaviness or lightness of forms arranged in a composition.

Form

Visual or formal qualities, specifically the elements and their arrangement or composition the organization or arrangement of various visual elements and subjects into an artistic whole also referred to as a design.

Subject matter

What the work of art depicts, landscape, portraits still life, history.