Critical vocabulary; How to talk about art

It’s a new year and the new you is wanting to write and talk about art as well round as possible. Here is a cheat sheet for beginners for when writing an essay or during a conversation about a art. By choosing one of the adjectives below to describe an artwork will make you sound like a connoisseur. 

Describe the Feeling:

Alive, atmosphere, disturbing, imposing, exciting, nostalgic, delicate, expressive, sad, happy, depressing, fresh, dignified, humorous, emotional?

Describe the Texture:

Coarse, Matt, gloss, glaze, smooth, thin, rough, crosshatching, hatching, splatter, flat, jagged, shiny, thick, mixed texture, satisfying?

Describe the light:

Artificial, gentle, natural, shading, shadow, soft, tone, night, day, dark, harsh, haze, cereal, highlight, intense, the fall of light, informative, dappled?

Describe the colour:

Blended, bright, intense, saturated, luminous, clash’s, Cold, mixed, opaque, tinted, deep, transparent, translucent, vibrant, warm, glowing, dull, harmonious, pure, bold?

Describe what is it:

Sculpture, ceramic, etching, mural, photography, drawing, miniature, a tapestry, a print, acrylic painting, a collage, a cartoon, a sketch, a stencil, illustration, oil painting?

Describe the kind of art:

Abstract, mundane, representational, copied, cubism, Gothic, African, fantasy, Seascape, landscape, cityscape, sentimental, distorted, impressionistic, modern, contemporary, symbolic, religious, portrait, still life, interior or exterior, surreal etc.