Abstraction — to take a piece of a whole; in many art works the piece is distorted or modified

Abstract Expressionism — the use of color, line, and the free application of paint; stressing energy, action, and internal “expression” of emotion

Aesthetic — concerning the appreciation of beauty or heightened senses based on visual interpretation

Aesthetic Movement — “Art for Art’s Sake”; art is created and celebrated for its creation and the sheer beauty of it with no focus on its function or purpose

Ambiguity — uncertain or more than one interpretation in meaning

Ambiguous narrative — a story or message with more than one meaning or interpretation

Architectural — concerning the design, construction, and building of structures based on architectural principles, including physics

Avant-garde — the application of new and inventive techniques

Commercial Art — art used to influence or sell for commercial purposes, such as advertising

Commonwealth — a term meaning a government based on the common consent of the people; there is no difference in the government run between a commonwealth and a state, but the term traces back to the division from British rule into independent states of the American colonies. Kentucky chose to remain a commonwealth when it separated from Virginia. The four states that remain commonwealths are Kentucky, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.

Composition — how one arranges the artistic elements or parts

Configuration — the arrangement of part and elements

Constructivist — the use of glass, metal, and plastic to reflect modern technology, aiming to “construct” art not create it

Curvilinear — the use of curved lines

Decorative Arts — art made for a practical, or functional purpose (weaving and textiles, ceramics, glassware), but is also used as a decoration

Distilled — to separate or extract the essential elements

Engineer — a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve problems; an engineer can design plans and/or construct objects to solve problems

Ephemeral — short lived

Expressive gesture — the “expression” or implication of movement in limbs or body parts

Fiber artists — traditionally, they have used fabric or cloth to weave, quilt, or sew designs; fiber art continues to expand into the use of other fibrous materials, including those found in paper or wire

Figurative — a symbolic representation

Figure — representing a human or animal form

Form — how an object is structured; shapes can be put together to create form

Fragmentation — to break into pieces or parts

Gestural abstraction — the implied or suggested movement of a figure, object, or color

Hues — colors

Iconography — the use of pictures or images to represent people or objects

Impressionistic — art focusing on the changes of light and color to show a brief glimpse of the world at a given moment. The use of short, choppy brushstrokes and daubs of paint offered the artist’s “impression” of everyday objects and scenes.

“Inner space” — interpretations based on internal memories and experiences

Intellectual — the power of understanding

Iridescent — reflecting or producing color in a rainbow effect

Juxtaposed — placed side by side for comparison or contrast

Kinetic — movement or motion

Landscape — a picture or scene involving land

Lithography — a printmaking technique using a limestone slab, grease pencils for the design, and greasy paint to create the print. The artist draws the design with a grease pencil, the slab is dipped in water, and greasy paint added to the slab; the paint will only stick to the parts of the limestone covered with grease pencil.

Male chauvinism — the idea or attitude believing men are superior to woman

Marilyn, Liz, and Jackie — Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jacquelyn Kennedy Onassis

Mass media — those media, or forms of communication, used to reach large numbers of the public (i.e. television, radio, Internet, newspaper, etc.)

Mixed media — using two or more mediums, or materials, to create artwork

Molten — to melt or make liquid through heat

Mundane consumer commodities — tools or items used in everyday life

Mutability of “truth” — the silencing or disguising of the “truth;”
Remembering that “truth” is relative to one’s perception

Narrative — the telling of a story

Oppression — the unlawful or corrupt use of power of one being over another

Patina — the appearance of a surface over time and after use; traditionally related to the greenish surface of aged cooper or bronze

Pop Art — artwork based on images from advertising, neon signs, and mass media; using art to view the world with pleasure

Postwar — “after a time of war”; often referred to as the time after World
War II

Printmaking — the design and production of prints through various printmaking techniques, such as block, silk screen, and lithography

Regional collection — shapes or forms carved from a surface so they are raised or sticking out from the connecting background

Satirical — to make fun of or ridicule through a sarcastic manner

Sculptor — an artist who carves or creates sculpture

Sentry — a soldier placed on guard

Solitarily — the act of living or existing alone or in isolation

Textiles — woven fabrics

Uniformity — without variation in color, texture, or form

Unrefined — crude, unsophisticated

Visceral — having deep sensation

Vigor — intense physical or mental energy