ART GLOSSARY
Art Principles & Elements
Abstract: Art that doesn’t attempt to represent an accurate depiction of visual reality but instead uses shapes, colors, forms, and gestural marks to achieve its effect.
Aesthetic: A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty in art.
Avant-Garde: Works that are experimental, radical, or unorthodox in terms of technique, subject matter, or content.
Balance: The distribution of visual weight in an artwork. Balance can be symmetrical (even) or asymmetrical (uneven but still balanced), giving a sense of stability or tension.
Color: Color refers to the hues used in an artwork and how they are combined.
Composition: The arrangement or placement of visual elements in a work of art.
Contrast: The use of opposing elements, such as light vs. dark, rough vs. smooth, or large vs. small, to create visual interest or emphasize certain parts of the artwork.
Figurative: Art that represents the human figure or other recognizable subjects derived from the real world.
Medium (plural: Media): The materials used by an artist to create their work (e.g., oil paint, acrylic, clay, charcoal).
Perspective: A technique used to represent three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface, giving the illusion of depth or distance.
Proportion: The relationship of size between different parts of an artwork or between different objects in the composition.
Texture: The surface quality of an artwork, either actual (felt with touch) or implied (suggested visually). Texture adds depth and interest, making a work more dynamic.
Movements and Styles
Baroque: An ornate and extravagant style of art that emerged in Europe in the late 16th century, characterized by dramatic use of light and shadow and a sense of motion.
Rococo: A highly decorative and ornate style from the early 18th century, often associated with light-hearted subjects, pastel colors, and intricate, flowing forms. It contrasts with the grandeur and formality of Baroque.
Impressionism: A 19th-century movement focused on capturing the effects of light and color, often through visible brushstrokes and scenes of everyday life.
Art Nouveau: A decorative art style from the late 19th and early 20th centuries characterized by flowing, organic forms, often inspired by natural elements like plants and flowers. It emphasizes curves, intricate patterns, and ornamental detail.
Futurism: An early 20th-century movement that celebrated speed, technology, and modernity. Futurists sought to capture the dynamism of the modern world, often depicting movement and energy in their works.
Cubism: A 20th-century avant-garde movement pioneered by Picasso and Braque, breaking subjects into geometric shapes and viewing them from multiple perspectives.
Art Deco: A decorative style from the 1920s and 1930s that combined modern geometric shapes with luxurious materials, often used in architecture, design, and visual art. Art Deco is known for its bold, streamlined forms and lavish decoration.
Pop Art: A movement that emerged in the 1950s, drawing inspiration from popular and commercial culture, such as advertising, comic books, and mass media.
Minimalism: A style that emphasizes simplicity and the use of few elements, often creating a sense of purity or clarity in the work.
Surrealism: A movement that sought to explore the unconscious mind, often through dreamlike or fantastical imagery.
Postmodernism: A movement that challenges traditional ideas of originality, unity, and authority in art. Postmodernism often mixes different styles, historical references, and mediums, embracing irony and playfulness. It blurs the line between high art and popular culture.
Street Art: Emerging from graffiti culture, street art includes large-scale murals, stencils, and public installations. Unlike traditional graffiti, street art is often more conceptual and widely accepted in mainstream culture, focusing on social commentary or artistic expression.
Techniques and Methods
Chiaroscuro: A technique that uses strong contrasts between light and dark to give the illusion of volume and depth.
Collage: A method of creating art by assembling different materials, such as paper, fabric, or found objects, onto a surface.
Impasto: A technique where paint is applied thickly, so it stands out from the surface, giving texture to the work.
Sfumato: A painting technique that creates soft, gradual transitions between colors and tones, often used by Leonardo da Vinci.
Trompe-l'oeil: A technique that creates an optical illusion, making objects appear three-dimensional when they are not.
En Plein Air: Painting outdoors directly from nature, often associated with the Impressionists.
Pointillism: A technique where small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image. The dots blend together visually when viewed from a distance.
Fresco: A method of painting on wet plaster, so the pigments are absorbed and become part of the wall as it dries. This technique is often used for murals and large-scale paintings.
Decalcomania: A technique where paint is applied to a surface and then covered with another surface (like paper or canvas) and pressed or lifted to create random textures and patterns.
Glazing: A technique where thin, transparent layers of paint are applied over a dry base layer. This method creates depth and luminous color by allowing light to pass through the layers.
Elements of Art
Line: A mark with length and direction, often defining the edges of shapes or figures.
Color: The hue, value, and intensity of pigments used in a work. Color theory explores the relationships between colors and their emotional or symbolic meanings.
Shape: A two-dimensional area with a defined boundary, such as a circle or square. Shapes can be geometric or organic.
Texture: The surface quality of a work, whether real (as in sculpture) or implied (as in painting).
Value: The lightness or darkness of a color, helping to create depth or emphasis in an artwork.
Space: The illusion of depth within a work, or the actual three-dimensional space that the artwork occupies.
Form: A three-dimensional object or shape that has volume, depth, and space. Forms can be geometric (like a cube or sphere) or organic (free-flowing or natural shapes).
Contour: The outline or edge of a shape or form in an artwork. Contour lines define boundaries and are often used to suggest depth or volume.
Balance: The distribution of visual weight in an artwork, creating a sense of stability or harmony. Balance can be symmetrical (evenly distributed) or asymmetrical (uneven but still balanced).
Rhythm: The repetition or pattern of visual elements to create movement or flow in an artwork. Rhythm guides the viewer’s eye across the composition.
Emphasis: The focal point or area of interest in an artwork, where the artist draws attention. Emphasis can be created through contrast, color, size, or placement.
Unity: The sense of oneness or harmony in an artwork, where all elements work together to create a cohesive composition. Unity ties different parts of the artwork together.
Art Criticism and Theory
Iconography: The study of symbols, themes, and subject matter in art, often relating to cultural, religious, or historical significance.
Formalism: An approach to analyzing art based on its formal elements (line, shape, color, etc.) rather than its content or meaning.
Contextualism: A method of interpretation that considers the social, cultural, and historical context in which the artwork was created.
Conceptual Art: Art in which the idea or concept behind the work is more important than the finished object.
Installation Art: Large-scale, mixed-media constructions designed to be experienced in a specific environment, often encouraging viewer interaction.
Appropriation: The use of existing images or artworks in a new piece, often recontextualized or given new meaning.
Deconstruction: A method of breaking down and analyzing art to show how its meaning is not fixed, often questioning traditional ideas and assumptions.
Expressionism: A theory or style where the artist’s emotional experience is more important than depicting reality accurately.
Narrative Art: Art that tells a story, often with a sequence of events or a central theme that unfolds through the imagery.
Semiotics: The study of signs and symbols in art, examining how meaning is created and interpreted through imagery, color, and composition.
Graffiti & Street Art Terms
Tag: A stylized signature or marker, often the most basic form of graffiti.
Throw-up: A quick, simple graffiti piece, typically done with bubble letters or a simple design.
Throwie: A quick graffiti piece with bubble letters and one or two colors.
Stencil Art: A technique of using stencils to create images or designs, often associated with street artists like Banksy.
Mural: A large-scale artwork painted directly onto a wall, often commissioned or done with permission.
Wheatpaste: A method of applying posters or other paper-based art to surfaces using a paste, commonly used in street art.
Piece: A large, detailed graffiti artwork, often taking up a whole wall.
Burner: A high-quality graffiti piece that stands out, often found in a hard-to-reach spot.
Bombing: Covering as many surfaces as possible with graffiti in a short amount of time.
Crew: A group of graffiti artists who work together and often tag collectively.
Wildstyle: A complex graffiti style with interlocking letters and shapes, often hard to read.
Slap: A sticker with a graffiti design that artists stick onto surfaces like street signs.
Blackbook: A sketchbook where graffiti artists practice designs and plan future works.
Run: A spree where a graffiti artist hits multiple locations in one outing.
Fade: A gradient effect where one color smoothly blends into another.
Fat Cap: A spray can nozzle that creates wide, thick lines, used for big areas or bold outlines.
Skinny Cap: A spray can nozzle that makes thin, precise lines for detail work.
Drips: Paint that runs down a surface, either accidentally or used intentionally for effect.
Ghost: The faint remains of graffiti after it has been cleaned or covered up.
Buff: The removal or covering up of graffiti by authorities or property owners.