This glossary is about useful terms and words in contemporary arts. The best way to get better at arts is studying other artists works. To understand everything, it is crucial to learn the right vocabulary, so here're 20 terms typically used in contemporary art. There's also images, translation, and pronunciation models. I used terms that I learned in my art history class and used google to define them.
acrylic
noun
Acrylic is a general term for a family of man-made synthetic plastics, resins, and fibers derived from acrylic acid.
Example: This painting was made using ACRYLIC.
en: acrylique
art movement
phrase
Art movement is a tendency or shared philosophy in art followed by a group of artists during a specific period. These groups share a common goal, visual style, or ideological belief.
Example: German Expressionism was my favourite ART MOVEMENT.
en: mouvement artistique / courant
artwork
noun
An artwork is an artistic production, physical object, or visual creation made to express an idea, feeling, or aesthetic value.
Example: The ARTWORK to be found on such monuments could never be seen as just propaganda; it has a far deeper function compared to the modern examples of propaganda.
en: œuvre d'art
Canvas
noun
Canvas is a strong, heavy, rough fabric made from cotton, linen, or hemp, as well as an artist's painting surface or a finished painting made on that fabric.
Example: The picture he paints is very like an Impressionist CANVAS.
en: toile / canevas
composition
noun
Arrangement into specific proportion or relation and especially into artistic form.
Example: The artist used a captivating COMPOSITION.
en: composition
contrast
noun
The state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association.
Example: The high CONTRAST of light define his artwork.
en: contraste
easel
noun
An easel is an upright support frame, typically with three legs, used to hold an artist's canvas, a blackboard, or a display sign at an angle.
Example: I used an EASEL to paint comfortably.
en: chevalet
frame
noun
In art, a frame is a protective and decorative border or structure that encloses a painting, drawing, photograph, or print.
Example: I hung the FRAME too high.
en: cadre
gestural
adjective
A style of painting or drawing that emphasizes the physical, energetic movement of the artist. It uses sweeping, free, and expressive strokes rather than small, controlled details.
Example: Heilmann first applied a foundational layer, frequently deploying gestural marks, then masked off portions of this base and overpainted it with a geometric second layer.
en: gestuel / gestuelle
impasto
noun
The process or technique of laying on paint or pigment thickly so that it stands out from a surface.
Example: The thick IMPASTO of the hydrangeas above the figures matches the lushness of the blossom itself.
en: empâtement
landscape
noun
Landscape painting is a work of art that shows natural scenery like mountains, rivers, trees, and forests.
Example: He painted a beautiful LANDSCAPE.
en: paysage
medium
noun
The specific substance, tool, or method an artist uses to create a work, such as oil paint, charcoal, or marble.
Example: I'm an artists who work only with one MEDIUM
en: médium
oil paint
phrase
Oil paint is a slow-drying type of paint made by mixing colored powder particles, called pigment, with a vegetable oil binder, most commonly linseed oil.
Example: This painting was made with OIL PAINT.
en: peinture à l'huile
Paintbrush
noun
A paintbrush is a tool used to apply paint, ink, or similar liquid mediums to a surface.
Example: Use a small PAINTBRUSH to touch up any spots where the paint dripped or bled through the stencil.
en: pinceau
palette
noun
A palette is a flat board used by painters to hold and mix paint, or a range of colors used in art, design, or digital media.
Example: He showed his student how to prepare a PALETTE.
en: palette
palette knife
phrase
A thin steel blade with a handle for mixing colours or applying or removing paint.
Example: The area to be sampled was first cleaned with a PALETTE KNIFE to define the boundaries and then me archeology.
en: couteau à peindre / spatule
portrait
noun
A portrait is a painting, photograph, drawing, or sculpture of a person that highlights their face, likeness, and personality
Example: The queen posed for her PORTRAIT.
en: portrait
saturation
noun
The intensity, purity, or vividness of a color, describing how bright or deep a tone is without being diluted by white.
Example: The SATURATION was too high, I couldn't recognise the objects.
en: saturation
still life
phrase
A still life is a work of art that shows non-living objects, such as fruit, flowers, or household items.
Example: She prefers portraiture to STILL LIFE.
en: nature morte
support
noun
In visual arts, the support is the solid surface on which the work is painted, typically a canvas or a panel.
Example: A canvas is the most used SUPPORT for paintings.
