Art Terms Test
Do you know what these common and not-so-common art terms mean? Take this simple 50 question test by choosing the best definition for each of the art terms below. Write your answers on a piece of paper and check your answers at the end of the quiz when you’re done. And don’t peek!
1. Achromatic
(A) Colors having zero saturation.
(B) Free from color; lacking hue.
(C) All of the above.
2. Aerial View
(A) Seeing from a point of view that is from an altitude.
(B) A comprehensive view in a downward direction, also called a “birds-eye view.”
(C) All of the above.
3. Analogous Colors
(A) Colors that sit across from each other on the color wheel.
(B) Any set of three or five colors closely related in hue(s). They are usually adjacent (next) to each other on the color wheel.
(C) All of the above.
4. Approximate Symmetry
(A) The use of forms that are similar on either side of a central axis. They may give a feeling of the exactness or equal relationship but are sufficiently varied to prevent visual monotony.
(B) Identical shapes are repeated on either side of a central axis. The left side becomes a mirror image of the right side.
(C) All of the above.
5. Asymmetrical Balance
(A) When both sides of a balancing point are equal; that is, they are identical or almost identical.
(B) Placement of non-identical forms to either side of a balancing point in such a way that the two sides seem to be of the same weight visually.
(C) All of the above.
6. Atmospheric Perspective
(A) A comprehensive view in a downward direction.
(B) A technique used by painters for representing three-dimensional space on a flat two-dimensional surface by creating the illusion of depth or recession.
(C) All of the above.
7. Balance
(A) A feeling of equality in weight, attention, or attraction of the various elements within a composition as a means of accomplishing unity.
(B) A feeling created when various elements within an artwork are distributed to create a sense of uneasiness.
(C) All the above.
8. Chromatic
(A) Pertaining to color. Being or having or characterized by hue.
(B) A color perceived to have a hue saturation greater than zero.
(C) All of the above.
9. Color Permanence
(A) Refers to a pigment’s resistance to fading when exposed to light.
(B) Colors that lose their hue saturation when strongly diluted or combined with white.
(C) All of the above.
10. Composition
(A) The arrangement of the design elements within the design area.
(B) The ordering of visual and emotional experience to give unity and consistency to a work of art and allow the observer to comprehend its meaning.
(C) All of the above.
11. Dominance
(A) A technique used by artists by introducing toned-down compositional elements to a composition.
(B) The emphasis that is placed on a particular area or characteristic of an artwork.
(C) All of the above.
12. Focal Point
(A) A specific area, element, or principle that dominates a work of art. The viewer’s eye is usually drawn there first.
(B) The area in a work where the eye is most compellingly drawn. Also referred to as the center of interest.
(C) All of the above.
13. Foreshortening
(A) A form of perspective used to create the illusion of an object receding strongly into the distance or background.
(B) Characterized chiefly by short brush strokes of bright colors in immediate juxtaposition to represent the effect of light on objects.
(C) All of the above.
14. Fugitive Colors
(A) Colors that keep the same hue though they may lose saturation down to a dead gray.
(B) Short-lived colors capable of fading or changing, especially with exposure to light, atmospheric pollution, or when mixed with certain substances.
(C) All of the above.
15. Grisaille
(A) An art technique that uses realistic imagery to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions.
(B) A monochrome painting technique executed entirely in shades of grey or another neutral greyish color.
(C) All of the above.
16. Highlight
(A) The brightest part of an artwork.
(B) The most saturated of paint color from a hue family.
(C) All of the above.
17. Horizon Line
(A) A line that divides a scene into three rows and three columns.
(B) In a painting, a level line where land or water ends and the sky begins.
(C) All of the above.
18. Horizontal Balance
(A) The components that are balanced above and below a central axis.
(B) The components that are balanced left and right of a central axis.
(C) All of the above.
19. Hue
(A) The name of the color, such as red, green, or yellow.
(B) The color that can be seen when white light passes through a prism.
(C) All of the above.
20. Implied Line
(A) A line in an artwork that is subtlety perceived by the viewer but has no physical form.
(B) The overall flow of one line into another in artwork, with continuation from one area to the next suggested by their common direction and juxtaposition.
(C) All of the above.
21. Landscape
(A) Works of art characterized by a childlike simplicity that possesses minute detail, bright saturated colors, and lack of perspective.
(B) Works of art that depict outdoor scenery that typically includes trees, buildings, crops, mountains, rivers, wildlife, and forests.
(C) All of the above.
22. Linear Perspective
(A) A system for creating the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface by determining the relative size of objects from the foreground of an image to the background.
(B) A system based on a scientifically or mathematically derived series of actual or implied lines intersecting at a vanishing point on the horizon.
(C) All of the above.
23. Local Color
(A) An object’s true color.
(B) The actual color as distinguished from the apparent color of objects and surfaces; true color, without shadows or reflections.
(C) All of the above.
24. Masterpiece
(A) A work done with extraordinary skill, especially a work of art, craft, or intellect, that is an exceptionally great achievement.
(B) A manner of painting in which the forms, colors, or tones of an object are lightly and rapidly indicated.
(C) All of the above.
25. Medium
(A) The material or technique an artist works in, oil paint or watercolor, are examples.
(B) The component of paint in which the pigment is dispersed.
(C) All of the above.
26. Minimal Design
(A) Omitting all non-essential or unimportant elements and details which don’t contribute to the essence of the overall composition.
(B) The stress placed on a single area of art or a unifying visual theme.
(C) All of the above.
27. Monochromatic
(A) Colors whose relative visual temperatures make them seem cool.
(B) A color scheme limited to variations of one hue and all its tints and shades.
(C) All of the above.
28. Negative Space
(A) The term for a genre of modern artistic expression that strives to show the wonders of the Universe.
(B) The unoccupied or empty space left after the positive shapes have been laid down by the artist.
(C) All of the above.
29. Old Master
(A) A term that traditionally refers to a prominent and highly skilled European artist during the 16th, 17th, or early 18th centuries.
(B) A work of art by an established master.
(C) All of the above.
30. Perspective
(A) A technique used to create the illusion of distance or depth on a flat surface.
(B) The position from which something is seen or considered.
(C) All of the above.
31. Pigment
(A) Any coloring agent, made from natural or synthetic substances, used in paints or drawing materials.
(B) The substance in paint or anything that absorbs light, producing (reflecting) the same color as the pigment.
(C) All of the above.
32. Positive Space
(A) Space that is occupied by an element or a form.
(B) The mass of three-dimensional shapes in space.
(C) All of the above.
33. Pure Symmetry
(A) Reducing the importance of one or more elements in art to increase the importance of other elements.
(B) An equilibrium created by identical parts equally distributed on either side of a real or imaginary central axis in mirror-like repetition.
(C) All of the above.
34. Radial Balance
(A) The distribution of mass within an automobile tire or the entire wheel to which it is attached.
(B) The balance as the result of components that are distributed around a center point or spring out from a central line.
(C) All of the above.
35. Seascape
(A) A painting or work of art that depicts the sea, life around the sea, or a scene that includes the sea.
(B) A painting representing an expansive view of the ocean or sea.
(C) All of the above.
36. Simplicity
(A) Omitting the unnecessary details that don’t significantly impact the design or composition.
(B) A technique in painting characterized by the openness of form.
(C) All of the above.
37. Still Life
(A) A painting or other two-dimensional work of art representing inanimate objects such as bottles, fruit, and flowers.
(B) The arrangement of these objects from which a drawing, painting, or other artwork is made.
(C) All of the above.
38. Subject Matter
(A) The topic dealt with or the subject represented in a work of art.
(B) The size, bulk, and dimension of a particular object.
(C) All of the above.
39. Support
(A) The material providing a surface upon which an artist applies color, collage, etc.
(B) Something made to enclose a picture or mirror.
(C) All of the above.
40. Symmetrical Balance
(A) A mathematically generated pattern that is reproducible at any magnification or reduction.
(B) The placing of identical forms to either side of the central axis of a work to stabilize it visually.
(C) All of the above.
41. T-square
(A) A rigid framework, often wood or steel, used to support a sculpture or other large work while it is being made.
(B) A guide for drawing horizontal lines.
(C) All of the above.
42. Three-dimensional
(A) Occupying or giving the illusion of three dimensions (height, width, and depth).
(B) A measurable distance on a surface that shows height and width.
(C) All of the above.
43. Tint
(A) A hue with white added. Pink is a tint of red.
(B) Colors of very low saturation, approaching grays.
(C) All of the above.
44. Two-dimensional
(A) Having two dimensions (height and width).
(B) Referring to something that is flat.
(C) All of the above.
45. Underpainting
(A) A painting technique in which pure dots of color are dabbed onto the canvas surface.
(B) The preliminary layers of paint in a painting that render the basic outline of the image before the final paint layers are added to complete the work.
(C) All of the above.
46. Undertone
(A) A subdued or muted tone of color.
(B) A white material for preparing canvas for painting, made of a mixture of chalk, white pigment, and glue.
(C) All of the above.
47. Vanishing Point
(A) In perspective, the point on the horizon where two parallel lines appear to converge and visibility ends.
(B) A continuance, a flow, or a feeling of movement achieved by the repetition or regulated visual units.
(C) All of the above.
48. Vertical Balance
(A) The interval or measurable distance between pre-established points.
(B) The distribution of visual weights in artwork that top and bottom seem to be in equilibrium.
(C) All of the above.
49. Wildlife Art
(A) The exploration of nature in art.
(B) Works of art that portrays wildlife or domesticated animals.
(C) All of the above.
50. Worm’s-eye View
(A) As if seen from the earth’s surface or the floor looking up from below.
(B) A variation on a landscape painting where the horizon is placed very low in the picture or outside of it entirely.
(C) All of the above.
How did you do on this “Definition Of Art Terms” quiz? Check your answers below to find out.
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Answers: 1C, 2C, 3B, 4A, 5B, 6B, 7A, 8C, 9A, 10C, 11B, 12C, 13A, 14B, 15B, 16A, 17B, 18B, 19A, 20C, 21B, 22C, 23C, 24A, 25C, 26A, 27B, 28B, 29C, 30A, 31C, 32A, 33B, 34B, 35C, 36A, 37C, 38A, 39A, 40B, 41B, 42A, 43A,44C, 45B, 46A, 47A, 48B, 49B, 50C
UPDATED: 09 January 2022
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