Painting

Fresco

Water based paint applied onto wet lime or gypsum plaster; Italian for fresh; chalky, opaque, matte, relatively cheap.

Giornata

'Day Patches' that refer to the amount of fresco painting accomplished in one day.

Linear Perspective

Creating an illusion of depth on a 2D image by systematically making parts smaller towards a vanishing point.

Tempera

A permanent fast drying medium combining egg yolk as a binder.

Oil Painting

A painting technique that is much more transparent and characterized by softness.

Italian Renaissance

A period aiming for naturalism and an interest in the natural world, convincing the illusion of 3D.

Chiaroscuro

'Light-dark'; a technique of modeling through strong contrasts between light and dark.

Sfumato

A painting technique featuring smoky contours.

Brushstrokes

The marks of a painter's brush on the surface of a painting.

Impressionism

An art movement focused on capturing fleeting moments, creating an effect on the viewer, and often a response to photography.

Impasto

Thickly applied paint that stands up above the surface it is applied to.

Abstract

Art that communicates meaning through formal properties rather than imitating material objects.

Abstract Expressionism

A movement in NYC during the 1940s using abstract paintings to express emotion.

Action Painting

A form of Abstract Expressionism practiced by Jackson Pollock, emphasizing the artist's creation process.