figuration
Giving concrete form
Figuration is the act of giving shape or form to something, or the shape itself.
In music, figuration refers to ornamental passages or patterns of notes that decorate a melody.
In visual arts, figuration means representational imagery—depicting recognizable figures rather than abstractions: The painter moved from abstraction back to figuration in her later work.
Giving something its form
- moldingDecorative architectural edging
- sculptingShaping material into forms
- castingShaping through liquid form
- carvingShaping by cutting away
modeling · fashioning · forging · contouring · formation · morphology · structuring · construction
Implied identity comparison
- simileComparison via "as"
- personificationAttributing humanity to non-humans
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- tropeRecurring narrative device
analogy · imagery · symbolism · emblem · allusion · metonymy · synecdoche · conceit
Representation in art
- portrayalDepiction of someone
- renderingInterpretive depiction or performance
- illustrationPicture explaining something
- likenessVisual similarity or representation
embodiment · manifestation · personification · incarnation · exemplification · concretization · reification · expression
Recurring thematic element
- designPurposeful creative planning
- arabesqueFlowing ornamental design
- traceryDecorative branching stonework
- interlaceWeave elements together
ornament · decorative · geometric · mosaic · lattice · spiral · chevron · herringbone
Decorative additions to something
- trillRapid pitch oscillation
- mordentRapid neighbor-note embellishment
- arpeggioSuccessive chord tones
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
shaping
Giving something its form
- moldingDecorative architectural edging
- sculptingShaping material into forms
- castingShaping through liquid form
carving · modeling · fashioning · forging · contouring · formation · morphology · structuring · construction · contour
metaphor
Implied identity comparison
- simileComparison via "as"
- personificationAttributing humanity to non-humans
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
trope · analogy · imagery · symbolism · emblem · allusion · metonymy · synecdoche · conceit · apostrophe
depiction
Representation in art
- portrayalDepiction of someone
- renderingInterpretive depiction or performance
- illustrationPicture explaining something
likeness · embodiment · manifestation · personification · incarnation · exemplification · concretization · reification · expression · delineation
motif
Recurring thematic element
- designPurposeful creative planning
- arabesqueFlowing ornamental design
- traceryDecorative branching stonework
interlace · ornament · decorative · geometric · mosaic · lattice · spiral · chevron · herringbone · paisley
ornamentation
Decorative additions to something
embellishment · flourish · melisma · turn · coloratura · cadenza · roulade
figurationliteralism
Exact meaning only
literalness · denotation · plain speech · directness · plainness
figurationabstraction
Distilling to essential qualities
abstract art · abstract expressionism · hard-edge painting · minimalism · conceptual art
figurationformlessness
Lacking definite shape
amorphousness · shapelessness · chaos · disorder · structurelessness
- figurative artArt depicting recognizable subjects
- figurative languageNon-literal modes of expression
- figurative speechLanguage beyond literal meaning
- figurative expressionNonliteral use of language
- figurative meaningNon-literal intended significance
configuration, figurative, figuratively, transfiguration, configurations, figurations