Art & music · Grades 2–9
Art and visual language · quick reference
Describe what you can see before judging an artwork. A creative task can have many successful answers.
Key terms at a glance
Line
A mark or implied path connecting points in an artwork.
Shape
A two-dimensional enclosed area.
Form
A three-dimensional object or the appearance of three dimensions.
Texture
The actual or suggested surface quality of something.
Value
The relative lightness or darkness of a colour or tone.
Hue
The colour family, such as red, green or blue.
Saturation
The intensity or purity of a colour.
Contrast
A noticeable difference between visual elements.
Balance
The distribution of visual weight in a composition.
Symmetry
Correspondence of parts across a line, point or other transformation.
Pattern
A repeated arrangement of elements.
Emphasis
Visual treatment that draws attention to a focal area.
Perspective
Methods for representing spatial depth on a flat surface.
Foreground
The part of a depicted scene that appears nearest the viewer.
Background
The part of a depicted scene that appears farthest from the viewer.
Composition
The arrangement of elements within an artwork.
Collage
An artwork made by combining attached materials on a surface.
Sculpture
An artwork primarily organized in three dimensions.
Portrait
A representation focusing on a person or group of people.
Landscape
An artwork focusing on an outdoor environment.
Learning preview · teacher review required. Grade bands are approximate, not official curriculum alignment.