A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ABBREVIATIONS
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Abstract, abstraction
Works of art created in a non-representational style; subjects
in art that appear to be independent from elements seen in
the natural world.
Academic training
The art sponsored by and produced within schools for the arts or
private studios of established artist and teachers, especially
in Europe; the education received in such schools and studios.
Academic painting typically denotes a highly finished style of
painting: each element is rendered in meticulous detail, while
undetectable brushstrokes create an extremely smooth and polished
surface.
Accession, acquisition
The legal incorporation of a work of art into a museum collection
by purchase or receipt.
Aesthetic
Of or relating to beauty; more generally, the distinctive manner
or style in which an artist, or group of artists, works.
Allah
The Arabic word for god.
Allegory, allegorical
An image or story that uses figures or other elements symbolically,
especially to illustrate moral or spiritual principles.
Amduat
Funerary text; the sun god and his divine protectors journey through the twelve hours of the night.
Animalier
A nineteenth-century French term for a sculptor who specialized
in small-scale sculptures of animals.
Ankh
The symbol for life.
Antique classes
Academic art lessons in which students drew from plaster casts
of antique statuary.
Antiquity
The period when ancient Greek and subsequently Roman civilizations
flourished.
Arcadia, arcadian
Name of a rural region of classical Greece known for the simplicity
and contentment of its rustic inhabitants; arcadian landscapes
and scenes typically reflect the idealized serenity of rural
life.
Art Deco
A decorative style from the early twentieth century that combined streamlined design, often elongated and symmetrical, with luxurious materials. Art Deco was more geometric and abstracted in form than its predecessor style, Art Nouveau.
Art Nouveau
An exaggeratedly asymmetrical decorative style popular from the 1880s until World War I. Art Nourveau arose as a rejection of the prevailing taste for over-decoration and a reliance on the imitation of historical styles. A conscious break with tradition, it influenced painting, sculpture, architecture, and the decorative arts. Characterized by sinuous lines based on organic forms, it served as a transition to Art Deco and later modern styles.
Atelier
An artist’s studio, especially one in which a painter or
sculptor trains students and apprentices.
Attribution
A work of art is attributed to an artist if documentation, an aesthetic
association, or an iconographic connection suggests, but does
not prove definitively, that a particular artist made a particular
work. Attributions can change as new historical or scientific
evidence is discovered.
Avant-garde
A French term, meaning vanguard or advance guard, which denotes
art that overturns conventions and rebels against prevailing
artistic and social standards. The label referred to many artists
at the turn of the twentieth century, but among the most famous
of avant-garde artists are Picasso and Braque, who broke with
traditions of naturalistic representation to forge the new pictorial
mode of Cubism. It is difficult today to speak of an avant-garde
because a stance of rebellion and alienation from norms is typical
among contemporary artists.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ABBREVIATIONS
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