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Art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, colors, and textures. Examples include works by Piet Mondrian and Wassily Kandinsky.

A style of painting using very pronounced chiaroscuro, where there are violent contrasts of light and dark, and darkness becomes a dominating feature of the image. Caravaggio is known for his tenebrist technique, as seen in 'The Calling of Saint Matthew'.

Drawing techniques used to create tonal or shading effects by drawing (or painting or scribing) closely spaced parallel lines (hatching) and layers of crisscrossing lines (cross-hatching). Albrecht Dürer’s engravings exhibit masterful use of hatching and cross-hatching.

A green or brown film on the surface of bronze or similar metals, produced by oxidation over a long period. A patina can also be artificially applied for an aged appearance. The Statue of Liberty is well known for its natural patina.

A small illustration or portrait photograph that fades into its background without a definite border. Vignettes are often used in graphic novels and in historic portrait photography.

A 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists. Their independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s, in spite of harsh opposition from the conventional art community in France. The movement's name comes from the title of a Claude Monet work, 'Impression, Sunrise'.

A system of creating an illusion of depth on a flat surface. All parallel lines in a painting or drawing using this system converge in a single vanishing point on the composition’s horizon line. 'The School of Athens' by Raphael is a celebrated example of the use of linear perspective.

An extreme form of abstract art developed in the USA in the 1960s and typified by artworks composed of simple geometric shapes based on the square and the rectangle. Donald Judd and Frank Stella are well-known minimalists.

A painting technique for softening the transition between colors, resembling the effect of the atmosphere on the landscape. Leonardo da Vinci used sfumato to create a smoky effect in his famous painting 'Mona Lisa'.

A 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature which sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images. Salvador Dalí's 'The Persistence of Memory' is one of the most recognizable works of Surrealism.

The appearance of being true or real; the depiction of realism in art or literature. Vermeer's paintings, like 'Girl with a Pearl Earring', are celebrated for their verisimilitude.

An art movement that emerged in the United Kingdom and the United States during the mid- to late-1950s. The movement presented a challenge to traditions of fine art by including imagery from popular and mass culture, such as advertising, comic books and mundane cultural objects. Andy Warhol’s 'Campbell's Soup Cans' is an icon of Pop Art.

New and unusual or experimental ideas, especially in the arts, or the people introducing them. The Dada movement may be considered an example of avant-garde.

An early 20th-century style and movement in art, in which perspective with a single viewpoint was abandoned and use was made of simple geometric shapes, interlocking planes, and, later, collage. Pablo Picasso's 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon' is a hallmark of Cubism.

A technique of mural painting executed upon freshly-laid or wet lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the pigment and, with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall. The Sistine Chapel ceilings painted by Michelangelo are examples of fresco.

An architectural style that flourished in Europe during the High and Late Middle Ages; it evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture. Gothic architecture is characterized by its use of pointed arches, rib vaults, and flying buttresses. The Notre-Dame Cathedral is a prime example of Gothic architecture.

A technique where paint is laid on an area of the surface in very thick layers, usually thick enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible. Vincent van Gogh often used impasto in his paintings, for instance in 'Starry Night'.

The lightness or darkness of a color in relation to a scale ranging from white to black. Value helps to describe the volume and mass of objects in a painting, as seen in the works of Rembrandt who used value with great skill.

The arrangement of elements within a work of art. An example of strong composition is found in Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'.

A technique used in perspective to create the illusion of an object receding strongly into the distance or background. It can make the object appear compressed. 'The Lamentation over the Dead Christ' by Andrea Mantegna is an example of foreshortening.

A technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. An example of this is Seurat's 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte'.

The point in a perspective drawing where parallel lines appear to converge and where the depth of the space is reduced to zero. Raphael’s 'The School of Athens' is a well-known painting that uses vanishing points.

The material used by an artist to create a work of art. Oils, watercolors, acrylics, and pastels are examples of different mediums.

An Italian term meaning 'counterpose', which is used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs. Michelangelo's 'David' is an example of contrapposto.

An art style that emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a reaction against the conceptual and minimalistic aspects of the contemporary art of the previous decades and a return to more traditional and painterly techniques and themes. Work by artists like Julian Schnabel and Anselm Kiefer can be categorized as Neo-Expressionist.

A style of painting depicting scenes from ordinary life, especially domestic situations. Jan Steen and Pieter de Hooch were known for their genre works.

An art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century. Dada works featured a strong negative and destructive element and were characterized by a disdain for convention. Marcel Duchamp's 'Fountain' exemplifies Dada art.

A large painting or other work of art executed directly on a wall. Diego Rivera's murals are famous as they encapsulate social and political messages.

Relating to the perception, appreciation, or criticism of beauty or good taste, as in the arts or any environment. Examples of aesthetic considerations might include evaluating the compositional elements of Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'.

A sculptural technique where the sculpted elements remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The technique can be very high relief or low (bas) relief. The friezes on the Parthenon are examples of high relief.

A period in European history, covering the span between the 14th and 17th centuries and marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity. The Renaissance is known for the revival of classical philosophy, literature, and art. 'The Birth of Venus' by Sandro Botticelli is a famous Renaissance painting.

A painting or design intended to create the illusion of a three-dimensional object. Literally meaning 'deceive the eye', this technique is exemplified in 'Escaping Criticism' by Pere Borrell del Caso.

An ordinary manufactured object that is designated by the artist as a work of art (and sometimes renamed). It was largely associated with Dadaist artist Marcel Duchamp, whose 'Fountain', an upturned urinal signed 'R. Mutt', shocked the art world.

An early 20th-century art movement characterized by bold, often distorted forms and vivid color. Henri Matisse was a leader of Fauvism, as seen in his work 'The Dance'.