Art Glossary

Ceramic is a term used to describe objects made from clay or other inorganic materials. These objects can be either decorative or functional and have been created since at least 4,000 B.C. Ceramic (...) read more

Ceramics is an art form that involves creating objects from clay. The clay is shaped, molded, and formed by hand or with specialized tools, then baked (or fired) in a high-temperature oven called a (...) read more

Chalk is a natural mineral, primarily composed of calcium carbonate. In art, chalk refers to sticks used for drawing, made from a mixture of chalk, colored pigments, and gum Arabic. These sticks are (...) read more

Charcoal is made from charred wood and is used in both initial sketches and finished drawings. It can be easily smudged or erased, making it versatile for corrections. To make charcoal drawings (...) read more

Chinese Contemporary Art is marked by a wide range of styles and experimental approaches. In the 1980s, avant-garde exhibitions were often shut down by government officials. The 1990s saw the rise of (...) read more

Clay is a natural material formed when rocks break down over time due to weathering. Water carries the fine particles of earth, which accumulate as a soft, sticky substance called muck. This muck is (...) read more

CoBrA stands for Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam; the group was formed with a desire to break away from the existing art movements of the time. Their critique of Western society led them to (...) read more

Collage is a production art technique commonly used in visual arts where a new artwork is created by assembling various materials. These materials can include ribbons, newspaper and magazine (...) read more

Colour Field Painting is an abstract style characterized by large areas of a single color or simple, solid colors. The term was first used in the 1950s to describe the work of three American Abstract (...) read more

Colored pencils consist of a core made from various colored pigments mixed with a binder, encased in wood. They can also be found as solid pigment sticks without the wooden casing. When drawing, the (...) read more

Comic strip art refers to artwork that utilizes the subject matter and commercial printing techniques found in comic strips. In the 1960s, a group of artists began creating paintings that (...) read more

Composition refers to the arrangement of elements within an artwork. The artist carefully organizes these elements to create a harmonious or intentionally dynamic relationship. Traditional approaches (...) read more

Computer art refers to any type of digital imagery or graphic artwork created using a computer. Art curators often classify art made with computers as either digital art or new media art. Artists (...) read more

Computer printing involves using computer technology to reproduce fine art images as prints. In its basic form, this means creating digital versions of artwork that are printed onto paper. More (...) read more

Sometimes referred to as Conceptualism, this is an art form where the idea(s) or concept(s) behind the work take precedence over material concerns and traditional aesthetics. Many conceptual artworks (...) read more

Concrete Art is an art movement founded by the Dutch artist Theo van Doesburg in the 1930s. The movement emphasizes pure abstraction, focusing on geometric shapes and colors without any reference to (...) read more

Constructivism is an architectural and artistic philosophy of Russian origin that emerged as a rejection of the idea of autonomous art. The movement advocated for art to serve practical social (...) read more

Contemporary art refers to avant-garde or innovative art created in the recent past or present day. The exact starting point of contemporary art varies depending on the institution, often tied to the (...) read more

Contemporary art from India dates from 1985 to the present, marking the post-liberalization era. During this period, artists have felt free to create independently of traditional Hindu or social (...) read more

Conté is a vivid, waxy crayon invented by Nicolas-Jacques Conté in 1795. Artists use Conté crayons for detailed drawing, shading large areas, and blending colors. The tips can be sharpened with (...) read more

An object with distinctive or unusual qualities that naturally draws attention and prompts discussion among people. read more

This Italian art movement includes artists from Italy, Belgium, and France who are known for creating public installations using recyclable plastic to craft massive animal sculptures. The artwork (...) read more

Crayon is a French word that means pencil. In art, a crayon is a stick made of colored wax, chalk, charcoal, or clay used for drawing and coloring. Crayons are typically made from paraffin wax, which (...) read more

Cubism is an art movement that aimed to depict multiple perspectives of objects or figures within a single picture. Artists Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso pioneered this style around 1907. The name (...) read more