Art History Terms Rococo to Post-Impressionism

ukioyo-e

a style of Japanese genre painting (“picture of the floating world”) that influenced nineteenth-century Western art

orthogonal

a diagonal line that recedes at an angel from the picture plane or viewer

optical color

the color of an object under changing conditions of light and atmosphere

local color

the descriptive or natural color of an object as seen in direct or unmodified by light

salon

an art exhibition of multiple artists; a social gathering of artists and intellectuals

en plein air

French for, “in the open air,” painting a subject out of doors rather than in the studio

academy

an institution that trains artist in theory and technique

etching

a printing technique whereby a metal plate is coated with a layer of resist, the design is drawn into the resist, and the pate is placed into an acid bath, which etches the line; the lines take the ink

academic art

A style of art that adheres to established standards and conventions, often associated with formal training in art academies

sublime

an aesthetic associated with Romanticism; something that conveys awe, terror, and beauty

complementary colors

colors opposite one another on the color wheel; through simultaneous contrast, complementary
colors appear to vibrate and strengthen the
chroma of each

history painting

a category of subjects
in art; lofty scenes based on literature or
historic events usually painted in the grand
manner

grand manner portraiture

a convention of rendering the likeness of a
specific individual with pose, setting,
attributes, and costume that emphasize high
statu

camera obscura

a predecessor to the modern camera in which a tiny pinhole, acting as a lens, projects an image on a
screen, the wall of a room, or the ground-
glass wall of a box

vedute

a type of naturalistic landscape and cityscape painting popular in the eighteenth-century Venice; literally, “view” painting