Words to Describe and Critique Art

To talk about paintings and art in general, you need the vocabulary to describe, analyze, and interpret what you're seeing. Thinking of the right words becomes easier the more art terms you know, which is where this list comes in. The idea isn't to sit and memorize it, but if you consult the word bank regularly, you'll start to remember more and more terms.

The list is organized by topic. First, find the aspect of a painting you wish to talk about (colors, for instance), and then see which words match or fit what you're thinking. Start by putting your thoughts into a simple sentence The [aspect] is [quality]. For example, The colors are vivid or The composition is horizontal. It'll probably feel awkward at first, but with practice, you'll find it is easier and more natural, and you'll eventually be able to produce more sophisticated sentences brimming with words to describe art.

Color

Artist's oil painting palette — Chris Rose/Photodisc/Getty Images

Think about your overall impression of the colors used in the painting, how they look and feel, how the colors work together (or not), how they fit with the subject of the painting, and how the artist has mixed them (or not). Are there any specific colors or color palettes you can identify?

Natural, clear, compatible, distinctive, lively, stimulating, subtle, sympathetic
Artificial, clashing, depressing, discordant, garish, gaudy, jarring, unfriendly, violent
Bright, brilliant, deep, earthy, harmonious, intense, rich, saturated, strong, vibrant, vivid
Dull, flat, insipid, pale, mellow, muted, subdued, quiet, weak
Cool, cold, warm, hot, light, dark
Blended, broken, mixed, muddled, muddied, pure
Complementary, contrasting, harmonious

Tone

Still Life, after Jan van Kessel, 17th Century, oil on board, 37 x 52 cm — Mondadori via Getty Images / Getty Images

Don't forget to consider the tone or values of the colors and the way tone is used in the painting.

Dark, light, mid (middle)
Flat, uniform, unvarying, smooth, plain
Varied, broken
Constant, changing
Graduated, contrasting
Monochromatic

Composition

Robert Walpole First Earl Of Orford Kg In The Studio Of Francis Hayman Ra Circa 1748-1750 — Print Collector / Getty Images

Look at how the elements in the painting are arranged, the underlying structure (shapes) and relationships between the different parts, and how your eye moves around the composition.

Arrangement, layout, structure, position
Landscape format, portrait format, square format, circular, triangular
Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, angled
Foreground, background, middle ground
Centered, asymmetrical, symmetrical, balanced, unbalanced, lopsided, off-center
Overlapping, cluttered, chaotic
Separate, spacious, empty
Free, flowing, fragmented
Formal, rigid, upright, confined
Negative space, positive space

Texture

Full Frame Shot Of Multi Colored Painting — Wendy Thorley-Ryder / EyeEm / Getty Images

It's often hard or impossible to see the texture in a photo of a painting, as it doesn't show unless there's light shining in from the side that catches the ridges and casts small shadows. Don't guess; if you don't see any texture, don't try to talk about it in that particular painting.

Flat, polished, smooth
Raised, rough, coarse
Cut, incised, pitted, scratched, uneven
Hairy, sticky
Soft, hard
Shiny, glossy, reflective
Semigloss, satin, silk, frosted, matte

Mark Making

Brush strokes painted in shades of yellow, red and blue, close-up, full frame — Frederic Cirou / Getty Images

You may not be able to see any details of the brushwork or mark-making if it's a small painting. Remember that in some painting styles, brush marks are carefully removed by the artist. In others, the marks are visible.

Visible, impasto, blended, smooth
Thick, thin
Bold, timid
Heavy, light
Edgy, smooth
Exhibiting glazes, washes, scumbling, dry brushing, stippling, hatching, splatters
Layered, flat
Precise, refined, regular, straight, systematic
Quick, sketchy, uneven, irregular, vigorous
Regular, patterned
Exhibiting marks made with a knife, brush

Mood or Atmosphere

Rainstorm over the sea, seascape study with rainclouds, ca 1824-1828, by John Constable (1776-1837), oil on paper laid on canvas, 22.2x31 cm — De Agostini Picture Library / Getty Images

What is the mood or atmosphere of the painting? What emotions do you experience looking at it?

Calm, content, peaceful, relaxed, tranquil
Cheerful, happy, joyful, romantic
Depressed, gloomy, miserable, sad, somber, tearful, unhappy
Aggressive, angry, chilling, dark, distressing, frightening, violent
Energetic, exciting, stimulating, thought-provoking
Boring, dull, lifeless, insipid

Form and Shape

The 3D street painting Salt World — Zetpe0202/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

Think about the overall shapes in the artwork and the way forms (things) are depicted. What sense of depth and volume is there?

2-D, flat, abstracted, simplified, stylized
3-D, realistic, natural sense of depth and space
Sharp, detailed
Blurred, obscured, overlapping, indistinct
Distorted, exaggerated, geometric
Linear, long, narrow
Hard-edged, soft-edged

Lighting

Rainy Night in Paris, 1930s — Heritage Images/Getty Images

Look at the lighting in the painting, not only in terms of the direction it is coming from and how it creates shadows but also its color, its intensity, the mood it creates, whether it is natural (from the sun) or artificial (from a light, fire, or candle). Make sure to describe the shadows and the highlights as well.

Backlit, front lit, side lit, top lit
Having indirect light, reflected light, no directional light source
Natural
Artificial
Cool, blue, gray
Warm, yellow, red
Dim, faint, gentle, gloomy, low, minimal, muted, soft
Clear, brilliant, bright, glowing, fiery, harsh, intense, sharp

Viewpoint and Pose

The clothed Maja (La Maja vestida), 1800, by Francisco de Goya (1746-1828), oil on canvas, 95x190 cm. — DEA PICTURE LIBRARY / Getty Images

Consider the angle or position from which we're seeing the subject of the artwork. How has the artist decided to present it? What is the perspective?

Front, side, three-quarters, profile, rear (from behind)
Close up, far away, life-size, bird's-eye view
Upward, downward, sideways
Standing, sitting, lying down, bending
Gesturing, moving, resting, static

Subject Matter

Waterlilies — Claude Monet / Getty Images

This aspect of a painting is one where it seems like you're stating the obvious. But if you think of how you'd describe an artwork to someone who has not seen it or who isn't looking at a photo of it, you'd probably tell them the subject of the painting quite early on.

Abstract
Cityscape, buildings, man-made, urban, industrial
Fantasy, imaginary, invented, mythological
Figurative (figures), portraits
Interiors, domestic
Landscape, seascape
Still life

Still Life

PB&J by Pam Ingalls — Pam Ingalls / Getty Images

Before you begin describing the individual objects in a still life painting, whether they're themed, related, or dissimilar, look at them overall and describe this aspect.

Antique, battered, damaged, dusty, old, worn
New, clean, shiny
Functional, decorative, fancy
Domestic, humble
Commercial, industrial

Style

Comp Save to Board Italy, Florence, Still life with fruit and insects by Rachel Ruysch, 1711, oil on canvas, detail — DEA / G. NIMATALLAH/Getty Images

Does the painting seem to fit a particular style or be reminiscent of a particular artist's work? There are many terms for different styles in the history of art, and these descriptors can create instant impressions.

Realism, photorealism
Cubism, surrealism
Impressionism
Modernism, expressionism
Chinese, Japanese, or Indian style
Plein air

Media

Brushes and oil paint, messy spectrum of colours — Dimitri Otis/Getty Images

If you know the medium in which a work was created or on what it was painted, that information can be useful to include in your description.

Oil, tempera
Acrylics
Pastel, chalk, charcoal
Mixed media, collage
Watercolor, gouache
Ink
Fresco
Spray paint
Wood panels, canvas, glass

Size

People painting wall together — Hill Street Studios/Getty Images

Size may be relevant to your description if a work is particularly large or small. You can use exact dimensions, of course, as well as descriptive words.

Mural
Miniature
Triptych

Words to Describe Art