Glossary of Terms

Active Listing: This is the terminology used in reference to any lot which is currently up for auction, live on the Morgan O'Driscoll Auction site and available for bidding.
Absentee Bidder: A person who may not attend the sale but submits, in advance, a written or oral bid that is the top price he/she will pay for a given property.
Absentee Bid/Proxy Bid: A bid on an item that a bidder leaves without being physically present. Morgan O'Driscoll allows a bidder to leave a bid on any item listed online by clicking "Bid Now" and entering a bid amount. All bids are kept confidential from the auctioneer and other bidders. At the time of the live auction, the bidding system will attempt to execute your bid at the lowest cost possible.
Absolute Auction: An auction at which the merchandise or property is to be sold to the highest bidder without regards to the price received. At an absolute auction, the seller is not allowed to bid, either personally or through a representative, on their own merchandise. The exception to this is a forced sale. Also known as an auction without reserve.
Accounting of Sale: A report issued to the seller by the auctioneer or an auction representative with the financial information from the auction.
Agent: A person who acts on behalf of another individual or entity.
Appraisal: The act or process of estimating value.
Artist Resale Right (or Droit de Suite): According to the European Union's Artist's Resale Right Directive, which has been adopted by Ireland, living artists and artists who died within 70 years prior to the date of the sale are entitled to receive a resale royalty each time their art work is sold by an art market professional in the European Union or United Kingdom, subject to certain conditions. Morgan O'Driscoll will collect the resale royalty due to the artists or their estates from vendors of lots with a hammer price (excluding buyer's premium and excluding VAT) in excess of €3000. No Artist resale rights shall be paid by the purchaser, it is the responsibility of the Vendor.
"As Is": Prospective bidders are encouraged to inspect closely the property being sold prior to bidding and to determine through the inspection, to be of acceptable quality and value, separate and distinct from any representation made. The auctioneer shall not be responsible for the correct description, authenticity, genuineness of, or defect in any lots, and makes no warranty in connection therewith. No sale is invalid or voidable by reason of any fault in any lot or by reason of any lot being incorrectly described, and no compensation may be paid for any such fault or error in description or any imperfection not noted.
Auction: A method of selling property in a public forum through open and competitive bidding. Also referred to as: public auction, auction sale or sale.
Auctioneer: The person whom the seller engages to direct, conduct, or be responsible for a sale by auction. This person may or may not actually "call" or "cry" the auction.
Auction Block: The podium or raised platform where the auctioneer stands while conducting the auction. "Placing (an item) on the auction block" means to sell something at auction.
Auction Marketing: The method of marketing assets utilizing the auction method of sale.
Auction Plan: The plan for pre-auction, auction-day and post-auction activities.
Auction Price: The price obtained through auction on particular personal or real property.
Auction Value: The value which is obtained at auction on a specific item when sold by a knowledgeable seller to a knowledgeable buyer when there are no other factors which affect the price received.
Auction With Reserve: An auction at which the seller(s) or his/her representative reserve the right to set the minimum acceptable price for an item. The minimum price may or may not be disclosed. If the last bid is below the minimum acceptable price, the sale of the item is subject to owner confirmation.
Auction Without Reserve: See Absolute Auction.
Bank Letter of Credit/Guarantee: A notarized letter from a bank or other financial institution, on their letterhead certifying that they will guarantee a check up to a specified amount at a specified sale for a specified person. This letter is often requested from prospective bidders or buyers who are wishing to pay for purchases by personal or company check.
Bid: A bid is a legally binding offer of a specific amount of money in exchange for an item which is up for auction with Morgan O'Driscoll. This term also defines "Single Bid."
Bid Agent: If a Buyer entered a "Maximum Bid," rather than a single bid for an item which is up for auction on the Morgan O'Driscoll Auction site, the system will automatically bid on the Buyer's behalf up to the maximum amount entered.
Bid Assistants: Persons who are positioned throughout the potential bidders at the auction to help the auctioneer spot bidders and assist potential bidders with questions and information to help them in their buying decision. Also known as ringmen.
Bid Caller: The person who actually "calls," "cries" or "auctions" the bids on property at an auction, recognizes bidders and acknowledges the highest bidder. Commonly called the auctioneer.
Bid Increments: The standardized amount an item increases in price after each new bid. The auction service sets the increment, which rises according to the present high bid value of an item.
Bid Rigging: An unlawful agreement between two or more people, not to bid against one another to deflate the auction value and to cheat the seller. Also known as collusion.
Bidder (Paddle) Number: Intending purchasers must register for a paddle before the auction. Potential purchasers should allow time for registration. We recommend registering on a viewing day.
Bidder Package: The package of information, terms and instructions pertaining to the property to be sold at an auction event obtained by prospective bidders at a given auction.
Bidder's Choice: A method of auction where the successful bidder has the right to pick the item or items he/she wishes to purchase at the bid price per piece.
Bidding History: The bidding history shows the recent bidding activity of a specific lot.
Bidding for people unable to attend: We are pleased to offer Absentee, Telephone and Live Online Bidding on our website www.morganodriscoll.com
Block Bidder: This term refers to the action of blocking a particular bidder from a single auction.
Bought-In: If there are no bids on a lot, or if bidding does not reach the reserve price, the lot is "bought in," meaning it is left unsold and remains the property of the owner.
Buy: The act of purchasing an item through the Morgan O'Driscoll Auctions site.
Buyer: A member who is registered with Morgan O'Driscoll, with the ability to purchase items.
Buyer's Commission / Premium: The purchaser shall pay the hammer price together with a buyers' premium of 20% plus VAT @ 23% (24.6% incl. VAT). For live Online Bidding through the Invaluable website, there is a further 3% service charge.
Catalogue or Brochure: A publication advertising and describing the item(s) available for sale at public auction, often including photographs, descriptions and the terms and conditions of the sale.
Cataloguing: Factual information about a lot offered for sale, such as the name of the artist or maker, a detailed description of the object, the year of its creation, its provenance, major exhibitions in which it has appeared and publications in which it has been documented.
Caveat Emptor: A Latin term meaning "let the buyer beware." A legal maxim stating that the buyer takes the risk regarding quality or condition of the property purchased, unless protected by warranty.
Clerk: The person employed by the principal auctioneer or auction firm to record what is sold, to whom and for what price.
Collection of Lots: In some circumstances small or portable lots may be collected during the sale on production of purchasers sale receipt. Purchasers are requested to remove their lots from the saleroom after the sale on the Monday evening. Alternatively, items can be collected from our Dublin Office or our Head Office in West Cork by prior appointment.
Collusion: The unlawful practice whereby two or more people agree not to bid against one another so as to deflate value or when a fictitious buyer bids on behalf of the seller so as to manipulate or inflate the price of the property.
Competing Bid: During a sale, the auctioneer may be accepting competing bids for an item from various sources, including bids from an in-house audience, telephone bids, book bids, absentee bids, and online bidding platforms.
Commission: The fee charged to the seller by the auctioneer for providing services, usually a percentage of the gross selling price of the property established by contract prior to the auction.
Conditions of Business: This important text describes the terms under which the auctioneer and the seller agree to sell a lot to the purchaser. It is important to read the conditions carefully before bidding.
Conditions of Sale: The legal terms set forth for an auction which includes condition of property to be sold, acceptable payment terms, buyer's premiums, possession and removal of property, absolute or reserve auction and any other terms of the sale.
Condition Report: A Condition Report is a form noting any damage or unusual characteristics pertaining to an item and the location of said damages. This form serves as a guide to help ensure a complete survey of the item.
Consignee: The auctioneer or auction house operator to whom goods are entrusted by another (consignor) for sale at auction.
Consignor: The person or authorized agent or entity that consigns goods to an auctioneer. The consignor is usually the seller.
Contract: An agreement between two or more persons or entities which creates or modifies a legal relationship.
Delivery: We can recommend a number of couriers who will deliver purchases for you at a reasonable charge payable by you. This agreement is solely between the purchaser and the courier and no responsibility is held by the auctioneer. International deliveries can be arranged; please contact us for details.
Demo: A Demo is an online demonstration of a product or service to assist the user in a more thorough understanding of the product.
Due Diligence: The process of gathering information about the condition and legal status of assets to be sold.
Estate Auction: The sale of property left by a person at his/her death. An estate auction can involve the sale of personal and/or real property.
Estimate: Each lot is given a low and high estimate, representing the opinion of Morgan O'Driscoll's experts about the range in which the lot might sell at auction. Estimates are based on the examination of an item and recent auction records of comparable pieces.
Estimate Range: The Estimate Range is a valuation of an item for sale within a range, low to high; an approximation of monetary value.
Exhibition History: A listing of museum or gallery exhibitions in which a given lot has appeared. Inclusion in important exhibitions may impact on the value of the object.
Expert: Another term for a Morgan O'Driscoll specialist who is an expert in specific fields of collecting and belongs to a department.
Fair Market Value: A term frequently used by appraisers referring to their judgment and opinion about an object's likely sale price if offered by a willing seller to a willing buyer. Since the auction process is open to all bidders, a sale at auction is considered to be a measure of Fair Market Value.
Fair Warning: A warning sometimes given by the auctioneer that the hammer is about to come down on a lot. The fair warning offers one last chance to increase the bidding.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions; a list of the most common questions and their responses.
Forgery: A Lot which was made with the intention of deceiving with regard to authorship, culture, source, origin, date, age or period and which is not shown to be such in the description set out in the Catalogue and the market value for which at the date of the auction was substantially less than it would have been had the Lot been in accordance with the Catalogue description.
Gavel: Another name for the auctioneer's hammer used to close the bidding.
Grading: The process for determining the physical condition of an item. Different items have different grading systems.
Hammer Price: Price established by the last bidder and acknowledged by the auctioneer before dropping the hammer or gavel to indicate a sale is completed.
Intellectual Property (IP): IP is a term referring to a number of distinct types of legal monopolies over creations of the mind, both artistic and commercial, and the corresponding fields of law.
Knocked Down: An auction house term for the hammer coming down and ending the bidding, as in, "The lot was knocked down at €10,000."
Lien: An adverse claim or charge against an item when that item is being used as collateral for a debt.
Login Name: This is the private name for each seller or buyer that is not publicly displayed; this is the name they use to login to the site.
Lot: A lot is an item or grouping of items.
Make An Offer: The Make an Offer feature allows a buyer to bid on an item that did not sell at auction.
Markings: Markings are any kind of notation done by the artist on a work of art.
No-Sale Fee: A fee paid to the auctioneer for merchandise offered through auction with reserves when the property does not meet the minimum acceptable bid and does not sell.
On-site Auction: An auction conducted on the premises of the property being sold.
On-site Bidder: A bidder who is physically participating at the auction venue.
Opening Bid: The first bid offered on an item by a bidder at an auction.
Outbid: To submit a maximum bid that is higher than another buyer's maximum bid.
Paddle: An object displaying the number assigned to a bidder when he or she registers at the auction. To place a bid, simply raise your paddle until the auctioneer acknowledges you.
Payment: All purchases must be paid for in EURO in full within 7 days of the sale. We accept cash, cleared personal cheques, bankers drafts and debit cards (Visa and Mastercard credit cards are accepted subject to a service charge of 2.0%).
Pass/Unsold: Terms used by the auctioneer when an item fails to reach its reserve at auction.
Photography: All items that go to auction are professionally photographed by Morgan O'Driscoll's photography department, for documentary and promotional purposes.
Pre-Sale Estimates: These are shown beneath each lot in the sale and they are intended merely as a guide and may be subject to change. The legal amount due is always the EURO sum. The auction shall be conducted in Euro.
Pre-sale Exhibition: Generally, Morgan O'Driscoll puts all lots from its sales on public display on the days immediately preceding an auction. Please see our website for dates, times and locations.
Preview: Specified date and time a property is available for prospective buyer viewing and audits in advance of the sale. Also known as open house or inspection.
Proceeds of Sale: The net amount due to the seller being the Hammer Price of the Lot after deducting the Auctioneer's Commission along with the seller's contribution towards insurance, photography, cataloguing fee, such VAT as is chargeable and any other amounts due by the seller to the Auctioneer.
Provenance: Provenance is defined as the place of origin, proof of authenticity or record of previous ownership of an object.
Privacy Policy: This is Morgan O'Driscoll's official statement on the type of information collected on a site, how the information will be used, how the person can access this data and the steps for having the data removed.
Raisonné Number: A Catalogue Raisonné Number is the specific record of a particular work of art by an artist as contained within the Catalogue Raisonné.
Registration Form or Register: The registration form to be completed and signed by each prospective buyer or, where the Auctioneer has acknowledged that a bidder is acting as agent on behalf of a named principal, each such bidder prior to the commencement of an auction.
Reserve Price: The reserve price is the lowest price which a Seller is willing to accept for an item.
Results: Results of our auctions are typically posted online within minutes after the sale. Customarily, results include the hammer price excluding the buyer's premium.
Retract Bid: When a buyer wishes to withdraw their bid on a specific item, they will go through the bid retraction process found within the FAQ.
Sale Order Form: The sale order form to be completed and signed by each seller prior to the commencement of an auction.
Sealed Bid: A method of auction where confidential bids are submitted within a specified time and award of property is made to the highest bidder upon opening of bids.
Search: Search is a mechanism for the act of searching Morgan O'Driscoll Auctions for specified details, such as keywords or artist's names, in order to locate lots for sale that relate to the users interests.
Sell: To Sell is to exchange or deliver an item for money.
Seller: A Seller is a user who is registered on the Morgan O'Driscoll Auctions site, and is permitted to exchange goods for money, as well as to purchase items from other Sellers.
Seller's Commission: A commission paid by the consignor to Morgan O'Driscoll, which is deducted from the hammer price.
SMS Alerts: Alerts sent via text message to your mobile device to inform you an auction is going live, an auction is finishing, etc.
Specialist: An expert in a specific field of collecting who advises on descriptions, attributions and estimates of specialised items in our sales.
Standard Auction: A standard auction is an auction format which allows sellers to list an item for sale, collect bids for a fixed length of time, and sell the item to the highest bidder.
Starting Price: The starting price is the lowest price a Seller is willing to accept for his or her item (unless a Reserve Price was specified). Bidding will start at this price.
Telephone Bidding: Many buyers prefer to bid via telephone, using a Morgan O'Driscoll representative who is present at the auction to relay bids to the auctioneer on their behalf.
Terms and Conditions: The legal terms set forth for an auction which includes condition of property to be sold, acceptable payment terms, buyer's premiums, possession and removal of property, absolute or reserve auction and any other terms of the sale.
Tie Bids: When more than one bidder bids the same amount at the same time and must be resolved by the auctioneer. Generally the auctioneer scans the crowd during the bidding and acknowledges the first bidder seen.
Total Amount Due: The Hammer Price of the Lot sold, the Auctioneer's Commission due thereon, such VAT as is chargeable and any additional interest, expenses or charges due hereunder.
Traditional Auction: An auction that is conducted in front of a live audience at a physical location where the items for sale are located.
Unregistered User: An Unregistered User is an individual who uses the site to view auctions, but is not registered to either buy or sell.
Valuation: A detailed description and current value of property prepared by Morgan O'Driscoll's staff. Valuations, which differ from auction estimates, are used for a variety of needs, including charitable contribution, collateral loans, estate taxes, estate planning and insurance.
V.A.T.: Value Added Tax.
VAT Regulations: All lots are sold within the auctioneers VAT margin scheme. Revenue Regulations require that the buyer's premium must be invoiced at a rate which is inclusive of VAT. This is not recoverable by any VAT registered buyer.
Watched Lots: Watched Lots is where specific lots which a buyer has either bid on or tagged will remain. Here, the buyer will be notified of any new changes in the bidding history.
Win / Won: This means that a Bidder made the high bid of an item for sale and also met the items reserve, if applicable.
Withdrawal: Removal of property prior to bid or failure to reach the minimum acceptable or reserve price due to insufficient bidding.

Condition Report Terms

Acid Burn: Brown discoloration on paper, resulting from acidic matting or mounting materials.
Adhesive Failure: Occurs when the adhesive deteriorates to the point of collapse. Can be found in works on paper (e.g., prints that have been mounted or collaged).
Biological Degradation: Any interruption in the original material due to current or previous biological infestation or insect damage, such as holes or remaining dust-like material.
Bloom: Occurs when moisture penetrates a varnished surface, causing cloudy areas to appear.
Broken / Separated Element: A broken element is part of an item that has been fractured into two or more parts. A separated element is part of an item that has been disconnected.
Canvas Relined: When the original canvas of a painting has been damaged or weakened, the piece is removed from its stretchers, backed in linen or canvas, and placed on its original stretchers or on new ones.
Canvas Re-stretched: When the original canvas of a painting has been tightened on its original stretchers, or taken off of its original stretchers and placed on new ones.
Check: A partial split in the wood's grain. Occurs when there is uneven shrinkage, which most commonly extends across the rings of annual growth.
Corrosion / Pitting: Corrosion is a chemical reaction between a material (usually metal) and its environment, which produces a deterioration of the material's properties. Pitting is an extreme, concentrated attack on a material which may take months, or even years, to become visible.
Crackle: The network of fissures or cracks in a finish layer such as varnish, lacquer, or shellac, due to age degradation, expansion and contraction from climate changes, and other causes.
Crazing: In ceramics, a mismatch in the thermal expansion between the glaze of an item and its physical body often causes small hairline cracks of the glazed surface.
Craquelure: A network of fine cracks on a painting's surface, typically due to elemental expansion, contraction, and age.
Creases: Occur when a material has been folded or bent, creating a line or ridge on the surface without breaking or tearing.
Deterioration: Any reduction of quality, use or aesthetics due to physical impairment.
Fading / Bleaching: Loss of brightness and/or brilliance of colour. Occurs when excessive ultra-violet light exposure causes the surface of the piece to become discoloured.
Foxing: Reddish-brown spots that appear on paper and textiles due to water exposure or high levels of humidity.
Indentations: Any chip, dent, gouge, tear, abrasion, or loss occurring from force.
Inpainting: Application of paint to re-establish an item's visual continuity. Can be used to replace paint loss or disguise craquelure.
Instaining: Application of stain, typically to a wooden surface, in the area of a loss to re-establish an item's visual continuity.
Late Additions: When an artist authorizes a print re-strike with or without changes to the original plate.
Mat Burn: Improper use of acidic wood based matting materials will cause a discoloration of the print where the acidic mat material contacts it.
Missing Element: Part of an item that has been lost.
Overpainting: Occurs when a restorer extends beyond the confines of a loss into undamaged areas.
Paint Loss: The absence of paint in areas where it was previously located, due to age and other influences.
Painting Varnished: During the restoration process, the restorer will often varnish the surface of an oil or acrylic painting to protect the image from dirt, dust, smoke, grease, or other pollutants.
Patina: The result of natural or artificial oxidation on a surface, which produces corrosion, texture, or a thin layer of colour. In bronze sculpture, patina specifically refers to the alteration of the surface by the sculptor with acid or other chemicals.
Remains of Hinges: Works on paper, prints, and photographs are often attached to a mat with paper hinges and a chemically neutral, non-staining, and permanent adhesive.
Repurposed: An item that has been repurposed no longer performs its original function, and retains only aesthetic value.
Requires Cleaning: An item requires cleaning if there is an accumulation of unrelated matter on its surface (e.g., dirt, dust, grime, fungus, mould, wax).
Restoration: The process of halting the decay of a work of art and/or returning it to its original state.
Rippled Paper: When environmental influences cause disruptions, ridges, or buckling of paper.
Separation: Disconnection between two previously attached layers of a structure.
Skinning: Excessive cleaning. Occurs when a piece has experienced exorbitant intervention from a restorer or conservationist, removing a portion of the original media.
Staining: Occurs when foreign materials react with the surface of an item and create discoloration or spotting.
Surface Abrasions: Visible result of wearing, grinding, scratching, or tearing of a surface due to friction.
Surface Soiling: Accumulation of dirt, or other materials, upon the face of an item, including fingerprints.
Tears / Holes: Openings in a surface caused by forcibly pulling the piece apart.
Toning: Toning is the darkening or aging of paper over time, and exposure to humidity and the pollutants in the atmosphere.
Trimmed Margins: When the margins of a two dimensional work of art have been reduced. Typically occurs during the framing process.
Verso: Refers to the back or underside of a sheet of paper.
Water Damage / Warping: Includes any type of damage caused by contact with water or humidity such as staining, warping or loosening of material.

Lot Detail Terms

Artist Name: The name by which the artist is known professionally.
Catalogue Raisonné: Complete documentary listing of all works by an artist known at the time of compilation. It includes an identifying catalogue number for each work listed, as well as information such as provenance, current location and/or exhibition history.
Condition Report: Notes any damage or unusual characteristics relating to an item or work of art. The type and location of damage are explained in detail to ensure a complete examination.
Edition: Set of prints, photographs or sculptures, made from a single image of one plate, negative, or mold, and numbered consecutively. For example, a piece marked 20/100 is the 20th print out of 100 prints which were produced.
Estimate: An approximate calculation of degree or worth. When quoting the value of a piece, appraisers often take into consideration specific characteristics such as date, medium, size, technique, style, condition, and/or rarity.
Exhibition: The public display of a work of art. Artists can have a solo exhibition, retrospective exhibition, or be part of a group exhibition.
Foundry: A workshop where cast metal sculpture is created.
Markings: Any identifying features found on an item for sale (e.g., signature, stamp, manufacturers mark, silver mark).
Medium: The material/materials an artist utilized in creating a work of art, such as oil paint, acrylic or bronze. The material that a work was created on, such as canvas or wood, is also considered part of the medium.
Print / Casting Year: Works of art produced in an edition, such as prints, sculpture, and photography can have a second applicable date.
Provenance: The history or exact record of ownership for a work of art. The provenance of a work of art helps museum staff, curators, gallerists and auction houses determine valuation and authenticity.
Publications: Any publication in which either the specific work of art or artist was noted.
Publisher: The printer or foundry that produces an artist's work in multiples (i.e., an edition).
Size: An item's height, width and depth noted in either inches or centimetres.
Title: The name by which a work of art is formally known.
Year: The year a work of art was created.

Media

Painting: The practice of applying pigment combined with a binding agent to a surface such as paper, canvas, wood, glass or other.
Acrylic: Water-based plastic paint consisting of pigments bound in an acrylic resin mixture. Can be thinned with water while wet, but becomes tough and water resistant once dry.
Alkyd: Synthetic resin used in the manufacturing of paints and varnishes. An alkyd is a mixture of alcohol and acid and must be thinned with solvent or paint thinner.
Encaustic: The process of painting by mixing dry pigments with molten wax and varying amounts of Damar varnish. Hot wax painting is easily manipulated, resulting in a variety of textures and colour combinations.
Fresco: A painting technique, perfected at the time of the Renaissance, in which pigments suspended in water are applied to a damp plaster surface.
Gouache: Painting medium similar to watercolour characterized by pigments suspended in water. However, due to the presence of chalk, gouache produces a heavier and more opaque image than watercolour.
Ink / Wash: Also known as East Asian brush painting, ink/wash painting was developed in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Artists typically grind their own ink by combining water with densely packed ink sticks on a grinding stone.
Mixed Media Painting: A mixed media painting employs multiple media to create a final piece. For example, a work on canvas that combines paint, ink, and collage is considered a mixed media painting.
Oil Paint: Technique developed during the 15th and 16th centuries in which slow-drying paint is made by mixing colour pigments with an oil base.
Pastel: Pastels are sticks of colour, typically made from oil or chalk. Artists use pastels to create a soft and delicate image.
Chalk Pastels: The most widely used form of pastel, soft chalk pastels are brightly-coloured and easily blended.
Oil Pastels: Oil pastels have similar characteristics to chalk, or soft, pastels. However, they are difficult to blend and have a more buttery consistency.
Sumi-e: Literally meaning 'ink painting,' Sumi-e paintings are monochromatic and typically associated with the practice of Zen Buddhism.
Tempera: A medium that was prevalent in Orthodox paintings during Southern Europe's Middle Ages. The artist combines egg yolk, egg white, and oil to bind a range of pigments on a rigid support.
Watercolour: Painting that is characterized by colourful pigments dissolved in water to produce a translucent image.

Miscellaneous Art Terminology

Academy: The institutional school established for the classical training of artists during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Acanthus: A type of decorative element found in architecture derived from the acanthus leaves found in the Mediterranean.
Aesthetics: The philosophy of visual beauty.
Allegory: An image that illustrates a particular concept, idea or story within a work of art.
Alloy: A mixture of metals without any chemical combination.
Applied Art: Art designed for functional purposes, but also maintains aesthetic attributes.
Art for Art's Sake: The type of art created for no moral or social reasons, but purely for aesthetic pleasure.
Artist's Proof: In an edition, the artist's proof typically refers to the first print pulled by the artist, taken to see the current state of the plate during the production process.
Avant-garde: Artists and concepts that are remarkably new and radical in nature for the present time.
Background: Within the space of a work of art, the background is the area of the image farthest from the picture plane.
Calligraphy: The art of highly ornamental handwriting.
Chiaroscuro: The strong contrast between light and dark that gives a work a sense of drama or mystery.
Cloisonné: A process involving the affixing wires to a metal surface to form a design, and then filling those areas with different coloured enamels.
Complementary Colour: Complementary colours are the primary and secondary colours opposite each other on the colour wheel.
Contour: The outline defining a specific form.
Contrapposto: A specific stance where the human body has a weight shift borne on one leg.
Deckle Edge: Irregular and ragged edges on hand-made paper.
Emulsion: The mixture of two liquids.
Enamel: Coloured glass bonded to a metal surface by firing.
En grisaille: An entirely grey monochromatic composition.
Figure Drawing: A type of drawing that depicts the human form.
Figure Painting: A type of painting that depicts the human form.
Figure-ground Relationship: The way objects and figures are related within the picture plane.
Focal Point: The area in a composition to which the eye returns most naturally.
Folio: A large sheet of paper that becomes four separate pieces of a book when folded and cut.
Foreground: The area that is closest to the picture plane in a two-dimensional work of art.
Foreshortening: According to the rules of perspective, foreshortening is an illusion created on a two-dimensional surface where objects seem to recede or project into space.
Formalism: The analysis and writing of artistic form and the use of formal elements rather than content.
Formline: Specifically in Native American art, a line that defines a specific space or form.
Frontispiece: An illustration directly opposite or preceding the title page of a book.
Frieze: The middle element of an entablature between the architrave and the cornice. The frieze is typically decorated with sculpture, painting or mouldings.
Genre: A type or category of artistic form, subject, technique, style or medium.
Genre Scene: Found in paintings, prints or works on paper, depicts scenes from everyday life, domestic interiors, parties, inn scenes and street scenes.
Gesso: Made from glue, gypsum and/or chalk forming the ground layer of wood panelling or the priming layer of canvas.
Gesturalism: A very expressive type of painting identifiable because each line signifies the artist's physical gesture and emotion at the moment the paint was applied.
Gilding: The application of gold leaf or gold pigment for decorative purposes.
Glazing: The outermost layer found on ceramics that protect them from water and give them a decorative quality.
Gold Leaf: Paper thin, hammered gold that is used for gilding, as a surface treatment.
Ground Line: The baseline that denotes the plane in which a figure stands in a work of art.
High Relief: A type of sculpture in which the design is carved deeply enough suggesting that the parts are detached from the background.
History/Historical Painting: A historical painting is directly based on historical, mythological or biblical references. It is considered one of the noblest forms of art.
Hue: Pure colour.
Icon: Any material representation of a sacred figure or event.
Iconoclasm: The banning or destruction of icons and religious art.
Iconography: The study and interpretation of the subject matter of art.
Impasto: The heavy application of paint to a surface so that it stands out in relief.
Incising: A technique in which a design is cut into a hard surface using a sharp tool.
Inlay: The process of setting materials into the surface of an object composed of a different material.
Installation: A type of mixed media artwork which typically occupies a large portion, an entire room, or gallery space.
Japonisme: The influence of Japan on European art, especially during the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements.
Kiln: An oven which heats to exceptionally high temperatures, typically used for the firing of clay and casting of glass.
Low Relief: A type of sculpture in which the figures project less than half their true depth from the background.
Mannerist: Art identified by elongated forms, unusual colours and lighting, and irrational spatial relationships.
Miniature: A detailed painting or drawing completed on a very small scale.
Monochrome/Monochromatic: Any work done in gradations of a single colour.
Monolith: A sculpture or piece of architecture created from a single block of stone.
Montage: A design created by overlapping materials creating the final image.
Mosaic: A design created by affixing small pieces of colour, or tesserae, made of marble, glass or ceramic to a base.
Motif: The subject of a painting or a distinct element found in a work of art.
Mural: Any type of painting created directly on a wall surface.
Narrative: A story which is told through a work of art.
Naturalism: The tendency to depict trivial aspects of ordinary life during the 19th century throughout Europe.
Non-objective: Works of art that contain no representation of figures or objects.
Original: A work of art created by the artist, as opposed to a print, which was created in multiples, or a copy by another artist or school.
Oeuvre: The total output of works by a given artist.
Painterly: Works characterized by large brushwork and patches of colour.
Palette: The specific range of colour chosen by the artist in a particular work.
Perspective: The system of representing objects in three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface.
Picture Plane: The spatial plane corresponding to the actual surface of the painting.
Pigment: The colouring agent in paint or dye.
Plein air: When a work is created plein air, it means it has been painted outdoors.
Pointillism: In painting, the systematic use of small dots to create an optical illusion.
Porcelain: A hard, translucent, white ceramic fired at high temperatures.
Portrait Format: A work of art that is higher than it is wide.
Posthumous: A posthumous print was created after an artist's death.
Pottery: All wares made of clay except porcelain.
Primary Colours: The primary colours, blue, red and yellow, are the colours from which all others are derived.
Recto: The front of a single sheet of paper.
Reduction: A copy of a work on a smaller scale.
Relief: A kind of sculpture in which all or part of the material projects from a flat surface.
Repoussé: A type of design created by metal hammering on the back of a work.
Representational: Art which reflects reality.
Salon: An independent group exhibition, a term specific to France.
Scale: The size or measurement of a piece.
School: A group of artists working under a specific master or that possess certain qualities pertaining to a particular artist.
Sfumato: The haze of an image within a painting.
Silhouette: Any profile portrait cut from black paper or painted in solid black.
Sketch: A rough preliminary version of a composition.
Still Life: A depiction of a static group of objects.
Tenebrism: A technique that emphasizes the strong shadows and night effects.
Tesserae: Small pieces of marble, glass or ceramics used to make a mosaic.
Vanishing Point: In perspective, the point in which a set of lines converge.

Photography

Photography: The art of recording images by capturing light on surfaces sensitized by a chemical process or by digital means.
Albumen Print: An albumen print is created by the process developed by Louis Desire Blanquart-Evrard in 1850, which uses egg whites and photographic chemicals to produce a print on paper from a negative.
Autochrome: Autochrome refers to the colour 'screen-plate' process developed by the Lumiere brothers in 1903. It was the principal colour photography process until it was replaced by colour film in the mid-1930s.
Calotype: A calotype is a photomechanical method for reproducing photographic images. While it is no longer practiced as a commercial process, it was considered the height of fine art photography beginning in the 1970s.
Carbon Print: First produced in 1864 by Joseph Wilson Swan, a carbon print is a photographic print created by immersing a carbon tissue in a solution of potassium bichromate, carbon, gelatin and a colouring agent.
C-Print: Developed in 1930, the c-print is the most universal type of colour photograph, created using at least three emulsion layers of light sensitive silver salts.
Collodion Negative: A collodion negative is produced by the colourless, high quality duplication process developed by Frederick Scott Archer and Gustave Le Grey in 1850.
Cyanotype: Cyanotype is an older printing method which uses a monochrome photographic process to produce a cyan-blue print.
Daguerreotype: The Daguerreotype was the first commercial photographic process. Named for Louis-Jacques Monde Daguerre, it is a positive print on a light-sensitive copper plate.
Digital Print: Digital photography refers to electronically captured images composed of digital values, or pixels.
Dye Destruction Print: Dye destruction prints are characterized by their vibrant colour. These prints are created using three emulsion layers, each one specifically sensitized to a different primary colour.
Dye Transfer Print: Dye transfer prints are created from three separate negatives by photographing the original negative through red, green, and blue filters.
Montage / Photomontage: A single image formed from assembling many existing images such as photographs or prints.
Photogenic Drawing: Photogenic drawing was the first cameraless photographic process, discovered by William Fox Talbot in 1839.
Photogram: This process, created without the use of a camera, records photo-sensitive material by exposing it to light.
Photogravure: Developed in the 1830s by Henry Fox Talbot, photogravure, the intaglio printmaking process, produces images from a flat, etched copper plate.
Platinum Print: Created in 1873 by William Willis, platinum prints utilize the light sensitivity of iron salts to produce an image.
Polaroid: Polaroid refers to the synthetic plastic sheet used to polarize light, typically associated with the instant camera and self-developing film.
Salt Print: The earliest form of photographic positive paper, salt prints were the most common print type until the invention of the albumen.
Silver Print: Silver prints are created by the most common method for producing black and white prints in photography.
Woodburytype: The term woodburytype refers to the photomechanical process in which continuous tone is created in slight relief.

Printmaking

Printmaking: Process in which a work can be recreated from a single image.

Intaglio Methods

Intaglio Methods: Intaglio includes the engraving, etching and dry point methods of printmaking, and is produced via cuts made in a metal surface.
Aquatint: In this intaglio method of printmaking, a porous ground coats a metal plate, which is then immersed in acid allowing an even biting of the plate.
Chine Collé: A chine collé print is created by affixing layers of thinner sheets of paper to a heavier sheet, and then making an intaglio impression.
Drypoint: Often used in combination with engraving or etching techniques, lines are scratched or gouged onto a metal plate creating a burr.
Engraving: The most popular of the intaglio methods of printmaking, an engraved print is created by scratching or cross-hatching into the surface of a polished metal plate.
Etching: Etching refers to the process of using acid to cut into a metal plate.
Mezzotint: In this method of printmaking the artist creates a dark base on a metal plate using a cutting instrument called a 'rocker.'
Mixed Method Engraving: A method of intaglio printmaking which combines two or more methods.
Photogravure: Developed in the 1830s by Henry Fox Talbot, photogravure is an intaglio printmaking process in which an image is transferred to a flat, etched copper plate.
Steel Engraving: Steel engravings utilize plates composed of a harder metal, as opposed to the traditional copper plate.
Stipple Engraving: Rather than etching lines, the design in this method of printmaking is created by applying large numbers of incised dots to the plate's surface.

Planographic Methods

Planographic Methods: Planographic methods include all types of prints which are drawn on a flat surface and run through a press.
Lithography: Lithography is a method of printmaking based on the concept of the repulsion of oil and water.
Chromolithography: Any lithograph which is printed in colour. A chromolithograph requires a separate printing for each colour.
Signed in the Plate or Signed in the Stone: A plate signature is where the artist signed the printing plate or stone itself and then the signature was transferred onto the print through the printmaking process.

Relief Methods

Relief Methods: A relief print is one when material such as part of a wood block, a piece of linoleum, a metal plate or other carvable material left in relief to be printed black and the remainder is cut away.
Embossing: Embossing is the process of creating an impression of an image that results in a raised surface.
Linocut: The linocut is a 20th century variation on the woodcut. It is created in the same manner, except that a piece of linoleum, which is soft and pliable, is used instead of wood.
Ukiyo-e: Literally translated, this means 'pictures of the floating world.' An Ukiyo-e is a traditional Japanese woodblock print dating from the Edo period (1603-1867).
Woodcut: Woodcut is a printmaking method in which the artist works on a plank of wood, cutting away the parts of the design which are not to be printed.
Wood Engraving: A wood engraving is a variation on the woodcut. Differing from a woodcut, it is done using the cut end of a piece of wood, as opposed to the plank side.

Stenciling Methods

Stenciling Methods: This printmaking method refers to the principle of cutting or creating a hole in a protected surface and applying colour through the hole to the surface beneath.
Serigraph or Silk-Screen: Serigraphs, also known as silk-screens, are created from a special type of stencil.
Pochoir: Defined as 'stencil' in French, a pochoir print is hand-coloured and created with a series of carefully cut stencils.
Monotype or Monoprint: The monotype/monoprint incorporates both printmaking and painting, producing a single impression by using pressure to transfer a painted image to paper.

Sculpture

Sculpture: A three-dimensional work of art created through carving, modelling, casting and construction.
Acrylic / Plastic: A synthetic material made from the polymerization of organic compounds, used increasingly in art from the latter 20th century onward.
Brass: An alloy of zinc and copper.
Bronze: A very dense alloy of 60% copper and 40% tin, and the most universally popular metal for sculpture casting.
Composite: Composite materials are made from two or more substances with significantly different properties.
Glass: A uniform amorphous solid material created from the rapid cooling of molten materials.
Expendable Mold Casting: Methods using temporary, non-reusable molds made from sand, shell, plaster and investment.
Non-expendable Mold Casting: Casting where molds need not be reformed after initial use, including permanent, die, centrifugal, and continuous methods.
Centrifugal Casting: A gravity and pressure-independent non-expendable method where molten metal is poured into the cavity of a spinning chamber.
Continuous Casting: Used for high-volume production of metal sections where the cast shape continuously withdraws through the mold bottom.
Die Casting: Molten metals are forced into steel molds, or dies.
Investment or Lost-Wax Casting: One of the oldest metal-forming methods where a wax original is enclosed, melted out, and replaced with metal.
Permanent Mold Casting: Typically used for iron, aluminium, magnesium, and copper-based alloys, and highly automated.
Plaster Casting: Patterns are sprayed with a thin film, covered in plaster, removed, then filled with metals like aluminum, zinc, or copper.
Cast Plaster, Concrete, or Plastic Resin: These materials produce sculptures typically painted to give the appearance of metal or stone.
Ceramic Shell Mold: A casting process which involves a sand and resin mold making mixture requiring weeks and multiple stages.
Sand Casting: Typically used for low-temperature metals such as iron, copper, aluminium, magnesium and nickel alloys, producing textured surfaces.
Waste Mold: An expendable plaster method where details from a clay original are captured in a thin plaster mold.
Ceramic: Clay objects fired at a high temperature, in a kiln, classified as fine, decorative, industrial, or applied art.
Copper: A reddish-brown metal often finished with patina ranging from brown to green.
Decoupage: A type of collage made from cutting patterns out of paper or other materials and affixing them upon a three-dimensional object.
Found Object Sculpture: Incorporates natural or man-made objects not typically considered art until combined by an artist.
Iron: A heavy, ductile, and magnetic metal frequently used in sculpture.
Mixed Media Sculpture: Employs multiple materials, such as both wood and metal in a single piece.
Other Cast Metals: Various unknown materials used for creating cast sculptures.
Other Synthetic Metals: Synthetic materials used for creating sculptures.
Plaster: A dry powdery medium which, when mixed with water, forms a hardened paste used for casting.
Steel: An alloy of iron and carbon used in sculpture and architecture.
Stone: A hard medium composed of aggregate minerals such as marble, limestone or sandstone, shaped with hammer and chisel.
Wood: The fibrous surface harvested from the trunks of trees, offering varied colors and aesthetic qualities.

Style

Style: Style refers to both unique visual elements or techniques that characterize an individual artist's work, as well as the particular movement or school with which the artist is associated.
19th C. European and British (1800-1900): All media covering various artistic movements in Europe including Rococo, Classicism, Revolutionary art, Romanticism, the Barbizon School, Realism, Orientalism, Impressionism, Neo-Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Naturalism, Art Nouveau and Symbolism.
19th C. / Early 20th C. American (1800-1900): All media covering various artistic movements in America including Rococo, Classicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Neo-impressionism, Post Impressionism, Naturalism, Art Nouveau and Symbolism.
Abstract Art (1900-1950): Any form of art that does not represent reality convincingly, but instead distorts it. Pioneers include Kandinsky, Malevich and Mondrian.
Abstract Expressionism (1940-1960): The Abstract Expressionists were based in New York City and were often referred to as the New York School. Influenced by Surrealism, they aimed to create abstract art with expressive and emotional qualities.
Academic Art (18th century): Art created according to the official academies of traditional painting and sculpture which flourished in Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries.
Action Painting (1945-1960s): Closely associated with abstract expressionism, action painting focused on the spontaneity of applying paint to the canvas. Jackson Pollock exemplified this approach.
Aesthetic Movement (1870s-1880s): This movement emphasized the beauty of all objects for everyone to take pleasure in, not just the elite.
African-American Artists: An African-American artist is an artist who is American born, but whose ancestors were of African descent. Their art reflected early African traditions that merged with western fine art styles during the 20th century.
American Impressionism (1890s-1920s): Impressionism influenced American artists who employed similar techniques and subject matter as their European counterparts.
American Regionalism (c. 1930s): This movement was primarily composed of Midwestern rural artists who appeared around the 1930s.
Ancient Art & Antiquities: Ancient Art and Antiquities refers to art from the beginning of civilization through the Dark Ages.
Antebellum Era (1820-1850): American art created before and leading up to the Civil War.
Art Brut (c. 1950): Invented by Jean Dubuffet, Art Brut was created as 'raw' art by individuals who existed completely outside of society and the world of art schools, galleries and museums.
Art Deco (1920-1939): The movement characterized by the use of bold materials, patterns and designs. Art Deco incorporated characteristics from many previous movements and influenced diverse media.
Art Nouveau (1880-1914): This movement pervaded a variety of mediums, but was most prominent in architecture and design. Distinguished by organic, asymmetrical, decorative style with flowing lines, shapes and forms.
Arte Povera (1960s-1970s): The Italian art movement in which artists worked outside of the traditional art-making mediums, using inexpensive or free materials.
Ashcan School (1910s): This movement is characterized by depicting scenes of daily life in poor neighbourhoods. Prominent in early 20th century United States.
Barbizon School (1830s-1870s): The Barbizon School included a group of French painters who believed in realism in art as opposed to the Romantic Movement during the mid-19th century.
Baroque (1620-1715): In the visual arts, Baroque was a period dominated by exaggeration and detail. Artists like Peter Paul Rubens, Caravaggio, and Cortona created dramatic works.
Bauhaus (1919-1933): The art and architecture school in Germany that had a profound influence on art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design and typography.
Bay Area Figuration (1950s-present): This mid-20th century movement embodied a group of artists from the San Francisco Bay Area who deserted Abstract Expressionism and turned to figuration.
BritArt (1992-present): BritArt refers to the group of young artists based in the United Kingdom who gained fame through Saatchi Gallery exhibitions beginning in 1992.
Byzantine (867-1453): Byzantine refers to the art from the Eastern Roman Empire, characterized by strong colours and figures.
California Style (1920s-1950s): The artistic movement in California where artists were impacted by earlier modern movements and adapted those influences into their own style.
Chinese Ming Dynasty (1368-1644): Paintings, prints, and works on paper created at the time of the Chinese Ming Dynasty.
Chinese Qing Dynasty (1644-1911): Paintings, prints, and works on paper created at the time of the Chinese Qing Dynasty.
Chinese Modern Period (1911-1945): Paintings, prints, and works on paper created at the time of the Chinese Modern Period.
Chinoiserie: Western interpretations of Chinese fine and decorative art in a variety of media.
Civil War/Reconstruction (1850-1877): The group of artists who depicted the American Civil War and Reconstruction periods in their work.
COBRA (1948-1951): The European avant-garde movement active from 1948-1951. The name derives from Copenhagen (Co), Brussels (Br), and Amsterdam (A).
Colonial Period (1600-1763): Art during the Colonial Period in North America.
Colour Field Painting (Late 1950s-1960s): An off-shoot style of Abstract Expressionism distinguished by areas of flat single colours. Practitioners include Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and Clyfford Still.
Conceptual Art (1960s-1970s): Art created primarily for the ideas and concepts involved instead of aesthetic pleasure.
Constructivism (1913-1930): The branch of abstract art founded in Russia. Members believed art should directly reflect the industrial world.
Contemporary (1945-Present): Contemporary art, or works created post-World War II, is recognized as one of the most creative periods in art history.
Contemporary Realism (1960s): The post-abstract movement which focused on a straightforward and realistic approach to art.
Cubism (1908-1920): The movement dominated by the geometric reconstruction of objects utilizing flat surfaces and blocks of colour. Founded by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.
Dada (1916-1924): The cultural movement that began in Switzerland during World War I. Dada aimed to destroy traditional art values, forming the base for Surrealism.
Der Blaue Reiter (1911-1914): The movement organized by Vasily Kandinsky in Munich, Germany. Consisted of nine artists sharing interest in colour's power.
Die Brücke (1905-1913): The German Expressionist counterpart of Fauvism. Artists depicted with bright, raw colours.
Dutch School (1600-1670): Artists of the Dutch School focused on portraying their national pride through genre scenes, portraits, still life, landscapes, townscapes, and seascapes.
Early Republic (1790-1820): Art created during the Early Republic in North America. Most works were landscapes and genre scenes.
École de Paris (1910-1950): The École de Paris was a group unified in their rebelliousness against academism.
Earthworks (1960s-1980s): In the late 1960s and 1970s, sculptors began to take art back to nature, working outdoors using natural materials.
Emerging Artists: Young artists with specialized training at early career stages with modest independent bodies of work.
Expressionism (1905-1925): The movement which manipulates the visual elements of an image to convey intense subjective feelings.
Fashion Photography: The genre of photography entirely devoted to recording clothing and other fashion objects.
Fauvism (1905-1908): The movement identified by its high energy and brilliant colors. Originating in France around 1905, Henri Matisse and followers combined bold primary colors with dynamic brushwork.
Fluxus (1960s): Fluxus, literally meaning 'to flow,' refers to the movement during the 1960s which combined a variety of techniques and media.
Folk Art: Regional handicrafts, ornamental works and fine art produced by people with no formal art training.
Found Object: Objects found by an artist in his or her environment and presented as a work of art.
Futurism (1909-1918): The Italian movement influenced by Cubism. Futurism attacked everything old and promoted the modern world of industry and technology.
Geometric Abstract Art (20th century): The form of abstract art based on the use of simple geometric forms. Kandinsky was the forerunner of this style.
German Expressionism (Early 20th century): Encompasses the Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter movements in Germany.
Gilded Age (1877-1900): The Gilded Age took place during the post-Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras in the United States.
Gothic (1100-1600): Medieval movement found in a variety of mediums ranging from architecture, sculpture, panel painting, stained glass and manuscripts.
Graffiti (1980s-present): The movement where graffiti art became an art form worthy of display in galleries and exhibitions.
Hard-edge Painting (Late 1950s): The movement consisting of rough, straight edges that were geometrically consistent, characterized by rich solid colors and neat surfaces.
Harlem Renaissance (1920s-1930s): A time of flourishing art, literature and drama in which African-American novelists, poets and painters produced works focusing on their own culture.
Hudson River School (1825-1875): A group of American painters during the mid-19th Century who demonstrated a common belief through landscape depictions.
Impressionism (1874-1876): The art movement in France during the late 19th century that focused on landscapes and scenes of everyday life. Leading artists included Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Degas and Manet.
Indian and Southeast Asian Mughal Period (16th-19th centuries): Paintings and works on paper created during the Mughal Period.
Indian and Southeast Asian Rajput Painting (16th Century): Paintings and works on paper created during the Rajput Period.
Islamic Art: Arts produced from the 7th Century to present time by people who have lived in territories inhabited by culturally Islamic populations.
Japanese Muromachi Period (1392-1568): Paintings, prints, and works on paper created during the Japanese Muromachi Period.
Japanese Momoyama Period (1568-1603): Paintings, prints, and works on paper created during the Japanese Momoyama Period.
Japanese Edo Period (1603-1868): Paintings, prints, and works on paper created during the Japanese Edo Period.
Japanese Meiji Period (1868-1945): Paintings, prints, and works on paper created during the Japanese Meiji Period.
Kinetic Art (1960s): Artworks that contain parts that can be moved by hand, air or motion.
Latin-American Artists: Latin-American art covers nearly 500 years of artwork ranging from the Colonial period through the 21st Century.
Les Nabis (1891-1899): The group formed as an offshoot of Symbolism. They believed paintings should be balanced with single colors and patterns separated by strong contours.
Lyrical Abstraction (1960s-1970s): A distinctive painting approach, known as Lyrical Abstraction or "art informel," returned to art's origins expressed through simplistic manner.
Magic Realism (1943-1950s): The genre in which artists depicted extreme realism in the most ordinary subject matter.
Mannerism (1520-1600): The style developed during the 16th Century, characterized by its focus on space and light, dramatic use of color and distorted perspective.
Medieval (476-1453): Medieval art covers over 1000 years of art history through Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
Metaphysical (1917-1920): The art movement created by Italian artists Giorgio de Chirico and Carlo Carra, helping pave the way for Dada and Surrealism.
Militaria: Artifacts or replicas of military items collected for their historical significance.
Military Art: Art documenting military scenes.
Minimalism (1960s-1970s): The simplicity found in the use of basic shapes to create an image of great beauty. Frank Stella's paintings exemplified this movement.
Modern (1880-1945): Modernism generally refers to new forms of art that are more appropriate to the present time.
Mono-Ha (1960s-1970s): The Japanese group of artists who used both natural and man-made materials, rearranging them to achieve final products.
Native American: Native American art covers a vast time period and a variety of media created by artists of Native American descent.
Naturalism (1870s-1890s): The realistic portrayal of objects in a natural setting.
Neo-Classicism (1750-1880): Founded as a reaction against the Baroque and Rococo styles, desired to return to the purity of the ancient arts of the Roman and Grecian cultures.
Neo-Dada (1950s): Art work created during the 1950s resembling the original Dada movement in its methods, helping pave the way for Pop Art and Fluxus.
Neo-Expressionism (Late 1970s-1980s): The revival of expressionism in the 1980s, occurring in many countries and cultures.
Neo-Figurative Art (1960s): The revival Expressionist movement in the form of figurative art that emerged in the 1960s in Mexico.
Neo-Impressionism (1886-1906): The late 19th century movement led by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac.
Neo-Romanticism (1880-1910): The movement based on the revival of romanticism in art and literature.
Neue Sachlichkeit (1910s): The German art movement formed out of defiance against expressionism.
New Realism (1950-1960s): The movement founded by art critic Pierre Restany and painter Yves Klein, often compared to New York Pop Art.
Old Masters (14th to Early 19th centuries): Masterpieces by the most famous Western artists from the 14th to the early 19th centuries including Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt and others.
Op Art (Late 1950s-1960s): Op Art created nonobjective art based entirely upon patterns of lines and colors which affected the viewer's perception.
Orientalism (1838-1890s): Work influenced by the artistic styles and motifs of the Far East.
Outsider Art: Art created outside the boundaries of traditional culture.
Photojournalism / Documentary: The use of photography to tell a story.
Photo-Realism (1960-1970): The genre of painting which resembles photography.
Photo-Secession (1902-1917): A group of photographers who started a movement to raise the standards of photography as an art form, led by Alfred Stieglitz.
Pop Art (Late 1950s-1960s): The art movement which took its style and subject matter from popular culture. Epitomized in works of Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg.
Portraiture: Any work representing a person.
Post-Impressionism (1880-1900): Post-Impressionist artists rejected Impressionism's emphasis on light and color, developing more abstract styles. Artists like Cezanne, Gauguin, van Gogh and Seurat were highly influential.
Post-Minimalism (Late 1960s): A varied approach to Minimalism which challenged the idea of art as static and durable.
Postmodern: The postmodern art movement was formed as a contradiction to typical modernism, encompassing Installation art, Conceptual Art and Multimedia.
Post-War European Figuration: Included artists such as Francis Bacon, Jean Dubuffet, Alberto Giacometti, Marino Marini and Henry Moore.
Pre-Raphaelite (1848-1860s): Considered to be one of the first avant-garde movements in art, the Pre-Raphaelites sought to reject the traditional and academic styles.
Primitivism: Many modern European artists became fascinated with tribal arts from Africa, the South Pacific and early European folk art.
Propaganda: Political art created for the purpose of political awareness.
Purism (c. 1918): The art movement established around 1918 in France by Amedee Ozenfant and Charles-Edouard Jeanneret.
Rayism (1909-1913): The abstract style of painting developed by the Russian artist Mikhail Larionov.
Realism (Mid-19th Century): A group of painters in France who pioneered a naturalist philosophy that art should reflect ordinary life.
Renaissance (1400-1600): The Renaissance was a time of rebirth spanning from the 15th through the 17th century, known for developing linear perspective.
Rococo (1715-1754): The style of 18th century France characterized by elegant and ornate furniture, sculptures, mirrors, tapestries, paintings and prints.
Romanesque (1000-1200): The art of Western Europe beginning 1000 and lasting for nearly 200 years, characterized by return to Roman construction techniques.
Romanticism (Late 18th- Mid-19th Century): The movement featuring loose, fluid brushstrokes, strong colors, complex compositions, and dramatic contrasts of light and dark.
Russian Avant-Garde (1890-1930): The wave of modern art that flourished in Russia, encompassing Symbolism, Neo-Primitivism, Suprematism, Constructivism and Futurism.
Scottish Colourists (1920-1930s): The group of Scottish painters whose work was highly regarded in the 1920s and 1930s.
Socrealism / Socialist Realism (1930-1980): The new role of literature and art in the Soviet society to educate the population on socialism's importance.
Southwest Art: The group of artists from the Southwestern area of the United States.
Soviet Art (1917-1932): Visual art produced in the former Soviet Union, led by Kazimir Malevich.
Soviet Impressionism (1930-1980): Soviet Impressionism began in the late 19th century when artists executed impressionistic techniques in defiance to Petersburg academism.
Spatialism (ca. 1946): The art movement founded by Lucio Fontana in New York City. Notable works included Fontana's slashed canvases.
Surrealism (1924-1940s): The movement founded by French writer Andre Breton, aiming to discover a larger reality or "surreality." Artists like Dali and Magritte created paintings dominated by biomorphic forms.
Symbolism (1860s-1890s): The late 19th-century movement which focused on the world of ideas, rejecting materialism and realism while emphasizing spirituality and imagination.
Tonalism (1880s-1900s): The movement where artists painted landscapes with a tone of mist or atmosphere, featuring dark, neutral colors.
Vintage Print: Vintage photographs are typically printed by the photographer at the same time as the negative, usually higher in value than later prints.
Western Art: All art depicting American Western life.
WPA Artists (1935-1943): WPA stands for the Works Progress Administration, a government funded arts program. Artists included Milton Avery, Stuart Davis, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock.

Works on Paper

Works on Paper: Artworks drawn, painted or otherwise created on paper using a variety of media.
Acrylic: Water-based plastic paint consisting of pigments bound in an acrylic resin mixture.
Charcoal: The drawing utensil employed by artists as a medium for sketches, finished works, and under-drawings for paintings.
Collage: A work of art created by clipping and adhering flat articles, such as photographs, newspaper and fabric, to a two-dimensional surface.
Coloured Pencil: Hand-held writing or drawing instruments typically used to create designs on paper.
Crayon: Sticks of coloured wax used for writing and drawing.
Gouache: A painting medium similar to watercolour characterized by pigments suspended in water. Due to the presence of chalk, gouache produces a heavier and more opaque image.
Graphite: A medium known for its greasy texture and metallic grey colour which can be easily removed with an eraser.
Ink / Wash: A liquid medium composed of a variety of pigments and dyes used to colour a surface.
Mixed Media Work on Paper: A mixed media work on paper employs multiple media to create a final piece.
Oil Paint: The technique developed during the 15th and 16th centuries in which slow drying paint is made by mixing colour pigments with an oil base.
Pastel: Sticks of colour, typically made from oil or chalk. Artists use pastels to create a soft and delicate image.
Chalk Pastels: Soft chalk pastels are brightly coloured, easily blended, and the most widely used form of pastel.
Oil Pastels: Oil pastels have similar characteristics to chalk pastels. However, they are difficult to blend and have a more buttery consistency.
Tempera: A medium that was prevalent in Orthodox paintings of Southern Europe's Middle Ages. The artist combines egg yolk, egg whites, and oil to bind a range of pigments.
Watercolour: Watercolour painting is characterized by colourful pigments dissolved in water producing a translucent image.

Glossary of Terms

Auction Specific Help Terminology

Categories

Condition Report Terms

Lot Detail Terms

Media

Miscellaneous Art Terminology

Photography

Printmaking

Printmaking

Intaglio Methods

Planographic Methods

Relief Methods

Stenciling Methods

Sculpture

Style

Works on Paper