ABSTRACT - An art style in which real objects are expressed in an "abstracted" or non-realistic form using a pattern, structure, shapes, lines and colors. Applies to all media of art.
ACTION PAINTING - A style in which the resulting work emphasizes the "act of creation." Most often pain is dripped, dribbled, flicked, splashed, smeared or applied in a manner other than traditional brushstrokes. Commonly associated with abstract expressionism, the New York School art movement and the work of Jackson Pollock.
AIRBRUSH - The application of paint using a device that sprays dyes or paints onto a surface to create a very smooth graduation from one color or tone to another.
ANALAGOUS COLORS - A palette of compatible colors that blend well together. Often found next to each other on the color wheel, they are closely related because they share a common color. For example, blue, blue-green, and green all have the color blue in common.
ARCHIVAL - Refers to materials that meet certain criteria for permanence, used to ensure the physical integrity of a work or its protection in storage.
ART DECO - An popular art style from the 1910s through 1930s involving a mix of modern decorative styles applied to architecture, interior and industrial design, fashion, painting, graphic arts and film. Based on modern materials, (steel, chrome, glass), it is characterized by repetitive, geometric patterns of curves and lines.
ARTIST'S PROOF - Also referred to as a "working proof," it is an impression taken in the printmaking process to see the state of a plate as it is being worked on by the artist. It is also used to describe prints that are outside the regular or limited edition. By custom, the artist retains the artist's proofs for his personal use or sale.
AVANT-GARDE - French for "vanguard," this term is used to describe artists and works, which stand in the forefront of a movement or of new ideas, often in opposition to established ideas and traditions.
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ACRYLIC - Produced from synthetic materials, acrylic paint is often selected over its oil-based counterpart for its ability to dry more rapidly and be removed more readily using mineral spirits.
AERIAL PERSPECTIVE - Creating the illusion of depth in a painting by using color to imitate the impact of the atmosphere on objects that are viewed at a distance. For example, using more blue color or lighter hues for distant objects and spaces to make them less distinct than those in the foreground.
ALKYD - A widely used, durable synthetic resin used in paints and other media. For paints, alkyds are used to speed drying times. Alkyd coatings are also used as baking enamels for finished metal products.
AQUATINT - An intaglio printmaking technique in which acid is used to make the marks on the metal plate and the areas between are covered with a powdered resin that protects the surface from the biting process of the acid bath. The result is a tonal effect or granular appearance that is similar to the effects and gray tonalities of a watercolor drawing.
ARMATURE - The framework, often aluminum, steel or wood, which is used to provide support and stability a sculpture or other large work while it is being made.
ART NOUVEAU - An art style of the late 1800s and early 1900s applied to the visual arts and architecture. It features curving, often swirling shapes based on organic forms such as leaves, flowers and vines, along with sinuous lines and non-geometric curves.
ASSEMBLAGE - The technique of creating a three-dimensional composition by joining together individual pieces or segments, often "found" objects that originally served another purpose.
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