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abstract Art that departs from literal representation. The subject is transformed in some fashion, for example, simplified or geometricized.
Academy Commonly used to denote the national school of art in 18th- and 19th-century France. After 1862, the school's name became the Ècole des Beaux-Arts, and the Académie Française became the name of an official group of noted authors and artists.
cloisonnism A style involving flat colors separated by strong blue or black outlines in the manner of cloisonné enamel, used extensively by the post-impressionists.
cubism A style of painting created by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in the early 20th century in which objects are portrayed as multifaceted solids that form superimposed, overlapped, and interlocked planes.
divisionism Another name for pointillism, a painting style preferred by the neo-impressionists, such as Georges Seurat.
expressionism The expression of emotion through color and brush stroke.
frieze Any relief or painting used decoratively in a long horizontal format. Originally the long horizontal area between the architrave and cornice in Classical architecture.
ground A foundation surface of paint or gesso laid down on the base support (i.e., canvas, paper, plaster, etc.) to receive the paint.
Japonism The influence of Japanese art on European art, especially in the works of the impressionists and post-impressionists.
juste-milieu "Middle of the road." Artists who incorporated progressive and radical trends within the academic style.
lithography A process of making prints by drawing on limestone or a zinc plate with a greasy crayon. The stone or plate is then wetted and a greasy ink is applied that adheres only to the drawn lines. A damp paper is applied to the stone, and a special press transfers the ink onto the paper to produce the final print.
Louvre One of the most important museums in the world, the Louvre was constructed by King Philippe-Auguste in 1190 as a fortress. In 1360 Charles V transformed the fortress into a royal residence. Though famous for its extraordinary collection since 1726, it was not until 1793 that the Louvre opened its doors to the public. The collection includes European paintings from 1400-1900, European sculptures from 1100-1900, Asian art, Egyptian art, Greek and Roman art, furniture, and jewelry.
mural Any painting made directly on a wall.
oeuvre "Work." Often refers to the total product of an artist's career.
plein-air Literally, "open air." Painting executed outdoors rather than in a studio.
pointillist Sometimes called divisionist or neo-impressionist. Instead of mixing the pigments on a palette, the artist applies dots or dashes of pure color on the canvas, to be mixed by the viewer's eye. For example, primary colors such as blue and yellow, when viewed from afar, appear as green.
purpura "Purple" in Tahitian. It also refers to a disease where the skin appears purple due to hemorrhaging underneath.
Salon In the 18th and 19th centuries, a government-sponsored exhibition named after a room in the Louvre where court painters exhibited their works.
Salon des refusés An exhibition ordered by Napoleon III in Paris to exhibit the works rejected by the official Salon in 1863. Most of the impressionists were included.
symbolism A movement between 1885-1910 in which European artists and writers emphasized the use of symbols.
synthetism A style of painting in the 1890s in which flat areas of color are surrounded by dark lines, and dissimilar events, objects, or ideas may be combined.
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Vivian Kung and Patricia Richmond
Teacher Resource Center
Department of Education and Public Programs
© 1997 The Cleveland Museum of Art |