LIBRARY

Art Words

An art glossary built around terms that appear in artwork descriptions on this site, growing little by little.

Index

  1. A
  2. B
  3. C
  4. D
  5. E
  6. F
  7. G
  8. H
  9. I
  10. J
  11. K
  12. L
  13. M
  14. N
  15. O
  16. P
  17. Q
  18. R
  19. S
  20. T
  21. U
  22. V
  23. W
  24. X
  25. Y
  26. Z
  27. 163 terms
Masking
A technique to block out areas from paint, using tape or liquid mask.
Matière
A French term for the material quality of a painting — its impasto and surface — speaking to its tactile character.
Mannerism
A late-Renaissance style of exaggerated poses and tense compositions.
Manila School
The Manila painting lineage of the early 20th century, centered on UP Fine Arts and the Amorsolo Studio.
Mandala
A circular image that diagrams the cosmos; lies at the crossroads of meditation and iconography.
Mixed Media
Combining multiple materials and techniques in one work; a standard mode of practice since the late 20th century.
Minimalism
A 1960s movement that strips away ornament and narrative to present form, colour, and material in their pure existence.
Mural
A large painting executed directly on a wall; recently widespread in the public spaces of Manila and Cebu.
Memento Mori
An allegory meaning 'remember death,' embedding skulls or hourglasses as symbols of transience.
Mosaic
A decorative technique of arranging small stones, ceramic, or glass into images; reached its peak in Byzantine art.
Modernism
The broad modern art movement of the late 19th to mid-20th century, oriented toward a break with tradition.
Motif
A theme or image recurring across a work; a unit of an artist's pictorial vocabulary.
Monochrome
Painting in a single colour; the limitation foregrounds form and texture.
Monotype
A printmaking technique that yields essentially a single impression by transferring a directly painted plate to paper.