Final answer:
Monochrome refers to an artwork that uses varying intensities and values of a single hue. It includes shades and tints created by adding black or white to change the value and is often used to create unity and mood in a piece.
Step-by-step explanation:
When an artwork has only one color or exhibits varying intensities and values of a single hue, it is referred to as a monochrome color scheme. Monochrome art consists of different tints and shades of a single color.
Hue is the term that denotes the color itself, and can be understood as the base color before any modifications. Variations of that hue are achieved by adding black or white to create shades or tints, respectively. The value of a color refers to its lightness or darkness which changes with the addition of white for tints, making the hue lighter, or black for shades, making the hue darker. Similarly, saturation refers to the intensity of a color. Full saturation means the hue is at its most pure and vibrant form, while desaturation involves adding white or black to dilute the intensity, creating a more muted or washed out appearance.
Using a monochromatic color scheme helps provide unity and harmony within the artwork because all the elements share a common color. An example of monochrome art is Monet's Untitled (Houses of Parliament, London) from around 1900, which uses various values of a single hue to create a unified visual impression. This technique was used historically not just to create aesthetically pleasing effects but also to convey specific moods or atmospheres within a piece of art.