Art Definitions
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Abstract Art Art in which the artist attempts to convey his or her attitudes and emotions through nonrepresentational means. Art that does not imitate reality and typically involves the use of simplified or exaggerated shapes and forms to emphasise certain qualitites or content.
Abstract Expressionism Similar to Abstract art, but usually involves the artist painting very quickly and spontaneously on a large canvas, expressing a particular emotion or feeling. One type of Abstract Expressionism is called action painting.
Acetate A clear plastic sheet used in registering plates, blocks, etc for printing.
Acid-free Paper Paper with a pH value of 7 or higher. Suitable for artworks.
Acrylic Paint A water-based paint made with pigments and synthetic polymer (“plastic”) resin. Its working properties are similar to oil paint, although acrylic dries more quickly and forms a somewhat glossier surface. It can be used on many surfaces without a medium-layer.
Acrylic Paintings Painted with acrylic paints. Typically acrylic paintings are brighter and appear more dominant than oil paintings. The brush strokes can be sharper and the shading more delicate, although it is more difficult to create a smooth change between different shades.
Action Painting Similar to abstract art. The paint or medium is applied to the canvas using strong splashing or dripping motions.
Anime A form of Japanese cartooning. Typically backgrounds are realistic and skillfully drawn and the figures are drawn with large eyes.
Aquatint A form of intaglio 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 (but not completely) the surface from the biting process of the acid bath. The print is hence based on areas of tone (can be quite granular) rather than lines. See Intaglio Printing
Archival quality Term used to denote materials with a neutral or slightly alkaline pH and having good ageing properties.
Refers to materials that meet certain criteria for permanence such as lignin-free, pH neutral, alkaline-buffered, stable in light, etc. A quality level for art materials, such as paper, that has a neutral or slightly alkaline pH, resulting in high-level aging properties. A non-technical term used to denote material that will last over long periods (several decades) with minimal deterioration because of its chemical stability and physical durability
Artist's Proof (A/P) When a publisher prints an edition, the artist is permitted to retain a number of copies of the print over and above the stated size of the edition. These prints, being the property of the artist, are called the Artist's Proofs. It is generally accepted that the number of artist's proofs shall not exceed 10% of the total number of prints in the edition. Known in French as épreuve d’artiste.
Assemblage A sculpture, installation or artwork created by the arranging and joining together of
individual pieces or segments, sometimes “found” objects that originally served another purpose.
Avant-Garde Refers to new art forms or techniques which are original or experimental – often intended to shock those who are used to traditional and established styles.
B
Baseboard In screen printing, the flat base upon which the paper is placed and registered for printing.
Bas-Relief When the surface of a painting or sculpture is raised. Meaning “low raised” work in French.
Bel Composto Meaning “beautiful whole’ - in the 17th century Baroque period, Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini unified the mediums of painting, sculpture and architecture to create a new unified medium where each element was pushed to its limits.
Bronze Sculpture A three dimensional work made of 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.
C
Ceramics The art making of objects from clay and firing them in a kiln. Wares of earthenware, porcelain and sculpture are made by ceramists.
Charcoal Burnt wooden sticks used for drawing.
Chiaroscuro Contrasting light and shadow in a painting or drawing as a means of illuminating or giving form to a particular subject.
Chiaroscuro Woodcut A type of relief printing where the design is divided among several blocks, each to print a different colour. The areas cut away in the blocks do not print hence providing highlights of the natural colour of the paper (the light of the light-dark technique). The blocks are carefully aligned and the paper passes through as many printings as there are blocks.
Chop A small embossed mark made in the margin of a print to identify the artist, printer, publisher, or sometimes collector.
Collage The layering of cardboard and paper onto a design forming a relief artwork. .
Collagraph A print from a plate which has been built up using collage techniques, with various low-relief materials and textures being glued to a plane surface to form the plate. May be printed as a relief, an intaglio, or a combination of both.
Collotype A lithographic print-making technique utilising gelatine mixed with potassium chromate on a zinc or glass plate which is then exposed to light to receive the image. The gelatine hardens in proportion to the amount of light received, the unexposed parts retaining the moisture. The plate is dampened and ink applied with a roller, adhering in inverse proportion to the amount of moisture retained - the hardest areas of gelatine printing the darkest. Particularly good for reproducing watercolour.
Commission To order an original work from an artist.
Composition How the objects are placed and arranged in an artwork.
Condition A print’s physical condition influences its market value. Condition typically is described as ranging from ‘mint' - completely undamaged and original - to "poor." A poor-condition print may be creased, torn, water or tape-blemished, trimmed smaller than its original size or otherwise damaged.
Conte Crayon A proprietary name for a hard crayon made of graphite and clay (invented by French chemist J. Conte).
D
Decoupage Alternating and glueing layered paper cutouts onto an item and then lacquering the result.
Diptych (dip'tik) A painting done in two separate panels. Each part is a complete work in itself, but when presented together they form a larger fully integrated work.
Dry brush Applying dry paint or watercolours on the surface of canvas or paper, leaving areas of rough, textured colour. Also called scruffing.
Drypoint Print-making technique in which lines are scratched into a metal (or perspex) plate using a needle or other sharp instrument with the same freedom as a pencil. The effect is spontaneous and informal. Cutting into the plate throws up a ridge of displaced metal on each side of the cut which takes in some ink, producing an inky glow around the line when printed. Refer Intaglio Printing
E
Edition The number of printed copies made of an original work. The standard phrase "edition size" therefore refers to the number of copies, not a print's physical dimensions. Edition size generally does not include artist proofs or any special edition copies that might be made. These special editions such as printer’s proofs, conservation editions, etc. are all numbered separately.
Ein-plein-air French term meaning 'in the open air'. Refers to painting an entire finished picture outdoors in natural light as opposed to simply making preparatory studies or sketches.
Emerging Artist A talented and skilled young artist who has a successful record in the primary market and areis consolidating his or her position in the art world through prizes, awards, and media recognition. Emerging artists represent an exciting and affordable entry level to the long term investment market.
Encaustic (Literally “to burn in”) A ancient painting technique where pigments are blended with melted beeswax and resin, and then applied to the canvas while hot. Before the wax cools, the artist uses metal tools or special brushes to apply and texture the substance.
Engraving Lines are incised on a highly polished metal plate by means of a sharp instrument. To make a curve the instrument (burin) is held in place and the plate is turned. Engraving is a slow process producing controlled, formal results. Refer Intaglio Printing
Etching A print making technique where lines are bitten into the metal plate through the use of an acid. The plate is covered with a wax or acid-resistant ground and lines are drawn through this coating and down to the plate with a sharp instrument (stylus). Acid is then applied which eats into the exposed areas – the longer the acid is exposed to the plate the stronger the line. The coating is then removed prior to printing. See Intaglio Printing
Expressionism An artistic style in which the artist’s own experiences, emotions and reaction to a subject matter are expressed through the artwork - usually through the use of vivid colors, strong, distorted lines and painted in a textural manner.
F
Figurative Art Artworks in which recognisable figures, usually the human form, are portrayed. Can also include the portrayal of objects.
Fine Art An art form created primarily for aesthetic expression, communication and contemplation. The viewer must be prepared to search for the intent of the artist as the all-important first step toward the communication and active participation.
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Genre When an artwork belongs to a certain genre it’s said to have similar subject matter or art style belonging to a particular group of artwork or artists.
Gesso A mixture of plaster of paris and glue which is applied to a canvas to raise the surface and texture the artwork. Also used to prepare sculptures with a raised surface.
Giclee (zhee-CLAY) An individually produced, high-resolution, high-quality reproduction done on a special large format printer. Giclees are produced from digital scans of an existing artwork. Colors in a Giclee print are so vibrant and true that it is often mistaken for the original artwork.
Glyph A symbol which is incised or engraved.
Gouache A heavy, opaque watercolour paint much like combining acrylic paint and watercolours. The artist can achieve watercolour effects such as bleeding and transparency, and the thicker acrylic effects depending on much gouache is applied. Gouache is often used on paper to produce studies prior to the production of the final full sized artwork.
Gouache PaintingsGouache paintings are very much like acrylic paintings, only not as bright. Using gouache may require a better technique from an artist, since the covering of the colors is not perfect. Some artists however make use of the effect of the darker colors showing through lighter ones in the artwork. Gouache paintings display a light-reflecting quality, quite different from the luminosity of transparent watercolors.
Graphite A soft black carbon similar to charcoal. Mixed with fine clay it is used in lead pencils.
H
Hyper-realism A style of painting and sculpture resembling a photorealistic rendering of people, landscapes and scenes – much like a high resolution digital photograph.
I
Impasto A thick medium which is added to paint to make it lumpy and textural, allowing raised and rough surfaces on an artwork.
Impressionism The style of painting where the artist paints the general impression or feeling produced by a scene or object and how the light impacts on the the subject matter. Typically the artist uses unmixed primary colours, heavy impasto and small discontinuous strokes to simulate actual reflected and changing light.
Installation Where objects and sculpture pieces are arranged to create an idea or a story for the viewer.
Intaglio Printing A printing process in which the image is incised or etched into a metal plate using a variety of techniques and tools. Ink is then applied to the recessed areas of the printing plate and the surface is wiped clean of ink before printing. The paper hence receives the image from the incised marks and not from the top of the plate. Types of intaglio printing include engraving, drypoint, etching, aquatint, and mezzotint.
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K
L
Limited Edition Prints that have a known number of impressions, and are usually signed and numbered by the artist. Refer Edition
Linocut An image is cut with a gourging knife into the surface of linoleum, usually, mounted on a block of wood. The surface is then inked and the image transferred to paper by pressure. Refer Relief Printing
Lithograph (also called lithographic print) A print produced by the process of lithography. The resultant "original print" is of considerably greater intrinsic worth than the commercially reproduced poster which is mechanically printed on an offset press. Refer Offset Lithography
Lithography A planographic print making process in which an image is drawn on a smooth slab of porous stone or grained metal sheet with a grease crayon or is painted with tusche. The surface is then treated with chemicals (gum arabic to surround the grease and prevent the ink from adhering to the undrawn areas; and nitric acid to help the grease and gum arabic penetrate the pores of the stone) and dampened with water. The water is absorbed by the undrawn area and rejected by the greasy drawn area. The printer then applies oil-based ink with a roller, and since water will not unite with oil the ink sticks only to the grease and thereby forms the image that can be pressure transferred to paper. The image to be printed is ink receptive and the blank area is ink repellant.
Lithograph Mezzotint Refer lithograph and mezzotint
Lost Wax Method An ancient process by which a bronze is cast from an artist’s clay, wax or wood sculpture. The process today may vary from foundry to foundry but the steps are generally standardised.
Firstly, a mold is made by coating the sculpture with rubber, one side at a time. When the rubber is dry a protective mold of plaster is built around each half of the rubber mold. Molten wax is then poured onto the inside of the two rubber molds creating two wax shells which are then joined together to create a wax copy of the sculpture.
A funnel-shaped pour-cup, conduits called sprues or gates and a series of vents are attached to the wax copy of the sculpture. The wax sculpture is then covered with a plaster, sand and water mixture called an investment. The investment containing the wax sculpture is put into a hot kiln. First the wax melts and flows out through the sprues – hence the term Lost Wax. Then, when the temperature is hotter, the investment turns into a rock hard mold leaving an empty cavity inside of the hardened investment mold.
Next, bronze is melted at extremely high temperatures and poured into the investment mold via the pour-cup and sprues. After the bronze cools, the investment mold is broken away to expose the bronze sculpture. The sculpture is then cleaned and the sprues are cut off. It is then ground and welded (known as chasing) to blend the surface texture. Finally the sculpture is treated with chemicals and heat to give it the desired colour or patina.
M
Manga A form of Japanese comic book animation where the figures typically have large eyes.
Mezzotint An intaglio printing process that proceeds from dark to light rather than the reverse. The design is produced by areas of tone rather than lines. A metal plate is worked over with a tool to creating uniform fine incisions all over its surface (so the plate won’t print an even rich black). Secondly, the design is produced by smoothing areas of the roughened plate, creating the highlighted and white parts of the print.
Mixed Media An artwork combing two or more artistic media – eg; pencil and watercolour, charcoal and paint, paint and natural materials (wood, pebbles), paint and man made items (glass, plastic, metals).
Mid Career Artists Artists who have now established themselves as highly collectible and profitable in the secondary market. Commercial success has accompanied critical acclaim in the form of international and national awards, and coverage by arts media and academia.
Monochrome A picture, especially a painting, done in different shades of a single colour.
Montage A picture made up of various proportions of existing pictures, such as photographs or prints, arranged so they join, overlap, or blend with one another.
Monoprint A print created through any technique (lithograph, etching, woodblock, etc.) that can be altered after it has been printed. Each print is different from the other, as the artist works each etched or worked plate individually, adding color or wiping the ink differently each time a print is pulled – ie; a common image with a different inking. Each print is therefore unique.
Monotype A unique image printed from a glass plate (or other clean unworked surface such as a polished metal plate) which has been painted with ink. Paper is laid on top of the wet ink and pressure is applied to produce a single impression. Paintings done on a metal plates may be either printed by hand or transferred to paper by running the plate and paper through an etching press. The main difference between a monoprint and monotype is that with monotypes different editions are impossible to pull. (Sometimes however enough damp ink remains on the plate to produce a second, weaker impression)
Mylar A tradename for sheet polyester. This thin, strong film can be used as an alternative to paper sheets as a substrate for painting or drawing.
N
Narrative Art Art which visually tells a story or relays information about an important event.
Naturalism Describes a style of artwork where the subject is painted in the way it looks in real life.
Numbered Each copy of a limited edition print is marked with two numbers separated by a slash mark. The first number identifies the particular copy, and the second indicates edition size: 25/100 - print number 25 of a 100 copy edition. See Artist Proof
O
Offset Lithography The image to be printed is photographically applied to a metal plate that is then mounted onto the roller of a printing press. Ink is applied to the plate, transferred to a rubber roller called a "blanket" and from the blanket onto paper. Offset lithography is today the most widely used method of printing. Because the older method brings paper and printing plate into direct contact with one another, the plate suffers a certain degree of wear as each copy is pulled and this is why low-number prints and artist proofs traditionally have been more desirable than copies made toward the end of the process.
Oil Paint A paint made of ground pigment suspended in natural oil, usually linseed. The oil serves to keep the paint fluid for a period of time and then acts as a drying agent. Oil paint is the most flexible and luminous of all paints, it allows large brush strokes and is more easily mixed than acrylic colour. It is also unsurpassed for textural variation and for its ability to create subtle effects with colour.
Oil Paintings Oil is the classic medium for painting, as seen throughout history, and typically oil paintings are done on canvas or linen. Since the paint itself can be rather expensive, oil paintings may be more expensive than other paintings
Open Edition An unlimited number of prints. Refer Edition
Original Artwork A "one-of-a-kind" work which may be executed in a variety of mediums and has an inherent value because it is unique.
Original Prints Prints, such as serigraphs or original lithographs, that are created without the use of photography. They are original because every print in an edition is created directly by the artist and may vary slightly from the other prints in the edition.
P
Painterly Descriptive of paintings in which forms are defined principally by loose brushwork in light and dark color areas, not by lines, edge or contours. The term painterly can also refer to any image that looks as though it may have been created with the style or techniques used by a painter.
Palimpset Any piece of parchment, canvas, panel or paper that has been reused, whether scraped clean, painted over or painted on the reverse side.
Pastel A colored crayon that consists of pigment mixed with just enough of a aqueous binder to hold it together. Pastels vary according to the volume of chalk contained - the deepest in tone are pure pigment. Pastel is the purest method of painting since pure colour is used without a fluid medium. The term pastel also refers to the work of art produced by pastel crayons. Pastels are called paintings rather than drawings as the colours are applied in masses rather than in lines.
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.
Primary Market The market that exists for artwork sold directly from an artist, dealer or gallery and not previously owned.
Pigment A coloring substance made from plants, earth, or minerals and may include other synthetic elements. Pigments are finely ground, insoluble dispersed particles (powders) which when mixed with binders become paint, ink, crayon etc. (Note - not all powders are pigments, some are dyes. Pigments are insoluble and dispersed in the binder, and dyes are soluble or in a solution when used). In addition to colour, pigment may supply many of the essential qualities of paint ie; opacity, durability, hardness and corrosion resistance.
Planographic Printing Where an impression is taken planographically from a painted surface. Unlike intaglio and relief printing there is no difference between the inked and non-inked surfaces. Types of planographic printing include monotypes, lithography and cliché-verre (glass print).
Polytych A painting consisting of three or more panels.
Pop Art A style derived from commercial art forms and characterised 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 Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Robert Rauschenberg.
Primary Market The market that exists for artwork sold directly from an artist, dealer or gallery and not previously owned.
Print The image obtained from any printing element. Originally this was a metal plate engraved intaglio, or a wood block (or metal plate) cut in relief, from the beginning of the nineteenth century lithographic stones were used and today screen printing adds another type of printing method. A print is termed “original” if the artist of the design has worked on the printing element as opposed to reproductive prints produced by an intermediary person where the design is worked into the printing element. Original prints are usually produced in small numbers and may be numbered and signed by the artist (note – reproductions occasionally are also numbered and signed).
Proof Technically speaking this term refers to those impressions produced by the artist to prove or test his work, however the term is generally used to indicate any impression of a print.
Provenance The history of ownership of any particular artwork.
Publisher A company whose business is to produce and market prints in collaboration with the Artist.
Q
Quintych (quin'tik) A work of art done in five separate panels.
R
Realism A type of representational art in which the artist depicts as closely as possible what the eye sees – it is accurate, detailed, and an unembellished depiction of nature or contemporary life. Realism rejects imaginative idealisation, stylisation of distortion in favor of a close observation of outward appearances.
Relief Printing As opposed to intaglio and planographic printing, the impression is created by printing from the surface or uncarved areas which has been inked. The incised areas do not usually print since they are recessed – hence they ‘print’ the white. Woodcut and linocut are usually used for relief printing.
Representational Art Works of art that realistically portray recognisable objects, figures, or elements in the natural world. Synonymous with naturalism.
Reproduction A print is termed a reproduction if it is made by someone other than the artist of the original design.
S
Screen printing. A form of print making. Stencils are applied to a screen (made of silk, nylon or metal) in such a way that when ink is applied with squeegee a it is prevented from passing through some parts while penetrating the rest thereby printing an image on paper placed beneath.
Scumbling The technique of partially obscuring a work’s precision of line or brilliance of color by applying a semi-opaque layer of paint atop the underpainting. Also refers to the act of rubbing the surface of a work to smear lines and soften the image.
Secondary market The market that exists for artwork once owned by a private individual.
Secondary Market Value The value of a print, determined by supply and demand, after all copies have been sold at original issue price. This term also relates to the sale of original artworks through dealers or auction houses.
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.
Signature The artist's signature applied to the original work as it appears in a print - or more frequently, the artist's signature in pencil on each copy of a print.
Signed and Numbered (S/N) A print bearing an original signature and copy/edition numbers.
Signed in the Plate Refers to the artist's signature on an original work as it appears in a print.
Signed Only (SO) A print signed by the artist but not numbered. (See Open Edition)
Silk Screen The term usually used in USA for screenprinting.
Silver Gelatin A photographic process that uses silver halide crystals suspended within the photographic emulsion. The most popular type of black-and-white photograph produced today.
Sold Out Said of a limited edition print once it is no longer available at issue price and is being sold instead at secondary market prices.
Stipple In painting, to apply small dots of color with the point of the brush; also to apply paint in a uniform layer by tapping a vertically held brush on the surface in repeated staccato touches.
Sugar Lift Etching A process used in conjunction with aquatint to allow areas of colour to be defined on the intaglio plate instead of appearing as thin dry lines. The artist spontaneously paints a positive design onto a plate with a solution of sugar, water, gum arabic and ink. When dry the plate is covered with a thin coat of acid-resist varnish, left to dry and then submerged in water. As the sugar swells and dissolves it lifts the varnish off the plate, exposing the bare surface beneath where the drawing has been made. (The vanish will still stick to the plate where the plate has not been treated with the ink and sugar mixture). To achieve textures eg; brushstrokes and tones the exposed area of the design is then covered with a resin ground (aquatint) and is bitten.
Also known as sugar aquatint or lift-ground etching.
Still Life A painting or other two-dimensional work in which the subject matter is an arrangement of objects - fruit, flowers, tableware, pottery etc - brought together for their pleasing contrasts of shape, color, and texture.
Surrealism A painting style of the early 20th century that emphasised 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.
Synthetic Polymer Paint Man-made water-based paint with a binder (polymer particles) produced from petrochemicals.
T
Triptych (trip-tik) A work of art done in three separate panels.
Tusche In lithography, a waxy liquid used to draw or paint images on a lithographic stone or plate.
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V
Vellum A durable parchment material originally made 1000 years ago from calf skin – the skin was processed so that it has a smooth surface suitable for writing or painting. Today a modern imitation is made from cotton and is known as paper vellum – as it is not porous like ordinary paper the paint or ink is not absorbed and the artwork can be glazed or varnished.
Verso The reverse or back of a painting or object – an artwork can be “signed in verso”
W
Wash Used in watercolor painting, brush drawing, and occasionally in oil painting to describe a broad thin layer of diluted pigment or ink. Also refers to a drawing made in this technique.
Watercolour A painting compound of water-soluable pigment in which the binder is usually gum arabic. It comes in paste or hardened cake form and water is used to thin, lighten or mix. Watercolour is a quick drying paint requiring the artist to work quickly and skillfully.
Watercolour Paintings Produced with watercolour paints – traditionally and typically a soft and delicate art but can also be bolder with the addition of impasto techniques of thick, rich pigment. Watercolors are usually painted in a light transparent pigment, like a luminous colour wash, on white paper sheets. It is the paper which provides the translucent glow to the painting instead of the use of white pigment.
Woodcut Print made from an image carved into the surface of a wooden block (Relief printing). Blocks used for woodcuts normally are sawn parallel to the grain of the wood. A woodcut made from a block sawn across the grain - providing a hard, dense surface into which very fine lines may be cut - is often called a wood engraving.
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