GLOSSARY

Aesthetic - Quality or experience derived from or based upon the senses and how they are affected or stimulated.

Abstract - An image or design which does not have fidelity to the natural (i. e., representational) world although sometimes utilizing a simplification or exaggeration of natural form. Abstract art emphasizes formal qualities (elements of art and principles of design) more than subject matter.

Art - Visual Art includes all forms of creative and expressive production in material and media resulting in art forms such as architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, crafts, ceramics, graphics, and applied design.

Art Concepts - (a) An object of thought such as an element of art or principle of design. (b) Theories and ideas about art and how it contributes to human growth, how it may be understood in terms of styles and techniques, and how it rests on philosophical and aesthetic assumptions.

Art Criticism - The process involving examining, describing, analyzing, interpreting, and judging works of art based on craftsmanship, the elements and principles of design, aesthetics, and the intention behind its creation.

Balance - Areas that have a different visual weight yet work together toward equilibrium in the composition. The feeling of equality in weight, attention, or attraction of the various elements.

Color - The visual property of an object dependent on a combination of reflected and absorbed light from the spectrum.

Composition - The structure or basic organizing plan of all the elements and principles within a work of art.

Contrast - Refers to a way of combining art elements to stress the differences between those elements (e. g., differences between light and dark, plain and patterned).

Creative Expression - The making of art, either through production or performance.

Creativity - The experience of thinking, reacting, and working in an imaginative and idiosyncratic way which is characterized by a high degree of innovation and originality, divergent thinking, and risk taking.

Cultural Heritage - Knowledge about the historical and cultural background in which works of art are created, including, socioeconomic, political, intellectual, ethnic, religious, or philosophical considerations.

Design - Organization or arrangement of elements in a work of art.

Elements of Art - Components comprising a work of art such as line, color, shape, value, space, texture, and form.

Emphasis - Visual composition to accent and direct attention - focal point.

Environment - The space or context in which a person lives, works, plays, and experiences in both the real world and in works of art.

Form - A three-dimensional object having volume (height, width, depth).

Harmony - How the elements and principles in a piece of art relate to each other.

Image - A physical likeness or representation of a person, place, event, emotion, or idea made visual through an art process.

Line - The path of a point moving through space.

Media/Medium - The material used to create a work of art.

Movement/Rhythm - How the eye is made to move through a piece using various elements.

Motif - A unit that is repeated as a pattern in a work of art.

Principles of Design - Organizing concepts for perceiving and understanding the elements of art, balance, rhythm, harmony, proportion, contrast, unity, variety, movement, emphasis, and repetition.

Repetition - An element used two times or more.

Scale/Proportion - How the sizes of elements or objects vary and how this variation effects the piece.

Shape - Describes the edge of something two-dimensional (flat plane).

Space - Refers to actual space bounded or manipulated by architecture, sculpture, or the illusion of space on a flat surface.

Style - (a) A manner or process of employing tools and materials in a work of art to communicate the personality or individual characteristics of the artist. (b) Also applied to the common visual characteristics in their work shared by a school or group of artists.

Symbol - A graphic representation of an object, action or service which has historical, social, cultural, political or personal meaning.

Technique - The specific method or approach of art making which includes the use of tools and equipment, the application of media, manipulation, control of materials, etc.

Texture - Creates or implies tactile surface quality.

Unity - How the elements and principles are used together to create a sense of wholeness.

Value - Refers to the gradation between light and dark.

Variety - The differences within a piece which makes it interesting.