representational
Portraying actual things
Representational describes art, images, or systems that depict or stand for something recognizable from the real world.
A representational painting shows identifiable subjects—people, landscapes, objects—as opposed to abstract art, which doesn't attempt to portray external reality.
The term extends beyond art to describe anything that serves as a symbol or substitute for something else: representational democracy means citizens elect others to represent their interests rather than voting directly on every issue.
Representing through imagery
- realisticTrue to life
- lifelikeResembling the real thing
- portraitArtistic depiction of someone
- landscapeVisible features of terrain
depiction · portraiture · pictorial · illustrative · rendering · naturalistic · academic · classical
Representational mark or sign
- iconPictorial screen symbol
- emblemRepresentational sign or device
- signifierMeaning-bearing form
- semioticsStudy of signs, symbols
abstraction · totem · motif · archetype · allegory · metaphor · ideogram · glyph
Rule by the people
- delegateEntrust authority to another
- electedChosen by ballot
- constituentMember of electoral district
- proportionalScaled to match another
legislative · parliamentary · congressional · electoral · suffrage · voting · mandate · constituency
Organized representational structure
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
- cognitionMental knowledge acquisition
- encodingConverting data to format
- mappingDiagram of correspondences
simulation · conceptual · semantic · memory · visualization
figurative
Representing through imagery
landscape · depiction · portraiture · pictorial · illustrative · rendering · naturalistic · academic · classical · impressionistic
symbol
Representational mark or sign
semiotics · abstraction · totem · motif · archetype · allegory · metaphor · ideogram · glyph · insignia
democracy
Rule by the people
- delegateEntrust authority to another
- electedChosen by ballot
- constituentMember of electoral district
proportional · legislative · parliamentary · congressional · electoral · suffrage · voting · mandate · constituency · republic
schema
Organized representational structure
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
- cognitionMental knowledge acquisition
- encodingConverting data to format
mapping · simulation · conceptual · semantic · memory · visualization
- art adjectivesbold, bright, colorful, dark, delicate
- art termspainting, sculpture, drawing, portrait, landscape
- depiction stylesrealistic, stylized, abstract, figurative, impressionistic
- Performance Stylesmethod acting, classical acting, comedic acting, physical theater, screen acting
- realismrealism, figurative, naturalism, realist art, lifelike
- art stylesimpressionism, surrealism, cubism, realism, pop art
representationalabstract
Condensed version of text
nonrepresentational · nonobjective · nonfigurative · nonrealistic · abstractionist
representationaldirect
Undeviating or to guide
autocratic · authoritarian · totalitarian · dictatorial · monarchical
- democratic representationElected officials serving constituents
- equal representationBalanced voice in governance
- legal representationAttorney acting on behalf
- minority representationPresence of underrepresented groups
- taxation without representationFees imposed without elected consent
- media representationHow media depicts subjects
representation, representationally, misrepresentation, representations, underrepresentation, overrepresentation, political representation