Art Glossary

Queer Aesthetics refers to an art movement that emerged in the 1980s, focusing on themes of homosexuality, lesbianism, and broader issues of identity and gender. This movement gained momentum in the (...) read more

Readymade is the term coined by French artist Marcel Duchamp to describe artworks created from manufactured objects. Duchamp selected ordinary, functional items that he felt had visual indifference, (...) read more

Recto and verso are terms used to describe the right and left pages of an open book, or the front and back of a sheet of paper. In both cases, recto refers to the right-hand page or the front of the (...) read more

A replica is a copy of an artwork that is so precisely made that it is nearly indistinguishable from the original. Artists may create replicas of their own work, or replicas can be produced for (...) read more

Réalités Nouvelles means new realities and refers to an exhibiting society founded in 1939 in Paris by Sonia Delaunay. The Salon des Réalités Nouvelles was dedicated to promoting abstract art, which (...) read more

A sculpture is a three-dimension object made using any one of the basic sculpting processes. These include carving, casting, constructing or modeling. Carving materials may be bone, ivory, stone or (...) read more

Shock Art is an art movement that uses disturbing images, scents, or sounds to provoke a strong, often shocked, reaction from viewers. It is often regarded as a form of social commentary, with (...) read more

Site-Specific Art is a form of artwork created to exist in a particular location, with the artist considering the site as an integral part of the creative process. Robert Irwin was a key figure in (...) read more

Situationism is a psychological theory that gained prominence in 1968, following the publication of a monograph by Walter Mischel that sparked the Person-situation debate. This theory argues that (...) read more

Sound Art is an artistic discipline where sound is used as the primary medium. Like other contemporary art genres, Sound Art is inherently interdisciplinary, engaging with a variety of subjects (...) read more

Space Art is an artistic genre that depicts the cosmic elements of the universe, including celestial bodies, interstellar space, and space exploration. It began in 1865 with the first science-based (...) read more

Spatialism is an art movement that originated in Italy in 1947, founded by Lucio Fontana with the intention of synthesizing sound, color, movement, and space into a new form of art. The movement's (...) read more

Street Art is artwork created and executed in public spaces, outside of traditional art venues. It gained popularity during the 1980s graffiti art boom and has since evolved into various forms and (...) read more

Stuckism is an art movement that promotes figurative painting over conceptual art. It was founded in 1999 by Charles Thomson and Billy Childish with an initial group of 13 artists in Britain. The (...) read more

Superflat is an art movement founded by Takashi Murakami, heavily influenced by anime and manga. The term Superflat refers to the flattened forms found in Japanese animation, graphic art, fine arts, (...) read more

Surrealism began in the 1920s as an art and literary movement with the goal of revealing the unconscious mind and unleashing the imagination by exploring unusual and dream-like imagery. Influenced by (...) read more

Systems Art refers to a group of artists who, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, used the frameworks of conceptualism and minimalism to create art that was responsive to its environment. (...) read more

Tachisme is a French abstract painting style that gained popularity between 1940 and 1950, often seen as the European counterpart to Abstract Expressionism. However, there are stylistic differences (...) read more

Tapestry is a woven form of textile. It is generally heavy, and the completed work has a decorative pattern, design or realistic depiction of a portrait or real life activities. Tapestries were hung (...) read more

Transavanguardia is the Italian version of Neo-Expressionism, referring to an art movement that emerged in Italy and other parts of Western Europe during the 1970s and 1980s. The term translates to (...) read more

A triennial is a large-scale art exhibition that takes place every three years. These exhibitions often feature the latest artistic developments, works, and emerging artists on an international (...) read more

A triptych is an artwork divided into three sections or panels, often hinged together, allowing it to be displayed open or folded shut. It is a type of polyptych, a term for multi-panel artworks. (...) read more

The Uncanny is a concept described by psychologist Sigmund Freud as the eerie or unsettling feeling that arises when something familiar is presented in a strange or unfamiliar way. Surrealist (...) read more

A watermark is an image or pattern embedded into a sheet of paper during the papermaking process. Each papermaker includes a faint trademark, which becomes visible when the paper is held up to a (...) read more