Abstract. Refers to artworks which do not depict objects from nature but rely on pure form for effect.
Bleeding. Where colours merge into each other while wet; the term applies mostly to water colours.
Calvary. The depiction of the Crucifixion of Christ.
Cartoon. A full-sized preparatory drawing on paper for a painting or mural
Charcoal. Made from charred wood, charcoal is among the oldest drawing materials. It is frequently used in making preparatory sketches.
Chiaroscuro. The distribution of light and shade in an image. From two Italian words meaning clear and obscure.
Collage. A technique in which pictures are built up of a variety of materials like paper, fabrics, found objects, etc. It is the method favoured by surrealists.
Composition. The arrangement of the elements in a picture to achieve overall harmony. There are many theories about how to achieve this, but no reliable rules.
Diptych. An alter piece made of two panels.
Fresco. Painting onto a freshly plastered wall. It can be done while the plaster is wet or dry. The best known example is Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Frieze. A decorative band running around the top of a wall or building.
Glaze. Painting a layer of transparent colour over other colours which have already dried.
Golden mean. A geometrical rule laid down by the Roman architect Vitruvius for ensuring harmonious composition. It states that the division of a line or two-dimensional figure should be such that the proportion of the smaller to the greater is the same as that of the greater to the sum of the two.
Gouache. Opaque water colours.
Grotesque. A decorative style making use of animals, foliage, and human forms.
Hard edge. A technique used mostly in abstract painting, in which the elements making up the image are clearly defined.
Illumination. Primarily a medieval art form, involving the elaborate decoration of manuscripts with patterns, miniature paintings, gold leaf, and even precious stones.
Impasto. Heavily applied oil paints which show brush or palette- knife marks.
Miniatures. Small paintings, usually portraits, made for putting in lockets or carrying around. The best examples are British, from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Minimal art. Abstract painting or sculpture which uses simple geometric shapes and primary colours.
Monochrome. Work done using different shades of a single colour, as opposed to polychrome (involving many colours).
Murals. Paintings done on walls. A fresco is a kind of mural.
Op art. A style of abstract art which exploits optical illusions, especially those conveying movement.
Pastoral. An idealized depiction of rural life.
Perspective. The technique of rendering the impression of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface. It involves the use of one or two vanishing objects.
Pieta. A depiction of the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of Christ.
Pointillism. A technique in which forms are made up of many closely spaced dots of colour.
Sfumato. A very smooth gradation of tone, giving a hazy effect.
Silhouette. A picture showing a head or figure in profile, often cut from black paper.
Tempera. Pigment mixed with some substance such as egg yolk, to give a very permanent paint.
Tint. A colour.
Tone. The shade or value of a particular colour.
Triptych. An alter piece made of three panels.
Underpainting. The first layer of a picture, which indicates the general design and main areas of light and shade. It must be low in oil content, to allow later layers to dry without cracking.