Axis An implied straight line in the center of a form along its dominant direction. 

Avant-Garde French for "advance guard" or "vanguard." Those considered the leaders (and often regarded as radicals) in the invention and application of new concepts in a given field.

Automatism Automatic or unconscious action. Employed by Surrealist writers and artists to allow

unconscious ideas and feelings to be expressed.

Asymmetrical  Without symmetry.

Chiaroscuro  Italian for "light-dark." The gradations of light and dark values in two-dimensional imagery; especially the illusion of rounded, three-dimensional form created through gradations of light and shade rather than line. Highly developed by Renaissance painters.

Byzantine Art  Styles of painting, design, and architecture developed from the fifth century A.D. in the Byzantine Empire of eastern Europe. Characterized in architecture by round arches, large domes, and extensive use of mosaic; characterized in painting by formal design, frontal and stylized figures, and a rich use of color, especially gold, in generally religious subject matter.