Vocabulary and Artist Review
Period 10
abstract – abstract artists select and then exaggerate, enlarge, simplify or fragment forms.
Images are not an accurate representation, but give the idea of an object.
architect – a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of
buildings.
avant-garde – people or artworks that are experimental or innovative
contemporary - Current or belonging to the same period of time. Usually refers to our present
time, but can refer to two artists working during the same time period.
Cubism – Art style where objects are broken apart and reassembled showing multiple
viewpoints; for example, from the front and the side at the same time.
Impressionism - An art movement and style of painting that started in France during the 1860s.
Impressionist artists tried to paint subjects showing the effects of sunlight on things at different
times of day giving the “impression” of the scene.
Installation art - Art that is or has been installed or arranged in a specific place. Installations
may be temporary or permanent, but most will be known in the future through documentation.
As a consequence, one aspect of installations is the difficulty with which they can be sold or
collected.
mural - A large design or picture, most commonly created on the wall of a public building.
narrative – tells a story
Photorealism - Realistic paintings and sculptures that show a thorough reproduction of detail.
In painting the results are nearly photographic
pieta – An Italian word meaning pity, compassion, and sorrow, it is strongly associated with
works of art portraying the Virgin Mary holding and mourning over the dead body of Jesus.
Pop art - An art movement that had its origins in England in the 1950s and made its way to the
United States during the 1960s. Pop artists focused attention on familiar images in popular
culture such as celebrities, comic strips, magazine ads and supermarket products.
Renaissance - An art movement that had its origins in England in the 1950s and made its way
to the United States during the 1960s. Pop artists focused attention on familiar images in
popular culture such as celebrities, comic strips, magazine ads and supermarket products.
tessellation – A collection of shapes that fit together to cover a surface without overlapping or
leaving gaps. Often a repeating geometric pattern,
vessel - – a hollow utensil, such as a cup, vase, bowl or pitcher, used as a container, especially
for liquids.
Artists
Dale Chihuly - 20th and 21st century American glass blower who works in Seattle and
has had many exhibitions in Columbus. He is known for his giant chandeliers.
Chuck Close – paralyzed painter who makes large scale photo-realistic portraits.
M.C. Escher – created impossible structures, illusions and tessellations, usually as
linoleum, woodcuts or lithograph (stone) prints.
Frida Kahlo – Mexican painter who did many self portraits after a terrible bus accident.
She had a “unibrow.”
Leonardo da Vinci - – Italian Renaissance painter and inventor whose two most well
known works are Mona Lisa and The Last Supper
Maya Lin –sculptor who designed the Vietnam War Memorial
Michelangelo – – Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor most well known for the
Sistine Chapel ceiling, The David statue and various pietas.
Claude Monet - One of the first Impressionist painters best known for painting water
lilies and using his own garden as inspiration.
Edvard Munch – Expressionist painter who created The Scream.
Georgia O’Keeffe – American painter known for abstracting and enlarging flowers,
skulls and scenes of the southwestern United States.
I.M. Pei – Chinese-American architect who designed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Pablo Picasso – Spanish painter credited with inventing Cubism. He had a Blue Period
and a Rose Period.
Sandy Skoglund – American installation artist who creates room sized artworks in
bright colors that she photographs with live actors.
Vincent Van Gogh – Dutch painter and Post-Impressionist who painted Starry Night
and cut off part of his ear.
Andy Warhol – Pop artist who made multiple prints of celebrities and products to
comment on popular culture.