Purposes of Art
expressive – express emotions or ideas
narrative – tells a story
functional – decorative or useful objects
Subject Matter
self-portrait – a picture an artist creates of him or herself
portrait – a picture an artist creates of someone else
still life – a picture of objects
landscape – a picture of a place outside
Medium/Media
medium – a material used to create an artwork (e.g. crayons, paint, fabric, etc.)
media – two or more different materials used to create an artwork (plural of medium).
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ceramics – using clay to form an artwork that is usually later fired in a kiln (the surface may be glazed or painted)
papier-mâché – dipping paper strips into a glue solution and wrapping them around a form, allowing time for the artwork to dry and harden between coats (the surface is often later painted)
printing – using a carved stamp to create an image by applying paint or ink to its face and then pressing it to paper
etching – creating an artwork by scratching at the surface of a material to create lines in it.
Elements of Art
line – figure that connects two points (straight, curvy, zigzag)
shape – a two-dimensional figure that can be measured in two ways: length and height. Shapes can also be either organic (irregular shapes found in nature) or geometric (man-made shapes, e.g. square and triangle)
form – any object that can be measured in three ways:
length, width, and depth (3-D)
value – the lightness or darkness of a color
texture – the element of art that refers to how things
feel (tactile or actual texture) or how things appear to feel visually (simulated,
imitated, or visual texture)
space – the element of art that refers to the area between,
around, above, below, and within objects. Space can be either positive (within
an object) or negative (around an object)
color – the element of art that refers to the visual
hue that is reflected from the surface of something
primary colors – red, yellow, and blue
secondary colors – green (yellow + blue), orange (red + yellow), and violet (red + blue)
tertiary/intermediate colors – yellow-green, blue-green, yellow-orange,
red-orange, blue-violet, and red-violet
complementary colors – colors that are opposite each other on
the color wheel, which look brighter when placed side-by-side
monochromatic – a color scheme using one color and the tints
and shades of that color
Achromatic – a color scheme consisting of only black, white, and gray
intensity – the brightness of dullness of a color
cool colors – colors that seem to recede away from the viewer:
green, blue, and violet
warm colors – colors that seem to move toward the viewer, suggesting
warmth and energy: red, yellow, and orange
neutral colors – colors that are neither warm nor cool: black,
white, grey, and brown
tint – adding white to a color (e.g. white + red = pink)
shade – adding black to a color (e.g. black + blue = navy)
Principles of Design
balance – the principle of design that deals with the visual weight in a work of art
symmetrical – a type of formal balance created when two sides
are mirror images of each other
asymmetrical – a type of informal balance created when unlike
objects have equal visual weight
radial symmetry – when the image seems to come out from a center
point
movement – creating the illusion of motion through visual rhythm
rhythm – a principle of design created by the repeating of shapes, colors, or lines
contrast/variety – the principle of design concerned with the differences among the elements of art
emphasis – the principle of design that stresses one area of an artwork (focal point is the place in the artwork where your eye is drawn)
pattern – the use of shapes, colors, or lines repeated in a planned way to create a regular pattern (repeating elements at equal intervals) or an irregular pattern (repeating elements in a seemingly random way)
unity/harmony – the principle of design concerned with similarities of separate but related parts, which are used to create a wholeness or oneness
proportion – elements within an artwork relate accurately to one another in size
Styles
realistic – an artwork that depicts people, places, or objects as they appear in real life
nonobjective – an artwork that may contain shapes, lines, and color, but does not represent objects, people, or places
abstract – an artwork that distorts but represents objects, people, or places
Cultures
African – many African artworks are made
out of shell, wood, ivory, and bone (masks are common)
Native American – some types of Native
American artworks include weavings, baskets, pottery, and beadwork (geometrical
designs on blankets, rugs, and pottery are common)
Folk Artists – Folk artists create artworks
from things that are available to them such as wood and fabric (quilts, wood
carvings, and sculptures are common) artworks are also usually somewhat rough
looking, as these artists are untrained