Art terms
This glossary explains some of the techniques, mediums, art movements, and other terms you’ll encounter on our website, along with links to examples in the collection.
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Showing 15 of 335 art terms
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F
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Farm Security Administration (FSA)
Established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937, the Farm Security Administration (FSA) provided relief to farmers who had been left impoverished
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Fauvism
A style of painting in the first decade of the 20th century that emphasized strong, vibrant color and bold brushstrokes over realistic or representational
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Feminist art
Art that seeks to challenge the dominance of men in both art and society, to gain recognition and equality for women artists, and question assumptions
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Figurative
Art retaining strong references to or depictions of the real world and particularly to the human figure.
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Figure/ground Relationship
The relationship between a depicted form (the figure)
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Film
A series of moving images, especially those printed on photographic celluloid and projected onto a screen or other surface.
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Filmmaker
A person who directs or produces movies.
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Film still
A photograph often taken during the production of a film that shows a particular moment or scene. These photographs are often used as advertisements or
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Fluxus
Founded by George Maciunas and chiefly active from the early 1960s to the late 1970s, Fluxus was a loose international
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Font
A specific size and style of a typeface—for example, Arial 12-point bold, or Times New Roman 10-point italic. The term is often confused with typeface,
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Form
The shape or structure of an object, figure or structure
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Found object
An object—often utilitarian, manufactured, or naturally occurring—that was not originally designed for an artistic purpose, but has been repurposed in
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Frottage
A technique that involves rubbing pencil, graphite, chalk, crayon, or another medium onto a sheet of paper that has been placed on top of a textured object
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Furniture and interiors
An object or environment designed to accommodate human activities such as sitting, sleeping, or eating. Examples include chairs, tables, and kitchens.
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Futurism
An Italian movement in art and literature catalyzed by a 1909 manifesto published in a newspaper by Italian poet F. T. Marinetti. The text celebrated new
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