Section

GLOSSARY OF ART TERMS

Edited by Mark Quinlan

  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
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Harmony

The unity of all the visual elements of a composition achieved by the repetition of the same characteristics or those which are similar in nature.
 

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Hatching

One of the most common ways for an artist to suggest volume and depth or to depict shadow, by which closely drawn parallel lines are grouped together. Cross-hatching is simply two or more overlapping sets of these parallel sets of lines, at a perpendicular or other angle to the first set of lines, thus creating [...]

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Heightening/Highlights

A common technique for emphasising mass and volume, highlights are produced by applying a light-toned pigment, usually white gouache or white chalk, to the desired area of the drawing. (Lorenzo di Credi, Drapery Study, Veronese, Rest on the Flight into Egypt). A similar effect can also be achieved by scraping through the medium to [...]

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Herringbone Perspective

A type of perspective in which the lines of projection converge not on a vanishing point, but on a vertical axis at the centre of the picture, as in Roman painting.

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Hieratic

An adjective indicating a strict adherence to traditional artistic methods and formulaic iconography, especially in religious painting. Because this term is often applied to Egyptian and Byzantine art, its definition has grown to encompass the rigid frontality and symmetry characterising those artistic styles.

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High Renaissance

The last phase of the Renaissance. The period between 1500 and 1520, when Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo were all active.
 

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History Painting

In 1648 the Académie Royale in France became the first national art institution in Europe. The Académie established a ranked hierarchy of subjects of art. From the 17th to the early 20th century, history painting persisted as the most prestigious artistic subject while still life painting ranked lowest in artistic importance. History painting drew its [...]

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Horizon Line

The dividing line in a picture between earth, or water and sky. Vanishing points, where two parallel lines appear to converge, are typically located on this line. The horizon line is often of compositional importance, and is a useful point of reference when describing a work of art.

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Hudson River School

The collective name given for a number of North American landscape painters active between the 1820s and 1870s, who depicted scenes of natural beauty in areas that included the Hudson River Valley and the Catskill Mountains. Prominent members include Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church.

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Hue

The pure state of any colour or a pure pigment that has not had white or black added to it.