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 5 of 314 art terms
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Oil paint
A paint in which pigment is suspended in oil, which dries over time when exposed to air
4 examples
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Opaque
Impenetrable to light
0 examples
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Op art
An abstract style, also known as Optical Art, developed in the 1960s and featuring geometric shapes and lines in black and white or vivid colors. Based
3 examples
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Organic
Derived from materials or forms with characteristics of a biological entity or organism, or developing in the manner of a living thing
4 examples
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Orphism
A Cubist-influenced style of painting pioneered around 1912 by Robert and Sonia Delaunay and František Kupka, who turned to abstraction as a way to explore
2 examples
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