History of Art 2d art terms

scale

the size of an object

composition

the arrangement of forms

background

the part of a work depicted furthest from the viewer's space, behind the horizon line

foreground

the part of a work depicted as nearest to the viewer

horizon line

your eye level line; the place where land and sky appear to meet.

bands

horizontal lines

pictorial space

the illusion of 3-dimensional space

atmospheric/aerial perspective

changes in tone and colour when objects recede into the horizon line (fade, pale, bluer)

linear perspective

parallel lines appear to converge at a vanishing point with distance

form

the representation of solids in space

built form

buildings

line

a moving dot

curvilinear lines

curved lines

rectilinear lines

straight lines

organic lines

loose, curving lines like those found in nature

contour lines

lines that defines a form or edge

orthogonal lines

lines that lead to the vanishing point when drawing in linear perspective

illuminated

lit up

in shadow

an area from which light is blocked

tone

lightness/darkness of a colour

chiaroscuro/modelling

the treatment of light and shade to achieve a 3-dimensional representation

foreshortening

a visual effect in which an object is shortened and turned deeper into the picture plane to give the effect of receding in space

texture

the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface, substance, or fabric used to create accuracy

pattern/ornamentation

a repeated decorative design, often denying pictorial space

fresco

(fresh) painting on a wall using fresh plaster

arriccio

made of lime plaster and sharp sand; rough layer of plaster

registers

horizontal areas created by snapping a pigmented string across a plastered surface

sinopia

under-drawing made using a burnt-orange pigment

intonaco

made of lime plaster (+ marble dust to whiten); the final, very thin layer of plaster on which a fresco is painted

giornata

'day's work'; the section of plaster that a fresco painter expects to complete in one session

a secco

paint (made of limewater + pigment or tempera) applied on dry plaster

cartoon

full-scale preparatory drawing for a fresco or mural

pouncing

dusting a bag of charcoal dust over a perforated cartoon to transfer onto fresh plaster

tempera

method of painting in which the pigments are mixed with egg yolk

gesso

mixture of glue and chalk used to form a surface on wood for tempera painting; applied over a sheet of linen

bole

a red clay pigment used as the ground for gold leaf to stick

glair

egg white

burnishing

rubbing and polishing the gold leaf gilding with a dog tooth or agate tool

pentimenti

a still visible remnant or under drawing that indicates a change made between an earlier stage of drawing and the finished composition

anamorphosis

the distorted representation of an object so that it appears correctly proportioned only when viewed from one particular position

impasto

paint applied in thick layers so that the brushstrokes can be seen

strarved brush

where the brush is barely loaded with paint

predella panel

the bottom panel in the central area of a triptych

di sotto in su

painted as if from seen below; illusionistic

verdaccio

a greenish pigment used to create the line drawing and a basic monochrome tonality for tonal harmony in the fresco

grisaille

imitation sculpture

dado

lower part of the wall in a room

repoussoir figures

figures with their backs to the viewer

apron panels

panels to the sides of a crucifix

cimasa/finial

the rectangular panel above the cross on a crucifix painting

fresco cycle

a set of frescoes conveying the narrative of a story

xylographic print

woodcut print

intaglio printing

where the ink sits in depressions

relief printing

where the ink sits on protrusions

diagrammatic composition

stacking elements up the page’s vertical axis

monoscenic composition

continuous space that refers to a single temporal moment, not using single-point perspective

matrix (pl. matrices)

the material/block on which a printing design is etched/cut/etc.; the template for a print design

burin

a tool for engraving with a diamond-shaped tip and round wooden handle

hatching

lines, dots and dashes to suggest tone

tarlatan rag

a heavily starched cheesecloth used to remove excess ink from an engraving plate

types of rollers for prints

roller, platen (up and down)

printer blankets

a piece of fabric placed between the print and the press to soften pressure; often made of felt

ground

acid-resistant wax/resin/varnish used for etchings; removed with solvent

etching needle

blunt stylus used for etchings

lithography

design drawn onto a flat surface (stone, zinc, aluminium) and set using a chemical reaction

planographic printing

printing from a flat surface (unlike relief or intaglio)

oil-based lithographic crayon or ink

used for lithographic prints

litholine

solution used to remove lithographic crayon drawing on a matrix

asphaltum

powder buffed onto a lithographic matrix to prepare it for inking

flatbed lithographic press

printing press with a pressure bar that drag across the matrix for even pressure

tympan

board placed between the pressure bar of a flatbed press and the paper and matrix

tesserae

small tiles that are used to make a mosaic

statumen

base layer of a mosaic made of large pieces of brick and pottery

rudus

2/4 layer of mosaic made of a mixture of lime and rubble

nucleus

3/4 layer of mosaic made of a mixture of lime and small pieces of brick

setting bed / mortar

4/4 top layer of the mosaic made of a mixture of lime and powdered brick

buon fresco

fresh fresco on wet plaster

fresco secco

fresco on dry plaster

tenebrism

style characterised by majority dark areas and a few light areas to create a dramatic contrast, influenced by a study of chiaroscuro

quadratura

illusionistic painting on a vault

enconchado

Mexican technique of using inlaid shell, set with gesso

staffage

human and/or animal figures included in a landscape that are not the main focus/subject