Art Glossary

What is the word that best describes this definition?

"The area of an artwork that appears farthest away from the viewer; also, the area against which a figure or scene is placed."

• Foreground

• Background

• Middle ground

• Landscape

Which of the following describes this definition?

"The manner in which a painter applies paint with a brush."

• Calligraphy

• Painting

• Brushwork

• Dabbing

This is called the decorative handwriting or lettering.

• Font

• Type

• Calligraphy

• Script

Which of the following words best describes this definition?

"A closely woven, sturdy cloth of hemp, cotton, linen, or a similar fiber, frequently stretched over a frame and used as a surface for painting."

• Paper

• Surface

• Canvas

• Textile

What do you call objects, such as pots and vases, made of clay hardened by heat?

• Terracotta

• Lacquer

• Ceramics

Which best describes the word "metaphysical"?

• A physical aspect of an artwork

• A Chinese philosophy attributed to Lao Tzu

• The belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence

• Transcending physical matter or the laws of nature

Which of the following describes this technique - using two or more artistic media, such as ink and pastel or painting and collage, that are combined in a single composition.

• Composition

• Juxtaposition

• Mixed media

• Multimedia

Which word describes the definition - A distinctive and often recurring feature in a composition?

• Object

• Subject

• Motif

• Highlight

Which of the following words describe this definition - Impenetrable to the passage of light?

• Transparent

• Opaque

• Chromatic

Which of the words describe this definition - An image or symbol representing a word or a phrase?

• Pictograph

• Icon

• Graph

• Picture