Art 2 Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary for Art Studies

• Composition: The arrangement of visual elements, including lines, spaces, tones, and colors, essential for creating a cohesive artwork.

• Still Life: A specific genre featuring an arrangement of stationary objects, serving as the subject matter for artistic expression.

• Picture Plane: The flat, two-dimensional surface on which drawings are created, acting as the boundary of visual space.

• Variety: The use of diverse elements in a composition, contributing to visual interest and complexity.

• Emphasis: An artistic principle that employs contrasting shapes and colors to draw attention to focal areas within a work.

• Unity: A design principle that integrates various elements to create a sense of wholeness and cohesion in artwork.

• Contour Line: Lines that outline and define the edges of objects or figures, essential for creating form and structure.

• Implied Line: A line that is not physically present but suggested through changes in color or value, guiding the viewer’s eye.

• Figure Ground: Describes the relationship between the main subject (figure) and the background (ground) in an artwork, affecting perception.

• Hard Edge: Characterized by sharp, clean lines and transitions, often achieved with flat, uniform colors or values.

• Cast Shadow: The shadow created by an object that appears on a nearby surface, contributing to the sense of depth and dimension.

• Drawing Style: A distinctive method of drawing or shading that embodies an artist's individual approach or a historical art period.

• Overlapping: A technique where one object is placed in front of another to create a visual sense of depth and layers in the artwork.

• Working Drawings: Also known as preliminary sketches, these are initial study drawings leading towards a final piece of art.