Art and Imagination: Exploring and Generating Introduction

Art and imagination: exploring and generating | Introduction

Glossary

Term / Description
abstract / does not intentionally resemble objects in real life
advancing colours / warm, bright colours that seem to come forward in the picture space
alla prima / Italian for ‘at first’; refers to a painting that is done in one session
ambiguous / unclear
analogous / hues that are adjacent on the colour circle
anatomy / a study of the body and how its structure works
arabesque / a scrolling line that forks
art interpretation / viewing other artists’ works to understand their ideas and intentions
art making / the exploring, investigating, experimenting and developing that is done as part of visual inquiry to make an artwork
artist’s proof / a test print that ensures that the block and colour are printing effectively
background / the space behind the subject, where the objects are smallest, out of focus, not detailed and have mid-grey tones.
balance / arranging elements to produce stability in the picture space
bleed / paint leaking under a stencil
block in / first stage of artwork when tones and then colours are painted in broadly
bridges / links from one shape to the next
broad medium / a medium used for creating big shapes rather than small detail
calligraphy / the art of writing beautifully
caricature / drawing that distorts the normal proportions and is often humorous
cartoon / a preliminary drawing; originated during the Renaissance
centaur / a creature that has the body of a horse and the head of a man
chiaroscuro / Italian for ‘light and dark’; using strong contrasts or highlighting the face while the background is shadowed
classical / realism in art inspired by Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire
colour / visual sensation of light from a surface; a spectrum of six main colours
colour scheme / colours that have been selected and used repeatedly in an artwork/design
complementary colours / opposite colours on the colour circle
composition / arrangement of the parts of an artwork to make a whole
contemporary / art that has been produced to express the ideas of today
context / the time, place and circumstances in which an artwork was created
contour line / refers to the edge of a three-dimensional object
contrast / the use of boldly different elements to make one thing stand out from another visually
culture / the way things are done by a group, such as the customs and social behaviour often expressed in their art and music
depth / the illusion of picture space and distance (in two-dimensional work)
diagonal / slanted between horizontal and vertical
dialect / a shared common language containing regional words and phrases that others might not understand
discerning / choosing sensibly and with knowledge
diversity / a wide variety
Dreamings / Aboriginal stories of creation
dynamic / full of life and energy
edition / multiple copies of one design
elements of art / what artists use to create their visual expression – the visual qualities; include colour, line, tone, texture, shape, form and space. Artists of today can also digital technology to create artworks so sound is sometimes included too for those artforms.
emphasis / gives importance to selected areas in an art work
enhance / emphasise a special quality
ethical / behaviour that society thinks is right
figurative / where the subject looks real and is from life
fixative / thin varnish sprayed onto a powdery surface to stop smudging
focal point / the place in an image first noticed by viewer
focus / the part of the image the artist draws the viewer’s attention to
foreground / the part of the image that seems closest to the viewer where the objects are largest and in focus with strong contrast
foreshortening / when parts of the body appear close to the viewer because they seem to be larger and shorter
form / a shape that appears solid and three-dimensional, often due to the effect of light
format / the shape and size of the picture space
gargoyle / a spout for water in the shape of a grotesque monster
gestural / drawing that is done with spontaneous movement to capture the essence of the subject
graduate / to show a gradual change in colour or tone from light to dark
grotesque / comically or repulsively distorted
harmony / elements that relate together in a pleasing way
hatched (lines) / short lines repeated close together to imply shading or texture
head length / the length often used for measuring proportions of a figure
horizontal / parallel to the horizon
hue / the name of a pure colour on the spectrum
idealised / real things made to seem perfect
illusion / something suggested but not really there
implied / a suggestion that is hinted at, as a dotted line suggests a continuous line
impress / press marks into a surface
incised / carved into a surface
joiners / links from one shape to the next
line / a mark or a path from one point to another
local colours / the actual colour of an object
malleable / easy to shape with the hands
manipulate / using hands to twist and turn materials into the desired shape
master copy / the original from which all the others are copied
mausoleum / an outer building for a tomb
media / plural of medium
medium / what you use to make the artwork, such as paint or pencil
Medusa / a female monster whose hair is made from writhing snakes
memento / something kept to help you remember, often for sentimental reasons
Middle Ages / a period in European history starting sometime after the Roman Empire and finishing at the beginning of the Renaissance period
middle ground / the part of the image where the objects are slightly smaller than the foreground, have softer edges and there are no pure white areas nor pure black areas
Minotaur / a creature that has the body of a man and the head and horns of a bull
modelled / constructed by shaping with hands
motif / a recurrent unit of pattern
movement / the way an artwork is arranged to lead the eye through it
negative shape / shape of space created by objects; the air in-between
neutralise / reduce the special quality
New World / the Western hemisphere usually referring to America
observation drawing / looking carefully and drawing exactly what is seen
Old World / the Eastern hemisphere usually referring to Europe
opaque / not transparent
ornamentation / decoration or adornment that embellishes an object
oval / shape of an almond
palette / a smooth surface for mixing colours
pattern / the regular or random arrangement of a repeated motif or mark to decorate a surface
perception / knowing things or being aware; using the senses
perspective / technique to make two-dimensional objects appear to be three-dimensional by using a vanishing point
pictograph / a picture that takes the place of words to symbolise an idea or object
plinth / a flat base for an object, often a sculpture
positive shapes / the object/s in the picture space
primary colours / colours that cannot be created by mixing other colours (red, yellow, blue)
principles of art / the way the artist arranges or organises the art elements to emphasise the meaning or intention of the work; include balance, contrast, rhythm, repetition, movement, unity, emphasis and pattern. Digital technology might mean that this list could be extended for those artforms.
print / a process of transferring an image (or text) from one surface to another
printmaking / an artform that allows production of multiple copies of one design
prop / to hold up
proportions / relationship of the parts and their relative sizes
realism / artworks that represent the world as it really is
receding colour / cool, usually pale colours that seem to go back into the distance of the picture space
relief printing / a technique of printing where the highest surface is transferred to another surface
Renaissance / rebirth; in art, the rebirth (c 1420–1520) of the Roman classical ideals when artists were interested in creating the effect of deep space in their paintings.
representation / presenting something as it is, rather than imaginatively
resourceful / coming up with solutions to problems
rhythm / the visual repetition of art elements creating movement though a work or design and giving unity
rubbing / recording a bumpy surface onto thin paper by scribbling over the paper while it is placed on the surface
scale (measurement) / a unit of measurement which relates to the proportions of the subject
sculpture / an artwork that can be viewed from all sides; art in the round
seam / a line of stitching where two pieces of fabric are joined
secondary colours / colours (orange, green, purple) made by mixing two primary colours
sfumato / graduated shading without lines
shape / a two-dimensional space enclosed by an edge
shards / broken pieces of pottery
silhouette / the outline of a form with no internal detail
sketch / to draw the main features quite quickly to suggest the idea
space / the area where the artist arranges the elements, deciding how big the subject is and where it should be placed
sphere / a curved or rounded shape
sphinx / can be female or male with body and head of a human but arms and legs of an animal
square up / traditional method of enlarging and transferring a drawing to a paint surface using a grid of squares
still life / an arrangement of inanimate objects
style / a recognisable way art is produced such as impressionist or abstract
stylising / simplifying complicated drawing in a decorative way
subject / main topic; what the image is about
symbol / a sign or mark that represents an idea
symbolise / represent or convey a meaning
technique / the way the medium is applied to the surface of an artwork such as broad or detailed
terracotta warriors / clay sculptures made from a red-brown clay and then fired
tertiary colours / made by mixing three primary colours or a primary and a secondary colour
textile medium / a chemical that is added to acrylic paint to make it washable when painted onto fabric
textiles / materials of fabrics that are woven or sewn
texture / how the surface of an object feels
three-dimensional / not flat, having length and breadth and depth
tint / a colour mixed with white
tone / the degree of lightness or darkness
transparent / able to be seen through
troll / a mythical creature in Scandinavian folk tales
trompe l’oeil / French for ‘deceives the eye’ by tricking the viewer into believing it is real
two-dimensional / a flat shape with height and width but no depth
undercoat / a first layer of paint to prepare the surface
underpainting / a first layer of monochrome paint to suggest the structure/tones and guide the later painting
unethical / something morally wrong
unity / having something in common that links the parts together
vanishing point / imaginary point on the horizon where lines appear to meet
vanitas / images using symbols about death and the shortness of life
vertical / at right angles to the horizon like a skyscraper
viewpoint / perspective or point of view from which the viewer looks at the subject of the image
visual language / the qualities that artists use to express their ideas; known as the elements and principles of art
wet-on-wet / mixing colours by painting wet paint into wet paint
yeti / a mysterious creature with large feet; tracks show that it must be large and heavy