Art Glossary

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 heavy, handwoven textile featuring intricate designs or images woven directly into the fabric. Created by skilled weavers using materials like wool, linen, cotton, silk, and sometimes (...) read more

Tempera is a paint traditionally made by mixing colored pigments with egg yolk. It dries quickly and is highly durable, with some examples dating back to 100 AD still in existence. Modern tempera (...) read more

Textile refers to a flexible material made by weaving, felting, crocheting, knitting, or knotting long strands of natural or synthetic yarn or thread. Textile artists often create their own materials (...) 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

Video art is an art form that uses video and audio data, primarily featuring moving images. It emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the advent of new technology and consumer video equipment (...) read more

Watercolor refers to both the medium and the resulting artwork created using pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle. Watercolors are known for their luminous, transparent appearance because (...) 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

Wax is a solid material derived from plant, animal, and petroleum sources. It is used to protect paints from wear, create sculptures, make wax crayons and colored pencils, and for encaustic painting. (...) read more

Wire is a single strand or rod of flexible metal. It has been used since ancient times to make chains and jewelry decorations. Wire comes in various thicknesses and can be bent, braided, and cut (...) read more

Wood is one of the most ancient and versatile materials used in creating art. It has served as a base for paintings, brush handles, pens, and pencils, as well as for easels, wood engraving, woodcut, (...) read more

Woodblock printing is a technique that uses a carved wooden surface to create an image on materials such as paper or cloth. Ink or paint is applied thinly to the carved surface, which is then pressed (...) read more

Woodcut is a printing technique where an image is carved into the surface of a woodblock using gouges, with the remaining flat surface holding the ink for printing. The areas cut away by the artist (...) read more

Xiamen Dada was a Chinese artist group based in Xiamen, a city on China’s southeast coast. Emerging in the 1980s, the group explored the relationship between Chan Buddhism and European Dada, (...) read more

Young British Artists (YBAs), also known as Britart or Brit artists, refers to a group of artists who began exhibiting together in London in 1988. Most of them graduated from the BA Fine Arts course (...) read more

ZERO was an art movement founded by Otto Piene and Heinz Mack, aiming to develop into a large international and cross-border movement. The name ZERO originated from a magazine founded by Heinz Mack (...) read more