Media
a painting applied directly to a wall, usually large and in a public space
Mural
an ancient structure, usually massive in scale, consisting of a square base with four sides that meet at a point or apex with each side forming a triangular shape
Pyramid
a style of art that began in the 1960s and involves the artist creating artworks that resemble, and were inspired by, photographs
Photorealist
colors opposite one another on the color wheel
Complementary colors
represented as perfect in form or character, corresponding to an ideal
Idealized
an image of a person or animal, usually focusing on the face
Portrait
dating from the period of human existence before the invention of writing
Prehistoric
art that represents objects in an exaggerated way to emphasize certain aspects of the object
Stylized
a color darker in value than its purest state
Shade
the impression of three dimensions in a two-dimensional artwork
Depth
a picture or pattern created by fixing together small pieces of stone, glass, tile, etc.
Mosaic
an object that survives from the past; in religion, the mortal remains of a saint or an object that has been in contact with the saint
Relic
art that promotes an ideology or a cause
Propaganda
a color lighter in value than its purest state
Tint
the degree to which an image is altered from an easily recognizable subject
Abstraction
hand-woven fabric—usually silk or wool—with a non-repeating, usually figurative, design woven into it
Tapestry
scientific efforts to preserve artworks
Conservation
anarchic anti-art and anti-war movement, dating back to World War I, that reveled in absurdity and irrationality
Dada
the understanding of how colors relate to one another, especially when mixed or placed together in close proximity
Color theory
a perspective technique that depicts a form—often distorting or reducing it—at an angle that is not parallel to the picture plane, in order to convey the illusion of depth
Foreshortening
originally referring to the hanging of pictures and arrangement of objects in an exhibition, installation may also refer to an intentional environment created as a completed artwork
Installation
from the French meaning to “deceive the eye”; a visual illusion in art, in which a painted image appears as a three-dimensional object
Trompe l’oeil
relating to the East Roman empire, centered on Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) from the fifth century CE to 1453
Byzantine
a loosely executed style in which paint and brushstrokes are evident
Painterly
a pose in sculpture in which the upper part of the body twists in one direction and the lower part in another
Contrapposto