Subject-Specific Vocabulary

Every day you come into the art studio, you are expected to use subject-specific vocabulary.  The more you use it, the more you will understand it and will be able to speak "art" fluently.  So where do you begin?

Elements of Art

The Visual Components of Color, Form, Line, Shape, Space, Texture, and Value.

Principles of Design

The principles of design are the rules a designer must follow to create an effective and attractive composition. The fundamental principles of design are Emphasis, Balance, Proportion, Unity, Pattern and Rhythm/Movement.

Think of it this way... 

The elements of art are the artist's tools.  With these tools, an artist can create balance, contrast, emphasis, etc.  For example, you might use bright colors to attract the viewer's attention to a specific area of a painting, which is called emphasis.   In this example, color is the element, emphasis is the principle.

Principles of Design- Balance, contrast, balance, emphasis, proportion, hierarchy, repetition, rhythm, pattern, white space, movement, variety, and unity.

Elements of Art- Color, Line, Shape, Form, Space, Texture, Value

Definitions and Samples of Principles and Elements

But there's MORE!  Let's get into it... 

ABSTRACT

Breaking away from the figurative representation of objects, abstract art reimagines imagery as a study of the relationship between shape, form, color, and line. Abstraction occurs on a continuum, including the fractured-yet-recognizable forms of Cubism and the totally non-pictorial nature of Abstract Expressionism.

ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE

This method for creating depth in two-dimensional artworks focuses on the idea that the further an object is from the foreground, the lighter in tone and hue the color will be. By exaggerating the difference in these tones, artists can use aerial perspective to create drama and establish the illusion of space on the picture plane.

ASSEMBLAGE

This artistic form or medium uses a mix of materials that create three-dimensional layers from a fixed based. The usage of different materials makes it similar to collage, but in a three-dimensional form. Assemblage has its origins in Cubism and the work of artists like Man Ray and Vladimir Tatlin, who often used found objects in their artwork.

AVANT-GARDE

The French term avant-garde literally translates to “advance guard,” but is used to describe artworks, movements, or artists that are experimental and forward-thinking.

BIOMORPHIC

Biomorphic artwork is art that, while remaining abstract, evokes the form and shape of natural and living organisms. The term was first used relating to art in the mid-1930s and has been connected with Surrealism and Cubism. Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Familia is an example of architecture that has been characterized as biomorphic.

BRUSHWORK

Brushwork refers to the way a painter applies paint to a surface. It is typically characterized by the size, texture, and precision of the strokes. For instance, brushstroke may be described as “tight” or “loose” depending on how visible they are to the naked eye.

CHIAROSCURO

Italian for “light-dark,” chiaroscuro is the use of strong contrasts between luminosity and shadow to achieve a sense of volume and dimensionality. This unique technique was developed during the Italian Renaissance by Leonard da Vinci, the Baroque period by Caravaggio, and the Dutch Golden Age by Rembrandt.

COMPOSITION

The composition of a work of art is the way in which its visual elements are arranged, especially in relationship to one another.

CONCEPTUAL

This 20th-century art form developed in the 1960s, when artists began to emphasize ideas and concepts over the finished product. Art that is conceptual breaks free from all the standard rules and can take any form from sculpture and painting to happenings and performances.

CONTOUR

Contour line is one of the building blocks of drawing. Using different contour lines can dramatically change the way an artwork appears and is most evident in line art. The Dance by Henri Matisse is just one example of a work of art known for its distinct contours.

CONTRAPPOSTO

In sculpture, contrapposto (“counterpose” in Italian) is an asymmetrical posture in which most of a figure's weight is distributed onto one foot. This results in a realistic stance, as famously evident in Michelangelo's David statue.

FIGURATIVE

A work of art is considered figurative when its subject matter is representational.

FOREGROUND

The foreground of a work of art is the part of the composition that is closest to the viewer. It is typically discernible from the background, which appears to be further away.

FORESHORTENING

Foreshortening is a technique in which an artist distorts perspective to evoke an illusion of depth. Foreshortened subjects often appear to recede into the picture plane.

GENRE

A genre refers to a type of art (typically painting). Examples of genres include landscape and still life.

ICONOGRAPHY

Iconography refers to the subject matter, or images, used to convey meaning or communicate a message in a work of art.

IMPASTO

This Italian word for “mixture” refers to thick layers of paint used to create texture. While it was first used by Venetian painters during the Italian Renaissance, it really took hold in the 19th century. Renowned landscape painter J.M.W. Turner used impasto to build layers of color and drama in his work. Painters often use palette knives for this technique, which is meant to emphasize their talent in manipulating their chosen medium.

MEDIUM

A medium is the material used to create art. Examples of mediums are watercolor paint, oil, pastel, marble, and charcoal. Media is the plural form of medium.  Therefore, mixed media means multiple materials were used to create an artwork.

MODERN

As a movement, the term “modern” refers to art created between the onset of Impressionism and Pop Art, which ushered in contemporary art. On a more general scale, however, “modern” can mean current or cutting-edge.

MOTIF

In the visual arts, a motif is an element of iconography. In paintings, a motif can refer to any pictorial feature of the composition. In the decorative arts and architecture, it often denotes a recognizable symbol that repeats. 

NARRATIVE

Narrative, in terms of art history, is the visual storytelling that occurs within a piece of art. While not every piece of art will have a clear story, narrative art asks painters and sculptors to use visual cues in order to lead viewers through a series of events.

PENTIMENTO

Pentimento (“repentance” in Italian) refers to the presence of evidence that an artist has painted over a previously-rendered subject. In The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso, for example, the vague outline of a woman's face is apparent beneath the final brushstrokes.

PERSPECTIVE

Perspective is the representation of 3-dimensional depth and space on a flat surface. There are two main types of perspective: linear and atmospheric. Linear perspective employs intersecting lines and vanishing points as a means to make objects appear far away. According to Leonardo da Vinci in A Treatise on Painting, atmospheric perspective, on the other hand, illustrates the idea that “colors become weaker in proportion to their distance from the person who is looking at them” through tonal changes.

SCALE

Scale refers to the size of an object in relation to another. Often, as in the case of large-scale paintings, this comparison is based on the portrayed object's real-life size.

SFUMATO

Predominantly associated with the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, sfumato (derived from fumo or “smoke” in Italian) is a method of shading and color-blending that evokes a soft, “smoky” haze. This technique is apparent in the blurred background and softly-defined facial features of the Mona Lisa.

STYLE

A work of art's style is a classification of its visual appearance. Often, style is characterized according to the distinctive aesthetic approach of an individual artist, art movement, period, or culture.

TENEBRISM

Tenebrism is a term derived from the Italian 'tenebroso' which means darkened and obscuring. It is used to describe a certain type of painting in which significant details such as faces and hands are illuminated by highlights which are contrasted with a predominantly dark setting.

TONE

Tone refers to the lightness or darkness of a particular color.

TROMPE L'OEIL

In French, trompe l'oeil means “deceive the eye.” It is a technique that creates optical illusions of three-dimensionality by employing eye-catching lifelike imagery.

Sources:

​​https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/glossary

https://mymodernmet.com/art-history-terms/

Once you've started incorporating this vocabulary into the way you look at and talk about art, you will find it easier to express yourself and describe an artwork or your ideas.  

Next, you can begin including more complex terminology into your thinking, including descriptive words on process, aesthetics, and art theory.

Art Language is colorful

Use art vocabulary whenever possible, in the Visual Journal, in Critiques, and when writing the Curatorial Rationale and Exhibition Texts.

( art language, art terminology, subject specific language, it's all the same thing, it's language that talks about ART)

Subject specific language in art can be used when...

• Describing processes (site specific, lithography)

• Techniques (scumbling in oil painting, encaustic, sgraffito carving in ceramics)

• In Visual Analysis (triangular composition, complementary colors, contrapposto)

• Words describing visual qualities, as in 'contrasting dark tones', 'diagonal lines', 'bold brushstrokes'

• When referring to Art History (constructivism, baroque, pre-renaissance)