abstract
Art that departs significantly from natural appearances. Forms are modified or changed to varying degrees in order to emphasize certain qualities or content. Recognizable references to original appearances may be very slight. The term is also used to desc
additive
*Additive color mixture
The mixture of colored light. When light colors are combined (as with overlapping spotlights), the mixture becomes successively lighter. Light primaries, when combined, create white light. See also subtractive color mixture.
*Addit
aesthetics
The study and philosophy of the quality and nature of sensory responses related to, bur not limited by, the concept of beauty. Within the art context: The philosophy of art focusing on questions regarding what art is, how it is evaluated, the concept of b
all-over pattern
A layout in which motifs are fairly close and evenly distributed as opposed to stripes, borders, plaids, and engineered designs. Another term is overall.
analogous colors
Analogous colors are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. An example would be yellow, yellow-orange and orange. Since they are related they blend well together.
arbitrary color
Colors selected and used without reference to those found in reality.
assemblage
Sculpture using preexisting, sometimes "found" objects that may or may not contribute their original identities to the total content of the work.
asymmetrical
Without symmetry.
binder
The material used in paint that causes pigment particles to adhere to one another and to the support; for example, linseed oil or acrylic polymer.
burin
an engraving tool with a diamond shape for carving deep lines in metal
chiaroscuro
Italian word meaning "Iightdark." The gradations of light and dark values in two-dimensional imagery; especially the illusion of rounded, three-dimensional form created through gradations of light and shade rather than line. Highly developed by Renaissanc
collage
From the French coller, to glue. A work made by gluing various materials, such as paper scraps, photographs, and cloth, on a flat surface.
complementary colors
Two hues directly opposite one another -on a color wheel which, when mixed together in proper proportions, produce a neutral gray. The true complement of a color can be seen in its afterimage.
content
Meaning or message contained and communicated by a work of art, including its emotional, intellectual, symbolic, thematic, and narrative connotations.
cross hatching (hatching)
A technique used in drawing and linear forms of printmaking, in which lines are placed in parallel series to darken the value of an area. Crosshatching is drawing one set of hatchings over another in a different direction so that the lines cross.
encaustic
A painting medium in which pigment is suspended in a binder of hot wax.
etching
An intaglio printmaking process in which a metal plate is first coated with acidresistant wax, then scratched to expose the metal to the bite of nitric acid where lines are desired. Also, the resulting print.
form
In the broadest sense, the total physical characteristics of an object, event, or
situation.
fresco
A painting technique in which pigments suspended in water are applied to a damp lime-plaster surface. The pigments dry to become part of the plaster wall or surface. Sometimes called true fresco or buon ftesco to distinguish it from painting over dry plas
glaze
In ceramics, a vitreous or glassy coating applied to seal and decorate surfaces. Glaze may be colored, transparent, or opaque. In oil painting, a thin transparent or translucent layer brushed over another layer of paint, allowing the first layer to show t
gouache
An opaque, water-soluble paint. Watercolor to which opaque white has been added.
iconography
The symbolic meanings of subjects and signs used to convey ideas
important to particular cultures or religions, and the conventions governing the use of such forms.
implied line
A line in a composition that is not actually drawn. It may be a sight line of a figure in a composition, or a line along which two shapes align with each other.
intaglio
Any printmaking technique in which lines and areas to be inked and transferred ro paper are recessed below the surface of the printing plate. Etching, engraving, drypoint, and aquatint are all intaglio processes.
lithograplocal color
A planographic printmaking technique based on the antipathy of oil and water. The image is drawn with a grease crayon or painted with tusche on a stone or grained aluminum plate. The surface is then chemically treated and dampened so that it will accept i
medium - pl. media or mediums
1. A particular material along with its accompanying techniques; a specific type of artistic technique or means of expressions determined by the use of particular materials.
2. In paint, the fluid in which pigment is suspended, allowing it to spread and a
mural, muralism
A large wall painting, often executed in fresco.
naturalistic
An art style in which the curves and contours of a subject are accurately portrayed.
negative space
A background or ground shape seen in relation to foreground or figure shapers. The empty space within a composition.
non-objective
Not based in objective reality. See nonrepresentational art.
perspective -linear and atmospheric
A system for creating an illusion of depth or three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface. Usually used to refer to linear perspective, which is based on the fact that parallel lines or edges appear to converge and objects appear smaller as the d
pigment
Any coloring agent, made from natural or synthetic substances, used in paints or drawing materials.
post and lintel
or in contemporary usage Post and beam, is a simple construction method using a lintel, header, or architrave as the horizontal member over a building void supported at its ends by two vertical columns, pillars, or posts. This architectural system and bui
radial balance
On square and rectangular pages we generally place elements in orderly rows and columns. With radial designs the elements radiate from or swirl around in a circular or spiral path.
relief print
A printing technique in which the parts of the printing surface that carry ink are left raised, while the remaining areas are cut away. Woodcuts and linoleum prints (linocuts) are relief prints.
symmetrical
A design (or composition) with identical or nearly identical form on opposite sides of a dividing line or central axis; formal balance.
tempera
A water-based paint that uses egg, egg yolk, glue, or casein as a binder. Many commercially made paints identified as tempera are actually gouache.
texture
The tactile quality of a surface or the representation or invention of the appearance of such a surface quality.
tromp l'oeil
French for "fool the eye." A two-dimensional representation that is so naturalistic that it looks actual or real (or three dimensional)
value
The lightness or darkness of tones or colors. White is the lightest value; black is the darkest. The value halfway between these extremes is called middle gray. Sometimes called "tone.
vanishing point
In linear perspective, the point on the horizon line at which lines or edges that are parallel appear to converge.
ARTISTS, ARCHITECTS, ART MOVEMENTS, STYLES INFO
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Van Gogh
(30 March 1853 - 29 July 1890) was a Dutch post-Impressionist painter whose work, notable for its rough beauty, emotional honesty and bold color, had a far-reaching influence on 20th-century art. After years of painful anxiety and frequent bouts of mental
Monet
(14 November 1840 - 5 December 1926) was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape
Impressionism
A style of painting that originated in France about 1870. (The first Impressionist exhibit was held in 1874.) Paintings of casual subjects were executed outdoors using divided brush strokes to capture the light and mood of a particular moment and the tran
Art Nouveau
A style that originated in the late 1880s based on the sinuous curves of plant forms. It was used primarily in architectural detailing and the applied arts.
Michelangelo
(6 March 1475 - 18 February 1564), commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art. Despite making few forays beyond the ar
Goya
(30 March 1746-16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown, and through his works was both a commentator on and chron
Op Art
Optical art visual is art that makes use of optical illusions, is also a method of painting concerning the interaction between illusion and picture plane, between understanding and seeing. Op art works are abstract, with many of the better known pieces ma
Rembrandt
(15 July 1606 - 4 October 1669) was a Dutch painter and etcher. He is generally considered one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European art history and the most important in Dutch history. He achieved youthful success as a portrait painter. Hi
Pablo Picasso
(25 October 1881 - 8 April 1973), was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer who spent most of his adult life in France. As one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century, he is widely known for co-fo
Georgia O' Keeffe
(November 15, 1887 - March 6, 1986) was an American artist. Born near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, O'Keeffe first came to the attention of the New York art community in 1916, several decades before women had gained access to art training in America's colleges
Fauvism
A style of painting introduced in Paris in the early twentieth century, characterized by areas of bright, contrasting color and simplified shapes. The name les fauves is French for "the wild beasts.
Futurism
A group movement that originated in Italy in 1909. One of several movements to grow our of Cubism. Futurists added implied motion to the shifting planes and multiple observation points of the Cubists; they celebrated natural as well as mechanical motion a
Albrecht Durer
(21 May 1471 - 6 April 1528), was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the gre
Winslow Homer
(February 24, 1836 - September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and printmaker, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th century America and a preeminent figure in American art.
Largely self-taug
Judy Baca
(born September 20, 1946) is an American artist, activist, and University of California, Los Angeles professor of fine arts. She is the founder and executive director of the Venice, California-based Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), a communi
Jan Van Eyck
before c. 1395 - before c. 9 July 1441) was a Flemish painter active in Bruges and is generally considered one of the most significant Northern European painters of the 15th century. The few surviving records indicate that he was born around 1390, most li
Henri Matisse
(31 December 1869 - 3 November 1954) was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter. Matisse is commonly regarded, along with
Raphael
(April 6 or March 28, 1483 - April 6, 1520), better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatoni
Edgar Degas
A French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist. A superb draftsman, he is especially identifie
Jose Posada
(February 2, 1852 - January 20, 1913) was a Mexican cartoonist illustrator and artist whose work has influenced many Latin American artists and cartoonists because of its satirical acuteness and political engagement. As a young teenager he went to work in