| No. | Item | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | abstraction | departure from literal depiction |
| 2. | allegory | image with hidden meaning |
| 3. | asymmetry | balance without mirroring |
| 4. | atmosphere | overall felt ambience |
| 5. | austere | severely simple and restrained |
| 6. | awkward | clumsy or uneasy in effect |
| 7. | background | rear part of an image |
| 8. | balance | distribution of visual weight |
| 9. | bold | strong and striking |
| 10. | brushwork | visible handling of the brush |
| 11. | chiaroscuro | strong light-dark contrast |
| 12. | coherent | logically unified and consistent |
| 13. | color | hue and visual tone |
| 14. | composition | arrangement of visual elements |
| 15. | content | ideas or meaning conveyed |
| 16. | contour | outline defining a form |
| 17. | contrast | difference creating visual interest |
| 18. | cropping | cutting off image edges |
| 19. | depth | sense of spatial recession |
| 20. | derivative | overly dependent on earlier work |
| 21. | disjointed | lacking clear connection or unity |
| 22. | distortion | intentional alteration of form |
| 23. | draftsmanship | skill in drawing |
| 24. | drama | heightened emotional action |
| 25. | dynamic | full of energy or movement |
| 26. | elegant | graceful and refined |
| 27. | emphasis | special visual stress |
| 28. | ethereal | light, delicate, otherworldly |
| 29. | evocative | suggesting strong feelings or ideas |
| 30. | expressionism | emotion over accurate depiction |
| 31. | figure-ground | relationship of form and field |
| 32. | focal point | main area of attention |
| 33. | foreground | front part of an image |
| 34. | foreshortening | compressed depth in perspective |
| 35. | form | overall shape and structure |
| 36. | framing | visual enclosure of a subject |
| 37. | genre scene | scene of everyday life |
| 38. | gesture | expressive movement or mark |
| 39. | glaze | thin transparent paint layer |
| 40. | harmony | pleasing visual agreement |
| 41. | hue | pure color family |
| 42. | iconography | symbolic subject matter |
| 43. | idealization | making forms more perfect |
| 44. | impasto | thickly applied paint |
| 45. | innovative | introducing new ideas or methods |
| 46. | installation | art arranged within a space |
| 47. | juxtaposition | placement side by side |
| 48. | kitsch | tastelessly sentimental art |
| 49. | landscape | depiction of natural scenery |
| 50. | line | mark defining shape or direction |
| 51. | luminous | glowing with light |
| 52. | lyrical | graceful and poetic in feeling |
| 53. | mass | bulk or solidity of form |
| 54. | middle ground | space between front and back |
| 55. | minimalism | extreme reduction of elements |
| 56. | modeling | shaping form with light |
| 57. | mood | emotional atmosphere |
| 58. | motif | recurring visual element |
| 59. | muted | softened and less intense |
| 60. | narrative | visual telling of a story |
| 61. | naturalism | close observation of nature |
| 62. | negative space | empty area around forms |
| 63. | oeuvre | artist’s complete body of work |
| 64. | opacity | lack of transparency |
| 65. | original | fresh and not imitative |
| 66. | ornate | richly detailed and decorated |
| 67. | palette | range of colors used |
| 68. | pathos | quality evoking pity or sadness |
| 69. | pattern | repeated decorative arrangement |
| 70. | perspective | technique suggesting depth |
| 71. | proportion | size relationship between parts |
| 72. | provocative | intended to challenge or shock |
| 73. | raw | rough, direct, unpolished |
| 74. | realism | lifelike visual representation |
| 75. | refined | carefully developed and polished |
| 76. | rendering | detailed visual depiction |
| 77. | representation | depiction of recognizable subjects |
| 78. | resolved | brought to a satisfying finish |
| 79. | rhythm | repeated visual movement |
| 80. | saturation | intensity or purity of color |
| 81. | scale | relative size or magnitude |
| 82. | sfumato | soft smoky blending |
| 83. | space | area around and within forms |
| 84. | stylization | deliberate simplification of form |
| 85. | subject | what the work depicts |
| 86. | symbolism | use of symbols for meaning |
| 87. | symmetry | balanced mirroring of parts |
| 88. | tenebrism | dramatic darkness with highlights |
| 89. | tension | felt visual strain |
| 90. | texture | surface quality, real or implied |
| 91. | theme | central idea or topic |
| 92. | tone | lightness or darkness |
| 93. | transparency | see-through visual quality |
| 94. | underpainting | initial layer beneath final paint |
| 95. | unity | sense of wholeness |
| 96. | value | degree of light or dark |
| 97. | visceral | felt deeply and physically |
| 98. | vivid | bright and intensely clear |
| 99. | volume | apparent three-dimensional mass |
| 100. | wash | thin diluted application |