Glossaries

Art can involve technical terms, historical movements, materials, and techniques that may be unfamiliar or confusing. A glossary provides clear, concise definitions that help people understand these ideas better.

For art renters, art buyers, art lovers, those looking to lease art, students and educators, an art glossary is a handy reference tool. It helps visitors grasp terminology needed for some of the artwork featured here on Artfirst Australia.

Artists, critics, curators, and audiences all benefit from shared language. An art glossary promotes consistent use of terms, reducing misunderstandings and making conversations about art more precise and meaningful.

Documenting art terms also preserves knowledge about diverse artistic traditions, materials, and techniques—some of which might be specific to particular cultures or historical periods.

Who knows, we might have some fun along the way!

All0-9ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
0-9
A
Aboriginal Art
The oldest continuous artistic tradition in the world, rooted in Dreamtime stories and created using symbols, dot painting, cross-hatching, and natural pigments.
Abstract Expressionism
Post-WWII American movement focused on gesture and emotion. (e.g., Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko).
Albert Namatjira (1902–1959)
First widely recognized Indigenous artist; known for Western-style watercolour landscapes.
Antipodean Manifesto
A 1959 statement by a group of Melbourne artists rejecting abstraction in favour of figurative painting.
Appropriation
Using existing images or objects in a new context, often to question originality or authorship.
Archibald Prize
Prestigious Australian portraiture award, often showcasing celebrity and culturally significant figures.
Art Fair
Commercial exhibitions where galleries present artists’ works to collectors and institutions.
Art Residency
A program offering artists space and resources to create work, often with a community or institutional context.
Artistic Intention
The meaning, message, or motivation behind an artist’s work.
Artists
Artfirst Australia
Assemblage
A sculptural technique involving the combination of found objects and materials.
Augmented Reality (AR) / Virtual Reality (VR) Art
Immersive experiences using digital overlays (AR) or fully virtual environments (VR).
Augmented Reality (AR) / Virtual Reality (VR) Art
Immersive or interactive artworks using digital layers or fully virtual environments.
Avant-Garde
Art that is experimental, radical, or ahead of its time.
B
Bark Painting
A traditional form of Indigenous art using flattened tree bark painted with ochres.
Biennale
Large-scale international art exhibition held every two years (e.g., Venice Biennale).
Bio Art
Combines biology and art, sometimes involving genetic manipulation or live organisms.
Brett Whiteley (1939–1992)
Known for sensual, fluid forms and expressive linework; associated with expressionism and surrealism.
C
Calligraphy
Artistic, stylized writing, especially in Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, and Persian traditions.
Canon
A traditional body of accepted or celebrated artworks and artists—often Eurocentric and under critique.
Ceramics
Creating objects from clay and hardening them by firing, often used for functional or sculptural purposes.
Conceptual Art
Art in which the idea or concept is more important than the finished object.
Contemporary Indigenous Art
Modern interpretations by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists using traditional stories with new media and techniques.
Critique / Crit Session
A structured evaluation and discussion of an artwork, often used in educational or collaborative settings.
Cubism
Developed by Picasso and Braque; abstracted forms into geometric shapes and multiple viewpoints.
Curation
The selection, organization, and interpretation of artworks in a space or digital platform.
D
Dada
Anti-art movement that rejected logic and embraced absurdity during WWI. (e.g., Duchamp, Hannah Höch).
Digital Art
Art made using digital tools such as drawing tablets, design software, or 3D modeling.
Documentation
Recording and presenting a work (especially in time-based or ephemeral practices) via photos, video, or text.
Dot Painting
Technique widely used in Indigenous art using dots to form patterns and symbolism tied to Dreaming stories.
Drawing
Creating images using lines, often with pencil, charcoal, ink, or pastel.
Dreamtime / The Dreaming
Indigenous Australian spiritual belief system that describes the creation and moral laws of the world.
E
Emily Kame Kngwarreye (c.1910–1996)
An iconic Aboriginal artist whose expressive, large-scale paintings redefined contemporary Australian art.
Expressionism
Early 20th-century movement emphasizing emotional experience over realism, often through distortion and bold color. (e.g., Edvard Munch, Egon Schiele).
F
Figure
A human or animal form in a composition. Often used in figure drawing or figure painting.
Flat Colour
Colour applied with little or no variation in hue, value, or saturation—often used in graphic or minimalist styles.
Foreground
The part of a scene or artwork that appears closest to the viewer.
Foreshortening
A technique used in perspective to represent an object or figure in depth. Example: A hand reaching toward the viewer appears shortened.
Form
An element of art that refers to the three-dimensional quality of an object (height, width, and depth). In 2D art, it refers to the illusion of 3D using light and shadow.
Fresco
A technique of mural painting on freshly applied plaster, where the pigments are absorbed and become part of the wall surface.
Example: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Futurism
Italian movement glorifying speed, technology, and modernity; often aggressive and dynamic in composition.
G
Glitch Art
Uses digital errors or distortions as aesthetic features.
Gordon Bennett (1955–2014)
Explored themes of race, identity, and colonialism through painting and mixed media.
H
Heidelberg School
Late 19th-century Australian Impressionist movement known for plein air landscapes. Key figures: Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, Charles Conder, and Frederick McCubbin.
I
Iconography
The study and interpretation of symbols and themes in visual art.
Impressionism
19th-century French movement focused on capturing light and fleeting moments using visible brushstrokes. (e.g., Monet, Renoir)
Ink Wash Painting (Sumi-e)
East Asian technique using ink, water, and brush to create landscapes and figures with fluidity and simplicity.
Installation
A genre of art that involves the configuration of objects in space, often immersive or site-specific.
Installation Art
A three-dimensional artwork designed to transform a space. It often involves immersive or site-specific experiences.
Interdisciplinary Practice
An approach combining two or more artistic disciplines (e.g., visual art and sound, or sculpture and performance).
Iteration
The act of revising or repeating aspects of a work through multiple versions or experiments.
J
Jali
A decorative, perforated screen or latticework, traditionally used in Indian and Islamic architecture, often featuring intricate geometric or floral designs.
Japonisme
A 19th-century Western art movement inspired by Japanese art, especially ukiyo-e prints. It heavily influenced Impressionism and Art Nouveau.
Example: Van Gogh and Monet were both inspired by Japanese compositions and aesthetics.
Jasperware
A type of unglazed stoneware invented by Josiah Wedgwood in the 18th century, known for its matte finish and classical relief decorations, often in white on pastel backgrounds.
Jewelry Art / Art Jewelry
A branch of art involving wearable sculptures or pieces that emphasize creativity, material experimentation, and concept—often created by studio artists rather than mass-produced.
Jugendstil
The German version of Art Nouveau (literally “Youth Style”), prominent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Characterized by organic lines and decorative motifs.
Juxtaposition
The placement of two or more elements side by side, often to highlight contrast or create new meaning. Frequently used in collage, conceptual art, and visual storytelling.
K
Kaolin
A fine white clay used in making porcelain and some paints.
Kente Cloth
A vibrant, woven textile from Ghana, rich with symbolic colors and patterns.
Key (Value Key)
Refers to the overall lightness or darkness of an artwork (e.g., high-key = light values, low-key = dark values).
Kiln
A high-temperature oven used to fire ceramics, pottery, or glass.
Kinetic Art

Art that contains movement or depends on motion for its effect.
Example: Sculptures with moving parts powered by wind or motors
Kitsch
Art or objects considered to be in poor taste due to excessive sentimentality or garishness, sometimes appreciated ironically.
Kompozisyon
Means “composition”; used in art education and critique in Turkey.
Krazy Kat
A pioneering early 20th-century comic strip by George Herriman, often referenced in art discussions about cartooning and visual storytelling.
Kufic
An early angular form of the Arabic script often used in Islamic calligraphy and decorative arts.
L
Lacquer
A protective and decorative coating made from natural resins or synthetics, traditionally used in East Asian art for furniture, sculpture, and painting.
Landscape
A genre of art that depicts natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, rivers, forests, and skies. Can be realistic, stylized, or abstract.
Layering
An art technique where multiple layers of paint, media, or materials are applied to build complexity or depth in a work.
Life Drawing
The practice of drawing the human figure from a live model. Common in art education and foundational for understanding anatomy and proportion.
Light Installation
An artwork that uses artificial or natural light as a primary medium, often immersive or site-specific.
Limited Edition
A set number of prints or artworks produced in a series, often signed and numbered by the artist.
Line
A basic element of art that refers to a continuous mark made on a surface. Lines can vary in width, direction, and length and convey movement or emotion.
Linear Perspective
A mathematical system used to create the illusion of depth and space on a flat surface, developed during the Renaissance.
Linear Style
An artistic style emphasizing outlines and contours, rather than tonal or color blending. Seen in drawings and stylized paintings.
Lithography
A printmaking process using a flat stone or metal plate where oily ink is applied to drawn areas and repelled by water in non-image areas.
Lost-Wax Casting
An ancient method of metal casting in which a wax model is covered in clay and heated, leaving a mold for molten metal.
Low Relief (Bas-Relief)
A sculptural technique where the figures are only slightly raised from the background surface.
Luminosity
The quality of emitting or reflecting light. In painting, refers to brightness or glow in a composition.
Lyrical Abstraction
A form of abstract art that emphasizes personal expression, gesture, and often a softer, more poetic quality (especially mid-20th century).
M
Margaret Preston (1875–1963)
Early modernist and printmaker who celebrated Australian flora and Aboriginal design motifs.
Materiality
The consideration of materials and how their physical qualities contribute to meaning.
Medium / Media
The materials used to create a work of art (e.g., oil paint, video, clay, fabric).
Miniature Painting
Highly detailed small-scale painting, seen in Persian, Indian, and Mughal traditions.
Minimalism
Art stripped down to essentials—form, space, and material—often rejecting emotion or narrative. (e.g., Donald Judd, Agnes Martin).
Mixed Media
An artwork made using a combination of different materials or techniques.
Modernism (Australia)
Post-WWI movement focusing on abstraction, bold forms, and experimentation. Key artists: Grace Crowley, Ralph Balson.
N
National Gallery of Australia (NGA)
Canberra-based gallery holding extensive Australian and Aboriginal art collections.
New Media Art
Art that incorporates digital technology, including video, animation, virtual reality, and AI.
New Media Art
Encompasses art made with digital tools: video, internet, AI, and software-based works.
NFT Art
Digital art sold as non-fungible tokens on blockchain platforms.
Nkisi
Power figures from Central African spiritual traditions, often used in ritual and healing.
O
Object d’art
A small decorative or artistic object, often collectible and made with high craftsmanship (e.g., Fabergé eggs).
Ochre
Natural earth pigment used by Aboriginal artists for thousands of years in body art, rock painting, and canvas work.
Oeuvre
A French term referring to the complete body of work produced by an artist oer their lifetime.
Oil Paint
A slow-drying paint made by mixing pigments with oil (usually linseed). It allows for rich color blending and has been widely used since the Renaissance.
Oil Pastels
A painting and drawing medium made from pigment mixed with a non-drying oil and wax binder, producing vibrant and blendable marks.
Op Art (Optical Art)
A 20th-century art movement that uses geometric forms to create optical illusions of movement or depth.
Example artist: Bridget Riley.
Open Composition
A compositional technique in which elements extend beyond the edges of the canvas, suggesting movement or space beyond the frame.
Organic Shapes / Forms
Shapes or forms that are irregular, free-form, and often resemble shapes found in nature, as opposed to geometric shapes.
Outline
A line that defines the outer edge of a shape or form. Often used in drawing to separate objects or figures.
Overpainting
The technique of painting over a dry layer of paint. Used in both corrections and to build up layers for depth and texture.
P
Painting
Applying pigment (often in oil, acrylic, or watercolor) to a surface like canvas or wood.
Papunya
A central Australian community pivotal in the Aboriginal art movement’s modern emergence.
Papunya Tula Movement
Began in 1971 with Indigenous men in Papunya creating dot paintings. It catalyzed the Western Desert art movement.
Patricia Piccinini (b. 1965)
Known for hyperreal sculptures of imagined, bioengineered creatures.
Performance Art
Artworks created through actions performed by the artist or participants, often live or documented. Art involving live action by the artist or participants, often time-based and ephemeral.
Photography
The use of cameras to capture still images, either digitally or on film.
Pop Art
Used imagery from popular culture and mass media. (e.g., Warhol, Lichtenstein, Yayoi Kusama).
Postcolonial Art
Works that critically explore colonial history and identity, often by Indigenous and multicultural Australian artists.
Postmodernism
Reaction to modernism, embracing irony, pastiche, and multiplicity of meaning.
Practice-led Research
A method where creative practice is a central part of the research process and contributes to new knowledge.
Printmaking
Techniques for producing multiple artworks from a single surface (e.g., etching, linocut, screenprinting).
Process-based Art
Art that emphasizes the process of making rather than the final product.
Proposal / Artist Statement
Written explanation of a project, its context, purpose, and process, used for grants, exhibitions, or study.
Provenance
The documented history of ownership of an artwork.
Q
Quadratura
A Baroque-era illusionistic painting technique where artists painted architectural details (like columns or arches) to extend real architecture into imaginary space—often on ceilings.
Quattrocento
An Italian term meaning “four hundred,” referring to the 15th century (1400s) in Italian art—the early Renaissance period.
Key artists: Fra Angelico, Botticelli, Masaccio.
Quick Sketch
A rapid drawing, often done from life, to capture the essential form or gesture of a subject—common in figure drawing and animation.
Quilling (Paper Filigree)
A decorative art form that involves rolling, shaping, and gluing strips of paper to create intricate designs. Popular in both craft and fine art contexts.
Quotidian (in conceptual art)
Used to describe everyday or ordinary subjects—art that reflects the mundane or routine aspects of daily life. Common in postmodern and conceptual practices.
R
Relational Aesthetics
An approach where art focuses on social interaction and viewer participation. Best described as a contemporary art practice focused on social engagement and viewer participation—coined by curator Nicolas Bourriaud.
Retablo
A devotional painting, typically from Latin American folk art, often depicting saints or miracles—usually painted on tin or wood panels.
Rigger Brush
A thin, long-bristled brush used in painting for creating fine lines and detail, often for rigging in ship paintings.
Rococo
An 18th-century decorative art style known for its ornate, light, and playful qualities—especially in painting, architecture, and interior design.
Key artists: Fragonard, Boucher.
Romanticism
A late 18th–early 19th-century art movement emphasizing emotion, nature, and individualism—often dramatic or sublime.
Key artists: Delacroix, Turner, Goya.
Rubbing
A technique of transferring texture from a surface onto paper by rubbing with graphite, charcoal, or crayon—often used to capture textures from inscriptions or gravestones.
S
Sand Mandala
Tibetan Buddhist art created from colored sand, representing impermanence and spiritual geometry.
Sculpture
Three-dimensional art created by carving, modeling, or constructing materials such as clay, stone, or metal.
Sidney Nolan (1917–1992)
Known for his Ned Kelly series; combined Australian myths with modernist techniques.
Site-specific
Art created to exist in a particular location, often responding to the environment or context.
Social Practice Art
An art form that engages communities directly and uses collaboration and social interaction as media.
Songline
A path across the land that records the journey of ancestral spirits; connected to both geography and storytelling.
Sound Art
Artistic work focused on sound and listening as primary materials.
Story/Storyline
A sacred narrative in Indigenous culture, often represented visually in artworks.
Studio Practice
The physical and conceptual work done in an artist’s studio—includes experimentation, planning, and production.
Surrealism
Explored dreams, the unconscious, and irrational juxtapositions. (e.g., Dalí, Magritte).
Syncretism
The blending of artistic traditions and religious symbols from different cultures, often visible in postcolonial art.
T
Textile Art
The use of fabric, thread, and other fibers to create works (e.g., weaving, embroidery, quilting).
Totem / Totemic Art
Symbolic artwork, often from Indigenous cultures, representing clan ancestry, spiritual beliefs, or nature.
Tracey Moffatt (b. 1960)
Prominent contemporary Indigenous artist known for film, photography, and video work exploring identity and race.
U
Underpainting
A preliminary layer of paint applied to a canvas or panel that serves as a base for later layers. It helps establish composition, tonal values, and structure.
Untitled
A common naming convention in contemporary and modern art when an artist chooses not to assign a descriptive title to a work. Can suggest ambiguity, openness, or non-narrative intent.
Upscaling (Digital Art)
Enhancing or enlarging digital images (often via AI tools) while maintaining or improving image quality. Useful in digital print production and NFT art.
Utilitarian Art
Artworks that serve a functional purpose as well as an aesthetic one—such as pottery, furniture, or textiles.
V
Video Art
Artworks created using video technology, often displayed in galleries or installations.
Visual Diary / Sketchbook
A personal record of ideas, drawings, and experiments used in developing artworks.
W
Wabi-Sabi
A Japanese aesthetic concept that finds beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and simplicity. Influential in minimalism, ceramics, and natural-material design.
Wash
A thin, transparent layer of diluted paint or ink, used in watercolor, ink drawing, or acrylics to create atmosphere, shadows, or subtle color shifts.
Watercolor
A painting medium where pigments are suspended in a water-based solution. Known for its transparency and fluidity.
Often used on paper; allows for layering and soft gradients.
Wet-on-Wet
A painting technique where wet paint is applied onto wet surfaces, allowing colors to blend and bleed. Common in watercolor and oil painting.
White Cube
A term for gallery spaces designed with clean, neutral aesthetics to focus attention on the artwork.
Wire Sculpture
A sculptural technique using wire as the primary medium. Artists shape and twist wire to create 3D forms, often linear or transparent in appearance.
Example: Alexander Calder’s early works.
Wood Engraving
A detailed printmaking technique similar to woodcut but using the end grain of hard wood, allowing for finer lines and detail.
Woodcut
A relief printmaking technique where an image is carved into the surface of a wood block. Ink is applied to the raised areas and then pressed onto paper. One of the oldest printmaking methods.
X
X-Ray Art Analysis
A conservation and research technique where X-rays are used to look beneath the surface of paintings or artifacts.
Reveals underpainting, artist corrections (pentimenti), or structural damage.
Xerography
A dry photocopying process that artists (especially in the 1960s–1980s) used creatively to manipulate or reproduce imagery.
Used in experimental printmaking, collage, and zine cultures.
Xerox Art (also called Copy Art)
An art movement where artists used photocopiers as creative tools, often layering, distorting, or repeating images.
Prominent in the 1970s–80s with artists like Pati Hill and Bruno Munari.
Xylography
A form of woodblock printing—the art of engraving on wood, especially for printing text or images.
Comes from the Greek xylon (wood) + graphē (writing/drawing).
Related to woodcut printmaking.
Y
Yarn Bombing
A form of street art or guerrilla knitting where artists cover objects in public spaces (trees, benches, poles) with colorful knitted or crocheted yarn. Often playful, community-driven, and ephemeral.
Yellow Ochre
A naturally occurring earth pigment used in painting, known for its warm, earthy yellow tone. Used since prehistoric times (e.g., in cave paintings) and still common in oil, acrylic, and watercolor palettes.
Yoruba Art
Refers to the visual and material culture of the Yoruba people of West Africa (mainly Nigeria), known for sculpture, beadwork, textiles, and ceremonial objects. Important in discussions of African art history and diasporic contemporary art.
Z
Ziggurat
An ancient Mesopotamian architectural form, consisting of terraced, pyramid-like structures. Though not an “art technique,” it’s important in art history and influences modernist architecture and sculpture.
Zinc Plate
A metal plate used in intaglio printmaking techniques such as etching. Zinc is a cheaper alternative to copper, though it wears down more quickly. Common in student and experimental printmaking studios.
Zine
A self-published, small-circulation booklet, often photocopied or digitally printed, used for sharing art, photography, poetry, and radical or personal content. Popular in DIY culture, punk art, activist art, and queer/feminist art spaces.