Descriptive Terms in Art and Design Three Aspects of Art: Form in art is the shape and structure of a material

thing. Form is the sum of all visual elements -- from the compositional elements listed below to the actual materials used in the artwork. When considering form, look at the interaction of all of the visual elements. Content is the idea found in a work of art. It can include subject matter or narrative, among other things. The content in a work of art is its meaning, and is often understood as the artist's intention. Context is the environment in which an artwork is found. This includes both the material setting and the social context. Changing the setting of an artwork changes how an artwork is understood. Often the context of an artwork's creation is different than the context where a viewer might find it. Formal Qualities: Medium refers to the materials used in an artwork's creation, such as oil paint or ceramics. Technique describes to the way the medium is used in a given instance. Composition is the way that the visual elements work together to form a whole. Describing the composition of an artwork usually involves examining relationships between parts, which will suggest things like balance, harmony, weight and motion. Style refers to the combination of medium, technique and composition that identifies an artwork as the product of a particular person, group, movement, period, or culture. For example, we could notice Monet's personal style in a given painting, as well as recognizing the qualities of the Impressionist style. Abstraction and naturalism are opposites; naturalistic art visually resembles the way our eyes see the real world, and abstract art departs significantly from natural appearances. These are best seen as opposite poles with many points inbetween. Non-Representational art is completely abstract and does not represent things in the world at all. Iconography describes how things in artworks carry distinct meanings, whether through symbolism or association.

Visual Elements: A Line is a point traveling over a distance. Line can be used a multitude of expressive ways. Implied lines are often suggested by the arrangement of forms in a composition. Lines can suggest tones when grouped together, such as with crosshatching. A Shape has the property of being distinct from its surroundings. This is established by an outline, by the use of color and value or any element that defines an interior/exterior relationship. Clean, hard-edged shapes are considered geometric; curvier, more irregular shapes are considered organic. Mass is the way we describe the three-dimensional quality of something, whether real or implied (as in a painting). Illusion of Depth can be created in a number of ways in two-dimensional art. Some techniques are more convincing than others, and multiple techniques can be used in a given artwork. Overlapping elements are one way to suggest depth; others include linear perspective -- a system of planning a composition, using a horizon line and at least one vanishing point -- and atmospheric perspective, which uses hazy or blue-toned colors to make some elements look distant. Both motion and light play important roles in art, and can be suggested or captured in many ways. For example, a photograph of a runner can capture movement; a painting of a dancer can suggest movement; a sculpture with moving parts can have literal movement. Color has three properties: hue, value, and intensity. Every color can be defined in terms of these three qualities. Combinations of colors have combinations of these qualities. Hue can be thought of as the "name" of the color (i.e., red, yellow, blue). Value is the relative darkness or lightness of a color. Intensity (or saturation) is the amount of the hue in a color. Very saturated colors seem vibrant; less saturated colors can be described as subtle or muted.

Texture is the surface quality of an object or element. Texture involves the sense of touch in our experience if only by suggestion. It can be found both in the physical surface of an artwork, and in the way subject material is represented in a picture.

Design Principles: Unity is achieved when elements in a composition are consistent and harmonious. There are relative degrees of unity, and artworks will have some balance between unity and variety to keep things interesting. Balance is a state of equilibrium in the distribution of visual weight. There are many ways to achieve balance in a composition, some of them symmetrical, some of them asymmetrical. Emphasis means standing out. Elements that receive emphasis in a composition often take advantage of contrast, such as a contrast of color, value, or scale. When an element seems to receive particular visual emphasis in a composition, it is called a focal point. Directional forces are paths for the eye to follow, provided by actual or implied lines. Contrast is difference. Artworks that have more contrast often feel active and vivid, and those without enough contrast can seem too soft or monotonous. The contrast range of an artwork is the range of values it contains, from the lightest to the darkest. Rhythm in artwork is found in the use of repeated or similar elements. The kind of rhythm depends on the way in which these repeated elements are presented. Scale is the perceived relationship of the size of an object to its context. When you think of size, think of scale. A change in scale can dramatically affect the impact of an artwork. General terms to be able to use and distinguish: Genre: A type of artwork with certain broadly understood and often unspoken conventions. Portraits, landscapes, and still lifes are examples of genres in painting. Movement: An artistic style or tendency seen in the intentions or works of a number of artists. In most cases, an art movement will have identifiable visual characteristics. There are also similarities in the ways of thinking that the artists have embraced. Art movements tend to thrive for a limited time, some for centuries, some for just a few years. Impressionism and cubism are examples of movements. Period: A way of identifying a particular interval of time. Sometimes in art history, a span of time may be characterized by a movement for example, we might speak of the Baroque period. Other times, more than one movement may take place in a given period; for example, Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art were both prominent in the postwar period. Era: A way of speaking in broad terms about a span of time. An era is often imagined as longer than a generation, but not always. This term is used more vaguely and subjectively than period. Some conventions to remember in writing about art: The first time you mention an artwork in writing, give the artwork's title, artist's name, and its date of creation. If you are writing a description of the artwork, include its medium and dimensions. The first time you mention an artist in a written piece, use the artist's full name; thereafter, you may use his or her last name only. Exceptions to this general rule will be discussed in class. Abbreviations to know: c. 1430 or ca. 1430 = circa or around 1430 400 BCE (before the common era) = 400 BC (Before Christ) 330 CE (common era) = 330 AD (Anno Domini or year of our Lord) 19th century = 1800s