Welcome to our online fine Art Glossary. We hope that this will help you with understanding all the different fine art terminology that is in our great world of beautiful art. Please enjoy viewing our great collection of fine artists and contact us if we may be of any assistance to you with your fine art desires. We look forward to hearing from you.
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ABSTRACT ART- This general term refers to works executed in accordance with the principle that lines, forms and colors possess aesthetic values which may be arranged into pleasing compositions devoid of normal subject matter. The principle is very old and can be traced back to Plato.
ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM- As the name implies this refers to a combination of Abstract and Expressionist styles whereby an artist allows his/her subconscious to create involuntary shapes with splatters and dribbles of paint. It is best typified by the paintings of Jackson Pollock.
ABSTRACT IMPRESSIONISM- Principally the same thing as abstract expressionism applied with uniform, impressionist like brush strokes.
ACRYLIC- Acrylic vinyl polymer paint. This uniquely versatile plastic emulsion was frowned upon when it emerged in the last 50's but it is now generally estimated to be the most resilient medium and is widely accepted in museum circles.
ART DECO- 1930'S style of decoration reminiscent of Art Nouveau.
ARTIST PROOF- An impression taken from the press prior to the main print run to satisfy the artist in regard to color and quality.
A/P- Artist Proof
CANVAS- Strong cloth made from flax or hemp used as a support for paintings.
CHARCOAL- Wood reduced to carbon in an oxygen starved heated chamber made into sticks or pencils.
COLLAGE- A composition of shaped pieces of paper or material, usually painted, drawn or printed, glued to a supporting surface.
CUBISM- This apparently abstract art form first emerged amidst a flood of controversy in 1907. Started by Picasso and Braque and derived from the work of Ce'zanne the art form is concerned with analyzing the interaction of stylized forms with regard to their position in space (and to some extent time). Self proclaimed as a realist movement, it materialized in the form of superimposed multiple views that influenced all abstract work thereafter.
DIPTYCH- A work in the form of two related paintings or panels placed side by side.
ETCHING- A general term referring to a number or Intaglio print making techniques where lines marked on a prepared metal plate are eaten away (etched) by acid.
FINE ART- Those referred to by scholars as being chiefly concerned with the mind and imagination. In short, art for art's sake. Not created for decorative, illustrative or commercial purposes.
GICLEE- Pronounced "jee-clay" is a French term used to describe a specialized process in which pigmented inks are applied to canvas or paper to reproduce a fine art reproduction. Highly trained technicians spend countless hours in spectrophotomertry, matching color hues and textural effects of original pieces of art. Using high-resolution digital photography and scanning equipment exceeding tens of thousands of dollars, a fine art reproduction is then crated picking up every nuance of the original painting.
GLAZING- Originally applied to oil painting. This tern refers to the application of a transparent layer of color over a solid one so that the color of the first is profoundly modified, e.g. a transparent layer of red over yellow will produce the effect of orange whilst providing the benefit of additional depth to the color. This technique was used by most of the Old Masters.
INTAGLIO PRINTS- All manner of printing where the paper received the ink from incised lines on a metal plate and not from the surface of the plate. The press often uses rollers to push dampened paper into the score lines on the plate and thereby pick up the ink.
LIMITED EDITION PRINTS- The entire number of impressions of a particular print. Limited Editions refers to the practice of limiting the number of prints made of a particular painting. This creates a rarity value for the benefit of collectors. The prints are signed by the artist and numbered such as 50/95 which would indicate that the print is number fifty of a total of 95 produced.
LITHOGRAPHY- A printing process based upon the repulsion of water by grease. Areas not to be printed are treated with a greasy medium. Water based ink applied to the plate does not stick to the treated area and is therefore not carried on to the paper.
ORIGINAL- One of a kind.
POP ART- Art movement based upon the premise of accepting artifacts of popular culture as valid art forms in themselves. First popular in England in the mid 50's with artists such as David Hockney, the movement reached its height in the 60's with American artists such as Andy Warhol, Lichtenstein, Wessalmann and Rauschenberg.
SERIGRAPH- ( SILK-SCREEN PRINT). In its finest form, this is generally considered to be the highest quality of hand pulled reproductions. A series of screens are produced, one for each color or shade being used. This can sometimes involve as many as 100 screens each of which must be hand applied individually to each sheet of paper. Sometimes an artist will finsh the work by hand painting some areas.
S/N- Signed and Numbered Prints
SURREALISM- Defined by Breton as "the process of thought free from the exercise of reason and every aesthetic and moral preoccupation". This 1924 hallucinatory art movement was a development of the irrational dictates of the subconscious mind. Renowned exponents include Dali and Magritte.
SYMBOLISM- A late 19th Century art movement that would use a material object to represent something special sacred or immaterial. A good example would be a lamb as a symbol of Christ. Principle exponents include Moreau, Redon, Gauguin, and Rodin.
WATERCOLOR- A vivid water based paint, usually applied to paper, which provides outstanding brilliance and translucence. Purist techniques demand the application of thin glazes with recourse to bodycolour.
