Abstract Expressionism

A term originally used to describe Wassily Kandinsky's abstract paintings of the 1920's, but really first used in the modern sense in 1946 to describe contemporary painting. It was popular from that time until the end of the 1950's. Many painters are still painting in this style. It is the first art movement to have both a European and American background. The artists fleeing Hitler, such as Max Ernst, Fernand Leger, and Piet Mondrian, influenced it. The term is just what it implies. The paintings are abstractions or no noticeable relation to anything in nature at all. The object is to express the inner feelings of the artist toward the subject or the surface that the painting is on. It is as much an emotional release for the artist as it is anything else.

Aquatint

An etching technique that produces an unlimited number of gradations of tone from black to a very pale gray. It usually will have a granular appearance. The name is not from the actual technique, but in its visual similarity to that of a watercolor. The technique is usually used in with other processes such as engraving or drypoint. The resulting pitted surface yields a broad range of tonal values that often resemble a watercolor or wash drawing.

Artist Proof or A/P

Common practice is that 10 to 15 percent of an edition is reserved for the artist. In addition to the regular numbered edition, the artist usually selects a specified number of inventory for either his or her own uses, for a museum, or as the artist chooses. These proofs may be designated as artist’s proofs (AP, or EP in French and PA in Spanish) Print marking example; A/P 1/100 is the first print of an edition of 100 Artist Proof impressions. By art market standards Artist Proofs usually rank higher in value to S/N's of an edition.

Certificate of Authenticity

A document issued with limited edition prints, with the print publisher information, title of the image, size of the image, reproduction media or method, and number of the prints in the edition. Certificate may contain a statement about the work from the artist.

Collage
The term Collage is from the French verb Coller meaning "to glue." In English it means to attach objects to a surface. It can be used as either a noun or a verb. The first collage in art was by Picasso, Still Life with Chair Caning, produced in 1912. After World War I, the Dada artists used found objects to make political statements. Since this time, collage has been used by many artists to make statements about our society. Since it uses real objects it has a particularly strong impact in the form of social statement.

Collograph

An intaglio print made from a plate of board on which three-dimensional objects have been attached as in a collage.

Dada

The root of this word in art is unknown, however, many stories exist. Dada is not an art style, but an attitude. It came out of the period just after World War I, starting in Zurich and New York, and later in Berlin and Paris. It was a reaction to the destruction of which man was now capable through technology. It took on the form of sculpture and painting by such artists as Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, and Jean Arp. It was also expressed in actions such as the programs at the famous Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. The art works were to show that maybe all this new technology was not necessarily for the good. Some of the paintings showed man as a machine. These works were not met with enthusiasm at the time, but now are considered some of the most important works of twentieth century art.

Décollage

The opposite of collage. The removing of images superimposed on each other, such as the deterioration that takes place when outdoor posters are layered one on top of another and allowed to create a new image through decay of various parts at various rates. Used most effectively by the surrealist Leo Malet, beginning in 1934.

Dry Point

The printing process of drawing on a metal plate, usually copper or zinc, with a steel needle. This process is very spontaneous and can almost be called the same as drawing with a pencil. The print from this is characterized by the softness of line. This is caused by the small burr that is left on the sides of the furrow made with the needle. This burr breaks down very fast and changes the look of the print. The number of prints possible with dry point is very small, about 30 or so. The proof number is therefore, more significant in dry point than any other form of printing. Rembrandt executed some of the best works ever done in dry point.

Egg Tempera

The use of egg (either the whole egg, just the white, or just the yolk, but using just the yolk is most common), mixed with water and pigment to make paint. This process dates back to the Egyptians where there are examples of sarcophagi being decorated with them that are still in tact today. It is painted on solid supports and is capable of great detail as well as many other effects. It is very fast drying so does not blend very well. It was the primary form of painting until the introduction of oils. At first, and still some today, oils were painted over the tempera painting to enhance the darker colors.

Engraving

The printing process of drawing on a metal plate, usually copper or zinc, with a steel needle. This process is very spontaneous and can almost be called the same as drawing with a pencil. The print from this is characterized by the softness of line. This is caused by the small burr that is left on the sides of the furrow made with the needle. This burr breaks down very fast and changes the look of the print. The number of prints possible with dry point is very small, about 30 or so. The proof number is therefore more significant in dry point than any other form of printing.

Etching

An etching is a print produced by the printing method known by the same name. Coating a copper or zinc plate with a wax or similar protective shield does it and then the drawing is produced on the surface with a needle. Only the coating is cut, not the plate. When the drawing is complete, the plate is submerged in an acid bath and the acid cuts the areas that were exposed by the needle. Then the plate is cleaned and inked and then wiped so ink is only in the recesses. The plate is then put in a press where it is pressed hard against a damp print paper. The resulting print is a reverse of the original drawing on the plate. This process dates back to about 1500.

Expressionism

This is a style of art that is based on expressing the artist’s emotions. It is in direct opposition to the cerebral art of Geometric Abstraction. It is also not to be confused with Impressionism, which is also far different in its attempt to depict certain forms of lighting effects. Expressionism is not from a particular period, but started at the end of the nineteenth century with such artists as Vincent Van Gogh, and later with the Fauves, such as Henri Matisse. Most often the term is used as part of a movement's name such as the German Expressionist or the Abstract Expressionists. It is really any painting that is primarily based on the release of the artist's emotions.

Figurative

This term has two meanings. At first it was used to mean any painting that concerned itself with the representation of nature, human figures, landscapes, and still lifes. Lately, it has become used to mean any painting of the human figure. The latter meaning is becoming more common.

Glair

Egg whites beaten until they are frothy, and mixed with a little water, and then let to stand until the froth disappears. This has been used for centuries as the adhesive for gilding and as the binder for paints used in manuscript illumination.

Glaze

The technique of putting one transparent color over another, already dry color. Used in almost all mediums. Most talked about in oil and acrylics.

Giclee

A fine art print that has become more precise with the advent of the revolutionary printing process Giclee (ghee-clay) a French term meaning "spray of ink." In the Giclee process, a fine stream of ink (more than four millions droplets per second) is sprayed onto archival art paper or canvas. Each piece of paper or canvas is carefully hand mounted onto a drum, which rotates during printing. Exact calculation of hue, value and density direct the ink from four nozzles. This produces a combination of 512 chromatic changes (with over three million colors possible) of highly saturated, non-toxic water-based ink. Since no screens are used in Giclee printing, the prints have a higher resolution than lithographs and the dynamic color range is greater than.

Gilding

Affixing thin metal leaf to a surface to give the effect of solid or inlaid metal. It is a very old technique that goes back to the Egyptians and the Chinese. It reached its highest point at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century with Victorian fashion and in the gilding of gold picture frames.

Impasto

A painting technique where the paint is thick enough to have actual form. The strokes themselves create some of the effect. Rembrandt was one who employed this technique to great success.

Imprematura

Term used in oil painting. It is a thin, transparent glaze of color. This glaze is applied to the surface over a drawing. It goes directly on the white surface. It is sometimes called a veil.

Intaglio

Any print or printing process that uses the idea of the ink being in recessed grooves in the plate. The plates are inked and then wiped. The print is made by pressing a damp print paper in the plate and the ink is drawn up out of the grooves and onto the paper. Some of the processes included in this category are etching, engraving, drypoint, and photogravure.

Limited Edition

This is when the artist promises to not make more than a specified amount of prints. In the old days of printing the artist would destroy the plate or stone that the print was made from so no more could be made. This is still true today of the traditional printing methods, but most prints are made by offset photolithography, called lithographs, and since they are produced by the means of photographing an original, the buyer only has the word of the artist. An edition can be of any length. For the most part, really fine art prints are limited to 200 to 300 prints. Most of the offset prints are more in the area of 1000 copies. Some are far larger than that. There is no limit to the number of prints that could be made on a modern press. In the old days, the number of prints was very limited and the higher the number the poorer the print. However, today, with photo offset the last one is just the same as the first.

Linocut

A relief print made from a sheet of linoleum into which a design has been cut with knives or burins. Similar to woodcut, the linoleum allows a greater variety and range of effects because it can be worked more easily.

Lithograph

This is a printing process based on the fact that oil and water don't mix. It originated in Solnhofen, Germany where in 1798, Alois Senefelder discovered that when a greasy crayon was used to draw on a smooth limestone surface and then the surface was covered with water and then with ink, the ink would only stick to the stone where the greasy crayon had drawn marks. Paper could then be pressed on this surface and a print made of the drawing The process was soon refined and rapidly became a favorite printing method of and for artists. It was used by such greats as Goya, Daumier, Géricault, Delacroix, Degas, Munch, Toulouse-Lautrec. In the twentieth century it has been used by such artists as Picasso and Miro.
Lithography is sometimes confused with the photomechanical printing method of Offset Lithography. This is a very big mistake. The process of traditional lithography is a very time consuming and delicate work. The photomechanical process is the one used for almost all printing today from magazines to newspapers to the fine art prints sold in most galleries. The only difference between the fine art printing and the newspaper is the quality of the paper and the care given to the printing process.

Mat

Matting is the most popular way to protect works on paper when framing. There are many companies providing a wide range of colors and surfaces in various grades from standard to museum quality. Mats are cut into frames to be put in heavier frames so the artwork will be protected from the elements and from any of the surfaces that might harm it.

Medium

Medium is the material or technical means of artistic expression. Types include oils, watercolors, acrylics, ink, pencil and charcoal, etc. Reproduction medium types include lithography, offset lithography, silkscreen, serigraphy and Giclee. Mixed media is the use of two or more materials and/or reproduction means.

Mezzotint

A relief printing method that reverses the engraving process. A metal plate is abraded with a special tool and is made to have an overall burr. It would print a solid soft black. The design is then made by smoothing the surface with a burnisher so that it will not print in the burnished areas. The name comes from the combination of the Italian words mezzo, meaning half, and tinta, meaning tone. This combination giving the word mezzotint, or halftone. This is the unique property of this method in that with varying degrees of burnishing, different degrees of darkness can be achieved. The main drawbacks to this method are the lack of fine detail and the labor of preparing the steel plate.

Monotype or Monoprint

A technique in which a drawing is made with ink on a smooth surface such as glass or metal and then printed onto paper by hand or with a press. Usually only a single print is produced, although a "ghost image" (a second strike from the same inked plate) may be produced.

Mono-Original

An original image of any medium that is recreated in likeness more then once.

Naive Art

Artwork that is produced by artists without formal training. Probably the best-known artist of this type is Grandma Moses. The style is generally childlike and innocent, but will have an unusual sensitive touch and a natural understanding of composition and spatial organization. This style should not be confused with folk art. Folk art contains functional forms that are specific to a culture.

Offset Lithograph

A mechanical process used to photographically reproduce an image. The newest printing method in the industry is computerized or electronic printing. This process uses a computer, typesetting and page-design software and optical scanners to aid in reproduction. The majority of reproductions are created using this process.

Opaque

The amount of transparency of a color or surface. The amount of light a surface will let go through it. All colors that have white added have a certain amount of opacity.

Original Graphics

An artist working in a printmaking medium, such as etching creates a Predetermined number of images. Lithography and serigraphy. Original graphics are produced on a master plate, stone, or screen one at a time using a graphic press.

Printers Proof or P/P

Common practice by many printers is that a small number of impressions are made for review by the artist or publisher for approval at the time of printing. The amount varies depending on reproduction method used. Offset lithographs usually have a larger amount as they are produced rather quickly through an offset press. These proofs are often marketed and are identical impressions to the edition in most instances. Print marking example; P/P 1/100 is the first print of an edition of 100 Printers Proof impressions. By art market standards Printers Proofs usually rank higher in value to S/N's or A/P's of an edition.

Rag Paper

One hundred percent rag paper is constructed of cotton fibers. Traditionally considered museum quality. Watercolor paper and most printmaking papers are examples of archival rag paper.

Realism

Art which is an accurate depiction of nature. This is a term that is used in the most general sense. The term originated in the mid nineteenth-century, in France, when the painter Gustave Courbet said that since he had never seen an angel he could certainly never paint one. He devoted his life to painting the life around him. Realism was a big part of the art world until the 1950's when it was almost eliminated from critical consideration. It resurfaced in the 1960's with Pop art and the new realism. Today, realism is still a big part of the art world and is argued all the time as to its merits. Sometimes there is a very fine line between realism in high art and hack art.

Remarque or RE

A current practice by some artist is the addition of a small-personalized drawing near his penciled signature in the margin of the graphic. The simple sketch or drawing is usually rendered in pencil, but can be rendered in color. A print containing one of these hand embellishments or drawings is called a Remarque. Print marking example, RE "1/25" is the first print of an edition of 25 Remarques. By art market standards Remarques usually rank higher in value to S/N's, A/P's, and P/P's of an edition.

Scumble

Scumbling is the technique of putting a semi-dry paint over an existing dry paint in such a way as to create a haze. This is done with semi-opaque or opaque paint, and is used mostly in oil and acrylic painting.

Serigraph or Silkscreen

The artist prepares a tightly stretched screen, usually of silk, and blocks out areas not to be printed by filling the mesh on the screen with a varnish-link substance. Paper is placed under the screen, and ink is forced through the still-open mesh onto the paper by means of a squeegee. A print made by this process involves the use of stencils. Paint is applied to a fabric screen, penetrating areas not blocked by a stencil. Several stencils are used to produce a multicolored print. As a commercial medium, many contemporary artists such as William Tolliver have used silk-screen printing. Serigraphs are usually hand pulled, while silk-screens utilize the latest automated printing technologies.

Shade

The property of a color that is the darkness of the color. When a color is darker than it is in its pure form, it is said to be a shade of that color.

Signed and Numbered or S/N

These prints are authenticated with the artist signature, the total number of impressions in the edition, and the order in which impression is signed. The artist pencils in his signature and a number on the bottom of the print. Pencil is usually used on reproductions because it does not affect paper over time. The number appears as a fraction. Numbering example; L/E 5/1500, indicates the fifth print of a limited edition of 1500 impressions.

Tanagra Figurines

Small painted terra-cotta statuettes from ancient Greece. Usually depicting every day life. Named after a small town in Boeotia that was an important site of their production in the latter part of the 4th and 3rd century B.C.

Terra Cotta

Baked clay. It is usually a reddish-brown in color. The word really means, baked earth. Many sculptors and potters use this clay. It is also used in the manufacturing of some roof tiles. It has excellent shaping and molding qualities.

Tint

The property of a color that is the lightness of the color. When a color is lighter than it is in its pure form, it is said to be a tint of that color.

Traditional Tribal Art


Traditional tribal art is made for use within a culture, not for sale to outsiders. The trade in traditional African pieces is extremely specialized and requires years of study to master. Most dealers specialize in one or two areas because the field is so vast. Reproductions of traditional pieces abound, as African and other tribal artists responded to a demand for masks and statues made in a traditional style. Reproductions of African and other tribal pieces have been made on a production basis for over thirty years. While they may resemble traditional pieces, they are considered craft items rather than fine art and do not have the investment potential of authentic pieces.

Triptych

A set of three paintings, related in subject and set side by side. Originally used as altarpieces. Works in this style date from the medieval time. Today, we see the style used in many decorative paintings.

Undertone

The property of a color that can be seen when it is mixed with a large amount of white into a tint or spread very thin on a surface such as a watercolor wash. The stronger the undertone, the more pigment in the paint.

Woodcut or Wood Engraving

A relief technique in which a design is cut with knives, gouges, or chisels into planks of wood parallel to the wood grain. Wood Engraving is a relief technique in which a design is cut with burins, gouges, or chisels into the end grain of a hard wood block.