TASC Visual Art Level 3 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Element: Line

A mark with length and direction. Lines can be contour, gesture, implied, or hatching, and they guide the eye and define edges.

Element: Form

A three-dimensional shape enclosing volume and occupying space. Form may be actual sculpture or an illusion created by shading and perspective on a flat surface.

Color Property: Value

The lightness or darkness of a color. Value changes create the illusion of three-dimensional form through highlights, midtones, core shadows, and cast shadows.

Complementary Colors

Colors opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green. Mixed together they neutralize toward gray; placed side by side they intensify contrast.

Asymmetrical Balance

A composition balanced by unequal visual weights rather than mirrored halves. A large pale shape may be offset by a small, intense, or highly textured one.

Principle: Emphasis

The principle that makes one area dominant so the viewer's attention lands there first. Contrast, isolation, and placement create emphasis and a focal point.

Principle: Rhythm

Repetition of visual units with variation in spacing, size, or direction, producing a sense of movement across the composition.

Charcoal Drawing

A dry drawing medium of charred wood producing deep darks and soft edges. It smudges easily, so fixative is often sprayed to bind particles.

Watercolor Technique

A transparent painting method using pigment suspended in a water-based binder. Artists build dark tones in layers and reserve bare paper for white.

Oil Paint Properties

Pigment bound in drying oil, worked slowly and blended on the surface. It is thinned with solvent or medium, never water, and dries over days.

Relief Printmaking

A printing process in which ink sits on raised surfaces of a carved block, such as woodcut or linocut, and transfers under pressure to paper.

Intaglio Printing

A process such as etching or engraving in which ink fills recessed grooves cut into a plate, and damp paper pulls it out under heavy pressure.

Subtractive Sculpture

A carving method that removes material from a block of stone or wood to reveal form. Mistakes cannot be added back, so planning is essential.

Fresco Painting

Pigment applied to wet lime plaster so it bonds chemically into the wall as it dries. The technique demands fast, confident work in sections.

Bisque Firing

The first firing of clay, which removes water and hardens the piece permanently. Glaze is then applied and matured in a second, higher firing.

Egyptian Composite View

A convention showing head in profile, eye frontal, and shoulders frontal, with legs in profile. It presents the most recognizable view of each body part.

Linear Perspective

A Renaissance system using a horizon line and vanishing points so parallel lines converge, creating convincing depth on a flat surface.

Chiaroscuro

Strong contrast between light and dark used to model form and heighten drama. It is a defining feature of Baroque painting.

Impressionism

A nineteenth-century movement painting outdoor light and momentary perception with visible brushwork and unblended color, rather than academic finish and smooth surfaces.

Cubism

A modern approach that breaks objects into facets and shows multiple viewpoints at once, flattening space and questioning a single fixed perspective.

Patronage

The system by which a person or institution commissions and funds artwork. Patronage shapes subject, scale, and materials because it defines the work's purpose.

Subject Versus Content

Subject is what a work depicts, such as a bowl of fruit. Content is the meaning or message that subject and form together convey.

Formal Analysis

Close examination of how elements and principles are used in a work, describing visible relationships before drawing interpretive or evaluative conclusions.

Iconography

The study of symbols and their conventional meanings, such as a lily for purity, decoded through the culture and period that produced the work.

Interpretation in Art

A proposed meaning for a work supported by specific visual evidence and context. Strong interpretations cite details rather than resting on personal taste.

Mood Versus Tone

Mood is the emotional atmosphere the work evokes in the viewer. Tone is the attitude the work takes toward its subject, such as satirical or reverent.

Thumbnail Sketch

A small, quick drawing used to test composition, placement, and value structure before committing to a larger, more time-consuming final work.

Rule of Thirds

A compositional guide dividing the picture into a grid of thirds. Placing key elements near intersections often creates a stronger, more dynamic focal point.

Monochromatic Scheme

A color plan using one hue varied in value and intensity. It produces strong unity but relies on contrast of light and dark to stay readable.

Visual Weight

The apparent heaviness of a form in a composition, increased by size, saturation, contrast, and texture. It is distributed to achieve balance.

Archival Framing

Presentation using acid-free mats and backing so the artwork is protected from chemical damage, with glazing that keeps contact and moisture away.

Portfolio Labeling

Consistent documentation of each work with title, medium, dimensions, and date, ordered to show both range and depth of an artist's work.