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Essential AP Art History Vocabulary

Terms in this set (93)

Elements of Design
The tools to make art
Line, shape, form, value, space, color, texture
Line
A mark with greater length than width. May be 2D or 3D
Shape
Comprised of lines and remaining two-dimensional, shapes create the basis of any artwork. They can be geometric or organic.
Form
An element of art that is three dimensional and encloses volume; the form has height, width, and depth. It may be geometric (sphere, cube, etc.) or it may be free form.
Value
Used to indicate differences between light and dark. White is often the lightest value; black is the darkest
Space
An element of art by which positive and negative areas are defined or a sense of depth is achieved in an artwork. This includes the background, foreground, and middle ground. Ways of achieving a sense of space are by using perspective.
Positive space are areas in the work that have mass
Negative space lacks mass
One-point perspective
A system of perspective that utilizes a single vanishing point and causes parts of the image to look as if they recede into the distance
Two-point perspective
A system of perspective that utilizes two vanishing points and causes parts of the image to look as if they recede into the distance
Color
Red, yellow, and blue cannot be mixed from other colors. They are primary colors. Secondary colors (violet, green, orange) are made by mixing two primary colors
Texture
the visual or tactile surface quality of an object
Principles of design
Describe the way that an artist uses the elements of art
balance, emphasis, movement, pattern, repetition, proportion, rhythm, variety, unity, contrast
Balance
Refers to the way in which line, shape, color, texture, etc. are arranged. Balance can be symmetrical or asymmetrical
Emphasis
The part of the design that catches the viewer's attention. Usually the artist will make one area stand out by contrasting it with other areas. This area could be different in size, color, texture, shape, etc.
Movement
The path the viewer's eye takes through the work of art, often to focal areas. Such movement can be directed along lines, edges, shape, and color
Pattern
the repeating of an object or symbol all over the work of art
Repetition
An element that appears over and over again in composition, which helps create unity
Proportion
The feeling of unity created when all parts (sizes, amounts, or number) relate well with each other.
Rhythym
Created when one or more elements of design are used repeatedly to create a feeling of organized movement
Variety
Use of several elements of design to hold the viewer's attention and to guide the viewer's eye through and around the work.
Unity
the feeling of harmony between all parts of the work of art, which creates a sense of completeness
Contrast
The arrangement of opposite elements so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama
Diptych
A piece of art that is comprised of two panels and is meant to be viewed as such (typically religious, but not exclusively)
Triptych
A piece of art that is comprised of three panels and is meant to be viewed as such (typically religious, but not exclusive)
Archetype
A very typical example of a certain person or thing, and is generally a recurrent symbol in art
Icon
A religious work of art that stands for an object by signifying or representing it
Composition
The arrangement of formal elements (elements of art + principles of design) in a work of art
Attribute/ Attributions
determining the authorship of an artwork
Formalism
Examining or creating a work of art based solely on its formal elements (line, color, composition) and its aesthetic affects on the viewer
Process
the manner and technique used to create artworks
Symbolism
Aside from the 19th century artistic movement, Symbolism is a technique using objects that represent, stand for, or suggest an idea, visual image, belief, action, or material entity
Iconography
Studying a piece of art through the identification, description, and interpretation of specific facets within that image
Naturalistic/ Realistic
attempting to portray objects from everyday life as they actually are (related to, but different from, Realism movement in the 19th c)
Representational/ figurative
Artwork that is clearly derived from real sources and thus reveals realistic depictions of things; true to life
Nonrepresentational/ Nonobjective
Not representing any known object in nature
Gestural
characterized by vigorous application of paint and expressive brushwork.
Painterly
Characterized by visible brushstrokes, the result of applying paint in less than completely controlled manner, generally without closely following carefully drawn lines
Portraiture
An artistic representation of a specific person
Homage
special honor, dedication, or respect shown publicly
Picturesque
visually attractive, especially in a quaint or pretty style
Simulacrum
A representation or imitation of a person or thing, sometimes however without the substance or qualities of the original
Program
The arrangement of theme of a group of images into a whole
Innovative
Advanced; original; creative in thinking
Perception
A way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something. This can be either an artist's ideas or mode of viewing, or how a work of art is interpreted by the viewers
Sentimentality
Excessive tenderness, love, sadness, or nostalgia. originally indicated the reliance on feelings as a guide to truth, but is now generally defined as an appeal to shallow, uncomplicated emotions at the expense of reason
Still Life
A work of art depicting inanimate subject matter, typically man-made or natural objects
Illusionism
The technique by which an artistic representations are made to resemble real objects or to give an appearance of space
Trompe l'oeil
Visual device using extremely realistic imagery that creates the optical illusion that the objects depicted are three-dimensional, literally "to trick the eye"
Modular
Art created by joining together standardized units (modules) to form larger, more complex compositions
Monochromatic
A piece of art that utilizes a singular color (and its tints, tones, and shades)
Abstract
Having a generalized or essential form with only symbolic reference to natural objects, broken down into geometric forms
Appropriation
The use of pre-existing objects with little to no transformation applied to them
Content
the themes or ideas in a work of art, different than form or style. Content may be narrative, symbolic, spiritual, historical, mythological, supernatural, and/or propagandistic
Allusion
A reference to another work of art, work of literature, or even a real event
Commemorate
To show respect for, or create a memorial to, someone or something
Commission
Giving an order or purchasing the production of an artwork, either for personal use, for a gift, or for the public use
Patronage
Support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. (Oftentimes, the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists. Can also refer to the right of bestowing offices or church benefices, the business given to store by a reguar customer, and the guardianship of saints)
Conceptual
The concept of idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many works of conceptual art may be constructed by anyone simply by following written instructions
Foreshortened
The use of perspective to represent an object extending back into space
Idealized
The representation of objects ad figures according to ideal standards of beauty rather than to real life
Picture Plane
The flat surface of a drawing or painting
Narrative
Represents events taking place over time. These events may, however, be compressed into a single image that implies something that has already happened or is about to take place
Ornamental
Decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object; often comprised of repeating motifs
Motif
Derived from nature, and are elements that repeat throughout an artwork
Expressive
Artwork that easily conveys meaning, emotion, or sensation
Artistic Associations
Self-defined groups, workshops, academics, and movements
Scale
The size of an element as it relates to its usual physical size
Pastiche
An artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period
Aesthetic
Perceptions, feelings, and appreciation of qualities produced by art and informed by viewing art
Artistic Changes
Divergence from tradition in artistic choices demonstrated through art-making processes, through interactions between works of art and audience, and within form and/or content
Site- specific
Artwork, created to exist in a certain place
Sublime
a quality of greatness or grandeur that inspires awe and wonder
Text and image
an artwork that combines text and image
Context
original and subsequent historical and cultural milieu of a work of art. This includes the time, place, and culture in which a work of art was created, as well as information about when, where, and how subsequent audiences interacted with the work
Function
Consider an artist's intended use for the work and/or its actual use, which may be for utility, decoration, communication, and/or commemoration. They may be spiritual, social, political, or personally expressive
Audiences/ Viewers
Those who interact with the work as participants, facilitators, and/or observers. Audience characteristics include gender, ethnicity, race, age, socioeconomic status, beliefs, and values. Audience groups may be contemporaries, descendants, collectors, scholars, gallery/museum visitors, and other artists.
Romanticized
To dramatize, glamorize or portray in a romantic (dramatic) manner
Materials or medium
Raw ingredients (such as pigment, wood, and limestone), compounds (such as textile, ceramic, and ink), and components (such as beads, paper) used to create a work of art. Specific materials have inherent properties (pliability, fragility, and permanence) and tend to accrue cultural value (the value of gold and feathers due to relative rarity and exoticism).
Biomorphic
Modeled on naturally occurring patterns or shapes reminiscent of nature and living organisms.
Elongation
Lengthening or continuation, sometimes beyond the point of naturalism.
Presentation
The display, enactment, and/or appearance of a work of art.
Allegory
Characters or events represent or symbolize ideas and concepts
Classical
Beyond referring to classical antiquity, the term also denotes artworks that aim to recreate the idealization of the classical manner
Satire
A genre of art in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to humorous ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, corporations, government, or society itself.
Response
The reaction of a person or population to the experience generated by a work of art. Responses from an audience to a work of art may be physical, perceptual, spiritual, intellectual, and/or emotional.
Technique
cludes art-making processes, tools, and technologies that accommodate and/or overcome material properties. Techniques range from simple to complex and easy to difficult, and may be practiced by one artist or may necessitate a group effort.
Work of art
Created by the artist's deliberate manipulation of materials and techniques to produce a purposeful form and content, which may be architecture, an object, an act, and/or an event. A work of art may be two-, three-, or four-dimensional (time-based and performative).
Artistic traditions
Norms of artistic production and artistic products, demonstrated through art-making processes, through interactions between works of art and audience, and within form and/or content of a work of art
Humanism
A system of thought originating in the European Renaissance that attaches prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters.
Style and Stylized
A combination of unique and defining features that reflect the historical period, geographic location, cultural context, and individual hand of the artist. An image is distorted to conform to certain artistic conventions or to emphasize particular qualities
Relief
High: the image is carved out far from the background plane

Low: image is carved out slightly from the background, also called bas relief

Sunken: the image is slightly recessed into the surface plane, also called incised
Sculpture in the Round
A sculpture which is completely detached
so that it can be seen from all sides
Avant-garde
Artworks that are experimental or innovative.
Academic
A style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art. Specifically, academic art is the art and artists influenced by the standards of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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