ARTH FINAL TERMS
Romanticism: a movement with a focus on individualism, an emphasis on nature, emotion over reason, freedom of form, and an exploration of the unknown.
encyclopedists/philosophes: a group of intellectuals, writers, and scientists in 18th-century France who contributed to the Encyclopedia
the Sublime: describes a quality of greatness or grandeur that inspires awe and wonder
Rückenfigur: or “figure from the back.” They used it to both evoke longing and invite the viewer into the scene as the faceless subject. With its heroic, mysterious figure, its loose and emotive brushstrokes, and its sense of awe at the sublime
physiognomy/phrenology: the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face.
camera lucida: an optical device used as a drawing aid by artists and microscopists. It projects an optical superimposition of the subject being viewed onto the surface upon which the artist is drawing. The artist sees both scene and drawing surface simultaneously, as in a photographic double exposure.
Pantograph: a mechanical device used to copy a drawing or design by duplicating the motion of a tracing pen
Aquatint: a print resembling a watercolor, produced from a copper plate etched with nitric acid
Mezzotint: a printmaking technique that uses a metal plate to create images with soft gradations of tone and rich blacks
Lithograph: result of the process of printing from a a smooth stone or metal plate on which the image to be printed is ink-receptive and the blank area ink-repellent
Daguerreotype: a unique, highly detailed photograph created on a silver-plated copper sheet using a direct-positive process
Talbotype: an early photographic process that produces a soft, hazy, and translucent negative image on paper that can be used to make multiple positive prints
cliché verre: print made by placing photographic paper beneath a glass plate on which a design has been scratched through a coating of an opaque substance and then exposing it to light. The fluid lines are reminiscent of etched lines.
Realism/realists: an artistic style that depicts reality in an accurate and authentic way
Flâneur: a detached observer of modern life who wanders the city and records his observations
Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood: a group of young British artists, poets, and critics who formed in 1848 to create a new, more realistic, and spiritual style of art
Poussinistes: artists who believed that drawing, was more important than color in painting
Rubenistes: an artist who believed that color was more important than drawing or design
images d’Epinal: prints on popular subjects rendered in bright, sharp colors, sold in France in the 19th century
plein air painting: the practice of creating artwork outdoors, capturing the natural light and scenery in real time
Salon des Refusés: art exhibition held in 1863 in Paris by command of Napoleon III for those artists whose works had been refused by the jury of the official Salon
Impressionism: a style of painting that captures an artist's impression of a subject, rather than a realistic depiction. Impressionist artists often painted outdoors, with loose brushstrokes to create a sense of movement and light. Independent realists are impressionists.
Haussmannization: the extensive urban renewal program in the mid-19th century aimed at modernizing and transforming Paris into a more organized, aesthetically pleasing, and functional city
Pointillism/divisionism: a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image
Post-Impressionism: Anti-academic, anti-conventional, emphasis on geometric or distorted forms and opting for more unnatural colors, expressive brushwork, emotional gestures
local color: the natural color of an object as it appears under standard lighting conditions, without shadows or other external influences
Fauves: style of painting that flourished in France around the turn of the 20th century. Fauve artists used pure, brilliant colour aggressively applied straight from the paint tubes to create a sense of an explosion on the canvas.
Aestheticism/art for art’s sake: late 19th-century European arts movement which centred on the doctrine that art exists for the sake of its beauty alone, and that it need serve no political, didactic, or other purpose.
Vienna Secession: an art movement that began in 1897 when a group of artists, architects, and designers broke away from the traditional art establishment in Vienna, Austria. The Secessionists wanted to create new, progressive art, and to bring contemporary art to the public. They also wanted to break free from commercialism and the conservatism of the art institutions
non-objective art: a type of abstract art, whereby artists aren't concerned with portraying recognizable objects from visible reality
analytic cubism: the early phase of cubism characterised by a fragmentary appearance of multiple viewpoints and overlapping planes
synthetic cubism: latter phase of cubism that had simpler shapes and brighter colors, flattened images that remove traces of three-dimensional space, use of mixed media and collage techniques
Futurism: early 20th century art movement that celebrated the energy and dynamism of the modern world, emphasized speed, dynamism, technology, youth, and violence. It also featured elements of cubism and neo-impressionism.
Dadaism: an art movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland during World War I as a reaction to the war's horrors, a protest sought to shock, confuse, and outrage people, and to challenge the logic and reason of modern capitalism and war
Surrealism: an art movement that began in the 1920s and was defined by a desire to explore the unconscious mind and challenge conventional reality, sought to create a "super-reality" by combining the contradictory conditions of dream and reality
constructivism/suprematism: an abstract art style that uses geometric shapes, industrial materials, and strong lines and colors to reflect the modern industrial world
Collage: the technique and the resulting work of art in which pieces of paper, photographs, fabric and other ephemera are arranged and stuck down onto a supporting surface.
The Armory Show: It was the first large exhibition of modern art in America, it introduced the groundbreaking European Avant-garde.
Readymade: a genre of art that involves taking everyday objects and presenting them as works of art
de Stijl/neo-plasticism: a Dutch art movement that emphasized abstraction, simplicity, and geometric forms, uses primary colors, horizontal and vertical lines
Expressionism: the expression of subjective emotions, inner experiences and spiritual themes, as opposed to realistic depictions of people or nature
die Brücke (the Bridge): a German Expressionist art group that was formed in 1905. The group's name symbolized their desire to bridge the present with the future. The birth of Expressionism. The affiliated artists often turned to simplified or distorted forms and unusually strong, unnatural colors
found object: art created by using everyday objects, often considered non-art items, that an artist discovers or acquires and incorporates into their work, essentially "finding" them and repurposing them as part of an artistic composition, often with minimal modification
Neue Zachlichkeit (new objectivity): a German art movement in the 1920s and 1930s that rejected Expressionism and focused on objective reality
The Bauhaus: a German art school and movement that combined the fine arts and crafts, and sought to unify art with everyday life. Rigorous curriculum that taught students every medium of art.
Entartete Kunst (degenerate art): the label the Nazis, applied to art they did not approve of (which was often modern art), in an attempt to bring art under their control.
exquisite corpse: a Surrealist art game where participants collaborate to create a drawing or sentence without seeing the contributions of others
Automatism: creating art without conscious thought, accessing material from the unconscious mind as part of the creative process.
Photogram: a camera-less photograph made by placing an object on light-sensitive material and exposing it to light
Social Realism: art movement that uses realism to depict the harsh realities of life for the working class and poor in order to critique the social, economic, and racial conditions that created those hardships.
Works Progress Administration (WPA): a government-funded program that employed artists to create public art during the Great Depression. Somewhat American propoganda pieces.
Harlem Renaissance: a period of artistic and cultural activity among African Americans from the 1920s to the 1930s. It was a self-conscious effort to promote African American art, music, and literature, and to challenge stereotypical depictions of Black people
Black Mountain College: a liberal arts college in Black Mountain, North Carolina that was a hub for artistic talent and avant-garde art in the mid-20th century. There were no course requirements, grades, or degrees.
abstract expressionism/action painting: new forms of abstract art developed by American painters such as Jackson Pollock characterized by large-scale, non-representational paintings that emphasize the artist's emotional expression through spontaneous brushstrokes, gestural marks, and vibrant colors, often conveying a sense of movement and energy, rather than depicting recognizable objects
neo-Dada: an art movement that began in the 1950s and 1960s and is characterized by its use of found objects, popular imagery, and a playful, ironic tone
Pop art: art based on modern popular culture and the mass media, especially as a critical or ironic comment on traditional fine art values.
nouveau realistes: an art movement that originated in Paris in the 1950s and 1960s sought to connect with urban life by incorporating real objects into their work, such as trash, advertisements, and household items. The movement is often compared to Pop Art and Neo-Dada because it addresses everyday life and consumer culture.
benday dot: commercial printing technique using small dots of color. It's a low-cost mechanical printing technique. The dots are usually cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The dots are placed at different intervals and blended to create shading and colors.
silkscreen/screenprint: silkscreen, sophisticated stenciling technique for surface printing, in which a design is cut out of paper or another thin, strong material and then printed by rubbing, rolling, or spraying paint or ink through the cut out areas.
The Factory: refers to Andy Warhol's New York City studio in the 1960s, where he produced art in a collaborative, mass-production environment
Arte Povera: 'poor art' refers to the movement's signature exploration of a wide range of materials beyond the traditional ones of oil paint on canvas, bronze, or carved marble. Materials used by the artists included soil, rags and twigs. Junk essentially.
Fluxus: an international art movement that began in the 1960s and was defined by a shared attitude and experimental approach to art. Artists created experimental art forms, including interdisciplinary "intermedia" art and performance art. Their work was often informal, spontaneous, and ephemeral.
Minimalism: an extreme form of abstract art developed in the USA in the 1960s and typified by artworks composed of simple geometric shapes based on the square and the rectangle.
conceptual art: art for which the idea (or concept) behind the work is more important than the finished art object
Neo-Expressionism: A revival of Expressionist painting that rejected the minimalism and conceptual art of the 1970s. Intense emotions, bold colors, and a rough handling of materials. Ex. basquiat.
Post-modernism: a reaction against modernism.Its main characteristics include anti-authoritarianism, or refusal to recognize the authority of any single style or definition of what art should be; and the collapsing of the distinction between high culture and mass or popular culture, and between art and everyday life. Eclectic mixing of different artistic and popular styles and mediums.
relational aesthetics: an art theory and practice that emphasizes the social interactions and contexts created by art, rather than the art object itself. Ex. Soup guy.
digital image: art that uses digital tools, is highly computational, and engages with digital technologies
Decolonization: the process of reclaiming, redefining, and revitalizing indigenous art practices and traditions that were suppressed or altered during colonial rule. Ex. taking art back.