Art Glossary

Multimedia refers to an art technique that combines multiple forms of media, such as visual, audio, and digital elements, into a single composition. This is different from mixed media, which involves (...) read more

Multiples refer to a series of identical art objects produced in limited editions according to the artist's concept. These works are specifically created for sale and are often considered the most (...) read more

Naïve art describes a style of artwork that is simple and unsophisticated, often created by artists without formal training in an academy or art school. The style is characterized by a lack of (...) read more

Neo-Dada is a minor visual and audio art movement with intents similar to those of Dada artwork. While it revives some of Dada's objectives, Neo-Dada emphasizes the importance of the produced artwork (...) read more

Known as Neo-Geo for short, this movement uses geometric objects and shapes to create abstract artwork as a metaphor for society. Inspired by various 20th-century art styles, including minimalism and (...) read more

Net Art is art created on the internet, specifically for the internet. Artists who create it use computers to generate imagery, exhibit art online, or build programs that produce unique artworks. (...) read more

Neue Wilden is the term German artists used for Neo-Expressionism. In the 1970s and 80s, expressive painting re-emerged in Germany, with artists embracing intense colors and broad brushstrokes. The (...) read more

New British Sculpture is the name referring to the work produced by a group of sculptors, installation artists, and other creators who exhibited together in London during the 1980s. This group (...) read more

Neo-Figurative Art is a collective term that refers to the revival of figurative art in America and Europe during the 1960s, following a period dominated by abstraction. Michel Ragon, a French art (...) read more

New Generation Sculpture was a movement started in the 1960s by a group of British artists. They experimented with unconventional forms, materials, and colors, creating sculptures that did not rely (...) read more

The New Leipzig School is a movement in modern German painting that represents the third generation of artists associated with the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig. This movement reflects (...) read more

New Media Art is a genre that includes all artworks created using new technologies, such as computer graphics, digital art, virtual art, internet art, computer animation, video games, 3D printing, (...) read more

New Topographics is a term coined in 1975 by curator William Jenkins to describe a group of photographers whose work focused on formal black-and-white images of urban and industrial landscapes. (...) read more

Nouveau Réalisme is an artistic movement founded in 1960 by art critic Pierre Restany and painter Yves Klein during a collective exhibition at a gallery in Milan. Restany wrote the original manifesto (...) read more

An object in art refers to any tangible thing that exists and can be depicted in a work of art. Sometimes, the object becomes the focal point of a painting, drawing, or sculpture, meaning it is the (...) read more

Offset lithography is a printing technique where the inked image is first transferred (offset) from a plate to a rubber blanket and then to the printing surface. This method combines the lithographic (...) read more

Oil on board is a painting technique where oil paint is applied to either wood panels that have been sanded and primed or high-density cardboard covered with canvas. These surfaces offer the (...) read more

Oil paint is a slow-drying type of paint made from pigment particles suspended in a drying oil, typically linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint can be adjusted by adding a solvent like turpentine, (...) read more

Oil on paper is a technique that allows painters to use economical paper without needing to apply a primer before painting. Artists can combine oil paints with solvents to achieve effects similar to (...) read more

Op Art is a visual art style that uses optical illusions to create the impression of movement, vibrating patterns, flashing, or hidden images. The works are typically abstract, with many well-known (...) read more

Original artwork is art that stems directly from the personal inspiration and creativity of an artist. It is not a direct copy of another artist’s work, though it may be inspired by it. The subject (...) read more

Orphism is an abstract style of painting influenced by Cubism, developed by Sonia and Robert Delaunay. The term was coined around 1912 by French poet Guillaume Apollinaire to differentiate the (...) read more

Papier-mâché is a composite material made from pieces of paper or pulp, reinforced with textiles and bound with adhesives like starch, wallpaper paste, or glue. There are two main methods to create (...) read more

Pastel is an art medium in stick form made from powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those in other colored art media. The color effect of pastels closely (...) read more