Art Glossary

The contemporary art scene in Italy is a testament to the nation's deep-rooted artistic tradition, vibrantly interacting with innovative expressions and global movements. Esteemed institutions, (...) read more

Contemporary Art in Japan is a vibrant fusion of traditional aesthetics and modern creativity. Japanese artists, such as Yayoi Kusama and Takashi Murakami, have made significant contributions to the (...) read more

Junk art is a form of art that demonstrates how any material or object can be used to create a wide range of paintings, sculptures, installations, and assemblages. Many Junk Art pieces are made using (...) read more

Kinetic art is an international movement that emerged in the 1920s and gained prominence in the 1960s, referring to art that involves both apparent and real motion. It encompasses any medium that (...) read more

Kitsch is a term used to describe cheap, commercial, sentimental, or vulgar art and objects commonly associated with popular culture. The word is borrowed from German, where it originally means (...) read more

Also referred to as Earth Art, Earthworks, or Environmental Art, Land Art is a sculptural movement that involves creating artworks that integrate conceptual or physical elements of the earth or (...) read more

Late Modernism refers to the continuation and evolution of Modernist principles in art, architecture, and literature from the mid-20th century into the late 20th century. This movement maintains a (...) read more

Latin American Art is a style which takes inspiration from its culture, society, politics, native traditions, religions and landscape. Op-Art and Kinetic Art figure prominently in Latin artworks. (...) read more

Latvia's contemporary art scene is a fascinating blend of historical influences and innovative expressions. Institutions such as the Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga showcase inspiring (...) read more

Reflecting its rich cultural heritage and dynamic social discourse, Lebanon has crafted a contemporary art scene that is both vibrant and unique. Artists like Etel Adnan and Akram Zaatari, using (...) read more

Lettrism is an art form that uses letters, words, and symbols to create artwork. The movement was established in Paris in the 1940s and later gained popularity in the 1950s in America. Lettrisme is (...) read more

The Light and Space Movement refers to loosely affiliated art movements connected to minimalism, geometric abstraction, and op art that originated in Southern California in the 1960s. Greatly (...) read more

A limited edition print is one of a number of prints made at the same time from one printmaking plate. A fixed number are made and signed by the artist, indicating the printing order, using the (...) read more

Live art is a form of performance that began in the 1960s and is generally exploratory and innovative. It involves a single artist or an artist group presenting the work before a live audience. The (...) read more

Lowbrow is a derogatory term that refers to certain forms of popular culture. It describes an art movement that began in Los Angeles in the 1970s. The term lowbrow originally refers to a person with (...) read more

Lyrical abstraction is a descriptive term characterizing a type of abstract painting closely related to Abstract Expressionism, in use from the 1940s to the present. The term can also describe two (...) read more

Mail Art is a populist art movement centered on the creation and exchange of small-scale artworks through the postal service. It developed out of the Fluxus movement in the 1950s and 1960s and has (...) read more

The Manifesto Invencionista was published in 1946, marking the beginning of the concrete art movement in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Written by artist Tomás Maldonado and published by the Asociación (...) read more

Massurrealism is a portmanteau word coined by American artist James Seehafer in 1992. He observed a trend among postmodern artists who blended themes and aesthetic styles with mass media, including (...) read more

Matter painting is a technique that involves blending thick impasto paints with materials like cement, mud, sand, or shells. The term first emerged in the 1950s to describe the works of Belgian and (...) read more

Mexico's contemporary art scene is a vibrant blend of indigenous traditions and global currents, reflecting its rich cultural history. Museums such as Museo Tamayo and Museo Jumex in Mexico City host (...) read more

Minimalism is a style in music and visual arts characterized by pared-down designs and simplicity. It began in Western art after World War II, gaining prominence particularly in American visual arts. (...) read more

Modern Realism is an art style that depicts subjects as they exist in reality. Emerging after the development of abstract art, Modern Realism combines traditional realistic representation with modern (...) read more

Meaning School of Things, Mono-ha originated in Tokyo in the mid-1960s. Instead of creating traditional artwork, the artists of Mono-ha used different materials and their natural properties to (...) read more