Art terms
Learn about the materials, techniques, movements, and themes of modern and contemporary art from around the world.
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Showing 12 of 351 art terms
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Tacking margins
The outside edges or sides of the painting where tacks or staples may be used to hold the canvas in place
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Tempera
A painting medium in which colored pigment is mixed with a water-soluble binder, such as egg yolk; a painting done in this medium.
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Textile
A work consisting of natural or artificial fibers, often woven. Can refer to artist-created sculptures, hand-woven works, and industrially produced fabrics.
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Tint
In painting, a color plus white; a shade or variety of color
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Tintype
An autopostive photographic print on a piece of blackened iron, in effect a less expensive version of the ambrotype.
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Tone
In painting, a color plus gray; the lightness or darkness of a color
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Translucent
Allowing light, but not detailed images, to pass through; semitransparent
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Transparent
Allowing light to pass through so that objects or images behind can be distinctly seen; see-through
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Triptych
A work of art consisting of three sections or panels, usually hinged together.
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Tropicália
Countercultural resistance to the repressive authoritarian regime in Brazil during the mid-1960s helped fuel a vibrant movement in music and the arts called Tropicália. Espousing a spirit of freedom and playfulness, the artists associated with Tropicália rejected increasing prohibitions on civic life. In the visual arts, it also represented a shift away from Brazil’s earlier, more formal Neo-Concrete movement.Artist Hélio Oiticica coined the term Tropicália in 1967, using it as the title for an interactive installation featuring sand, palm trees, and simple structures. Oiticica’s work brought public spaces inside the museum while evoking Rio de Janeiro’s favelas and critiquing Brazil’s image as a tropical paradise. Other artists like Lygia Clark and Lygia Pape sought to engage the public as participants in their work, creating sensorial objects that they invited the public to enter, touch, manipulate, and even create for themselves.Musicians such as Os Mutantes, Caetano Veloso, and Gilberto Gil wrote satirical song lyrics and experimented with international rock and regional styles. The “Tropicalistas” distanced themselves from the melodic bossa nova of the early 1960s, which they associated with middle-class silence during the rise of authoritarianism. Tropicalista performances provided an outlet for audiences to express their desire for a more open society.In 1968 the government arrested many individuals associated with Tropicália, forcing leading artists and musicians into exile in London, Paris, and New York, where they brought the movement to wider global audiences.
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Turpentine burn
A turpentine burn is made by soaking a rag in solvent and scrubbing the canvas directly. This technique removes paint and leaves a stain on the canvas.
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Typography
The art and technique of designing, arranging, and printing with type.
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