arabesques
Intricate decorative swirls
Arabesques are ornate decorative patterns featuring intertwining flowing lines, leaves, and scrollwork—characteristic of Islamic art, which traditionally avoided human figures.
In ballet, an arabesque is a pose where the dancer stands on one leg with the other extended straight behind.
The word suggests graceful, intricate elegance: The skater traced arabesques across the ice.
Spiral ornamental design
- filigreeDelicate twisted-wire ornamentation
- traceryDecorative branching stonework
- flourishTo grow vigorously
- motifRecurring thematic element
volute · acanthus · cartouche · rococo · baroque · gilding · embellishment · interlace
Relating to mathematical shapes
- tessellationGapless plane coverage
- mosaicInlaid pictorial arrangement
- tileworkDecorative ceramic surfaces
- knotworkDecorative intertwined patterns
lattice · mandala · symmetry · repetition · floral · weave · brocade · embroidery
Ballet turn on one foot
- pliéBallet knee-bending movement
- adagioSlow musical tempo
- ballerinaClassical female dancer
- pointeBallet's tiptoe technique
jeté · attitude · choreography · barre · relevé · pas · danseur · tutu
Thing that beautifies
- trillRapid pitch oscillation
- flourishTo grow vigorously
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
- melodyPleasing sequence of notes
counterpoint · legato · grace · passage · variation · cadenza · rubato · romanticism
Complex and detailed
- intricateElaborately detailed, many parts
- convolutedExcessively complex or twisted
- labyrinthineExtremely complex and winding
- serpentineCurving in repeated bends
byzantine · tangled · tortuous · intertwined · meandering · sinuous · winding · complex
scrollwork
Spiral ornamental design
- filigreeDelicate twisted-wire ornamentation
- traceryDecorative branching stonework
- flourishTo grow vigorously
motif · volute · acanthus · cartouche · rococo · baroque · gilding · embellishment · interlace · lacework
geometric
Relating to mathematical shapes
- tessellationGapless plane coverage
- mosaicInlaid pictorial arrangement
- tileworkDecorative ceramic surfaces
knotwork · lattice · mandala · symmetry · repetition · floral · weave · brocade · embroidery · stencil
pirouette
Ballet turn on one foot
pointe · jeté · attitude · choreography · barre · relevé · pas · danseur · tutu · grand
ornament
Thing that beautifies
- trillRapid pitch oscillation
- flourishTo grow vigorously
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
melody · counterpoint · legato · grace · passage · variation · cadenza · rubato · romanticism · virtuosic
elaborate
Complex and detailed
- intricateElaborately detailed, many parts
- convolutedExcessively complex or twisted
- labyrinthineExtremely complex and winding
serpentine · byzantine · tangled · tortuous · intertwined · meandering · sinuous · winding · complex · embroidered
- Middle Easternbazaar, bazaars, souks, minarets, domes
- curvescurve, arc, curves, curls, curl
- dance photographydance photos, studio shots, action shots, motion blur, leaps
- ornamentationornaments, ornament, ornamentation, ornamental, embellishment
- ornateornate, elaborate, embellished, decorative, ornamental
- decorative artsdecorative arts, topiary, enamelwork, applied arts, ornamental design
arabesquesstraight lines
Unbent one-dimensional figures
zigzags · checkerboards · right angles · chevrons · stripes
arabesquesminimalism
Aesthetic of reduction
austerity · simplicity · spareness · functionalism · plainness