NATURALISM – A Degree of Representation based on literal or closely-observed depictions of the natural world. Art that aims to depict the physical appearance of things.*
NEGATIVE SPACE – The space between objects or the “empty” space: 1. The unoccupied or empty space left after the positive elements have been created by the artist. 2. A shape created through the absence of an object rather than through the presence of an object. The arrangement and organization of negative spaces is as important, if not more important, as the arrangement and organization of positive shapes in any successful composition.*
NON-OBJECTIVE/NON-REPRESENTATIONAL – A work of art that has no reference to or basis in observed reality. The elements, their organization, and their treatment by the artist are entirely personalized and, consequently, not associated by the observer with any previously experienced natural objects. The artist relies on Form and Content to express the artwork's message.*