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Glossary

203 terms from aquatint to woodcut, explained in one or two sentences.

Acid free
Describes paper, board or tissue made without acids that would yellow and weaken artworks over time. Read more
Adaptive reuse
Converting an existing building, such as a power station or factory, to a new purpose. Read more
Adobe
Sun-dried bricks of earth and straw, the traditional building material of the American Southwest and Mexico. Read more
Aquatint
An etching technique that creates areas of tone with acid biting through a grainy resin ground on the plate.
Arsenale
The former Venetian shipyards, used since 1999 for part of the Biennale’s main international exhibition. Read more
Art brut
Term coined by Jean Dubuffet for art made outside the art world and its training, sometimes called outsider art. Read more
Artist in residence
An artist invited to live and work somewhere for a set period, often with a studio and a final presentation. Read more
Artist residency
A programme offering artists a studio and accommodation for a set period, sometimes with a stipend, to develop their work. Read more
Artist statement
A short text in which artists explain what they make, how and why, written in their own voice. Read more
Artist’s proof
A print set aside from the numbered edition for the artist, usually marked AP or E.A. (épreuve d’artiste).
Artist’s resale right
A right in the EU and elsewhere giving artists and their heirs a royalty when works are resold on the art market. Read more
Artistic director
The person or team responsible for the concept and artist selection of a documenta edition. Read more
Assemblage
An artwork built from found objects and materials, a three dimensional relative of collage.
Atrium
A tall open space at the centre of a building, often lit from above. Read more
Attribution
The judgement, based on evidence and expertise, of which artist made a work when no signature or document settles it. Read more
Audio guide
A recorded commentary on selected works, offered on a device or through a museum app. Read more
Barbizon school
Nineteenth century French landscape painters who worked around the village of Barbizon, beside the forest of Fontainebleau. Read more
Beam angle
The width of the cone of light from a lamp; narrow beams suit small works, wide beams larger ones. Read more
Bilbao effect
The idea that a spectacular cultural building can revive a city, named after the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Read more
Binder
The substance, such as egg yolk, linseed oil, gum arabic or acrylic polymer, that holds pigment particles together and fixes them to a surface. Read more
Blotted line
Warhol’s illustration technique of pressing a wet ink drawing onto another sheet to create a broken, printed-looking line. Read more
Blue Period
Picasso’s phase from 1901 to 1904, dominated by cold blue tones and subjects of poverty and loneliness. Read more
Bon à tirer
The approved trial proof (BAT) that the printer matches for every sheet of the edition.
Booth
The rented space at a fair where a gallery shows its works, also called a stand. Read more
Bottom weighting
Making the lower border of a mat slightly wider than the top and sides, so the work looks correctly placed. Read more
Bought in
Describes a lot that fails to reach its reserve and therefore remains unsold. Read more
Brief
A short written description of what the commissioner hopes for: purpose, place, size, budget and timeline. Read more
Burr
The ridge of metal thrown up beside a drypoint line, which holds ink and gives a soft, velvety mark. Read more
Buyer’s premium
The fee an auction house adds on top of the hammer price, paid by the buyer.
C-print
A chromogenic colour print, in which coloured dyes form in the layers of the paper during development. Read more
Camera obscura
A darkened box or room in which a lens or small opening projects an image of the outside world onto a surface. Read more
Catalogue raisonné
A scholarly, as complete as possible list of all known works by one artist.
Centre line
An imagined horizontal line on which the centres of pictures are aligned, often about 145 to 152 cm from the floor. Read more
Certificate of authenticity
A document from the artist, publisher, gallery or estate confirming the work’s authorship and key details. Read more
Cessio bonorum
A Dutch legal arrangement in which an insolvent debtor surrendered his possessions to creditors to avoid prison. Read more
Chasing
The finishing of a cast metal surface with chisels, punches and files to remove casting marks and refine detail. Read more
Chiaroscuro
Strong contrast of light and dark used to model forms and create drama.
Civic militia
The citizen guard of a Dutch town, whose companies commissioned large group portraits for their meeting halls. Read more
Claw chisel
A chisel with a toothed edge, used after the point to remove stone in even layers before finer finishing. Read more
Collage
A picture made by gluing paper, fabric or other flat materials onto a surface.
Colour checker
A card printed with standard colour patches, photographed beside an artwork to calibrate colour and white balance. Read more
Colour Index
An international reference system that gives each pigment a code, such as PB29 for ultramarine. Read more
Colour rendering index
A scale showing how faithfully a light source reproduces colours compared with daylight. Higher values mean truer colours. Read more
Colour temperature
A measure of whether light looks warm or cool, given in kelvin; lower values look warmer and more golden. Read more
Commission
A work made specially for a client, agreed in advance in terms of size, subject, materials, price and timing. Read more
Composition
The arrangement of shapes, lines, colours and figures within a picture, which guides how the eye moves through it. Read more
Condition report
A written description of an artwork’s physical state, including damage, repairs and wear.
Conservation framing
Framing with materials that protect the work over time, such as acid-free mount board and removable hinges. Read more
Conservator
A trained professional who examines, stabilises and treats artworks using documented, carefully chosen methods. Read more
Contrapposto
A standing pose with the weight on one leg, which turns hips and shoulders in opposite directions.
Craquelure
The fine network of cracks that forms in the paint and varnish layers of older paintings as they age. Read more
Cubism
Movement begun around 1908 by Picasso and Braque that breaks objects into geometric planes and shows several viewpoints at once. Read more
Curator
The person who selects, researches and arranges works for a collection or an exhibition. Read more
D-ring
A D-shaped metal ring screwed to each side of a frame back, used to hang a work on two hooks or screws. Read more
Dalí triangle
Popular name for the three Dalí sites in Catalonia: the Theatre-Museum in Figueres, the house at Portlligat and the castle at Púbol. Read more
Darkroom
A lightproof room where photographs are developed and printed by hand with light-sensitive paper and chemical baths. Read more
Deckle edge
The soft, irregular edge of handmade paper, often shown by float mounting the sheet. Read more
Diptych
An artwork made of two panels designed to be shown together.
Double image
A picture that can be read as two different things at once, such as rocks that also form a face. Read more
Drypoint
An intaglio technique: lines are scratched straight into the plate with a needle, giving a soft burr.
Edition
The total number of impressions of a print or casts of a sculpture made from the same matrix.
Emulation
Imitating an obsolete computer or device in software on new hardware so that old artworks can still run. Read more
En plein air
Painting outdoors, directly in front of the subject.
Encaustic
Painting with pigments mixed into hot wax.
Estate print
A print made from a photographer’s negatives after their death and authorised by the estate rather than the photographer. Read more
Etching
An intaglio print made from a metal plate whose lines were bitten in by acid.
Finissage
A small event on the last day of an exhibition, the counterpart of the opening.
Flat file
A cabinet of wide, shallow drawers for storing drawings, prints and photographs flat and protected from light and dust. Read more
Floater frame
A frame for canvases with an L-shaped profile and a narrow gap, so the painting appears to float inside it. Read more
French cleat
Two interlocking strips with angled edges, one on the wall and one on the frame, that spread the weight of heavy works. Read more
Fresco
Painting on fresh, wet lime plaster so that the pigment binds into the wall as it dries.
Gelatin silver print
A black and white photographic print in which the image is formed by silver particles held in a layer of gelatin. Read more
Generative art
Art in which the artist designs a system, often code, that produces the final work with some degree of chance. Read more
Gesamtkunstwerk
German for total work of art: a work in which architecture, painting, design and other arts serve one vision. Read more
Gesso
A white priming layer that prepares a canvas or panel for paint.
Giardini
The public gardens in Venice where around thirty permanent national pavilions of the Biennale stand. Read more
Giclée
A marketing name for a high quality inkjet print, a reproduction method rather than an original printmaking technique.
Glaze
A thin transparent layer of paint laid over a dry layer to deepen or shift its colour.
Gold leaf
Gold beaten into extremely thin sheets and applied to a surface with an adhesive, used in icons, altarpieces and frames. Read more
Gouache
An opaque water based paint with a matt finish.
Grainstack
A tall stack of harvested grain sheaves, often called a haystack in English, the subject of one of Monet’s first series. Read more
Guild of St Luke
The professional association of painters and related crafts in many Dutch and Flemish towns, which controlled who could sell art. Read more
Hammer price
The winning bid at the moment the auctioneer’s hammer falls, before premium and taxes are added. Read more
High Renaissance
The peak of Italian Renaissance art, roughly the 1490s to the 1520s, associated with Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael. Read more
High-tech architecture
A style of the 1970s and 1980s that shows structure and building services openly as part of the design. Read more
Hors commerce
Prints marked HC, set aside from the edition and originally not meant for sale.
House museum
A historic home preserved and opened to the public, showing how a person lived, often with original furniture and belongings. Read more
Impasto
Paint applied so thickly that brush or knife marks stand up from the surface.
Impression
A single sheet printed from a block or plate; one design can exist in many impressions of varying quality. Read more
Impressionism
A movement of the 1870s and 1880s that captured fleeting light and modern life with quick, visible brushstrokes. Read more
Installation view
A photograph showing an artwork in a room or on a wall, so its scale and setting can be understood. Read more
Japonisme
The European enthusiasm for Japanese art and design in the second half of the nineteenth century. Read more
Jugendstil
German term for Art Nouveau, the decorative style of flowing lines and natural forms popular around 1900. Read more
Key block
The first carved woodblock of a print, carrying the outlines; colour blocks are cut to match it. Read more
Kill fee
A payment due to the artist if a commission is cancelled before it is completed. Read more
Kunst am Bau
German for art in building: art commissioned for federal and other public buildings from a share of construction costs. Read more
Kunsthalle
An exhibition hall that often has no permanent collection of its own. Read more
Kunstverein
A German speaking art association that shows contemporary art without a permanent collection, run by its members.
Lake
A pigment made by fixing a dye onto a colourless powder, often translucent and sometimes prone to fading. Read more
Land art
Art made in and from the landscape, often on a large scale and with natural materials such as rock and earth. Read more
Lapis lazuli
A deep blue semi-precious stone, historically mined in what is now Afghanistan, ground to make natural ultramarine. Read more
Life drawing
Drawing the human figure from a live model, usually nude, a core exercise of academic training since the Renaissance. Read more
Linear perspective
A drawing system in which parallel lines meet at a vanishing point, creating the illusion of depth on a flat surface. Read more
Linocut
A relief print cut into linoleum, a softer cousin of the woodcut.
Lithograph
A print drawn with greasy crayon or ink on stone or plate, based on oil and water repelling each other.
Lost wax
A casting method in which a wax copy is encased in a heat resistant shell, melted out and replaced by molten metal. Read more
Lost wax casting
A casting process in which a wax model is melted out of a mould and replaced by molten metal.
Lux
The unit of illuminance, measuring how much light falls on a surface. Read more
Matrix
The block, plate, stone or screen on which a printmaker creates the image and from which impressions are printed. Read more
Meisterschüler
German title, literally master student, given by a professor to an outstanding student near the end of their studies. Read more
Mexicanidad
A movement of national pride after the Mexican Revolution that celebrated Indigenous cultures, folk art and Mexican identity in the arts. Read more
Mirror writing
Script written from right to left with reversed letters, readable normally in a mirror; Leonardo used it in his notebooks. Read more
Monotype
A one off print made by painting on a smooth plate and pressing paper onto it.
Moral rights
Rights of the author, such as being named as creator and objecting to distortion of the work. Read more
Museum fatigue
The physical and mental tiredness visitors feel in museums, first described by Benjamin Ives Gilman in 1916. Read more
National pavilion
A country’s own exhibition at the Venice Biennale, chosen and presented by that country. Read more
Net art
Art made for the internet, using the browser, links and code as its material, especially from the mid-1990s. Read more
NFT
Non-fungible token: a unique record on a blockchain that works like a certificate for a digital item. Read more
Non finito
Italian for “unfinished”: sculptures left partly in rough stone, deliberately or not, a feature of many works by Michelangelo. Read more
North light
Indirect daylight from a north-facing window in the northern hemisphere, valued for its steady colour and soft shadows. Read more
Open call
A public invitation to apply for a residency, prize or exhibition, usually judged by a jury. Read more
Open edition
A print run with no fixed limit, which can be reprinted for as long as there is demand. Read more
Open studio
A set time when an artist opens a workplace to the public to show work, explain methods and meet visitors. Read more
Papier collé
French for pasted paper: a collage built mainly from cut and glued paper, developed by Braque and Picasso in 1912. Read more
Paranoiac-critical method
Dalí’s term for deliberately provoking irrational associations and double images, then painting them with precise realism. Read more
Patina
The coloured surface on bronze and other metals, natural or applied with chemicals and heat.
Pensionnaire
French term for a resident artist or scholar at the French Academy in Rome in the Villa Medici. Read more
Pentimento
A trace of an earlier version that shows through the paint as it becomes more transparent with age.
Permanent collection
The works an institution owns and shows over the long term, as opposed to temporary loans or exhibitions. Read more
Picture ledge
A narrow wall shelf with a raised lip on which framed works stand and can be easily rearranged. Read more
Picture rail
A rail fixed near the top of a wall from which works hang on cords or rods, so no new holes are needed. Read more
Pietà
Italian for “pity”: an image of the Virgin Mary mourning the dead Christ, usually holding him in her lap. Read more
Pigment
The finely ground coloured powder in paint, made from earths, minerals or synthetic compounds. Read more
Plaster cast
A plaster copy of a sculpture, used in academies so students could study famous antique works without travelling. Read more
Platemark
The pressed rectangle left in the paper by the edge of a metal plate during intaglio printing. Read more
Platinum print
A print made with light-sensitive platinum salts, known for its matt surface, soft greys and excellent stability. Read more
Plinth
The base or pedestal on which a sculpture stands.
Plotter
A machine that draws with a pen on paper, guided by instructions from a computer program. Read more
Polarising filter
A lens filter that reduces reflections and glare from shiny surfaces such as varnish, glass or water. Read more
Pop Art
Movement of the late 1950s and 1960s, mainly in Britain and the United States, that used imagery from advertising, comics and consumer goods. Read more
Post-Impressionism
Umbrella term for painters after Impressionism, such as Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cézanne, who pushed colour, form and expression in personal directions. Read more
Primary market
The first sale of an artwork, usually through the artist’s gallery or the artist directly. Read more
Private view
The British term for an exhibition opening, traditionally for invited guests before the public. Read more
Prix de Rome
French state prize that sent winning young artists to study in Rome. The competition was abolished in 1968. Read more
Project space
A small, usually non-commercial venue run by artists or curators for experimental exhibitions. Read more
Provenance
The documented history of ownership of an artwork.
Prussian blue
A synthetic blue pigment first made in Berlin in the early eighteenth century, widely used in Japanese prints from the 1830s. Read more
Readymade
An ordinary manufactured object chosen by an artist and presented as art, an idea associated with Marcel Duchamp. Read more
Red dot
A small sticker beside a label showing that the work has been sold. Read more
Refectory
The dining hall of a monastery or convent: The Last Supper was painted on the end wall of one in Milan. Read more
Relative humidity
The moisture in the air compared with the maximum it could hold at the same temperature, given as a percentage. Read more
Reserve
A confidential minimum price agreed with the consignor, below which a lot will not be sold. Read more
Restitution
The return of looted or wrongly taken artworks to their former owners or their heirs. Read more
Retablo
A small devotional painting, often on tin, made to give thanks or ask for help, common in Mexican churches and homes. Read more
Retrospective
An exhibition that surveys an artist’s whole career or a large part of it. Read more
Ringstrasse
The grand boulevard built around central Vienna from the 1850s onwards, lined with museums, theatres and public buildings. Read more
Rundgang
The annual open exhibition of a German art academy, when all classes show their work in studios and corridors. Read more
Salon
The official annual art exhibition in Paris, whose jury decided which works could be shown. Read more
Salon hang
Hanging many pictures closely together on one wall, often from floor to ceiling.
Satellite fair
A smaller, often younger fair timed to coincide with a major fair in the same city. Read more
Satiation
The drop in interest that follows seeing many similar objects one after another. Read more
Secondary market
The resale of artworks that have been owned before, through dealers or auction houses. Read more
Sfumato
Soft, smoky transitions between tones without hard outlines.
Sibyls
Female prophets of the ancient world, painted by Michelangelo alongside Old Testament prophets on the Sistine ceiling. Read more
Silkscreen
A stencil print in which ink is pressed through a fine mesh; also called screenprint.
Site-specific
Describes a work made for one particular place and designed to respond to it. Read more
Slow looking
Spending several unhurried minutes with a single artwork, observing it in stages before reading any information about it. Read more
Sprue
A channel, first made in wax, through which molten metal flows into a mould and air escapes from it. Read more
Squeegee
A rubber blade on a handle used to pull ink across a screen in screenprinting. Read more
Still life
A picture of objects such as fruit, flowers, vessels or books.
Stipend
A fixed payment given to a resident or fellow to cover living costs during a residency or fellowship. Read more
Studio trail
A route of several studios open on the same days, usually with a printed or online map and numbered stops. Read more
Sublime
In Romantic art, the mix of awe and fear felt before something vast or overwhelming, such as mountains, storms or the sea. Read more
Surrealism
Art and literary movement founded in Paris in the 1920s that explored dreams, chance and the unconscious mind. Read more
Tehuana dress
Traditional clothing of the women of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico, with embroidered blouses and long skirts. Read more
Tempera
Paint bound with egg yolk, the main panel painting medium before oil.
Tenebrism
An extreme form of chiaroscuro in which figures emerge from deep darkness.
Terracotta
Clay that has been modelled and then fired in a kiln, from the Italian for baked earth. Read more
Tesserae
The small cubes of stone, glass or ceramic from which a mosaic is assembled. Read more
Timed ticket
An entry ticket for a fixed time slot, used by museums to limit how many people are in the rooms at once. Read more
Tokonoma
A raised alcove in a traditional Japanese room for displaying a hanging scroll and a flower arrangement, changed with the seasons. Read more
Track lighting
Spotlights mounted on a ceiling rail that can be moved, added and re-aimed as a display changes. Read more
Trompe l’oeil
Painting that deceives the eye into seeing real objects or spaces.
Tronie
A Dutch term for a painted study of a face or character type, often in costume, rather than a portrait of a named sitter. Read more
Ukiyo-e
Japanese for “pictures of the floating world”: popular woodblock prints and paintings of the Edo period. Read more
Ultramarine
A deep blue pigment, originally made from ground lapis lazuli and for centuries one of the most expensive colours in painting. Read more
Underpainting
The first layer of a painting that sets out composition and tones.
UV filtering glazing
Glass or acrylic in a frame that blocks much of the ultraviolet light that fades and weakens artworks. Read more
Varnish
A clear protective final layer on a painting that also unifies its gloss.
Vernissage
The opening of an exhibition, originally the day painters varnished their works before a show.
Vetting
The examination of works by specialists before a fair opens, checking authenticity, quality and condition. Read more
Vienna Secession
Association of artists founded in 1897 who broke away from Vienna’s official art establishment to promote modern art and design. Read more
Vintage print
A print made by or for the photographer shortly after the negative; the exact time span is debated. Read more
VIP preview
Invitation-only days before a fair opens to the public, reserved for collectors, curators, advisers and press. Read more
Wall text
The label or panel beside an artwork giving the artist, title, date, medium and often a short interpretation. Read more
Water gilding
Gilding in which gold leaf is laid over gesso and bole, then burnished in places to a mirror shine. Read more
Wet on wet
Applying fresh paint into paint that is still wet, for soft blends and fast work.
White balance
A camera or software setting that removes colour casts from the light source, so that white appears neutral. Read more
White cube
The neutral white gallery room that became the standard space for showing modern art.
Woodblock print
A print made by carving an image into a block of wood, inking the raised surface and pressing paper onto it. Read more
Woodcut
A relief print: the parts not meant to print are cut away from a wooden block.

Art talk can sound like a closed club. It is not: most terms describe simple things, a way of applying paint, a stage in making a print, a document in a sale. The glossary collects the words used across arisano, each explained in a sentence or two, with a link to the article where it matters most.

How the glossary grows

Every article on arisano contains a few key terms, which appear underlined in the text with a short explanation. They are added here automatically, so the glossary grows with the magazine.

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Behind the tool