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229 Words To Describe Art

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Art is typically described in terms of its elements such as form, space, color, composition, balance, style, texture, tone,subject matter and symbolism. This can focus on meaning or the overall effect of a work on its viewer. Art can also be described from a more technical perspective such as an analysis of the perspective and focal point of a work. The following are useful words for describing art followed by a list of elements that can be considered in a description, critique or evaluation.
Abstract
Absurd
Affective
Aggressive
Ambiguous
Angular
Artificial
Asymmetric
Authentic
Avant-garde
Balanced
Barren
Bleak
Bold
Bombastic
Broken
Busy
Calm
Candid
Chaotic
Characteristic
Chilling
Chromatic
Coarse
Cohesive
Cold
Colorful
Colorless
Common
Complex
Concrete
Confined
Contentious
Contradictory
Conventional
Cool
Crude
Cultured
Curving
Daring
Dark
Decorative
Deep
Delicate
Detached
Detailed
Difficult
Dim
Disarming
Disjointed
Disordered
Dramatic
Dreamlike
Dull
Earthy
Edgy
Elegant
Emergent
Emotional
Ethereal
Evocative
Exaggerated
Expressive
Exquisite
Extravagant
Fine
Flat
Flowing
Fluid
Formal
Fresh
Futuristic
Garish
Geometric
Gloomy
Graceful
Granular
Grim
Hard
Harmonious
Harsh
Hot
Human
Idealistic
Imaginative
Inelegant
Insipid
Intense
Intimate
Intuitive
Ironic
Irregular
Jarring
Jumbled
Layered
Lifeless
Lifelike
Light
Lofty
Loud
Lucid
Luminous
Lyrical
Magnificent
Mechanical
Melancholy
Monotonous
Moving
Multidimensional
Multifaceted
Muted
Natural
Organic
Original
Ostentatious
Overdone
Pale
Paradoxical
Peculiar
Photographic
Plain
Plastic
Playful
Polished
Polluted
Precise
Pretentious
Primitive
Pure
Puzzling
Radiant
Refined
Remarkable
Restrained
Rhythmic
Rich
Rigid
Rough
Routine
Sarcastic
Satirical
Saturated
Sentimental
Shallow
Sharp
Showy
Sketchy
Smooth
Soft
Sophisticated
Spacious
Sparse
Splashy
Stable
Stale
Stirring
Strange
Strong
Stylized
Sublime
Substantive
Subtle
Superficial
Surreal
Swirling
Symmetrical
Sympathetic
Systematic
Tacky
Tasteless
Timeless
Traditional
Uncommon
Unconventional
Understated
Uneven
Unexpected
Unpolished
Unrefined
Vibrant
Visionary
Vivid
Warm
Weak

Elements

The following are common elements of art including technical, compositional and expressive characteristics of a work.
Allegory
Arrangement
Artifice
Atmosphere
Background
Balance
Cohesion
Color
Composition
Contrast
Detail
Dominance
Effect
Emphasis
Expression
Focal Point
Foreground
Form
Harmony
Influences
Layout
Lighting
Line
Mark Making
Materials
Middle Ground
Mood
Movement
Narrative
Negative Space
Perspective
Presence
Proportion
Rhythm
Shape
Size
Space
Structure
Style
Subject Matter
Symbolism
Texture
Time
Tone
Tradition

Summary

Words to describe art include adjectives, verbs and nouns for describing style, technique, subject matter, themes, composition, visual elements and overall expression and impact.
Next: Styles of Art
More about art:
Abstract Art
Art Activities
Art Business
Art Experiences
Art Forms
Art Nouveau
Art Styles
Art World
Art's Sake
Artistic License
Artists
Characteristics of Art
Color Theory
Elements
Found Objects
Iki
Importance Of Art
Impressionism
Modern Art
Negative Space
Ornamentation
Realism
Renaissance
Romanticism
Vanishing Point
Venus Effect
Visual Arts
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