Part 1

Art vocabulary in use

I. Words for Discussing Art and archtecture

A. Words for Discussing Art

Unit 1

perspective

Let's put things in perspective — a point of view that shows the relationship between one thing and another. The word is used for objects and scenes depicted so that they appear to the eye to have the appropriate relationship and proportion to everything else in the painting. If a barn is depicted in the painting, the cows and sheep grazing near it will be proportionally smaller than the barn. As they paint, artists imagine converging lines invisible to the viewer of the painting.

words in context: - In the fifteenth century, Filippo Brunelleschi led a group of artists to creating perspective through manipulating vanishing points in a painting; thus, art for the first time became three-dimensional.

chiaroscuro

The use of light and shade in a painting and the skill displayed by the painter in the management of shadows.

words in context: Rembrandt was a master of chiaroscuro in his paintings, which show figures in sunlight and shadow.

etching

The art of engraving with acid on metal. The print taken from the metal plate is also called an etching. A needle is used to scratch a design on the metal plate; this design is filled with ink. The plate and paper are then put into a press, which transfers the pattern to the paper. There are many variants of this process, but it appears to have been developed in Germany about 1515.

words in context: The artist Albrecht Dürer made etchings on iron between 1515 and 1518, probably the earliest examples of this art. Other artists who used the process include Rembrandt, Goya, and Whistler.

Mezzotint

A method of engraving that leaves the impression of light and shadow or chiaroscuro on the final print after the artist scratches the surface of a copper or steel plate with a saw-toothed tool. The soft effect in the print can show every degree of light and shade from black to white without leaving a sharp line as in an etching.

words in context: Mezzotint, an engraving showing light and shadow, was invented by a Dutchman, Ludwig von Siegen, in 1640, but the process came into wide use in England in the early eighteenth century.

After studying the definitions above, use these new words in the sentences below.

1. The most popular work of Albrecht Dürer was a(n) of a pair of hands, palms held together in prayer.

2. Art lovers visit the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam to see Rembrandt Van Rijn's The Night Watch, in which the artist uses ________________ to light the figures that appear to emerge out of shadows with a dramatic effect.

3. A method of engraving that gives the effect of light and shade is called .

4. Artists use a technique called to create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface.

Test Yourself: Write the letter next to the number to match word and meaning.

1. chiaroscuro a. creating appropriate relationships in art

2. perspective b. blending light and shade in paintings

3. etching c. an engraving showing light and shadow

4. mezzotint d. created by plate, paper, and press

On a separate sheet of paper, write a sentence using each of these new words.

Did you know?

Illuminated manuscripts are those produced by European monks during the Middle Ages using bright colored paints and very small ornamental decorations. The Bible and other precious books were made more visually beautiful in this manner.

Unit 2

Palimpsest

Manuscripts inscribed on parchment in ancient Egypt were written on both sides {recto—front, and verso—back). These pages, often erased and reused, were called palimpsests.

words in context: - Some artists in contemporary times still create palimpsests by using both sides of their papers and then erasing the image so that the papers may be used again. The residue of the first image sometimes leaves an interesting pattern when the paper is reused.

pentimento

This is a painter's word for the evidence that an original work of art has been altered. Often the paint with which the artist has covered a mistake or a change of mind will become transparent. The original work will then become visible through the final composition. This creeping through of an image is sometimes compared to a palimpsest.

words in context: A famous example of pentimento is El Greco's Laocoon in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. There, a bodyless head that had been painted out was at some time repainted as o full-length figure. This was uncovered when the work was cleaned.

fresco

In Renaissance Italy frescoes — the word means fresh in Italian — were created by painting on damp lime plaster. The dampness and the lime created an element that, as the wall dried, held the paint and color magnificently. All colors are not lime-proof, so the colors an artist could use were limited, but those that the wall held are clear and luminous. Da Vinci's Last Supper is a fresco.

words in context: - Minoans in Knossos, Greece, and Romans in Pompeii created frescoes in the fifteenth century. Because the art is successful only in dry climates, frescoes are rare in Northern Europe. Diego Rivera revived the art form in Mexico in the twentieth century.

tempera

A painting method used in mural painting, usually applied to dry walls. Tempera's advantage is that it produces clear, pure colors. It is also used in combination with oil paint.

words in context: In modern times, Ben Shahn and Andrew Wyeth revived an interest in tempera. In industrial art, a simplified tempera (pigment mixed with egg yolk, called distemper) is often used for posters.

After studying the definitions above, use these new words in the sentences below.

1. The restoration of the painting revealed , indicating that the artist had at one time painted over the original work.

2. The_______________ was painted on a damp, lime plaster wall.

3. The monk erased the original manuscript and reused the parchment, thereby creating a .

4. The bright, clear mural on the dry wall was painted with combined with oil paint.

Test Yourself: Write the letter next to the number to match word and meaning.

1. tempera a. the erased first image left a pattern on the paper

2. fresco b. alteration of the original painting

3. pentimento c. in dry climates this technique is successful

4. palimpsest d. this element mixed with egg yolk creates distemper

On a separate sheet of paper, write a sentence using each of these new words.