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.
1940's New York painting movement based on Abstract Art.
This type of painting is often referred to as action painting.
Emphasis given to certain elements in a painting which makes
them attract more attention. Details
that define an object or piece of art.
A rapid drying paint which is easy to remove with mineral
spirits; a plastic substance commonly used as a binder for paints.
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.
Capturing the earth’s atmosphere by using painting
techniques that make distant objects appear to have less color, texture, and
Pertaining to the beautiful, as opposed to the useful,
scientific, or emotional. An aesthetic response is an appreciation of such
Synthetic resin used in paints and mediums. As a medium
works as a binder that encapsulates the pigment and speeds the drying time.
Technique in which the final surface of a painting is
completed in one sitting, without under painting. Italian for "at the
Colors that are closely related, or near each other on the
color spectrum. Especially those in which we can see common hues.
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.
Refers to materials that meet certain criteria for
permanence such as lignin-free, pH neutral, alkaline-buffered, stable in light,
A rigid framework, often wood or steel, used to support a
sculpture or other large work while it is being made.
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.
An art style of the late 1800's featuring curving, often
swirling shapes based on organic forms.
An Artist's Proof is one outside the regular edition. By
custom, the artist retains the A/Ps for his personal use or sale.
The technique of creating a sculpture by joining together
individual pieces or segments, sometimes “found” objects that originally served
French term for "artist’s workshop."
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.
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.
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.
Sculpture in which figures project only slightly from a
background, as on a coin. Also known as low relief sculpture.
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
A school of fine arts located in Paris, which stressed the
necessity of academic painting.
A substance in paints that causes particles of pigment to
adhere to one another and to a
support such as oil or acrylic.
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.
The characteristic way each artist brushes paint onto a
The act of rubbing greenware (clay) with any smooth tool to
polish it, and tighten the surface.
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
Closely woven cloth used as a support for paintings.
1. A simple drawing with humorous or satirical content.
2. A preliminary drawing for any large work such as a mural
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.
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.
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
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
A method of forming pottery or sculpture from rolls of clay
that are smoothed together to form the sides of a jar or pot.
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.
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.).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Generally defined as art that has been produced since the
second half of the twentieth century.
The message conveyed by a work of art - its subject matter
and whatever the artist hopes to convey by that subject matter.
A line that creates a boundary separating an area of space
or object from the space around it.
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.
Lines that go towards the same point.
Those that suggest a sense of coolness. Blue , Green ,
Aptitude, skill, and manual dexterity in the use of tools
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.
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.
Stressing the use of curved lines as opposed to rectilinear
which stresses straight lines.
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.
The act of cutting out paper designs and applying them to a
surface to make an all over collage.
The planned organization of lines, shapes, masses, colors,
textures, and space in a work of art. In two-dimensional art, often called
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.
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.
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
Giving an effect of movement, vitality, or energy.
Ceramic ware, usually coarse and reddish in color, fired in
the lowest temperature ranges. Used for domestic ware, glazed or unglazed.
In bronze sculpture and printmaking, the number of
pieces/images made from a single mold/plate and authorized by the artist.
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
Printmaking method in which a sharp tool (burin) is used to
scratch lines into a hard surface such as metal or wood.
1. Art that is large enough for viewers to enter and move
2. Art designed for display in the outdoor environment.
3. Art that actually transforms the natural landscape.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
A solution, usually of shellac and alcohol, sprayed onto
drawings, to prevent their smudging or crumbling off the support.
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’.
A method of portraying forms on a two-dimensional surface so
that they appear to project or recede from the picture plane.
Shaping metal with hammers while it is hot; the method for
making wrought iron.
1. The physical appearance of a work of art - its materials,
style, and composition.
2. Any identifiable shape or mass, as a “geometric form.”
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.
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.
Art that depicts the casual moments of everyday life and its
Shapes created by exact mathematical law.
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
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.
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.
Opaque watercolors used for illustrations.
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
3. The background in a work of two-dimensional art.
Unfired pottery or sculpture.
A recent innovation that originated in New York and was
adopted by certain contemporary painters. Forms are depicted with precise,
geometric lines and edges.
The unity of all the visual elements of a composition
achieved by repetition of the same characteristics.
A technique of modeling, indicating tone and suggesting
light and shade in drawing or tempera painting, using closely set parallel
(‘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.
The perceived color of an object, identified by a common
name such as red, orange, blue.
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.
Hand-drawn decoration or illustration in a manuscript,
especially prevalent in medieval art.
A thick, juicy application of paint to canvas or other
support; emphasizes texture, as distinguished from a smooth flat surface.
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.
In woodworking, a technique in which small pieces of wood,
often with varying grains and colours, are glued together to make a pattern.
The degree of purity or brilliance of a color. Also known as
chroma or saturation.
Kinetic art is art that incorporates movement as part of its
expression – either mechanically, by hand, or by natural forces.
A furnace or oven built of heat-resistant materials for
firing pottery, glass and sculpture.
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
A mark made by an instrument as it is drawn across a
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
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).
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.
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.
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.
Three-dimensional form, often implying bulk, density and
Flat, non-glossy; having a dull surface appearance.
The art of the Middle Ages ca. 500 A.D. through the 14th
century. The art produced immediately prior to the Renaissance.
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,
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
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.
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.
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.
Having only one color. Descriptive of work in which one hue
- perhaps with variations of value and intensity - predominates.
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.
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.
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
Any large-scale wall decoration done in painting, fresco,
mosaic, or other medium.
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."
A painting where a story line serves as a dominant feature.
Descriptive of an artwork that closely resembles forms in
the natural world. Synonymous with
The space in a painting around the objects depicted.
- “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.
- “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
Having no hue - black, white, or gray; sometimes a tannish
color achieved by mixing two complementary colours.
Completely non-representational; pure design; fully
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
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
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.
An art form that emphasizes an object alive in its own right
and not contrived.
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).
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.
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.
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.
A condition of old paintings where lead-containing pigments
have become more transparent over time, revealing earlier layers.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
Having many colors, as opposed to monochromatic which means
only one hue or color.
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.
A ceramic ware fired to the highest temperature ranges and often
used for dinnerware, vases, and smaller sculpture.
The space in a painting occupied by the object depicted (not
the spaces in-between objects)
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.
Art forms predating recorded history, such as Old, Middle,
and New Stone Ages.
Art created in the America's by native people that pre-dates
the discovery of the new world
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,
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.
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).
Size relationships between parts of a whole, or between two
or more objects perceived as a unit.
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
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.
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.
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.
Works of art that closely resemble forms in the natural
world. Synonymous with naturalistic
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.
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.
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.
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
Size in relation to some “normal” or constant size. Compare
A three-dimensional form modeled, carved, or assembled.
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.
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.
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.
A two-dimensional area having identifiable boundaries,
created by lines, color, or value changes, or some combination of these;
The tendency of complementary colors to seem brighter and
more intense when placed side by side.
The outer shape of an object. An outline, often filled in with color.
A preliminary drawing of a composition.
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
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.
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.
A detailed drawing or painting made of one or more parts of
a final composition, but not the whole work.
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.
Descriptive of works based on forms in the natural world,
but simplified or distorted for design purposes. See also abstract.
The surface on which a work of two-dimensional art is made
i.e.: canvas, paper, cardboard, or wood.
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 .
An image or sign that represents something else, because of
convention, association, or resemblance.
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.
A quality which refers to the sense of touch.
A type of weaving in which the crosswise yarns are
manipulated freely to create patterned or pictorial effects.
A painting medium in which the binder is egg yolk.
Six colors positioned between the primary and secondary
colors on the color wheel.
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.
A three-part work of art; especially a painting, meant for
placement on an altar, with three panels that fold together.
The overall color effect in terms of hue and value. Often
one dominating hue is employed in various shades and values.
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
The traditional stage in oil painting of using a monochrome
or dead color as a base for composition. Also known as laying in.
The relative lightness or darkness of a hue, or of a neutral
varying from white to black.
In linear perspective, the point on the horizon line where
parallel lines appear to converge.
The entire liquid contents of a paint.
A line from top to bottom or bottom to top. upright.
Similar to mass, a three-dimensional form implying bulk,
density, and weight; but also a void or empty, enclosed space.
Those which suggest a sense of warmth i.e.: red, yellow and
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.
A painting medium in which the binder is gum arabic. Water
is used to thinning, lightening or mixing.
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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