English glosary

INTERACTIVE GLOSSARY

Glossary of artistic terms

• Edition: a set of identical prints made from the same printing surface. Editions may be limited or unlimited in number.
• Embossing: a method of printing the deeply incised areas of a metal printing plate without ink, which creates a raised impression on the paper. Small or shallow objects such as coins, nails, washers, etc. can also be affixed to a smooth printing surface before printing; under the pressure of a press.
• Emulsion: a uniform mixture of oily substances and watery substances, which do not ordinarily mix. Artists may add an emulsifier, like egg yolk, to such emulsions as oil paint and water in order to encourage mixing and stabilization.
• Engraving: an intaglio printmaking technique that creates a crisp, precise line that swells in the middle and tapers at the end. Lines are incised on a bare metal plate using a burin, a tool with a sharp, V-shaped blade.
• Etching: an intaglio printmaking technique that creates thin, fluid lines whose effects can vary from graceful and serpentine to tight and scratchy.

• Expressionism: encompasses varying stylistic approaches that emphasize intense personal expression. Renouncing the stiff bourgeois social values that prevailed at the turn of the 20th century, and rejecting the traditions of the state-sponsored art academies, Expressionist artists turned to boldly simplified or distorted forms and exaggerated, sometimes clashing colors.

Illustrator

It is a person that makes illustrations, it means that it is somebody who draws images for different texts, for example in a comic or a book.

• Screen Art: refers to artwork that has been prepared for the screen-printing process. Proper setup of the artwork is crucial to achieve high-quality results in screen printing.
• Sculptor: it is a person that shows art by making scultures . they make art in a different way from dancers or singers. With their sculptures ( like statues) they show their feelings and emotions.
• Sculpture: the sculpture is a type of art. It is made of mud, wood and marbel, people like sculptures full of details. There are amazing ones in Rome
• Seascape: a painting that depicts the sea or a scene offering an expansive view of the ocean or sea.
• Self Portrait: a portrait an artist makes using himself or herself as the subject. It is typically drawn or painted from a reflection in a mirror.
• Serigraphy: a printmaking technique that involves pushing ink through a mesh screen onto a substrate (such as paper or fabric). The process uses stencils to create patterns or images.
• Sfumato: a Renaissance Italian painting technique that involves gradually blending colors and tones to create a subtle transition between different areas of a painting.
• Shape: an area that stands out from the space next to it or around it because of a defined boundary or a difference in value, color, or texture. It can be geometric (square, circle, hexagon, etc.) or organic (puddle, blob, splatter, etc.).

COLLECTION A group of objects of one type that have been collected by one person or in one place. CLASSICISM Classicism is the historiographical denomination of a cultural, aesthetic and intellectual movement.

CANVAS "Canvas" can refer to a few different things depending on the context in Art, a canvas is a strong, durable fabric (usually made of cotton or linen) that is used as a surface for painting. Artists stretch the canvas over a frame and then apply paint to create their artwork.

• Keylines: the outermost lines or edges of a design, according to Teresa Bernard Oil Paintings.
• Kinetic art: art that moves or has an element of motion. Artists making kinetic art may use motors to produce motion or may structure the work so that it is responsive to the natural movement of air currents.
• Kitsch: often described as tacky, low-brow art, but can be appreciated ironically, according to Artfinder.
• Kneaded Eraser: a soft, flexible eraser used for lifting graphite marks.
• Knife Painting: a technique where paint is applied with a palette knife rather than a brush.
• Kore: ancient Greek statue of a young woman.
• Kouros: ancient Greek statue of a young man, according to Teresa Bernard Oil Paintings.

• Quadratura: a term that emerged during the Baroque period to describe a painting on a ceiling or a wall to create the illusion of limitless space, i.e., architectural features that seem to extend beyond the actual reach of the room.
• Quadrilateral: in geometry, a four-sided polygon with four angles and sides of arbitrary length. The five most common types of quadrilaterals are parallelogram, rectangle, rhombus, trapezium, and trapezoid. Quadrilateral structures and forms are common in daily life and are evident in both architecture and art.
• Quadriptych: an artwork, usually a painting, that is divided into four sections or panels, where each panel depicts a different but related composition. Each panel can stand alone as an independent work of art, or displayed together to form a larger, more cohesive image or composition. Quadriptychs can be paintings, carvings, or even altarpieces.
• Quartz: a mineral often used in the creation of sculptures and other artworks due to its hardness and variety of colors.
• Quill: a writing tool made from a molted flight feather, preferably a primary wing-feather, of a large bird. Quills served as writing instruments, utilizing ink, prior to the advent of metal dip pens, fountain pens, and ultimately, ballpoint pens.
• Quotidian: art that depicts scenes from everyday life or ordinary subject matter, often highlighting the beauty in the mundane.

• Naïve Art: art created by self-taught artists, often characterized by simplicity and directness.
• Narrative Art: works of art that tell a story, either real or imagined.
• Negative Space: the empty or blank space around an object in an artwork.
• Neo-expressionism: a revival of expressionist painting techniques in the 1980s.
• Neoclassicism: an art movement that emphasized classical forms and themes.
• Neon: a form of lighting used especially on advertising signs, consisting of glass tubes filled with neon or other gases that emit colored light when subjected to an electric current; an extremely bright or vivid shade of a color.
• Naturalism: an artistic movement that aimed to depict the world realistically and truthfully.
• Non-representational: art that does not depict recognizable objects or scenes.
• Normative: relating to rules or standards, often used in the context of art theory and criticism.

• Value: the degree of lightness or darkness of any given color. Value is defined by the color’s proximity to white. For instance, lighter colors such as yellow will have lighter values than darker colors like navy blue. Adding white or black to a hue changes its value.
• Vanishing Point: in perspective, the point on the horizon line where all parallel lines appear to recede and converge; it’s the point where visibility ends.
• Variety: refers to the use of different elements, techniques, and design to create visual interest and intrigue. It prevents an artwork from becoming monotonous and boring and is essential for maintaining a rich visual experience.
• Varnish: a transparent hard, protective coating or applied to paintings to seal and protect the surface, creating a barrier against moisture, dust, and pollutants.
• Vermilion: a scarlet red pigment of variable color that is vivid red but sometimes with an orange tinge. Initially, the vermilion pigment was made from a highly toxic mineral called cinnabar, which contains mercury.
• Video Art: a genre of art involving moving imagery and audio-visual technology to produce videotapes for viewing on a television screen. This form of art gained rapid popularity in the ’60s and ’70s with the widespread availability of inexpensive videotape recorders.
• Visual art: a form of artwork, such as graphic design, painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, ceramics, crafts, or sculpture, created primarily for visual perception and exists in permanent form.

• Zenga: refers to the art and calligraphy created by Japanese Zen monks. It emerged during the Edo period (1615–1868) and continues to resonate through the modern era.
• Zenithal Lighting: a technique in painting and photography where light appears to come from directly above, highlighting the highest points on a subject.
• Zentangle: a self-help, meditative art therapy practice involving the creation of structured doodle designs through drawing various repetitive patterns.
• Zero-Point Perspective: a technique that creates the illusion of depth without parallel lines in an image, allowing for a sense of depth without vanishing points. This technique is commonly used in natural settings like mountain ranges or landscapes.
• Zigzag: a pattern or line that moves back and forth in sharp, alternating directions that mimic the shape of the letter ‘Z’. It’s often used in art and design to create dynamic, eye-catching visuals and can evoke a sense of movement or energy.
• Zoomorphic: refers to having the form of an animal or being related to a deity conceived of in animal form or with animal attributes. Artists often incorporate zoomorphic elements into their work, whether through sculptures, paintings, or decorative motifs. Zoomorphic designs can be found in pottery, jewelry, and architectural ornamentation.

• Illustration: it's a drawing that explains something using art as a way of communication or channel.
• Impressionism: a label applied to a loose group of mostly French artists who positioned themselves outside of the official Salon exhibitions organized by the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Rejecting established styles, the Impressionists began experimenting in the early 1860s with a brighter palette of pure unblended colors, synthetic paints, sketchy brushwork, and subject matter drawn from their direct observations of nature and of everyday life in and around Paris.
• Improvisation: to make, compose, or perform on the spur of the moment with little or no preparation.
• Ink: traditional black drawing ink, which originated in Asia and is therefore often referred to as India ink or Chinese ink, consists of very fine particles of carbon pigment, usually lampblack (soot), dispersed in an aqueous solution with a glue or gum binder.
• Inspiration: is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.Hologram: a three-dimensional image that results when recordings of two waveforms of a light source (such as a light beam) are superimposed.Hue: a particular gradation of color; a shade or tint.
• Installation: an art form that comprises visual elements in any medium and the space they inhabit.

• Table: in art, the term “table” often serves as a symbolic or literal object that represents gathering place, a point of interaction, or a space for order and organization. It can be used in various ways, such as a still life subject where objects are arranged to convey meaning, or as a metaphor for societal structures, relationships, or power dynamics. A “table” in artwork may evoke ideas of unity, hierarchy, or division, depending on how it’s depicted and what objects or people it supports or organizes. It is also a common motif in representing domestic life, rituals, and the act of sharing.
• Tempera: also called “egg tempera,” is a method of painting using pigments (color) bound in a water-soluble emulsion, such as water and egg yolk (plus sometimes glue or milk), or an oil-in-water emulsion, such as oil and a whole egg.
• Texture: refers to the way a surface feels or is perceived to feel. It plays a crucial role in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional designs, characterized by its visual and physical properties.
• Tone: a term that describes the quality of color. It relates to the perception of a color as warm or cool, bright or subdued, light or dark, and pure or muted.
• Triptych: artwork that is divided into three painted panels or three relief-carved sections hinged together or displayed side-by-side.

• Painter: It is someone who draws or paint. They usually cost a lot of money, because they are beautiful.
• Photographer: it is the person who takes photos in specific events like birthdays,weddings,etc... He uses special camerascreated to take very beautiful photos and he or she has studied to work with cameras.Normally they wear black and white clothes,because they have to go smart to the events and they bring with them a lot of cameras,tripodes,backpacks with more cameras,USB... Usually they work on their own,and they have a place in the city,thet makes photos for little and big babies and families,the card photos,documents photos...
• Paper: something where you can write or paint.
• Pigment: a dry insoluble substance, usually pulverised, which when suspended in a liquid vehicle becomes a paint, ink, etc.
• Pointillism: the practice of applying small strokes or dots of color to a surface so that from a distance they visually blend together.
• Pop art: a modern art style that started back in the 1950s and drew inspiration from commercial and consumer aspects of everyday life, especially in American culture.

• Landscape: the natural landforms of a region; also, an image that has natural scenery as its primary focus.
• Latticework: similarly styled brushstrokes creating a grid or pattern across the canvas.
• Lead: a soft, malleable, dense metallic element with many different applications and uses, especially in the marking substance in pencils or as a material for sculpture.
• Lead white: a very opaque, crisp white pigment that is seldom used today because of lead’s toxicity.
• Leitmotif: a recurring theme or motif in music, literature, or visual arts. In visual art, it can be a repeated symbol, color, or compositional element that carries symbolic meaning throughout a series of works or within a single piece.
• Letterpress: a relief printing technique for printing text and other images that are outlined and mechanically cut from metal or wood. The raised surface is inked and pressed onto paper by a printing press.
• Lining brush: a long-bristled brush that tapers to a point. Because it can hold a considerable amount of paint, this brush can be used to make very long lines before needing to be reloaded with pigment. Traditionally used for painting lettering on signs.

BACKGROUND Background Refers to the background space or setting that an image is placed within. Typically serving as a backdrop to the main subject.

BOTTLE A container, usually made of glass or plastic, used to hold liquids such as water, soda, or milk.

• Xanthic: an adjective that describes a color with a yellow tint or hue. Xanthic is a more specific and formal term often used in technical or scientific contexts.
• Xerography: a dry photocopying technique, originally called “electrophotography” and renamed xerography. It combines electrostatic printing with photography.
• Xylography: an ancient wood engraving technique, originated in China during the 1st century and is considered the oldest known method of engraving. It encompasses woodblock printing and the reproduction of wood grain patterns, commonly utilized in interior design.
• X-Radiography: a medical diagnostic tool used extensively by conservators to determine how artists applied different layers of paint to create an image. The X-rays penetrate through multiple layers of paint to image the atomic weight or density of the various present materials. It can readily identify if repairs have been conducted on tears in the canvas, if there are holes in the panel support, and other similar issues.

ART Art is a creative and aesthetic expression that aims to convey emotions, ideas, or concepts through various mediums, such as painting, music, dance, sculpture, and more.

ARCHITECTURE The art of designing and constructing buildings.

AVANT-GARDE New and experimental ideas and methods in art,music or litterature.

AESTHETIC Concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.

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• Manifesto: a public declaration, often political in nature, of a group or individual’s principles, beliefs, and intended courses of action. Manifestos typically materialize as written documents.
• Mezzotint: an intaglio printmaking technique that creates soft, velvety gradations of tone. The term comes from the Italian mezzotinto, meaning “half tint.”
• Minimalism: a primarily American artistic movement of the 1960s, characterized by simple geometric forms devoid of representational content. Relying on industrial technologies and rational processes, Minimalist artists challenged traditional notions of craftsmanship, using commercial materials such as fiberglass and aluminum, and often employing mathematical systems to determine the composition of their works.
• Modern art: is generally described as art produced after the Industrial Revolution, a period of global change that reached its peak in the mid-1800s with the invention of new technologies such as electric motors, consumer manufacturing, and photography.
• Monochrome: a work of art rendered in only one color.
• Music: it is a type of art,you can listen to t or sing.
• Musician: it is a person whose job is to make music, sing or play songs. They can also produce songs, like a DJ.
• Mural: a large picture that has been painted on the wall of a room or building.

• Object: a physical thing, often a work of art, that is the focus of an artist's creation.
• Objective: referring to art that strives for a neutral and factual representation of reality, as opposed to subjective or personal interpretations.
• Oeuvre: the entire body of work produced by an artist.
• Oil paint: a medium consisting of ground pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly used in painting.
• Op Art: an art movement that explores optical illusions using geometric forms and patterns.
• Opacity: refers to the degree to which a material, such as paint. An opaque color or layer completely covers what is underneath, making it impossible to see through.
• Organic: referring to shapes and forms that are derived from nature, such as plant or animal forms.
• Orthogonal: lines that are perpendicular to the picture plane, used to create perspective in a drawing.
• Overglaze: a decorative layer of glass applied over a colored or decorated piece of pottery.
• Ovoid: having the shape of an egg; a shape that is slightly elongated and rounded.

• Frieze: in art describes a decorative horizontal band running along the top of a wall inside or outside a building.
• Figurative: art sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork (particularly paintings and sculptures) that is clearly derived from real object sources and so is, by definition, representational.
• Form: the shape or structure of an object, figure or structure.
• Frame: is a rigid structure that surrounds something such as a picture, door, or windowpane. In visual arts and particularly cinematography, framing is the presentation of visual elements in an image, especially the placement of the subject in relation to other objects.
• Frottage: a technique that involves rubbing pencil, graphite, chalk, crayon, or another medium onto a sheet of paper that has been placed on top of a textured object or surface. The process causes the raised portions of the surface below to be translated to the sheet. The term is derived from the French frotter, which means “to rub.”
• Futurism: an Italian movement in art and literature catalyzed by a 1909 manifesto published in a newspaper by Italian poet F. T. Marinetti. The text celebrated new technology and modernization while advocating for a violent and decisive break from the past.

Figurative

The adjective of figurative comes from the old French word "figuratif" which means "metaphorical". Any kind of speech, including phrases and statements that are not meant to be understood literally, are figurative.

Friend a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relations.

Frame is a rigid structure that surrounds something such as a picture, door, or windowpane.

• Realism: a style of art most people consider to be “real art.” This is because it attempts to depict the topic as it appears in real life but stops short of appearing like a photograph.
• Recycled Art: contemporary works of art made from garbage, discarded items, or found objects that once had another purpose. Such items include plastic shopping bags, food containers, old plastic toys, vehicle tires, fabric scraps, bicycle parts, car parts, clothing, footwear, etc.
• Rendering: an important process in art that involves creating a realistic representation of a figure, object, or scene using a variety of methods. In conventional art, rendering entails painting with lines, shapes, and colors, whereas in digital art, it entails finishing a piece with computer effects.
• Representational Art: an artistic style in which the artist aims to depict real-life subject matter that is recognizable to the viewer, but with varying degrees of abstraction.
• Rhythm: refers to the way visual elements are repeated or organized to create a sense of movement, flow, and order. Rhythm is achieved through the deliberate repetition of specific design elements within an artwork.
• RYB: stands for Red, Yellow, Blue—the three primary colors from which all other colors can be created by mixing them together in various combinations. The RYB color model is primarily used in art and design. :

• Wall Art: any artistic work specifically designed to be displayed on walls.
• Warm Color: colors whose relative visual temperature makes them seem warm. Warm colors include red-violet, red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, and yellow.
• Water-soluble Oil Paint: a type of oil paint that can be thinned and cleaned up with water. Unlike traditional oil paints, which require solvents like turpentine, water-soluble oils retain the rich texture and vibrant colors of oils while being more accessible and less toxic.
• Watercolor: a transparent or opaque water-based painting compound suspended in a natural gum arabic binder. Watercolor is a moist paint that comes in a tube, thinned using water, and mixed on a dish or palette.
• Wildlife art: artwork that depicts the natural world and the animals that live in it, whether wild or domesticated.
• Woodblock Printing: an ancient technique for printing text, images, or patterns. It involves carving a design into a wooden block, inking the raised surface, and then pressing it onto paper or fabric.
• Word art: any art that includes words or phrases as its primary artistic component appearing in various media, including painting and sculpture, lithography and screen-printing, and applied art (T-shirts, mugs, etc.).
• Wrinkle Painting: a technique used to create textured surfaces that resemble wrinkles. This is typically achieved by applying paint or another medium and then manipulating it while it’s wet to form irregular patterns and folds.

• Yard Art: refers to decorative items and artistic pieces designed to be placed in outdoor spaces like gardens, yards, and patios. This can include sculptures and statues, decorative planters and pots, ornamental garden stakes, metal or wooden art pieces, fountains and birdbaths, and mosaic steppingstones. It’s all about adding personality and creativity to your outdoor environment.
• Yarn Bombing: a form of street art where colorful yarn or knitted pieces are wrapped around objects in public spaces. It adds a whimsical touch to urban environments and celebrates creativity.
• Yarn Graffiti: a delightful form of street art where colorful knitted or crocheted yarn is used to cover objects or structures in public spaces. Instead of traditional graffiti materials like paint, yarn bombers transform the urban landscape with soft, cozy fibers.
• Yellowing: a discoloration that can occur over time in oil paintings due to 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. Also referred to as “after-yellowing.”
• Yielding Lines: refers to lines in art that appear to bend, flow, or flex, suggesting movement and fluidity. They create a sense of motion and dynamism, often leading the viewer’s eye through the composition in a gentle, natural way.

• Umber: a natural pigment of brown or reddish-brown color used in painting. In its natural form, it is called raw umber, but when it is heated, the color becomes more intense and is called burnt umber.
• Underdrawing: a term denoting a preliminary sketch or drawing executed on a painting surface before the application of paint.
• Underground Art: a term used to describe a subculture of art that operates outside conventional norms in the art world, like graffiti, street art, or visionary art. Any form of art that mainly occurs on public property.
• Underpainting: refers to the initial layer of paint applied to a canvas or surface before adding subsequent layers.
• Undertone: a subdued or muted tone of color, specifically a color seen through and modifying another color.
• Urban Art: creative works produced in public spaces, particularly in urban environments. This genre includes a wide range of styles and mediums, such as graffiti, murals, stencil art, wheat-pasting, and installations.
• Utilitarian Art: art objects that serve both practical and aesthetic purposes. Unlike traditional fine art, which is often collected, displayed, or stored carefully, utilitarian art is meant to be used and enjoyed in everyday life.

• Jade: a green stone often used in Chinese and Central American art.
• Jaggies: a visual artifact also known as aliasing, where jagged lines or edges appear in images due to insufficient resolution.
• Jalee Work: also known as "jali," a decorative technique using openwork or pierced designs.
• Japonism: a French term describing the influence of Japanese art and culture on Western art, particularly in the late 19th century.
• Jasper: a type of stone, often used in decorative art and sculptures.
• Jewel Tones: a range of rich, vibrant colors like emerald green, ruby red, and sapphire blue.
• Juxtaposition: Placing different elements or ideas side-by-side, often to create contrast or a specific effect.

• Happenings: emerging from the live performances and spectacles of Dada and Surrealism, Happenings were events created by artists in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Allan Kaprow coined the term when he used it in the title of his 1959 work 18 Happenings in 6 Parts, which called for the audience to carry out specific actions in an environment he staged.
• Hologram: a three-dimensional image that results when recordings of two waveforms of a light source (such as a light beam) are superimposed.
• Hue: a particular gradation of color; a shade or tint. Hue can also simply mean “color.”

DANCER

It is a person who makes movements with their body, with music.

DESIGNER

It is a proffesion that consists on creating different types of designs. It is like an artist, who can design things like jumpers, hoddies, tracksuit, shoes, jeans, furniture.

DRAWING Drawing is the process of creating images or designs using tools like pencils, pens, or other instruments, typically on a flat surface such as paper.

DANCING

The word "dancing" refers to the act of dancing, and it has many aspects and meanings that help people in various ways. First of all, dancing is a form of art and expression.Through dance, you can communicate without words, which is very important in many cultures.

Artist

It is a person who designs and creates art. Examples of art are: paintings,sculptures and music

• Generative art: art that is created, in part or in whole, through the use of an autonomous system or computer code, and that often relies on elements of randomness or chance.
• Geometric abstraction: a form of abstract art that combines geometric, “hard-edge,” or linear forms. When geometric shapes are arranged in nonrepresentational space (i.e., the flat space of a canvas), and refer only to themselves rather than ideas or “real life,” they are sometimes called constructive or concrete.
• Gestural: relating to methods of applying a medium, such as paint, to a surface, often with active or sweeping body movements.
• Glaze: a thin coat of transparent or translucent paint used to modify the tone of an underlying color. Glazes can alter the chroma, value, texture, and hue of a surface. They are composed of a large amount of binder or solvent mixed with a very small amount of pigment.
• Gouache: a water-based matte paint, sometimes called opaque watercolor, composed of ground pigments and plant-based binders, such as gum Arabic or gum tragacanth. The opacity of gouache derives from the addition of white fillers, such as clay or chalk, or a higher ratio of pigment to binder.
• Graphite: a soft, greasy mineral form of carbon with a steel-gray to black metallic luster, used as a drawing material. Until the 18th century, natural lump graphite was placed in bone or wood holders for application. Since the 18th century, powdered graphite has been mixed with clay and fired to create the hard sticks used in pencils.