Art 1301 Ch. 6-8
Polychromatic
("poly" meaning "many," and "chroma" referring to color; polychromatic = "having many colors")
Focal point vs afocal
*focal-center of a composition-where your eyes are drawn too (area of emphasis) *afocal-avoid emphasizing any area in particular
repetition and rhythm
*repetition-unifying thread that makes everything hang together. Any of the formal elements can be repeated and, oftentimes, more than one will repeat in a given composition *rhythm is determined by the space (the distance or amount of time) between each beat or each repeated element. If the beats, or elements, are closer together, we will have a faster rhythm. If the elements are "heavier" and further apart, a slow, plodding rhythm will result
scale vs proportion
*scale-size of an object. In art, it usually refers to the actual, overall size of the artwork itself--its physical dimensions--although we can also use it to discuss the actual size of individual components of an artwork, such as a sculpture *Proportion, on the other hand, refers to a relationship, either between parts of an object and the object as a whole or between an object and its surroundings
know the three kinds of balance and how they are achieved
*symmetrical balance-mirror images of each other *bilateral symmetry-in which both halves are more or less the same *asymmetrical balance-making the composition feel or seem balanced, even when it does not display equal halves *radial balance-circular forms in which everything (here, the spokes, petals, and sun's rays) radiates from a central point
Secondary colors
are a result of mixing two primaries: orange (mixture of red + yellow), green (mixture of yellow + blue), and violet (mixture of blue + red)
Know how variety sustains our interest by providing relief from repetition
artists must play a balancing act between repetition and variety: not enough repetition (too much variety) and their work doesn't hold together; too much repetition (not enough variety) and it becomes monotonous--their audience might walk away or fall asleep
Intensity/saturation
brightness of a color
Chiaroscuro
can be translated as "light - dark" and refers to the balance of light and shadow in an artwork. Chiaroscuro can refer specifically to the way an artist has used light and shadow to show the gradual transition of light as it falls across a curved surface.
Complementary
certain colors "look good together" or that they "go together" well. In art, complementary color is a specific term that refers to a pair of colors that are directly opposite one another on the color wheel. Each color only has one complementary color: red and green, blue and orange, yellow and violet.
Modeling
effect of light on a three-dimensional surface
Monochromatic
mono-one (work is done almost all one color)
Pattern
pattern refers to an element that repeats in a regular or otherwise significant way. It may be a line, a color, a shape, or a cluster of shapes that are duplicated again and again within a set boundary.
Value (relative lightness or darkness)
range of lightness to darkness that exists between white and black is called the gray scale
Primary colors
red, yellow, and blue
Know how repetition can lead to a sense of unity within a composition
the sense of harmony in a work of art that can be achieved through repetition. An artwork can also have thematic or conceptual unity when all its components focus on a particular subject or connect to a similar idea.
visual vs actual
the texture of the surface of an artwork is the work's actual texture. visual texture; even though the surface of the photo itself is smooth, we respond to the rough-looking texture of the eroded landscape.
Analogous
things that are alike or similar to each other; in the case of analogous color, red is similar to orange because of their closeness in the visible spectrum
Atmospheric Perspective
this technique deals with how the appearance of objects--distant objects, in particular--are affected by our atmosphere. In real life, when we look at a distant mountain range, atmospheric conditions, such as haze and humidity, cause the mountains to appear less crisp, with a bluish cast and less contrast between light and shadow. Leonardo paints his mountains to mimic this effect so they will appear believably "distant" to our eye.
know the different ways of employing time and motion in an artwork
time and motion go hand and hand. ex. The element of motion may be literal, as in Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work. The artwork itself--the fabric--moves. Mobiles would be another type of artwork in which motion is continuous, causing our experience of the piece to change from one moment to the next.
emphasis
used to draw attention to certain parts of a composition
Color temperature (warm and cool)
warm (hot) colors, red-violet to yellow, and cools (cold), from yellow-green to violet