Abject art explores themes that challenge and disrupt our notions of cleanliness and propriety, often involving the body and bodily functions.
Art that uses shapes, colours, forms and gestures, rather than discernible figures, to create impact.
Abstract Expressionism was the dominant art movement in the 1940s and ‘50s, characterised by gestural brushwork and emphasising spontaneity.
Action painting is a style where paint is applied spontaneously by dripping, splashing, or smearing onto the canvas instead of meticulous application.
Activist art is a label applied to art that tackles political or social concerns.
Afrofuturism is a cultural style blending science fiction, history and fantasy to explore the African-American experience.
Airbrushing is a technique that uses compressed air to apply paint as a smooth and uniform surface.
An Algorithm is a set of instructions used to solve problems, perform specific tasks or make decisions.
Analytical Cubism refers to the initial stage of Cubism, around 1908-1912, characterised by its fragmented portrayal of people and objects.
Anti-art rejects conventional definitions of art and raises questions about its nature.
Antiquities are objects from the ancient past, usually centred on western civilisations from about 4,500 BCE to the start of the Middle Ages.
An AP, or artist's proof, is a copy of an edition that is kept by the artist for their own personal use.
Aquatint is a printing process which creates artworks that resemble watercolour paintings by etching a copper plate with nitric acid and using resin and varnish to achieve tonal shading.
Art brut is a French term coined by artist Jean Dubuffet, denoting ‘raw art’ and encompasses creations like graffiti and naïve art.
Art Nouveau is a global design style from the 1890s, known for its graceful, flowing lines and organic shapes inspired by natural plant forms.
Arte Povera (poor art) was an art movement that began in 1960s Italy that encouraged the use of common materials in sculpture.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a field of computer science and technology that focuses on creating systems and machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence.
Appropriation in art involves deliberate borrowing, replicating and modifying of existing images, objects and ideas as an artistic approach.
An artist's proof, or AP, is a copy of an edition that is kept by the artist for their own personal use.
An assemblage is an artistic arrangement of pre-existing elements.
Auto-destructive art, coined by Gustav Metzger in the 1960s, describes radical artworks where destruction is an integral part of the creation process.
Automatism involves crafting artwork without deliberate thought, tapping into the reservoir of the unconscious mind.
An autonomous system is a system that uses a non-human decision maker.
Avant-garde in art refers to new and experimental ideas and methods.
Bauhaus was a groundbreaking institution for art, architecture, and design, founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius in Weimar, Germany.
The Ben Day process is a method in printing that creates shades of grey or different colours by using intricate ink patterns on paper.
A biennial is a significant international art exhibition that takes place every two years.
Biomorphic art, from 'bios' (life) and 'morphe' (form), relates to abstract shapes or images that resemble naturally occurring forms, such as body parts.
Biomorphism comes from the Greek ‘bios’ (life) and ‘morphe’ (form), describing abstract shapes or images that remind people of living things.
The Black Arts Movement was an art movement led by African Americans, active in the 1960s and 1970s.
The blockchain is a distributed and decentralised digital ledger that securely records transactions across a network of computers.
Body art is a form of art where the primary medium and focus is the human body, often that of the artist.
A caricature is a picture, description, or imitation of a person in which specific features are exaggerated, often for humorous or grotesque effect.
A certificate of authenticity (COA) is a document that accompanies a piece of artwork to verify its authenticity.
Charcoal is a black drawing material made of carbon, commonly used for sketching, under-drawing in paintings, and creating finished drawings.
Chicano Art is a movement by Mexican-American artists to create a distinct artistic identity within the United States.
Classicism is the designation for art that draws inspiration from the styles of ancient Greece and Rome.
A COA (certificate of authenticity) is a document that accompanies a piece of artwork to verify its authenticity.
A collagraph is a collage of materials with different textures adhered to a printing plate, typically made of thin wood or cardboard.
An art commission is when an individual or institution requests that an artist make an artwork especially for them.
In art, composition is the organisation and arrangement of different visual elements within an artwork.
Conceptual art emerged in the late 1960s, prioritising the idea or concept behind the piece over the actual art object.
Conceptualism is an art movement that emerged in the mid-20th century, emphasizing the idea or concept behind an artwork rather than its visual or aesthetic qualities.
Ironically, concrete art is a form of abstract art that has no connection to observed reality or any symbolic meaning.
Contemporary art describes art that pertains to the current era.
In art, contour lines outline the edges of an object, emphasising the shape's boundaries and significant internal lines.
Developed by the Ancient Greeks, Contrapposto , an Italian term meaning counterpoise, is used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing with the majority of its weight on one foot. This posture causes the shoulders and arms to twist away from the hips and legs in the axial plane.
Craft is a creative process that typically results in something that serves a practical purpose, like clothing or utensils.
Creolisation started in the Caribbean, and refers to the blending of diverse peoples, languages, and cultures.
Cubism was a revolutionary art style and movement, invented by Picasso and Braque in 1907-08, that brought different viewpoints into the same picture.
A curator is an individual hired by a museum or gallery to oversee and care for a collection of artworks or artefacts.
Dada was an artistic movement formed during WWI in Zurich, in response to the war’s horrific scenes. The art was often satirical and nonsensical.
Decadence describes an extravagant form of symbolism that emerged in the late nineteenth century, focussing on spiritual, morbid and erotic themes.
Décollage (to unstick) is linked to the artistic method of nouveau réalisme (new realism) artists, who created art by tearing posters from walls.
A diaspora is a community of people from a country or ethnic group who have migrated to another part of the world.
Digital art is artwork created or presented using digital technology.
Digital printing is a technique that involves printing an image directly onto various types of media from a digital source.
A diptych refers to a single work of art split across two separate surfaces.
Documentary photography is aimed at capturing events and settings, whether they’re historically significant or part of everyday life, to create a visual record.
Drypoint is a printmaking method in which a design is inscribed onto a plate using a sharp, needle-like tool.
An edition refers to a specific set of prints or artworks that are produced at a certain time or for a particular event.
The edition number is the specific number assigned to a print or artwork within an edition, usually indicated as a fraction.
Edition size refers to the total number of copies produced in a specific edition of prints or artworks.
Embossing is the act of decorating an object, often with letters, using specialised tools that create a raised mark on its surface.
Engraving is a printmaking method where incisions are crafted into a metal plate, serving to hold the ink and shape the resulting printed image.
ERC-1155 is one of two standards within the Ethereum blockchain ecosystem.
ERC-721 is one of two standards within the Ethereum blockchain ecosystem.
Etching is an intaglio printmaking technique where acid is used to incise lines or areas into a metal plate, creating channels that retain the ink.
Expanded cinema is an artistic expression that goes beyond traditional film, including video, multi-media performances, and immersive environments.
Expressionism is an art style that distorts reality in order to emphasise personal expression, characterised by intense colour and brushwork.
Fauvism is the style of les fauves, a group of early 20th-century painters (including Matisse) who used vivid and non-naturalistic colours.
Feminist art is a genre of art linked to the feminist movement of the late 1960s and 1970s.
A film positive is a transparent film displaying a positive image, typically used in printing processes like screen printing.
Fin de Siècle means ‘end of the century.’ In art history, it typically refers to art from the late 19th century.
A 'flâneur' is a French term coined by nineteenth-century poet Charles Baudelaire to describe someone who casually strolls through modern life.
Foreshortening is the technique of depicting an object or body in a way that creates the illusion of depth and projection in a picture.
Formalism is the analysis and comparison of art by focusing on the way it’s made and what it looks like.
A found object is a natural or man-made item that an artist discovers or acquires and keeps due to its inherent artistic value.
Fresco is a technique for painting murals directly on wet plaster. Popularised during the Italian renaissance, the word literally translates to ‘fresh.'
Frottage is a technique where a textured surface is rubbed with a pencil or other drawing tool to create art.
Genre painting is a style of art that portrays scenes from everyday life, typically featuring ordinary people engaged in various activities.
Geometric abstraction is a type of abstract art that uses geometric shapes, often placed in non-realistic space, to create non-objective compositions.
Georgian art refers to the artistic and architectural style that prevailed during the reigns of the four King Georges in Britain from 1714 to 1830.
Gestural is a term employed to characterise the technique of applying paint with bold, sweeping brush strokes in a free and expressive manner.
Gouache is a water-soluble paint that differs from watercolour on account of its higher opacity.
Graffiti is a term used to describe images or text that are typically spray-painted onto buildings.
Graphic design refers to the arrangement of visual elements like text and images, typically for advertisements, magazines or books.
Graphite is a metallic grey writing and drawing material, primarily used in pencil or powder form.
Grupo Frente was a Brazilian art movement in the 1950s that rejected the figuration and nationalism of modernist Brazilian painting.
Hand-finishing refers to the manual process of adding finishing touches or details to a print or piece of artwork after the primary creation process.
Hindu art includes various artistic traditions linked to Hinduism, with deep connections to Hindu scriptures, rituals, and worship.
History painting is a genre of painting characterised by its subject matter rather than a particular artistic style or era.
Hyperrealism is a style in painting, photography and sculpture that replicates real life in more detail than is actually visible to the human eye, or a standard resolution camera.
Iconography refers to the visual images and symbols used in an artwork or design.
Immersive art offers a heightened level of interactivity and experiential engagement, providing viewers with a more immersive experience.
Impasto denotes paint or pigment applied thickly so that it stands out prominently from the surface of an artwork.
Impressionism is an artistic movement that emerged in France in the 1860s, capturing ‘on-the-spot’ moments and the transient effects of sunlight.
Institutional critique involves the practice of critiquing an institution as a form of artistic expression.
Installation art revolves around crafting an aesthetic or sensory experience within a specific setting, often encouraging active participation.
Printing and printmaking methods where the image is engraved or etched into a surface, and the incised areas retain the ink.
Intersectionality recognises that individual characteristics like gender, race, class, sexual orientation and physical ability cannot be considered in a vaccum, because their effects are overlapping.
An art intervention is a work of art that’s created with the intention of interacting with an existing structure or situation.
Kinetic art is a form of art that incorporates movement.
Kitsch refers to art, objects, or design deemed to be in poor taste due to excessive garishness, sentimentality, or knowing irony.
Land art is creating art directly within the natural landscape, typically shaping the land itself to form earthworks with natural elements.
A landscape artwork, whether a painting or drawing, centres on natural scenery like mountains, forests, trees, rivers, and valleys.
Linocut, also called lino print or linoleum art, is a printmaking technique similar to woodcut, using linoleum sheets as the relief surface.
Lithography is a planographic printing technique where a design is drawn onto a flat stone or a metal plate, and adhered via chemical reactions.
Magic realism introduces elements of fantasy to reality, or captures reality in a fantastical style.
Mannerist is a 16th-century artistic style marked by artificiality, elegance, and a sensuously distorted portrayal of the human figure.
Medium can refer to both the artistic category (such as painting, sculpture or printmaking) and the materials used (such as bronze, clay or oil paint) when creating an artwork.
A memento mori is an artwork or symbol that prompts reflection on mortality and the fleeting nature of human life. The latin translates to “remember you must die.”
Mesh count refers to the number of threads per inch in a screen used for screen printing.
Metaphysical Art was an early twentieth-century Italian art movement known for its dream-like depictions of mysterious arcaded squares.
Mezzotint is an engraving method that emerged in the 17th century, producing prints with smooth transitions of tone and deep, velvety black areas.
Minimalism was a primarily American art movement of the 1960s, characterised by simple and often enormous forms.
Mixed media refers to artworks created by blending various media or materials together.
Modern art is characterised by a departure from traditional styles and values, notably produced from the late 19th century to the late 20th century.
Mono-ha, also known as the 'School of Things,' was an innovative art movement that originated in Tokyo during the mid-1960s.
A monotype is a unique image produced by printing from a smooth plate, like glass or metal, that has been inked with a design.
A montage is a compilation of related images, coming together to form a complete piece, or a component of a larger piece.
A mural technique that involves arranging small fragments of stone, tiles, or shells on a surface to create an image.
Repeating symbols, themes, or patterns found in a single work or across a series of works.
Art produced by individuals who did not undergo formal training.
Naturalism, combined with realism, influenced impressionism and modern art, with an emphasis on plein air practice (painting scenes outdoors).
Négritude was an anti-colonial movement started by African and Caribbean students in 1930s Paris.
A global revival of expressionist painting that surged in the 1980s.
Neo-Romanticism is a painting style that emerged in the 20th century, primarily defined by forms or images that evoke nostalgia and fantasy.
An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is a type of digital asset that represents ownership or proof of authenticity of a unique item or piece of content in digital form.
Nouveau réalisme was a French art movement in the 1960s that is sometimes considered a European counterpart to American pop art.
A lithographic printing process where the image is first transferred onto an intermediate surface before being printed onto the final sheet.
Oil painting involves using pigments mixed with a drying oil medium as the binding agent.
Oil pastels are a painting and drawing medium similar to both pastels and wax crayons.
The ‘Old Masters’ are the canonical European artists, primarily painters, who worked from the Renaissance to 1800.
Op Art, short for Optical Art, is an art movement that emerged in the 1960s.
An open edition refers to an edition of prints or artworks with no set limit on the number of copies that will be produced.
An original refers to a unique piece of artwork or the first instance of a particular work, as opposed to reproductions or copies.
‘Painterly’ refers to the technique of painting in a loose or less controlled manner, so you can see brush strokes in the final piece.
Papier collé, a French term for ‘pasted paper’, is a distinctive form of collage that bears a closer resemblance to drawing than to painting.
Participatory art refers to an artistic form that actively involves the audience in the creative process, transforming them into active participants.
Patina refers to a distinctive green or brown surface layer that forms on bronze sculptures over time due to oxidation.
An art form that is based on actions performed by the artist or other participants.
A photogram is an image created using photographic materials, such as light-sensitive paper, without the use of a camera.
Photomontage is the process of combining multiple photographs to create a single composite image.
Photopolymers are light-sensitive materials that harden or change their properties when exposed to specific wavelengths of light, commonly used in 3D printing and lithography.
Photorealism includes painting, drawing, and other visual techniques, in which artists strive to recreate a photo image with the utmost realism.
Photosensitive emulsion is a light-sensitive coating applied to a surface, typically used in screen printing and photography to develop images.
The ‘Pictures Generation’ describes a cohort of American artists from the early 1970s, noted for their critical examination of media culture.
In art, a plane is a continuous flat surface – real or imagined.
Planographic printing is printing from a flat surface, unlike relief printing that uses raised surfaces, or intaglio printing’s incised surfaces.
Plaster of Paris is a quick-setting gypsum plaster made from a finely ground white powder that solidifies when mixed with water.
Traditionally, a plinth is a rectangular slab or block at the bottom of a column, statue, pedestal, or pier – forming its base.
Pop art was a mid-20th-century art movement that celebrated popular culture and everyday objects through vibrant and bold imagery.
A portrait is an artwork or image, typically a painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving, that focuses on a person's face or head and shoulders.
Post-Impressionism was a reaction to the Impressionists’ concern for naturalistic depictions of light and colour, developed by Van Gogh and others.
Post-Internet is a 21st century art movement focusing on creations influenced by the Internet or its impact on aesthetics, culture and society.
Pre-Columbian art refers to the indigenous artworks of the Americas prior to Columbus' arrival in 1492.
A printer's proof, or PP, is a proof made for the printer's use, designed to check the quality and consistency of the printing.
Printmaking is an artistic technique that involves transferring images onto another surface, typically paper or fabric.
‘Process art’ is when the creative process is a significant element in the finished piece, often making the act of creation itself the subject.
A proof is a preliminary version of a print made for the purpose of review and correction.
The relationship between different elements within a composition, based on their size.
Psychedelic art is linked to the hippy movement of the 1960s, created by artists influenced by psychedelic experiences, often under the influence of drugs like LSD and DMT.
A Rayograph is a photographic print created by placing objects onto photosensitive paper and exposing them to light.
Marcel Duchamp coined the term ‘readymade’ in 1916 to describe his art created from manufactured objects. It's now used for similar works by others.
In art, a reference work is the original artwork upon which an edition or reproduction is based. Sometimes these derivatives seek to replicate the reference work exactly, while at other times a reference work serves as a jumping off point for creating something new.
Registration marks are symbols added to printing plates or screens to ensure proper alignment of colors during the printing process.
An artistic tendency coined by Nicholas Bourriaud in the 1990s, relational aesthetics defied modernist principles without being properly postmodern – finding artistic meaning in human relations and their social contexts.
Relief is a sculptural technique where carved elements are connected to a solid background of the same material, from the Latin ‘relevo’ (to raise).
The technique of etching or carving a negative of a design onto a printing plate. When ink is applied, and the plate is used to print, only the uncarved areas are transferred onto the surface.
The Renaissance is the period of artistic boom in 14th-17th Century Europe.
A reproduction is a copy or replica of an original piece of artwork, created through various methods like printing, casting, or digital copying.
Resin, or epoxy resin, is a chemical which sets from liquid to solid, used by sculptors to create complex forms in a variety of colours and varying degrees of opacity.
Rococo is an ornate design style popular in the 18th Century characterised by curved forms and imaginative embellishment.
Romanticism emerged in Europe in the late 18th century as both an artistic and intellectual movement, focussing on human psychology and feeling.
Screen Printing, also known as silkscreen printing and serigraphy, involves passing ink through a taught mesh screen. 'Open’ areas of mesh let ink pass through, leaving an impression on the substrate.
A self-portrait is a depiction of oneself created by oneself.
Serigraphy, also known as silkscreen printing and screen printing, involves passing ink through a taught mesh screen. 'Open’ areas of mesh let ink pass through, leaving an impression on the substrate.
Silkscreen printing, also known as screen printing and serigraphy, involves passing ink through a taught mesh screen. 'Open’ areas of mesh let ink pass through, leaving an impression on the substrate.
A simulacrum is a representation or copy of a person or thing.
Site-specific art describes artwork created specifically for a certain place and is closely connected to that location.
A smart contract is a self-executing computer program that runs on a blockchain and automatically enforces the terms of an agreement between parties without the need for an intermediary.
Soft sculpture refers to artworks created from flexible and non-rigid materials like textile, foam rubber and plastic.
Sound art is a form of artistic expression where sound serves as the central medium and material.
A squeegee is a tool with a flat, smooth rubber blade, used to spread or push ink or other substances across a surface, ensuring an even application.
A stencil is a two dimensional surface with areas cut out, such that it can be used to reproduce an image or text on a flat surface.
Street art is art produced in a public space like graffiti or murals, usually without formal authorisation.
A substrate is a foundational or base material on which another material is applied or mounted.
Surrealism was a 20th-century, avant-garde movement in art and literature that aimed to unlock the imaginative power of the subconscious mind.
‘Tableau’ describes a painting or photograph in which characters are arranged for a picturesque effect, acting entirely oblivious to the viewer.
Tempera is a painting technique that involves using pigments mixed with a water-soluble emulsion, typically composed of water and egg yolk.
Textile arts use natural, synthetic, or animal fibres to create both functional and ornamental items.
A theory by 18th Century philosopher Edmund Burke's 18th-century that defines art as that which alludes to an immeasurable greatness beyond comprehension.
As the name suggests, the size of a time-limited edition is limited by time.
Tone refers to how dark or light a colour is. Each colour encompasses a wide range of tones that can be changed by adding black or white.
Trompe-l'oeil is a French term meaning "deceive the eye", used to describe art that creates a 3D illusion on flat surfaces.
Ukiyo-e is a type of Japanese art that thrived during the 17th to 19th centuries, focussing on paintings and woodblock prints.
Uncanny is a concept that describes a strange and anxious feeling evoked by familiar objects placed in unfamiliar or unsettling contexts, or familar objects made unfamiliar through subtle alteration.
Underground art is any artistic expression that exists beyond the conventional boundaries of the mainstream art world.
The vanishing point is the point at which receding parallel lines, when viewed in perspective, appear to converge.
Vanitas is an art genre that uses symbolism to depict the fleeting nature of life, the emptiness of worldly pleasures, and the inevitability of death.
A vitrine is a glass cabinet or showcase, often used to display artworks or scientific specimens.
Web 3.0 is the next generation of the internet that describes decentralised networks built using blockchain technology.
Woodcut, the earliest printmaking technique, is a relief process which involves carving a design onto the surface of a wooden block.
‘Young British Artists’ (YBA) is a loosely-affiliated group of British artists from 1988, known for shock tactics and openness to materials.