TERMS AND TERMINOLOGIES OF ART

The terms and terminologies of art simply refers to words which are used to
describe theory or practice in art.

These terms are drawn from all branches of visual art (Painting, Sculpture,
Drawing, Graphics, Textile, Ceramics and Craft) and they include;

1) Abstract Art: this refers to artworks which are mostly composed of

geometric forms, whereby images are stressed and distorted away from
realism. Abstract art is also known as Non-Representational Art
2) Aesthetics: this refers to the criteria and appreciation of the beauty of
an artwork.
3) Applique: this is a method of designing/decorating dresses in textile,
whereby cut-out shapes from a fabric is stitched onto the surface of
another fabric.
4) Assemblage: this describes the art of collecting different items or
material which are later arranged or put together to form a piece of art.
This is more like a method mostly used in creating metal sculpture.
5) Background: this refers to an area or scene behind the chief object or
image, especially in a painting or drawing.
6) Batik: this is a method of fabric decoration, whereby hot melted wax is
used as a dye resistant in the process of creating design on a fabric.
7) Biscuit: this refers to the first stage of firing before glazing a ceramic
piece.
8) Bust: this refers to a portrait sculpture which shows the head down to
the shoulders and mostly without hands.
9) Calligraphy: this refers to the art of making beautiful handwriting,
especially in Gothic and Script (cursive). Calligraphy is also known as
Pen-Lettering.
10) Canvas: this is a specially prepared fabric used as a surface for oil or
acrylic painting and it is usually stretched tightly and tacked onto a
wooden frame.
11) Cartoon: a drawing of human figure made with the intention of
amusing people. Cartoons are mostly used as graphical drawings in
newspapers, especially to portray political ills in a society, in a funny
way.
12) Caricature: this is the drawing of something or someone, with high
distortion of the person’s looks, in order to make people laugh.
Caricature is another name for cartoon.
13) Casting: this refers to a method in art which is usually used to
reproduce objects in same shape and size, especially in large quantity.
14) Chiaroscuro: this refers to the effect of light and shade in a drawing and
painting.
15) Craft: this refers to any work of art skilfully made by hands and simple
tools.
16) Curator: a keeper or custodian of a museum.
17) Drapery: this refers to the visible folds on the cloth of a model.
18) Earthenware: this is usually used to describe pottery works made in
clay.
19) Easel: this is an upright support which usually stand on three legs
(tripod) used for holding a canvas or board while painting.
20) Embroidery: this is the art of making beautiful designs on a cloth, with
needle and thread.
21) Exhibition: this is a display of completed artworks by one person or
group of persons in a museum, gallery or other public places.
22) Engraving: this is the making of designs on a surface, mostly on stones
and metal, by pressing hard so that the cut lines go below the surface.
23) Firing: this refers to the process of employing heat to clay works
(ceramics) in a kiln.
24) Fresco: this refers to a type of painting done on a wet or freshly
plastered wall.
24. Model: this refers to someone who poses before an artist.
25. Figurine: this refers to a small sculpture of a human or animal figure.
26. Foreground: This refers to the area of a picture space closer to the viewer.
It is also the surface on which a model or object stands.
27. Foreshortening: this refers to an effect of perspective and viewpoint by
which the shape and proportion of certain objects and figures are altered
and made shorter or smaller to the eyes.
28. Glaze: a liquid mixture used for making the body of a ceramic piece
shiny and waterproof.
29. Horizon: this is an imaginary line indicating where the earth and sky
appear to meet
30. Hue: this is another name for colour.
31. Hieroglyphics: this is a pictorial form of writing, used in ancient Egypt.
32. Illustration: this refers to a drawing, which visually represents or
interprets a particular topic.
33. Loom: this is a machine or wooden frame for weaving, on which thread
is fixed vertically to form the warp and another runs horizontally over
and under the warp to form the weft.
34. Impasto: this is the use of thick colour in the light area of a picture,
especially in oil painting, to give the effect solidity and strength.
35. Medium: the means or material with which an artist expresses himself.
36. Monochrome: this refers to the use of one colour with different tone, in
painting.
37. Motif: this is a unit of design that is usually repeated to form a pattern.
38. Mixed-Media: this refers to the combination of different materials in
the same work.
39. Mural: this is usually a large painting or design done on a wall.
40. Museum: a building where historical objects, artefacts, and artworks
are displayed, especially to preserve the history of an event, culture or
people. Artworks that are displayed in a museum are usually not for
sale.
41. Perspective: this refers to the art of depicting distance on a flat surface,
as it appears to the eyes.
42. Pigment: this refers to the colouring matter or substance used for
making paint. It also refers to any colouring material such as oil colour,
water colour, poster colour, pastel, etc.
43. Profile: this refers to the side view of the human head or the side view
of the whole body.
44. Relief: this refers to artworks that stands out from a flat surface,
especially sculptures.
45. Renaissance: this refers to the reawakening, rebirth of the intellectual
consciousness of man in art. It is a movement in art which started in
Italy and prospered between 1400 and 1600. Renaissance artists
include; Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Raphael and
Giotto.
46. Silhouette: this refers to the outer shape of an object or figure usually
painted in solid black on a white background or solid white on a black
background
47. Tempera: this is a method of painting in which pigment is combined
with egg-yolk (sometimes with glue). It was widely used in Italy for
making fresco.
48. Torso: this is a type of statue consisting of the human trunk, without
the head and limbs.