figurations
Decorative musical patterns
Figurations are shapes, forms, or patterns—the specific configurations something takes.
In music, figurations are ornamental passages or melodic patterns that embellish a theme.
In art and dance, the term describes representational forms or choreographed arrangements of bodies.
More abstractly, figurations can mean the act of shaping or representing something: The novelist's figurations of grief drew on her own experience.
Purposeful creative planning
- motifRecurring thematic element
- arrangementOrdered configuration or agreement
- weaveInterlace strands into fabric
- textureSurface tactile quality
geometric · paisley · damask · brocade · jacquard · arabesque · lattice · tessellation
Representation in art
- portrayalDepiction of someone
- renderingInterpretive depiction or performance
- illustrationPicture explaining something
- symbolizationExpressing through symbols
embodiment · likeness · image · delineation · sketch · diagram · model · icon
Object adding visual appeal
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
- adornmentDecorative addition or accessory
- flourishTo grow vigorously
- traceryDecorative branching stonework
filigree · fretwork · scrollwork · arabesque · rococo · baroque · gilding · inlay
Implied identity comparison
- tropeRecurring narrative device
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- personificationAttributing humanity to non-humans
metonymy · synecdoche · imagery · conceit · analogy · simile · hyperbole · irony
State of elaborate complexity
- elaborationDevelopment through detail
- convolutionTwisting or mathematical integration
- entanglementState of being intertwined
- nuanceSlight shade of difference
subtlety · sophistication · multilayered · interwoven · composite · amalgamation · mosaic · tapestry
design
Purposeful creative planning
- motifRecurring thematic element
- arrangementOrdered configuration or agreement
- weaveInterlace strands into fabric
texture · geometric · paisley · damask · brocade · jacquard · arabesque · lattice · tessellation · interlace
depiction
Representation in art
- portrayalDepiction of someone
- renderingInterpretive depiction or performance
- illustrationPicture explaining something
symbolization · embodiment · likeness · image · delineation · sketch · diagram · model · icon · emblem
decoration
Object adding visual appeal
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
- adornmentDecorative addition or accessory
- flourishTo grow vigorously
tracery · filigree · fretwork · scrollwork · arabesque · rococo · baroque · gilding · inlay · engraving
metaphor
Implied identity comparison
- tropeRecurring narrative device
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
personification · metonymy · synecdoche · imagery · conceit · analogy · simile · hyperbole · irony · apostrophe
intricacy
State of elaborate complexity
- elaborationDevelopment through detail
- convolutionTwisting or mathematical integration
- entanglementState of being intertwined
nuance · subtlety · sophistication · multilayered · interwoven · composite · amalgamation · mosaic · tapestry · interplay
figurationsabstractions
Non-concrete conceptual ideas
formlessness · abstract forms · shapelessness · amorphousness · vagueness