MATSEC SEC Art flashcards

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

Formal elements of art

The building blocks used to describe and analyse artworks: line, shape, form, tone, colour, texture, space and pattern. Examiners expect candidates to name them and explain their effect.

Primary colours

In traditional pigment theory, red, yellow and blue cannot be mixed from other colours. All other pigment hues derive from mixing these three in varying proportions.

Secondary colours

Colours made by mixing two primary pigments: green (blue plus yellow), orange (red plus yellow) and violet (red plus blue). They sit between the primaries on the colour wheel.

Complementary colours

Pairs opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as red and green or blue and orange. Placed side by side they intensify each other; mixed together they neutralise towards grey.

Tone or value

The lightness or darkness of a colour or surface, independent of hue. A tonal scale from white to black is used to judge contrast and to create the illusion of three-dimensional form.

Chiaroscuro

Strong contrasting light and dark used to model form and create drama, associated with Renaissance and Baroque painting. It differs from flat shading because the transition and contrast are deliberately emphasised.

Rule of thirds

A compositional guide dividing the picture into a three-by-three grid. Placing key elements near the grid intersections or lines usually produces a more dynamic, balanced composition.

Leading lines

Lines within a composition, such as roads, edges or glances, that direct the viewer's eye towards a focal point or into the depth of the image.

Negative space

The empty or unoccupied area surrounding and between the main subjects. Skilful use of negative space can define shape, create balance and strengthen a focal point.

One-point perspective

A linear perspective system with a single vanishing point on the horizon line, used when the viewer faces a flat surface frontally, such as a straight road or corridor.

Two-point perspective

A perspective system with two vanishing points on the horizon, used when a rectangular object is viewed from a corner so that two sets of parallel edges recede.

Atmospheric perspective

Creating depth by making distant objects paler, cooler, lower in contrast and less detailed, imitating the effect of atmosphere over distance. Often combined with linear perspective.

Foreshortening

Depicting an object or limb as shorter than its true length because it recedes sharply towards the viewer, producing a convincing illusion of depth and immediacy.

Symmetrical balance

A composition in which elements mirror each other across a central axis. It conveys stability and formality but can appear static if used without variation.

Asymmetrical balance

Balance achieved with unequal elements, where a large plain area is offset by a smaller, denser or darker one. It feels more dynamic than symmetry.

Gesture drawing

A rapid drawing capturing the movement, pose and essential energy of a subject rather than precise detail. Usually executed with loose, sweeping marks in a short time.

Contour line

A line describing the outer edge or an internal edge of a form. Varying its weight suggests light, shadow, volume and emphasis without resorting to shading.

Cross-hatching

Parallel sets of lines crossed at angles to build tone and shadow. Closer, denser layers produce darker values; the technique suits pen, pencil and etching.

Impasto

Paint applied thickly so that brush or palette-knife marks stand proud of the surface. It catches light and adds physical texture, notably in oil painting.

Wash

A thin, transparent layer of diluted paint, typically watercolour or ink, spread over an area. Successive washes build depth while keeping the paper visible.

Glazing

Applying thin transparent layers of paint over dried layers beneath. Light passes through to the lower layers, producing luminous colour depth in oils and acrylics.

Monoprint

A print made from a painted or inked surface that yields essentially one unique impression, though ghost images may be pulled. It combines painting and printmaking.

Relief printmaking

Ink sits on the raised surface of a block, such as lino or wood, while cut-away areas stay white. The block is pressed onto paper to transfer the image.

Additive and subtractive sculpture

Additive processes build up material, as in modelling clay or assemblage; subtractive processes remove it, as in carving stone or wood. The distinction affects planning and finish.

Armature

An internal framework of wire or wood supporting a modelled sculpture, especially in clay or plaster. It prevents collapse and allows thin, extended forms.

Renaissance linear perspective

The system formalised in fifteenth-century Italy using a horizon line and vanishing point to construct convincing spatial depth, associated with Brunelleschi and Alberti.

Impressionism

A late nineteenth-century French movement painting outdoors with broken colour and visible brushwork to capture fleeting light effects, exemplified by Monet and Renoir.

Cubism

An early twentieth-century movement, led by Picasso and Braque, that fractured subjects into geometric planes and showed multiple viewpoints simultaneously, often in muted tones.

Surrealism

A movement of the 1920s and 1930s exploring dream imagery and the unconscious through unexpected juxtapositions and meticulous realism, as in Dalí and Magritte.

Pop Art

A mid-twentieth-century movement drawing on advertising, comics and mass-produced imagery, using bold colour and repetition, associated with Warhol and Lichtenstein.

Portfolio development

Presenting a sequence of work showing investigation, experimentation and refinement towards resolved outcomes. Annotations explain decisions, influences and evaluation of results.

Critical analysis structure

Describing what is seen, analysing how formal elements and composition work, interpreting meaning and context, then judging effectiveness with justified reasons.