Elements & Principles
This principle of art refers to the distribution of visual weight so no one part overpowers another.
Balance
A continuous mark made on a surface by a moving point; can be thick or thin, straight or curved.
Line
Painted by Leonardo da Vinci, this portrait shows a woman with an enigmatic smile. Name it.
Mona Lisa
A common dry drawing tool made of compressed pigment, often used for sketching.
Charcoal
Term for the path of a moving point through space
Line
Name the element of art that describes the lightness or darkness of a color.
Value
Shapes that are freeform or irregular, often found in nature, are called what?
Organic Shapes
Vincent van Gogh painted this swirling-night-sky scene; name the painting.
Starry Night
Liquid pigment used for transparent washes, often in pans or tubes.
Watercolor
A term meaning the brightness or dullness of a color.
Saturation
This principle creates a sense of oneness or wholeness in a work of art.
Unity
This element is produced when light reflects off objects; it has hue, value, and intensity.
Color
This large fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was painted by Michelangelo. Give the common name for the work or the artist’s major scene.
Sistine Chapel ceiling (The Creation of Adam is a commonly referenced scene)
A tool artists use to mix paint and hold small amounts of color while working.
Palette
The technique of gradually changing from one color, tone, or texture to another.
Gradation
The principle that uses differences in size, color, or value to attract attention to certain parts of an artwork.
Emphasis
The element that gives a work the illusion of depth by making objects appear nearer or farther away.
Space (Linear or atmospheric)
This painting by Edvard Munch features a figure holding its face and screaming; name it.
The Scream
A type of clay that must be fired in a kiln to become hard and durable.
Stoneware or earthenware
The term for the repetition of elements to create movement and pattern in art.
Rhythm
Define the element that refers to the way an artwork feels or appears to feel (can be actual or implied).
Texture
Name the element of art that describes the area within, around, or between parts of an artwork; it can be positive or negative.
Space (positive and negative)
Name the famous Pablo Picasso painting that launched Cubism and depicts the suffering of war.
Guernica
Name three different fixatives or adhesives commonly used in mixed-media classroom projects
Spray Fixative, White Glue, Gel Medium, Mod Podge, Hot Glue
Define “composition” in an artwork and give two examples of compositional choices an artist might make.
The arrangement of visual elements in an artwork.