The Structure of Art Appreciation Terms Flashcards

The perceived edges of a three-dimensional form such as the human body.

Are lines used to indicate these perceived edges in two-dimensional art.

Is a path traced by a moving point.

A two-dimensional area having identifiable boundaries, created by lines, color or value changes, or some combination of these.

Three-dimensional form, often implying bulk, density, and weight.

In two-dimensional images, the relationship between a shape we perceive as dominant (the figure) and the background shape we perceive it against (the ground). Figure shapes are also known as positive shapes, and the shapes of the ground are negative shapes. Psychologists have identified a list of principles we use to decide which shapes are figure and which ground. When none of these conditions are met, figure and ground may seem to shift back and forth as our brain organizes the information first one way and then another, an effect known as figure-ground ambiguity.

In figurative drawing, painting, and printmaking, simulating the effects of light and shadow to portray optically convincing masses.

The relative lightness or darkness of a hue, or of a neutral varying from white to black.

Italian for "light-dark." In two-dimensional, representational art, the technique of using values to record light and shadow, especially as they provide information about three-dimensional form.

Closely spaced parallel lines that mix optically to suggest values. Hatching is a linear technique for modeling forms according to the principles of chiaroscuro.

To achieve darker values, layers of hatching may be superimposed, with each new layer set at an angle to the one(s) beneath.

A pattern of closely spaced dots or small marks used to created a sense of three-dimensionality on a flat surface, especially in drawing and printmaking.

A circular arrangement of hues used to illustrate a particular color theory or system. The most well-known color wheel uses the special hues of the rainbow plus the intermediary hue of red-violet.

A hue, that, in theory, cannot be created by a mixture of other hues. Varying combinations of the primary hues can be used to create all the other hues of the spectrum. In pigment, the primaries are red, yellow, and blue

A hue created by combining two primary colors, as yellow and blue mixed together yield green. In pigment, the secondary colors are orange, green, and violet.