MO D E RN A RTS

A Glossary of Art
Terminology

ABSTRACT

Not realistic, though the intention is often based

on an actual subject, place, or feeling. Pure
abstraction can be interpreted as any art in
which the depiction of real objects has been
entirely discarded and whose aesthetic content
is expressed in a formal pattern or structure of
shapes, lines and colors. When the
representation of real objects is completely
absent, such art may be called non-objective.

ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM

1940's New York painting movement based on

Abstract Art. This type of painting is often
referred to as action painting.

ACCENT

Emphasis given to certain elements in a painting

which makes them attract more
attention. Details that define an object or piece
of art.

ACRYLIC

A rapid drying paint which is easy to remove

with mineral spirits; a plastic substance
commonly used as a binder for paints.

ACTION PAINTING

Any painting style calling for vigorous physical

activity; specifically, Abstract Expressionism.
Examples include the New York School art
movement and the work of Jackson Pollock.

AERIAL PERSPECTIVE
Capturing the earth’s atmosphere by using
painting techniques that make distant objects
appear to have less color, texture, and
distinction.

AESTHETIC

Pertaining to the beautiful, as opposed to the

useful, scientific, or emotional. An aesthetic
response is an appreciation of such beauty.

ALKYD

Synthetic resin used in paints and mediums. As a

medium works as a binder that encapsulates the
pigment and speeds the drying time.

ALLA PRIMA

Technique in which the final surface of a painting

is completed in one sitting, without under
painting. Italian for "at the first".

ANALOGOUS COLORS

Colors that are closely related, or near each

other on the color spectrum. Especially those in
which we can see common hues.

AQUATINT
A print produced by the same technique as an
etching, except that the areas between the
etched lines are covered with a powdered resin
that protects the surface from the biting process
of the acid bath. The granular appearance that
results in the print aims at approximating the
effects and gray tonalities of a watercolor
drawing.

ARCHIVAL

Refers to materials that meet certain criteria for

permanence such as lignin-free, pH neutral,
alkaline-buffered, stable in light, etc.

ARMATURE

A rigid framework, often wood or steel, used to

support a sculpture or other large work while it
is being made.

ART DECO

An art style of the 1920s and 1930s based on

modern materials (steel, chrome, glass). A style
characterized by repetitive, geometric patterns
of curves and lines.

ART NOUVEAU

An art style of the late 1800's featuring curving,

often swirling shapes based on organic forms.
ARTIST'S PROOF

An Artist's Proof is one outside the regular

edition. By custom, the artist retains the A/Ps for
his personal use or sale.

ASSEMBLAGE

The technique of creating a sculpture by joining

together individual pieces or segments,
sometimes “found” objects that originally served
another purpose.

ATELIER

French term for "artist’s workshop."

ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE

A device for suggesting three - dimensional

depth on a two-dimensional surface. Forms
meant to be perceived as distant from the viewer
are blurred, indistinct, misty and often bluer.

AVANT-GARDE

A group active in the invention and application

of new ideas and techniques in an original or
experimental way. A group of practitioners
and/or advocates of a new art form may also be
called avant-garde. Some avant-garde works are
intended to shock those who are accustomed to
traditional, established styles.

BAROQUE

A theatrical style usually associated with

European art and architecture ca. 1550-1750,
characterized by much ornamentation and
curved rather than straight lines; gaudily ornate.

BAS RELIEF

Sculpture in which figures project only slightly

from a background, as on a coin. Also known as
low relief sculpture.

BAUHAUS

A design school founded by Walter Gropius in

1919 in Germany. The Bauhaus attempted to
achieve reconciliation between the aesthetics of
design and the more commercial demands of
industrial mass production. Artists include Klee,
Kandinsky, and Feininger.

BEAUX-ARTS

A school of fine arts located in Paris, which

stressed the necessity of academic painting.
BINDER

A substance in paints that causes particles of

pigment to adhere to one another and to a

support such as oil or acrylic.

BRONZE

An alloy of copper and tin, sometimes containing

small proportions of other elements such as zinc
or phosphorus. It is stronger, harder, and more
durable than brass, and has been used most
extensively since antiquity for cast sculpture.
Bronze alloys vary in color from a silvery hue to
a rich, coppery red. U.S. standard

bronze is composed of 90% copper, 7% tin, and

3% zinc.

BRUSHWORK

The characteristic way each artist brushes paint

onto a support.

BURNISHING

The act of rubbing greenware (clay) with any

smooth tool to polish it, and tighten the surface.

CALLIGRAPHY
In printing and drawing a free and rhythmic use
of line to accentuate design. It is seen at its best
in Japanese wood-block prints and Chinese
scrolls. Also, fine, stylized handwriting using
quills, brushes or pens with ink.

CANVAS

Closely woven cloth used as a support for

paintings.

CARTOON

1. A simple drawing with humorous or satirical

content.

2. A preliminary drawing for any large work such

as a mural or tapestry.

CASTING

The process of making a sculpture or other

object by pouring liquid material such as clay,
metal or plastic into

a mold and allowing it to harden, thereby taking

on the shape of the confining mold.

CERAMICS

The art of making objects of clay and firing them

in a kiln. Wares of earthenware and porcelain, as
well as sculpture are made by ceramists. Enamel
is also a ceramic technique. Ceramic materials
may be decorated with slip, engobe, or glaze,
applied by any number of techniques. Sculpture
usually made by coil, slab, or other manual
technique.

CHIAROSCURO

In drawing, painting, and the graphic arts,

chiaroscuro (ke-ära-skooro) refers to the
rendering of forms through a balanced contrast
between light and dark areas. The technique
that was introduced during the Renaissance, is
effective in creating an illusion of depth and
space around the principal figures in a
composition. Leonardo Da Vinci and Rembrandt
were painters who excelled in the use of this
technique.

CLASSICAL STYLE

In Greek art, the style of the 5th century B.C.

Loosely, the term “classical” is often applied to all
the art of ancient Greece and Rome, as well as
to any art based on logical, rational principles
and deliberate composition.

COILING

A method of forming pottery or sculpture from

rolls of clay that are smoothed together to form
the sides of a jar or pot.
COLLAGE

A work of art made by pasting various materials

such as bits of paper, cloth, etc. onto a piece of
paper, board or canvas.

COLOR FIELD PAINTING

A style of painting prominent from the 1950s

through the 1970s, featuring large “fields” or
areas of color, meant to evoke an aesthetic or
emotional response through the color alone.

COLOR WHEEL

A circular grid that represents the colors based

on color theory. This grid clearly shows the
relationships colors have with each other
(complimentary, opposite, etc.).

COMPLIMENTARY COLORS

Hues directly opposite one another on the color

wheel and therefore assumed to be as different
from one another as possible. When placed side
by side, complementary colors are intensified;
when mixed together, they produce a neutral (or
gray) color.

COMPOSITION
The organization, design or placement of the
individual elements in a work of art. The aim is to
achieve balance and proportionality. Usually
applied to two-dimensional art.

CONCEPTUAL ART

An art form in which the underlying idea or

concept and the process by which it is achieved
are more important than any tangible product.

CONSTRUCTION

An art work that is actually assembled or built on

the premises where it is to be shown. Many
constructions are meant to be temporary and are
disassembled after the exhibition is over.

CONTE

Initially it was a trade name for a brand of French

crayons made from a unique compound of
pigments with a chalk binder. Conte crayons are
free from grease, making them acceptable for
lithographic drawing.

CONTEMPORARY ART

Generally defined as art that has been produced

since the second half of the twentieth century.
CONTENT

The message conveyed by a work of art - its

subject matter and whatever the artist hopes to
convey by that subject matter.

CONTOUR

A line that creates a boundary separating an

area of space or object from the space around it.

CONTRAPPOSTO

Literally, “counterpoise.” A method of portraying

the human figure, especially in sculpture, often
achieved by placing the weight on one foot and
turning the shoulder so the figure appears
relaxed and mobile. The result is often a graceful
S-curve.

CONVERGING

Lines that go towards the same point.

COOL COLORS

Those that suggest a sense of coolness. Blue ,

Green , Violet

CRAFTSMANSHIP
Aptitude, skill, and manual dexterity in the use of
tools and materials.

CROSS-HATCHING

An area of closely spaced lines intersecting one

another, used to create a sense of three-
dimensionality on a flat surface, especially in
drawing and printmaking. See also hatching,
stippling.

CUBISM

A style of art pioneered in the early 20th century

by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. In the
most developed form of Cubism, forms are
fragmented into planes or geometric facets, like
the facets in a diamond; these planes are
rearranged to foster a pictorial, but not
naturalistic, reality; forms may be viewed
simultaneously from several vantage points;
figure and background have equal importance;
and the colors are deliberately restricted to a
range of neutrals.

CURVILINEAR

Stressing the use of curved lines as opposed to

rectilinear which stresses straight lines.

DADA
A movement that emerged during World War I in
Europe that purported to be anti-everything,
even anti-art. Dada poked fun at all the
established traditions and tastes in art with works
that were deliberately shocking, vulgar, and
nonsensical.

DECOUPAGE

The act of cutting out paper designs and

applying them to a surface to make an all over
collage.

DESIGN

The planned organization of lines, shapes,

masses, colors, textures, and space in a work of
art. In two-dimensional art, often called
composition.

DISTORTION

Any change made by an artist in the size,

position, or general character of forms based on
visual perception, when those forms are
organized into a pictorial image. Any personal or
subjective interpretation of natural forms must
necessarily involve a degree of distortion.

DOMINANCE
The principle of visual organization which
suggests that certain elements should assume
more importance than others in the same
composition. It contributes to the organic unity
by emphasizing the fact that there is one main
feature and that other elements are subordinate
to it.

DRYPOINT

An intaglio printmaking technique, similar to

engraving, in which a sharp needle is used to
draw on a metal plate, raising a thin ridge of
metal that creates a soft line when the plate is
printed. Also, the resultant print.

DYNAMIC

Giving an effect of movement, vitality, or energy.

EARTHENWARE

Ceramic ware, usually coarse and reddish in

color, fired in the lowest temperature ranges.
Used for domestic ware, glazed or unglazed.

EDITION

In bronze sculpture and printmaking, the number

of pieces/images made from a single mold/plate
and authorized by the artist.
ENCAUSTIC

Literally, to burn in. A painting technique in

which the pigment is mixed with melted wax and
resin and then applied to a surface while hot.

ENGRAVING

Printmaking method in which a sharp tool (burin)

is used to scratch lines into a hard surface such
as metal or wood.

ENVIRONMENTAL ART

1. Art that is large enough for viewers to enter

and move about in.

2. Art designed for display in the outdoor

environment.

3. Art that actually transforms the natural

landscape.

ETCHING

The technique of reproducing a design by

coating a metal plate with wax and drawing with
a sharp instrument called a stylus through the
wax down to the metal. The plate is put in an
acid bath, which eats away the incised lines; it is
then heated to dissolve the wax and finally inked
and printed on paper. The resulting print is
called the etching.

EXPRESSIONISM

Any art that stresses the artist’s emotional and

psychological reaction to subject matter, often
with bold colors and distortions of form.
Specifically, an art style of the early 20th century
followed principally by certain German artists.

FAUVISM

A short lived painting style in early 20th century

France, which featured bold, clashing, arbitrary
colors - colors unrelated to the appearance of
forms in the natural world. Henri Matisse was its
best-known practitioner. The word fauve means
“wild beast.”

FIGURE - GROUND

In two-dimensional art, the relationship between

the principal forms and the background. Figure-
ground ambiguity suggests equal importance for
the two.

FINE ART

An art form created primarily as an aesthetic

expression to be enjoyed for its own sake. The
viewer must be prepared to search for the intent
of the artist as the all-important first step toward
communication and active participation.

FIRING

Heating pottery or sculpture in a kiln or open fire

to bring the clay to maturity. The temperature
needed to mature the clay varies with the type
of body used. Also, heating glazed ware to the
necessary point to cause the glaze to mature.

FIXATIVE

A solution, usually of shellac and alcohol,

sprayed onto drawings, to prevent their
smudging or crumbling off the support.

FOLK ART

Primitive art, by an untrained artist who paints in

the common tradition of his community and
reflects the life style of the people. Also called
‘Outsider art’ & ‘Art brut’.

FORESHORTENING

A method of portraying forms on a two-

dimensional surface so that they appear to
project or recede from the picture plane.
FORGING

Shaping metal with hammers while it is hot; the

method for making wrought iron.

FORM

1. The physical appearance of a work of art - its

materials, style, and composition.

2. Any identifiable shape or mass, as a

“geometric form.”

FRESCO

A painting technique in which the pigments are

dispersed in plain water and applied to a damp
plaster wall.

The wall becomes the binder, as well as the

support.

FUTURISM

Art movement founded in Italy in 1909 and

lasting only a few years. Futurism concentrated
on the dynamic quality of modern technological
life, emphasizing speed and movement.

GENRE

Art that depicts the casual moments of everyday

life and its surroundings.
GEOMETRIC SHAPES

Shapes created by exact mathematical law.

GESSO

A white ground material for preparing rigid

supports for painting. made of a mixture of chalk,
white pigment, and glue. Same name applied to
acrylic bound chalk and pigment used on
flexible supports as well as rigid.

GLAZE

A very thin, transparent colored paint applied

over a previously painted surface to alter the
appearance and color of the surface. In
ceramics, washes applied to the clay body
which, when fired to temperature, vitrify to form
a thin, usually colored, glass layer.

GOTHIC

A style of architecture and art dominant in

Europe from the 12th to the 15th century. Gothic
architecture features pointed arches, ribbed
vaults, and often large areas of stained glass.

GOUACHE
Opaque watercolors used for illustrations.

GROUND

1. A substance applied to a painting or drawing

support in preparation for the pigmented
material.

2. The preparatory substance used as a coating

for a printmaking plate.

3. The background in a work of two-dimensional

art.

GREENWARE

Unfired pottery or sculpture.

HARD-EDGE PAINTING

A recent innovation that originated in New York

and was adopted by certain contemporary
painters. Forms are depicted with precise,
geometric lines and edges.

HARMONY

The unity of all the visual elements of a

composition achieved by repetition of the same
characteristics.
HATCHING

A technique of modeling, indicating tone and

suggesting light and shade in drawing or
tempera painting, using closely set parallel lines.

HORS COMMERCE

(‘Before commerce’) traditionally were the

sculpture/graphics pulled with the regular
edition, but were marked by the artist for
business use only. These pieces were used for
entering exhibitions and competitions, but today,
these they generally are allowed into distribution
through regular channels.

HUE

The perceived color of an object, identified by a

common name such as red, orange, blue.

ICONOGRAPHY

Loosely, the “story” depicted in a work of art;

people, places, events, and other images in a
work, as well as the symbolism and conventions
attached to those images by a particular religion
or culture.

ILLUMINATION
Hand-drawn decoration or illustration in a
manuscript, especially prevalent in medieval art.

IMPASTO

A thick, juicy application of paint to canvas or

other support; emphasizes texture, as
distinguished from a smooth flat surface.

IMPRESSIONISM

A painting technique in which the artist

concentrates on the changing effects of light
and color. Often this style can be characterized
by its use of discontinuous brush strokes and
heavy impasto.

INLAY

In woodworking, a technique in which small

pieces of wood, often with varying grains and
colours, are glued together to make a pattern.

INTENSITY

The degree of purity or brilliance of a color. Also

known as chroma or saturation.

KINETIC ART
Kinetic art is art that incorporates movement as
part of its expression – either mechanically, by
hand, or by natural forces.

KILN

A furnace or oven built of heat-resistant

materials for firing pottery, glass and sculpture.

LANDSCAPE

A generalization for any artist’s depiction of

natural scenery. Figures and other objects
should be of secondary importance to the
composition and incidental to the content.

LINE

A mark made by an instrument as it is drawn

across a surface.

LINEAR PERSPECTIVE

A method of depicting three-dimensional depth

on a flat or two-dimensional surface. Linear
perspective has two main precepts: 1. Forms that
are meant to be perceived as far away from the
viewer are made smaller than those meant to be
seen as close 2. Parallel lines receding into the
distance converge at a point on the horizon line
known as the vanishing point.
LITHOGRAPHY - LITHOGRAPH

A printing process in which a surface, as stone

or sheet aluminum, is treated so that the ink
adheres only

to the portions that are to be printed. The

resulting image is a lithograph or a lithographic
print

LOST WAX

A method of creating a wax mold of a sculpture

and then heating the mold to melt out the wax
and replacing it with a molten metal or resin.
(see our page on Bronze Casting).

MANIFESTO

In art, a public declaration or exposition in print

of the theories and directions of a movement.
The manifestos issued by various individual
artists or groups of artists, in the first half of the
twentieth century served to reveal their
motivations and raisons dâetre and stimulated
support for or reactions against them.

MANNERISM

A term sometimes applied to art of late 16th early

17th century Europe, characterized by a dramatic
use of space and light and a tendency toward
elongated figures.

MAQUETTE

In sculpture, a small model in wax or clay, made

as a preliminary sketch, presented to the client
for approval of the proposed work, or for entry in
a competition. The Italian equivalent of the term
is bozzetto, meaning small sketch.

MASS

Three-dimensional form, often implying bulk,

density and weight.

MATTE

Flat, non-glossy; having a dull surface

appearance.

MEDIEVAL ART

The art of the Middle Ages ca. 500 A.D. through

the 14th century. The art produced immediately
prior to the Renaissance.

MEDIUM

1. The material used to create a work of art. 2.

The binder for a paint, such as oil. 3. An
expressive art form, such as painting, drawing, or
sculpture.

MINIMALISM

A style of painting and sculpture in the mid 20th

century in which the art elements are rendered
with a minimum of lines, shapes, and sometimes
color. The works may look and feel sparse,
spare, restricted or empty.

MIXED MEDIA

Descriptive of art that employs more than one

medium – e.g., a work that combines paint,
natural materials (wood, pebbles, bones), and
man made items (glass, plastic, metals) into a
single image or piece of art.

MOBILE/STABILE

Terms coined to describe work created by

Alexander Calder. The mobile is a hanging,
movable sculpture and the stabile rests on the
ground but also may have moving parts.

MODELLING

1. In sculpture, shaping a form in some plastic

material, such as clay, wax, or plaster. 2. In
drawing, painting, or printmaking, the illusion of
three-dimensionality on a flat surface created by
simulating effects of light and shadow.

MONOCHROMATIC

Having only one color. Descriptive of work in

which one hue - perhaps with variations of value
and intensity - predominates.

MONOTYPE

A one-of-a-kind print made by painting on a

sheet or slab of glass and transferring the still-
wet painting to a sheet of paper held firmly on
the glass by rubbing the back of the paper with a
smooth implement, such as a large hardwood
spoon. The painting may also be done on a
polished plate, in which case it may be either

printed by hand or transferred to the paper by

running the plate and paper through an etching
press.

MONTAGE

A picture composed of other existing

illustrations, pictures, photographs, newspaper
clippings, etc. that are arranged so they combine
to create a new or original image. A collage.

MOSAIC
An art form in which small pieces of tile, glass, or
stone are fitted together and embedded into a
background to create a pattern or image.

MURAL

Any large-scale wall decoration done in painting,

fresco, mosaic, or other medium.

MUSEUM

A building, place or institution devoted to the

acquisition, conservation, study, exhibition and
educational interpretation of objects having
scientific, historical or artistic value. The word
Museum is derived from the Latin muses,
meaning "a source of inspiration," or "to be
absorbed in one's thoughts."

NARRATIVE PAINTING

A painting where a story line serves as a

dominant feature.

NATURALISTIC

Descriptive of an artwork that closely resembles

forms in the natural world. Synonymous with
representational.
NEGATIVE SPACE

The space in a painting around the objects

depicted.

NEOCLASSICISM

- “New” classicism - a style in 19th century

Western art that referred back to the classical
styles of Greece and Rome. Neoclassical
paintings have sharp outlines, reserved
emotions, deliberate (often mathematical)
composition, and cool colors.

NEO-EXPRESSIONISM

- “New” expressionism - a term originally applied

to works done primarily by German and Italian,
who came to maturity in the post-WWII era; and
later expanded (in the 1980’s) to include certain
American artists. Neo- Expressionist works
depict intense emotions and symbolism,
sometimes using unconventional media and
intense colors with turbulent compositions and
subject matter.

NEUTRAL

Having no hue - black, white, or gray; sometimes

a tannish color achieved by mixing two
complementary colours.
NON-OBJECTIVE

Completely non-representational; pure design;

fully abstract.

OP ART

Short for Optical Art, a style popular in the 1960s

that was based on optical principles and optical
illusion. Op Art deals in complex color
interactions, to the point where colors and lines
seem to vibrate before the eyes

OPTICAL COLOR MIXTURE

The tendency of the eyes to blend patches of

individual colors placed near one another so as
to perceive a different, combined color. Also, any
art style that exploits this tendency, especially
the pointillism of Georges Seurat.

ORGANIC

An image that shows a relationship to nature as

opposed to man-made images. Any shape that
resembles a naturally occurring form or that
suggests a natural growing or expanding
process.

ORGANIC ART
An art form that emphasizes an object alive in its
own right and not contrived.

OVERLAP EFFECT

Spatial relationships are achieved by placing one

object in front of another. The object closest to
the viewer blocks out the view of any part of any
other object located behind it (or, where the two
objects overlap, the one in back is obscured).

PAINTERLY

Descriptive of paintings in which forms are

defined principally by color areas, not by lines or
edges. Where the artist's brushstrokes are
noticeable. Any image that looks as though it
may have been created with the style or
techniques used by a painter.

PASTEL

A colored crayon that consists of pigment mixed

with just enough of a aqueous binder to hold it
together; a work of art produced by pastel
crayons; the technique itself. Pastels vary
according to the volume of chalk contained...the
deepest in tone are pure pigment. Pastel is the
simplest and purest method of painting,

since pure color is used without a fluid medium

and the crayons are applied directly to the pastel
paper.
 PATINA

A film or an incrustation, often green, that forms

on copper and bronze after a certain period of
weathering and as a result of the oxidation of the
copper. Different chemical treatments will also
induce myriad colored patinas on new Bronze
works. Bronzes may additionally be painted with
acrylic and lacquer.

PENTIMENTO

A condition of old paintings where lead-

containing pigments have become more
transparent over time, revealing earlier layers.

Marina Abramovic performance art

PERFORMANCE ART
Art in which there is no concrete object, but
rather a series of events performed by the artist
in front of an audience, possibly including music,
sight gags, recitation, audio-visual presentations,
or other elements.

PERSPECTIVE

The representation of three-dimensional objects

on a flat surface so as to produce the same
impression of distance and relative size as that
received by the human eye. In one-point linear
perspective, developed during the fifteenth
century, all parallel lines in a given visual field
converge at a single vanishing point on the

horizon. In aerial or atmospheric perspective, the

relative distance of objects is indicated by
gradations of tone and color and by variations in
the clarity of outlines.

PHOTO REALISM

A painting and drawing style of the mid 20th

century in which people, objects, and scenes are
depicted with such naturalism that the paintings
resemble photographs – an almost exact visual
duplication of the subject.

PICTORIAL SPACE

The illusory space in a painting or other work of

two-dimensional art that seems to recede
backward into depth from the picture plane,
giving the illusion of distance.

PICTURE PLANE

An imaginary flat surface that is assumed to be

identical to the surface of a painting. Forms in a
painting meant to be perceived in deep three-
dimensional space are said to be “behind” the
picture plane. The picture plane is commonly
associated with the foreground of a painting.

PIGMENT

A coloring substance made from plants, earth, or

minerals and may include other synthetic
elements. When mixed with binders it becomes
paint, ink or crayon, etc.

POINTILLISM

A branch of French Impressionism in which the

principle of optical mixture or broken color was
carried to the extreme of applying color in tiny
dots or small, isolated strokes. Forms are visible
in a pointillist painting only from a distance,
when the viewer's eye blends the colors to
create visual masses and outlines. The inventor
and chief exponent of pointillism was George
Seurat (1859-1891); the other leading figure was
Paul Signac (1863-1935).
POLYCHROMATIC

Having many colors, as opposed to

monochromatic which means only one hue or
color.

POP ART

A style derived from commercial art forms and

characterized by larger than life replicas of items
from mass culture. This style evolved in the late
1950s and was characterized in the 1960s by
such artists as Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Claus
Oldenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Larry Rivers,
Robert Rauschenberg, George Segal, and Robert
Indiana.

PORCELAIN

A ceramic ware fired to the highest temperature

ranges and often used for dinnerware, vases,
and smaller sculpture.

POSITIVE SPACE

The space in a painting occupied by the object

depicted (not the spaces in-between objects)

POST IMPRESSIONISM

A term applied to the work of several artists -

French or living in France - from about 1885 to
1900. Although they all painted in highly
personal styles, the Post-Impressionists were
united in rejecting the relative absence of form
characteristic of Impressionism and stressed
more formal qualities and the significance of
subject matter.

PREHISTORIC ART

Art forms predating recorded history, such as

Old, Middle, and New Stone Ages.

PRE-COLUMBIAN

Art created in the America's by native people

that pre-dates the discovery of the new world

PRIMARY COLORS

Any hue that, in theory, cannot be created by a

mixture of any other hues. Varying combinations
of the primary hues can be used to create all the
other hues of the spectrum. In pigment the
primaries are red, yellow, and blue.

PRINT

An image created from a master wood block,

stone, plate, or screen, usually on paper. Prints
are referred to as multiples, because as a rule
many identical or similar impressions are made
from the same printing surface, the number of
impressions being called an edition. When an
edition is limited to a specified number of prints,
it is a limited edition. A print is considered an
original work of art and today is customarily
signed and numbered by the artist.

PRIMITIVE ART

1. Paintings and drawings of and by peoples and

races outside the influence of accepted Western
styles.

2. Religious portrayals predating scientific

studies of perspective and anatomy.

3. Intuitive artists with a "naive" style often due

to little, if any, training (or works intentionally
made to

look this way).

PROPORTION

Size relationships between parts of a whole, or

between two or more objects perceived as a
unit.

REALISM

Any art in which the goal is to portray forms in

the natural world in a highly representational
manner. Specifically, an art style of the mid 19th
century, which fostered the idea that everyday
people and events are worthy subjects for
important art.

RELATIVE APPARENT SIZE

Objects appear smaller as their distance from the

viewer increases.

RELATIVE POSITION

We view nature from our own eye level. Objects

in the foreground appear lower and distant
objects appear higher relative to the imaginary
line created by our level of sight.

RELIEF

1. Sculpture in which figures or other images are

attached to a flat background but project out
from it to some degree (bas-relief, haut-relief). 2.
A printmaking technique in which portions of a
block meant to be printed are raised above the
surface.

RENAISSANCE

Literally, “rebirth”. The period in Europe from the

14th to the 16th century, characterized by a
renewed interest in Classical art, architecture,
literature, and philosophy. The Renaissance
began in Italy and gradually spread to the rest of
Europe. In art, it is most closely associated with
Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

REPRESENTATIONAL

Works of art that closely resemble forms in the

natural world. Synonymous with naturalistic

ROCOCO

A style of art popular in Europe in the first three

quarters of the 18th century, Rococo architecture
and furnishings emphasized ornate but small-
scale decoration, curvilinear forms, and pastel
colors. Rococo painting has a playful, light-
hearted romantic quality and often pictures the
aristocracy at leisure.

ROMANESQUE

A style of architecture and art dominant in

Europe from the 9th to the 12th century.
Romanesque architecture, based on ancient
Roman precedents, emphasizes the round arch
and barrel vault.

ROMANTICISM

A movement in Western art of the 19th century

generally assumed to be in opposition to
Neoclassicism. Romantic works are marked by
intense colors, turbulent emotions, complex
composition, soft outlines, and sometimes heroic
subject matter.

SALON

1. Fashionable gathering of artists, writers, and

intellectuals held in a private home.

2. In France, a state-sponsored exhibition of art,

held in Paris, controlled by the

Academy of Fine Arts.

SCALE

Size in relation to some “normal” or constant

size. Compare with proportion.

SCULPTURE

A three-dimensional form modeled, carved, or

assembled.

SECONDARY COLORS

A hue created by combining two primary

colours, as yellow and blue mixed together yield
green. In pigment the secondary colors are
orange, green, and violet.

SERIGRAPH
Serigraphy is a color stencil printing process in
which a special paint is forced through a fine
screen onto the paper beneath. Areas that do
not print are blocked with photo sensitive
emulsion that has been exposed with high
intensity arc lights. A squeegee is pulled from
back to front, producing a direct transfer of the
image from screen to paper. A separate stencil is
required for each color and one hundred colors
or more may be necessary to achieve the
desired effect. A serigraph, also referred to as a
screen print, differs from other graphics in that
its

color is made up of paint films rather than

printing ink stains. This technique is extremely
versatile, and can create effects similar to oil
color and transparent washes, as well as
gouache and pastel.

SFUMATO

From the Italian work for “smoke,” a technique of

painting in thin glazes to achieve a hazy, cloudy
atmosphere, often to represent objects or
landscape meant to be perceived as distant from
the picture plane.

SHAPE

A two-dimensional area having identifiable

boundaries, created by lines, color, or value
changes, or some combination of these; broadly,
form.
SIMULTANEOUS CONTRAST

The tendency of complementary colors to seem

brighter and more intense when placed side by
side.

SILHOUETTE

The outer shape of an object. An outline, often

filled in with color.

SKETCH

A preliminary drawing of a composition.

SPACE

In painting, space may by defined as the

distances between shapes on a flat surface and
the illusion of three-dimensions on a two-
dimensional surface. Also refers to a physical
site where art is displayed for viewing.

STILL LIFE

A painting or other two-dimensional work in

which the subject matter is an arrangement of
objects - fruit, flowers, tableware, pottery, and so
forth - brought together for their pleasing
contrasts of shape, color, and texture, Also the
arrangement of the objects itself.

STIPPLING

A pattern of closely spaced dots or small marks

used to create a sense of three-dimensionally on
a flat surface, especially in drawing and
printmaking. See also hatching, cross-hatching.

STUDY

A detailed drawing or painting made of one or

more parts of a final composition, but not the
whole work.

STYLE

A characteristic, or a number of characteristics

that we can identify as constant, recurring, or
coherent. In art, the sum of such characteristics
associated with a particular artist, group, or
culture, or with an artist’s work at a specific time.

STYLIZED

Descriptive of works based on forms in the

natural world, but simplified or distorted for
design purposes. See also abstract.
SUPPORT

The surface on which a work of two-dimensional

art is made i.e.: canvas, paper, cardboard, or
wood.

SURREALISM

A painting style of the early 20th century that

emphasized imagery and visions from dreams
and fantasies, as well as an intuitive,
spontaneous method of recording such imagery,
often combining unrelated or unexpected
objects in compositions .

SYMBOL

An image or sign that represents something else,

because of convention, association, or
resemblance.

SYMMETRICAL

Descriptive of a design in which the two halves

of a composition on either side of an imaginary
central vertical axis correspond to one another
in size, shape, and placement.

TACTILE

A quality which refers to the sense of touch.

TAPESTRY

A type of weaving in which the crosswise yarns

are manipulated freely to create patterned or
pictorial effects.

TEMPERA

A painting medium in which the binder is egg

yolk.

TERTIARY COLORS

Six colors positioned between the primary and

secondary colors on the color wheel.

TEXTURE

The actual feel (roughness or smoothness) of a

surface. In art, texture may refer to the illusion of
roughness or smoothness often achieved with
contrasting patterns.

TRIPTYCH

A three-part work of art; especially a painting,

meant for placement on an altar, with three
panels that fold together.
TONALITY

The overall color effect in terms of hue and

value. Often one dominating hue is employed in
various shades and values.

TROMPE-L’OEIL

A French term meaning "deception of the eye."

A painting or other work of two-dimensional art
rendered in such a photographically realistic
manner as to ‘trick’ the viewer into thinking it is
three-dimensional reality.

UNDERPAINTING

The traditional stage in oil painting of using a

monochrome or dead color as a base for
composition. Also known as laying in.

VALUE

The relative lightness or darkness of a hue, or of

a neutral varying from white to black.

VANISHING POINT

In linear perspective, the point on the horizon

line where parallel lines appear to converge.

VEHICLE
The entire liquid contents of a paint.

VERTICAL

A line from top to bottom or bottom to top.

upright.

VOLUME

Similar to mass, a three-dimensional form

implying bulk, density, and weight; but also a
void or empty, enclosed space.

WARM COLORS

Those which suggest a sense of warmth i.e.: red,

yellow and orange.

WASH

Used in watercolor painting, brush drawing, and

occasionally in oil painting and sculpture to
describe a broad thin layer of diluted pigment,
ink, glaze or patina. Also refers to a drawing
made in this technique.

WATERCOLOR

A painting medium in which the binder is gum

arabic. Water is used to thinning, lightening or
mixing.
 YELLOWING

This effect on oil paintings is usually caused by

one of three reasons: excessive use of linseed
oil medium; applying any of the varnishes that
are prone to yellow with age; or most often – an
accumulation of dirt embedded into the varnish.

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