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Like any creative field, art history has its own language.
In this list, you’ll find 25 words that will help you discuss art with ease.
Analyze art like a professional with this art history glossary.
Oil painting on canvas (Photo:Stock Photosfrom Sweet Art/Shutterstock)
Abstraction occurs on a continuum, including the fractured-yet-recognizable forms ofCubismand the totally non-pictorial nature ofAbstract Expressionism.
Color Theory
Color theoryis the basic principle of how to work with color.
Contour
As the outline of something, thecontouris one of the building blocks of drawing.
Michelangelo, ‘David' (ca. 1501-1504) (Photo:Stock Photosfrom Alfonso de Tomas/Shutterstock)
This results in a realistic stance, as famously evident in Michelangelo’sDavidstatue.
Michelangelo, David' (ca.
Focal Point
An artwork’sfocal pointis where its visual interest sits.
Giorgione, ‘The Tempest' (ca. 1506-1508) (Photo:IsmoonviaWikimedia CommonsPublic domain)
Color and contrast, as well as perspective, can be used to pull focus.
An artwork without any focal point can appear chaotic and unfocused to the viewer.
It is typically discernible from the background, which seems to be further away.
Photo:Stock Photosfrom Happy Person/Shutterstock
Placing the focal point of a composition in the foreground creates an intimate feeling.
Foreshortening
Foreshorteningis a technique in which an artist distorts perspective to evoke an illusion of depth.
Foreshortened subjects often appear to recede into the picture plane.
Detail of Picasso, ‘The Old Guitarist' (1903) (Photo:The Art Institute of ChicagoviaWikimedia CommonsPublic Domain)
Giorgione, The Tempest' (ca.
Examples of genres includelandscapeandstill life.
Impasto
This Italian word for mixture refers to thick layers of paint used to create texture.
Leonardo da Vinci, ‘Mona Lisa' (ca. 1503-1516) (Photo:Galerie de tableaux en très haute définitionviaWikimedia CommonsPublic Domain)
While it was first used byVenetian paintersduring the Italian Renaissance, it really took hold in the 19th century.
Turnerusedimpastoto build layers of color and drama in his work.
Medium
Amediumis a material used to create art.
Pere Borrell del Caso, ‘Escaping Criticism' (1874) (Photo: Collection Banco de España viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Examples of mediums arewatercolor paint,oil,pastel,marble,gouache, andcharcoal.
When the focal point is placed in the middle ground, the artwork typically appears balanced and neutral.
On a more general scale, however, modern can mean current or cutting-edge.
Motif
In the visual arts, amotifis an element of iconography.
In paintings, a motif can refer to any pictorial feature of the composition.
In the decorative arts and architecture, it often denotes a recognizable symbol that repeats.
There are two maintypes of perspective: linear and atmospheric.
Linear perspective employs intersecting lines and vanishing points as a means to make objects appear far away.
Scale
Scalerefers to the size of an object in relation to another.
This technique is apparent in the blurred background and softly-defined facial features of theMona Lisa.
Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa' (ca.
Tone
Tonerefers to the lightness or darkness of a particular color.
Trompe l’oeil
In French,trompe l’oeilmeans deceive the eye.
It is a technique that creates optical illusions of three-dimensionality by employing eye-catching lifelike imagery.
