Glossary of Terms
As my website would lead you to believe, I work as a writer. One of the assignments we worked on recently was a creative brainstorm to put together to request an RFP. Essentially, a pitch for a pitch.
During that process, I noticed that a lot of things they mentioned as a way to improve the museum experience are:
Things that were already in place at many museums but aren't widely known
A difficulty enjoying the museum-going experience because it feels gatekept by academia
Similar to a lawyer using an excess of Latin and legal jargon in their documentation, we can make art history much more accessible to the public by explaining concepts rather than relying on industry terminology.
That said, there are still quite a few terms that would be very difficult to do away with. Therefore, in an effort to make art history accessible to as many people as possible, I've decided to create a practical, non-sexy glossary of terms.
This blog post will serve as a living document of sorts, where I'll be updating it wherever I see that there's a gap in knowledge and context, so come back often!
Abstract
As the term would imply, this art breaks away from presenting images in a lifelike or mimetic way. There are two flavors of abstract art, figurative and non-figurative. You can view figurative as abstract-lite since there are still discernible human figures—think of Mattise, Munch, Picasso, and Braque. On the other hand, non-figurative is completely abstract—artists like Pollock, Rothko, Krasner, and de Kooning, to name a few.
Aerial Perspective
Also known as atmospheric perspective, this is a method for creating depth in two-dimensional artworks. It posits that the further an object is from the foreground, the lighter the color and hue will be. It helps the artist create depth and dimension.
Assemblage
Imagine a collage but in three dimensions.
Avant-garde
This French term is used to talk about artworks, movements, or artists that are on the cutting edge and experimental.
Brushwork
Brushwork refers to the way a painter applies paint to a surface. They can be classified as tight or loose, depending on how visible they are to the naked eye.
Chiaroscuro
Italian for "light-dark," it refers to the technique of using contrasting luminosity and shadow to create dimension and drama. It was pioneered by the Italian Renaissance and Mannerists—it's also a staple in Baroque Art.
Composition
This term refers to how things are organized with a piece of art.
Contrapposto
This Italian word refers to the asymmetrical posture in which most of a figure's weight is distributed onto one foot.
