MSCE Creative Arts flashcards

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

Hatching

A shading technique in which closely spaced parallel lines create tone; the closer and thicker the lines, the darker the area appears to the viewer.

Vanishing point

The point on the horizon line where parallel lines receding from the viewer appear to converge in a linear perspective drawing.

Foreshortening

The technique of drawing a form as shorter or compressed because it is angled towards the viewer, as with a pointing arm or leg.

Wet-on-wet

A watercolour method of applying wet paint onto a still-wet surface, producing soft, blended, diffused edges rather than sharp boundaries.

Glazing

Applying a thin transparent layer of paint over a dry lower layer so the colour beneath shows through and is modified by the new film.

Batik

A textile craft in which melted wax is painted or stamped onto cloth as a resist before dyeing; the wax is later removed to reveal the pattern.

Leather-hard clay

The stage at which clay has dried enough to hold its shape and be handled without deforming, yet remains damp enough for joining and carving.

Wedging

Kneading and pressing clay to force out trapped air bubbles and distribute moisture evenly, reducing the risk of cracking during firing.

Relief sculpture

A three-dimensional work in which forms project from a flat background; low relief is shallow, high relief projects strongly, and sunken relief is carved inward.

Armature

A rigid internal frame, usually of wire or wood, that supports a modelling material such as clay or papier-mâché and keeps the form upright.

Treble clef

Also called the G clef, its spiral circles the second line of the staff from the bottom, fixing that line as the note G above middle C.

Time signature

Two numbers placed at the start of a staff: the upper shows beats per bar and the lower shows which note value receives one beat.

Key signature

The sharps or flats placed after the clef at the beginning of each staff, indicating the key and the notes altered throughout the piece.

Polyrhythm

The simultaneous sounding of two or more contrasting rhythmic patterns, a feature common in African drumming and dance music.

Soliloquy

A speech delivered by a character who is alone on stage, speaking inner thoughts aloud so the audience understands their state of mind.

Aside

A brief remark spoken by a character to the audience, conventionally not heard by the other characters present on stage.

Dramatic irony

A situation in a play where the audience knows a fact that one or more characters do not, so their words carry a second meaning.

Blocking

The planned positioning and movement of actors on stage, worked out in rehearsal to keep sightlines clear and stage pictures meaningful.

Denouement

The final part of a play after the climax, in which loose ends are resolved and the outcome of the action becomes clear.

Unison

A choreographic device in which all dancers perform the same movement at exactly the same time, creating a strong, unified visual statement.

Canon

A choreographic device in which dancers perform the same movement sequence but start at staggered times, one group after another.

Retrograde

Performing a movement phrase in reverse order, from the last movement back to the first, as a choreographic device.

Vimbuza

A healing dance of the Tumbuka people of northern Malawi, performed with drumming to treat illness; UNESCO inscribed it in 2008.

Complementary colours

Two colours opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as red and green; placed together they produce maximum contrast and visual vibration.

Asymmetrical balance

Visual balance achieved with unequal elements on each side of a composition, arranged so their weights compensate and the whole feels stable.

Rule of thirds

A composition guide dividing the frame into a three-by-three grid, placing important elements on the lines or intersections for a dynamic image.

Emphasis

The principle of making one element or area the focal point, achieved through contrast, size, isolation, placement or intensity of colour.

Elements of art

The basic visual components of any artwork: line, shape, form, colour, value, texture and space.

Sfumato

A Renaissance painting technique of blending tones so gradually that outlines disappear, producing soft, smoky transitions, as in Leonardo da Vinci's work.

Cubism

An early twentieth-century movement, developed by Picasso and Braque, that fragments forms and shows several viewpoints within a single picture.

Chiaroscuro

The use of strong contrasts between light and dark to model three-dimensional form and create dramatic depth in painting and drawing.

Chongoni rock art

A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Dedza, Malawi, inscribed in 2006, containing rock paintings made by BaTwa hunter-gatherers and Chewa farmers.