chapter 7

Impasto

thick paint applied to a surface in a heavy manner, having the appearance and consistency of buttery paste or of cake frosting.

watercolor

Paint that uses water-soluble gum as the binder and water as the vehicle. Characterized by transparency.

vehicle

Liquid emulsion used as a carrier or spreading agent in paints.

matte

A dull finish or surface, especially in painting, photography, and ceramics.

Gesso

A mixture of glue and chalk, thinned with water and applied as a ground before painting with oil or egg tempera. Most gessoes are bright white in color.

AIR BRUSHES

A small-scale paint sprayer that allows the artist to control a fine mist of paint.

Encaustic

A type of painting in which pigment is suspended in a binder of hot wax.

Tempera

A water-based paint that uses egg yolk as a binder. Many commercially made paints identified as tempera are actually

pigment

Any coloring agent, made from natural or synthetic substances, used in paints or drawing materials. Usually in powdered form.

Sizing

Any of several substances made from glue, wax, or clay, used as a filler for porous material such as paper, canvas, or other cloth, or wall surfaces. Used to protect the surface from the deteriorating effects of paint, particularly oil paint.

direct painting

Executing a painting in one sitting, applying wet over wet colors.

Glaze

In oil painting, a thin transparent or translucent layer brushed over another layer of paint, allowing the first layer to show through but enriching its color slightly. In ceramics, a vitreous or glassy coating applied to seal and decorate surfaces. Glaze may be colored, transparent, or opaque. 2. A silica-based paint for clay that fuses with the clay body on firing. Can be almost any color, or translucent. The silica base makes a glasslike surface on the clay piece.

Ground

The background in two-dimensional works—the area around and between figure(s). Also, the surface onto which paint is applied, consisting of sizing plus primer. handscroll A long painting in ink on paper, which viewers contemplate by scrolling from hand to hand. Known chiefly in China and Japan. happening An event conceived by artists and performed by artists and others, who may include viewers. Usually unrehearsed, with scripted roles but including improvisation. hatching A technique used in drawing and linear forms of printmaking, in which lines are placed in parallel series to darken the value of an area. Cross-hatching is drawing one set of hatchings over another in a different direction so that the lines cross, suggesting shadows or darker areas. Contour hatching is a set of parallel curved lines that suggest a volume in space. Hellenistic Style of the later phase of ancient Greek art (300-100 bce), characterized by emotion, drama, and interaction of sculptural forms with the surrounding space. hierarchic scale Use of unnatural proportions or scale to show the relative importance of figures. (Larger relative size = greater importance.) Most commonly practiced in ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian art. high relief Sculpture in relief in which more than half of a significant portion of the subject emerges from the background. High-relief sculpture thus requires undercutting, in contrast to low relief. horizon line In linear perspective, the implied or actual line or edge placed on a two-dimensional surface to represent the place in nature where the sky meets the horizontal land or water plane. hue That property of a color identifying a specific, named wavelength of light such as green, red, violet, and so on. Often used synonymously with color. humanism A cultural and intellectual movement during the Renaissance, following the rediscovery of the art and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. A philosophy or attitude concerned with the interests, achievements, and capabilities of human beings rather than with the abstract concepts and problems of theology or science. icon An image or symbolic representation, often with sacred significance. iconoclast Literally, "image-breaker." In Byzantine art, one who opposes the creation of pictures of holy persons, believing that they promote idolatry. iconography The symbolic meanings of subjects and signs used to convey ideas important to particular cultures or religions, and the conventions governing the use of such forms. For example, in traditional Christian art, a key symbolizes Saint Peter, to whom Christ gave the keys to the kingdom of heaven. An hourglass symbolizes the passage of time, etc. idealism The representation of subjects in an ideal or perfect state or form. impasto In painting, thick paint applied to a surface in a heavy manner, having the appearance and consistency of buttery paste or of cake frosting. implied line A line in a composition that is not actually drawn. It may be a sight line of a figure in a composition, or a line along which two shapes align with each other. Impressionism A style of painting that originated in France about 1870. (The first Impressionist exhibit was held in 1874.) Paintings of casual contemporary subjects were executed outdoors using divided brushstrokes to capture the light and mood of a particular moment and the transitory effects of natural light and color. installation An art medium in which the artist arranges objects or artworks in a room, thinking of the entire space as the medium to be manipulated. Some installations are site- specific. intaglio Any printmaking technique in which lines and areas to be inked are recessed below the surface of the printing plate. Etching, engraving, drypoint, and aquatint are all intaglio processes. See also print. intensity The relative purity or saturation of a hue (color), on a scale from bright (pure) to dull. Varying intensities are achieved by mixing a hue with a neutral or with another hue. intermediate hues A hue between a primary and a secondary on the color wheel, such as yellow-green, a mixture of yellow and green. International Style An architectural style that emerged in several European countries between 1910 and 1920. International Style architects avoided applied decoration, used only modern materials (concrete, glass, steel), and arranged the masses of a building according to its inner uses. iwan A high, vaulted porch frequently used in Islamic architecture to mark an important building or entrance. kachina One of many deified ancestral spirits honored by Hopi and other Pueblo peoples. These spiritual beings are usually depicted in doll-like forms. keystone The stone at the central, highest point of a round arch, which holds the rest of the arch in place. kiln A high-temperature oven in which pottery or ceramic ware is fired.

binder

The material used in paint that causes pigment particles to adhere to one another

support

The physical material that provides the base for and sustains a two-dimensional work of art. Paper is the usual support for drawings and prints; canvas or panels are common supports in painting.

primer

a primary layer of paint applied to a surface that is to be painted. Primer is used to create a uniform surface.

Acrylic

clear synthetic resin used as a binder in acrylic paint and as a casting material in sculpture.

calligraphy

he art of beautiful writing. Broadly, a flowing use of line, often varying from thick to thin.