Unity
The imposition of order and harmony on a design
Composition
The overall design or organization of a work
Variety
The diversity of different ideas, media, and elements in a work
Grid
A network of horizontal and vertical lines; in an artwork's composition, the lines are implied
Gestalt
Complete order and indivisible unity of all aspects of an artwork's design
Cubism
A 20th century art movement that favored a new perspective emphasizing geometric forms
Style
A characteristic way in which an artist or a group of artists use visual language to give a work an identifiable form of visual expression
Still Life
A scene of inanimate objects, such as fruits, flowers, or motionless animals
Renaissance
A period of cultural and artistic change in Europe from the 14th to 17th century
Foreground
The part of a work depicted as nearest to the viewer
Background
The part of a work depicted furthest from the viewer's space, often behind the main subject matter
Collage
A work of art assembled by gluing materials, often paper, onto a surface. From a French coller, to glue
Surrealist
An artist belonging to the Surrealist movement in the 1920's and later, whose art was inspired by dreams and the subconscious
Found Object
An object found by an artist and presented, with little or no alteration, as part of a work or as a finished work of art in itself
Value
The lightness to darkness of a plane or area
Motif
A design or color repeated as a unit in a pattern
Axis
An imaginary line showing the center of a shape, volume, or composition
Facade
Any side of a building, usually the front or entrance
Mandala
A sacred diagram of the universe, often involving a square and a circle