ART H340 Painting
Fall 2005

Instructed by Ralph Larmann
GLOSSARY OF PAINTING TERMS

Painting Information

• ABSTRACT
  imagery that has been derived from a natural form, but chnged so that it is not easily associated with the original form.
• ALLA PRIMA
  a painting done in one layer while the paint is still wet.
• BINDER
  the material that holds the color or pigment to a support. Also called the vehicle.
• CHIAROSCURO
  a method of using darks and lights to create an illusion of naturalistic depth.
• DRY BRUSH
  literally the application of paint using an "almost" dry brush. The paint is applied in a thin manner.
• ENCAUSTIC
  paint that has a binder of beeswax with pigment.
• FUGITIVE
  refers to the tendency of some pigments to fade. Pigments that are fugitive fade quickly.
• GRISAILLE
  a black, gray, and white painting usually used as an underpainting.
• HARD EDGE
  an area in a pinting where there is a sudden change in value or color.
• IMPASTO
  thickly painted surface that has a noticeable physical depth.
• LIGHTFASTNESS
  the strength of pigment to hold its color. The better the lightfastness the less fade over time.
• MONOCHROMATIC
  a painting that uses only one color in a variety of values (including black and white).
• NATURALISTIC
  realistic, or appearing like something from the natural world.
• NON-REPRESENTATIONAL
  an image that has been derived from a non-visual source and makes no association to visual forms.
• OPTICAL COLOR
  color created through physiological perception. It occurs when we see a color that is not present, i.e., when there are thin lines of red and yellow near each other we sometimes see orange.
• SGRAFFITO
  the process of scraping into a layer of paint to reveal the what is underneath.
• SCUMBLING
  the addition of paint to a surface in such a way as to leave parts of the previous layer revealed.
• SFUMATO
  in Italian it literally means "vanished in smoke." A process of softening edges in a work to create a soft atmoshperic depth.
• SUPPORT
  the surface that the painting is done upon.
• TENEBRISM
  a process used to create great contrasts in a painting. It relies on heightened lights and darks to give a dramatic feel to a work. Used by Caravaggio and other Baroque painters.
• VERDE GRIS
  a green underpainting used by artists in an effort to accentuate the reddish tones of flesh.