Week 1 LAD Vocabulary

Medium n. (plural = media)

Definition: 1. The materials such as oil, watercolor, etc., used to create an artwork.
2. A category of art such as painting, sculpture, photography, film.
Common uses of Media (plural): mass media; mixed media

`me·di·um mee-dee-uh m `me·di·a mee-dee-uh

1. His favorite medium is oil paint; he loves the richness of the colors.
2. Her main medium is photography, but she has also made a few short films.
3. She works in a variety of media: clay, plaster, steel and found objects.
Talking about subject matter, or
what is depicted in a work of art.
 Subject matter
Definition: The things that are represented in an artwork, such as people, buildings, trees, etc.

Paula Modersohn-Becker, Still Life with Melon

Paula Modersohn-Becker, Self-portrait

`sub·ject ˈmat·ter suhb·jikt mad·ər

Her subject matter was often self-portraiture, but she painted still lives and landscapes as well.
 Traditional art
Definition: Works that have form, style, and subject matter that are familiar to the public as art.

Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, Kitchen Table Michelangelo, Moses

tra·`di·tion·al truh-dish-uhn-ul
When she first began her studies, she preferred traditional art; as time went on, she
became bored with copying from life and began to paint more abstractly.
Representational adj.
Definition: Art that attempts to show things as they really are. i.e. realistic, in proportion,
with accurate colors & shapes

James Abbott McNeill Whistler,

Symphony N° 1,Young Girl in White

rep·re·sen·`ta·tion·al rep·re·zen·ta·shuh·nl
His work is mainly representational portraits; the proportions are accurate and it is a
good likeness of a specific woman.
Abstract adj.
Definition: Describing an artwork based on an identifiable subject, but with few or no details,
and whose visual elements are simplified or rearranged.

Wolf Kahn, The Sierras Seen from the Nevada Side

ab·stract ab·strakt, ab·straktˈ

Kahn often paints abstract landscapes; they look like a specific place, but the
shapes are simplified and the colors intensified.
Non-objective adj.
Definition: Artworks that have no recognizable subject matter such as figures, flowers,
buildings, etc. (NOT the opposite of objective. Special meaning for art)

Piet Mondrian, Composition of Red,

Blue, Yellow and White Number 3

non·ob·`jec·tive non·uhb·jek·tiv
Mondrian was not always a nonobjective artist; he began by drawing from nature,
especially trees and flowers.
Figurative adj.
Definition: relating to works of art recognizably derived from life / the external world. (art meaning)
representing an animal or human form. Synonym for representational.

fig·ur·a·tive ˈfiɡ·yər·ə·div

Michelangelo’s David is a very well-known example of figurative art.

 Elements of Art n.
Definition: the building blocks of an artwork: line, shape and form, value and color, space, texture.

Kasimir Malevich,
Suprematist Composition

`el·e·ment el·uh·muhnt
She thinks color is the most powerful element of art, but her art history professor said line is often
the most significant element of an artwork.
Malevich’s works make good use of the elements of art with their simple shapes and bold flat
colors.
Principles of design n.
Definition: the effects of an artist’s use of the elements of art: unity, variety, balance, emphasis,
rhythm, pattern, proportion, movement

Paul Klee, Moonrise

`prin·ci·ple əv də·ˈzīn prin·suh·puhl əv də·zīn

The principles of design are more complex than the elements of art; they require you to
analyze the artwork and understand how it communicates.
For example, how is Paul Klee’s watercolor balanced? How is it unified? What adds variety? What creates emphasis?
 Composition n.
Definition: the act of organizing the elements of an artwork (often) into a harmoniously,
unified whole.

Edgar Degas, Dancers Climbing the Stairs

Donald Sultan, Black Lemons Nov. 20, 1985

com·po·`si·tion kom·puh·zish·uhn

Composition is so important to the success of an artwork; sometimes artists stare at their

work for hours, deciding where to move a line or a shape so that the work conveys what they
want to convey.
Sultan’s drawing is so simple; it is all about the composition: where the lemons are in
Intention n.
Definition: An idea or plan of what you are going to do.

Christo & Jeanne-Claude, Running Fence

in·`ten·tion in·ten·shuhn Gwen John, Nude Girl

One of Christo and Jean-Claude’s intentions for this environmental piece was to encourage
people to see this landscape differently– and to bring joy.
Gwen John’s intentions in her paintings seem to include depicting the internal state of mind
of women, not just their outward appearance.