| Term | Description |
Paint | A coloring fluid for surfaces made from ground pigments placed in a liquid called binder that allows spreading or dispersion. For quality paint, the pigment must be finely ground so that the application is smooth. For centuries, artists had to mix their own paints, and learning professional paint-mixing methods with appropriate binder to pigment proportions was a part of art training. However, in the 19th century the sale of paint in tubes freed artists not only from this task but from the confines of studio painting. This opened the door to plein-air painting. Source: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques"; Kimberley Reynolds & Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms"; Lonnie Dunbier, AskART.com |
Painterly | A term descriptive of paintings where juxtaposition of color areas and arrangements of light and dark are more dominant than any sense of linear draftsmanship. Brushstrokes are noticeable, and forms are defined principally by these color areas, not by lines or edges. To describe a work as being Painterly means to suggest that the artist has responded to his or her subject matter in terms of color and light and dark rather than by well-defined realistic images. The word Painterly was first used by Heinrich Wolfflin, a German art scholar, in 1915 in his book "Principles of Art History". Source: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques"; Kimberley Reynolds & Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms" |
Painters Eleven | A group of abstract Canadian painters active in the 1950s that were the country's early abstractionists that publicly aligned themselves with the style. They were also the first English-speaking Canadian abstract artists group. Included were Jack Hamilton Bush, Oscar Cahen, Hortense Gordon, Alexandra Luke, Kazuo Nakamura, Ray Mead, Tom Hodgson, James Hervey MacDonald, Harold Town, Walter Yarwood and William Ronald. Harold Town suggested the name, and their first group show was held in February 1954 at the Roberts Gallery in Toronto with large crowds and no sales and reviews ranging from positive to hostile. Subsequent exhibitions went through 1958. The group, having been held together by a common interest in promoting public acceptance of abstraction and a desire to stir a market for their work, voted to disband in 1960. Their goals had been met, and abstraction became an accepted part of Canadian art. Sources: Joyce Zemans, "The Canadian Encyclopedia"; D.Grace Inglis, "Journal of Canadian Studies", Fall 1994. (LPD)
|
Painting | A fine-art term descriptive of an original work of aesthetic qualities that has skilled application of paint to a surface or ground. Painting mediums include oil, tempera, pastel, fresco, watercolor, gouache, encaustic and polymer or acrylic. The descriptive term Painting, as opposed to commercial or applied art, is usually intended to refer to that which was created to be one-of-a-kind rather and not to be reproduced. Source: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques" |
Painting Knife | A very thin, flexible tempered-steel blade, usually elongated. Similar in use to a Palette Knife, a Painting Knife is more delicate and therefore more suited to precise placing of color on a ground . These knives did not appear until the latter half of the 19th Century, although various other paint-spreading devices such as spatulas and palette knives, date back to primitive painting. Source: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques" |
Palette | A word in fine art painting with several meanings. 1) A surface on which an artist mixes colors. Traditionally palettes have a thumbhole for stabilizingthe palette by the artist, are oval or rectangular shaped, are lightweight and made of hardwood that does not absorb the colors. However, some artists prefer other materials for their Palettes such as metal, plastic, glass or porcelain. 2) A term applied to the range of colors used for a work of art 3) The artist's organization of color for paintings. Source: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques"; Kimberley Reynolds & Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms" |
Palette & Chisel Academy | Located in Chicago, Illinois, The Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts was founded in 1895 to foster growth in the visual arts, provide a place for serious artists to work, and enrich the community with programs of art education, appreciation and exhibitions. In recent times, the support of the Norris Foundation, the McCormick Foundation and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, plus a dedicated staff, volunteers and the advocacy of nationally and internationally recognized artists have helped the Academy to realize this mission and to expand services and programs. Founding members were evening students at the Art Institute of Chicago. They wanted to paint from the model under daylight, which was rather difficult since most of them worked six days a week and the Art Institute did not offer Sunday programs. Charles J. Mulligan, a member of this group, was an assistant to sculptor Lorado Taft. He was able to persuade Taft to rent the fledgling organization part of his seventh floor studio in the old Athenaeum Building on Van Buren Street in Chicago. Taft was in the habit of maintaining large, ostentatious studios - more to impress prospective clients than from need for such space. Within a short time, the Palette & Chisel membership multiplied. By 1920 the group needed a new home. In 1921, they purchased the turn-of-the-century mansion that houses the organization today. Early supporters of the organization included: Charlie Russell, Alphonse Mucha (a leader of the art nouveau movement), William Merritt Chase and George Bellows. Though largely a group of amateurs, the Palette & Chisel quickly began to produce artists with their own singular vision. Walter Ufer, Victor Higgins, and E. Martin Hennings began their art careers at the Palette & Chisel and later became famous in the West as painters in the Taos School. Later, the Palette & Chisel served as the artistic home of J. Jeffrey Grant, James Topping, Rudolph Ingerle, Eugene Savage and muralist Otto Hake. The first woman member, Ruth Van Sickle Ford, was accepted in 1961. A contemporary survey of members would include artist Richard Schmid, who served as president of the Palette & Chisel from 1986-1989; watercolorist Irving Shapiro, former chairman of the Education Committee; marine painter Charles Vickery; super-realist George Fischer; sculptors Margot McMahon and Patrick McKearnon; well-known Chicago artist Walter Parke; and art instructor Bill Parks. Source: Palette & Chisel Academy website www.paletteandchisel.org/p&c/p&c_history.htm (LPD) |
Palette Knife/Palette Knife Painting | An artist's tool with a flexible blade, usually of tempered steel, and with a rounded end secured with a wood handle. The blade is about three to four inches in length. Palette Knives are used for handling and mixing paint on the palette, for scraping, and especially for modernist artists, spreading paint on canvas. A palette knife can become very sharp edged after much use, so is best discarded when that occurs. Palette-Knife Painting is the application of paint on a ground with a Palette Knife rather than a brush. The technique appeared in the mid-19th century after oil paints were standardized with consistency of texture and color and made available in tubes. Source: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques"; |
Panel | A firm support, usually wood, board or metal that is used as a painting surface. Many artists prefer to use panels because they are stronger and more rigid than canvas. Before the fifteenth century when artists began using canvas, most paintings were done on panels, especially wooden panels that were sized or covered with a solution that sealed the pores. Source: Kimberley Reynolds & Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms" |
Panorama | A broad or widely inclusive view of a landscape that can have both an historical and current meaning. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Panoramas were a popular form of entertainment and education. Usually accompanied by music and a lecture, a long roll of canvas was unveiled slowly on cylinders to show a wide view. These presentations, often depicting dramatic battle scenes, were the forerunner of stereopticans and motion pictures. Artist names associated with this type of Panorama are Franz Biberstein and August Lohr of Milwaukee, who emigrated from in the early 1880s from Germany to work for the American Panorama Company. This business, founded by Milwaukee resident William Wehner, was the first large-scale panorama producing company in the United States. However, it only lasted for two years, but successor companies kept the activity alive with the 1893 Chicago Exposition being a popular venue. By the end of the 19th century, the fascination with Panoramas was subsiding, made apparent by the low enthusiasm for "The Battle of Manila Bay" staged in San Francisco in 1900. From the mid-19th century, the term took on another meaning, which was any landscape painting that, regardless of actual size, conveys a very wide view. Noted artists in this category are Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran with their dramatic western vistas. Among contemporary artists are Ed Mell with his Grand Canyon scenes and Ulrike Heydenreich from Minneapolis who applies modernist techniques to a method rooted almost two centuries back to Europe. Heydenreich creates three-dimensional supports with rollers and extended drawing boards that allow the unfolding of images on paper rolls. The goal is to establish an orderly system of presentation so that the viewer, undistracted, can focus on the theme of exploration..."to untangle the chaos of sensory phenomena and understand the human subject's drive to explore new frontiers." (Briggs). Sources: Peter Merrill, "German-American Artists in Early Milwaukee"; Patricia Briggs, "ArtForum", Summer 2005; Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques" |
Paper | In fine art, the ground or support for drawing, watercolor and pastel painting and for various graphic techniques. Paper is made by interweaving plant or cellulose fibers in sheet form and, depending upon quality, is composed of pulped linen, cotton rags, wood chips or recycled paper. Wood pulp is the basis of lesser quality paper. The paper making process involves beating the fibers to a pulp and drying across a fine, wire-mesh screen. The best watercolor paper is handmade. (See Hand-made Paper). Paper making is thought to have originated in China about 100 A.D., allegedly by Ts'ai Lun, and was introduced in Europe in the 13th Century. Papyrus of ancient Egypt and parchment from Roman times through the Middle Ages were forerunners of modern-day paper. In the 15th century, when books and engravings were first being produced in Europe, paper mills came into being. Today some artists make their own paper, but commercial paper is more prevalent among artists. However different techniques require different selections for texture and quality. Pastel works best with rough paper, and pen and ink is best suited to a smooth surface. Sources: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques"; Kimberley Reynolds & Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms" (LPD) |
Papier Froissé | Engravings and prints created with a process involving crinkled, soft tissue paper and promoted recently by Italian artist, Antonio Papasso. Working in the 1970s, his goal with the process was to find a new language for art expression. He used the pseudonym of Antigone, and his first exhibition of papier froissé was in Milan at the Zarathustra Gallery. Earlier artists referencing the method were Hans Arp (1887-1966) and Antoni Clave (1913-2005) Source: Dr. Cinzia De Bari, biographer of Antonio Papasso. |
Papier Mache | A light, strong but pliable material composed of wastepaper torn into small pieces or strips and made pulp-like when soaked with glue of starch and water or flour paste. The material is popular for functional and decorative objects because it is easily made and when dried, can be painted and varnished and made fairly durable. American artists who have used papier mache include Eugenie Gershoy, who found the material cheap and accessible during the Great Depression of the 1930s; Hope Atkinson, who made folk-art style papier-mache "companions" to soothe her loneliness; and Raymond Scully who worked in the medium to create religious figures.
Source: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques"; AskART database. |
Papiers Colles | A French term referring to an assemblage of glued papers; collage. See DADA. |
Paradoxism | An avant-garde movement in literature, art, philosophy, science, based on excessive use of antitheses, antinomies, contradictions, parables, odds, paradoxes in creations, set up and led by the artist Florentin Smarandache since the 1980's. His explanation follows:
Paradoxism started as an anti-totalitarian protest against a closed society, Romania of 1980's, where the whole culture was manipulated by a small group. Only their ideas and their publications counted. We
couldn't publish almost anything.
In painting, sculpture similarly - all existed in nature, already fabricated. Therefore, a mute protest we did! Later, I based it on
contradictions. Why? Because we lived in that society a double life: an official one - propagated by the political system, and another one real. In mass-media it was promulgated that 'our life is wonderful',
but in reality 'our life was miserable'. The paradox flourishing! And then we took the creation in derision, in inverse sense, in a
syncretic way. Thus the paradoxism was born..."
From Maria Marcos
|
Parchment/Vellum | Often mistaken for paper because of similarity of color and weight, Parchment is made from thinly stretched, cleaned and dried animal skin, usually goat or sheep or calf. Vellum is made from calfskin. Paper, however, is of vegetable origin---the pulp of plants. Parchment, unlike leather, is not tanned, and artwork on Parchment requires conservation that differs from 'works on paper' in that extreme temperature can cause irreparable buckling and cracking and flaking off of paint. Standard conservation-quality matting and framing is usually adequate for 'works on parchment'. The first record of Parchment dates to the second century BC in Rome. Because of its excellent surface and durability, Parchment became popular in that Classical period for writings and records intended to be kept for long periods of time. During the Medieval period in Europe, Parchment was used for religious and secular writings and was often decorated with gilded illuminations. Sources: Margaret Holben Ellis, 'Works of Art on Paper', "Caring for Your Collections", p. 50, Heritage Preservation, Arthur Schulz, Editor; Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques". (LPD) |
Parergon | The segment of an artwork that is secondary to the main theme or subject matter. For instance, a still life might have a landscape view in the background or a figure sitting in an interior could have a landscape view through a window or a detailed still life, a narrative device often used by Dutch painter Jan Vermeer (1632-1675). Source: Kimberley Reynolds & Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms" |
Paris Salons | See Salons/Paris Salons |
Park Ridge Art Colony | An early 20th century association founded by faculty members of the Art Institute of Chicago in Park Ridge, Illinois. Their objective as stated in "The Chicago Evening Post", July 6, 1912, was to "support the new association, which will expend its energies in public school art, and co-operate with the other clubs, while going its own way in search of culture." Members included Albert and Dulah Evans Krehbiel, James William Pattison, Frederick Richardson, Louis Betts, John Paulding and Walter Marshall Clute. Source: Jane Meyer and Don Ryan, "Dulah Marie Evans" (LPD) |
Parody | A work of art that mimics the style of another work. |
Parquetry | See Inlay/Intarsia/Marquetry/Parquetry |
Passage | A specific area or detail of a painting used to pass discussion from a tone or color to another. |
Pastel Paper | Any paper fibrous enough in texture to hold pastels. Many pastel papers have a permanent color that contributes to the overall effect of the painting. Source: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques" |
Pastel Society of America | With headquarters at Grammercy Park South in New York City, the Society is an organization of professional and emerging American pastel painters. PSA was founded in 1972 by Flora Baldini Giffuni, and is the oldest pastel society in existence in America. For its members PSA offers classes, worshops and demonstrations as well as exhibition venues and assistance in starting regional chapters. The annual juried exhibitions are at the National Arts Club. Source: http:www.pastelsocietyofamerica.org |
Pastel/Pastel Painting | A term used both to describe the medium and the finished work. Pastel mediums are colored sticks similar to chalk or crayon that consist of powdered pigment and enough non-greasy binder (methyicellulose) to hold it together. Pastels vary according to the amount of chalk they contain, and the deepest toned are the most pure. The artist may build up colors without touching them once they are applied or achieve blending with fingers or a tool called a Stump. A sense of blending can also be achieved by laying many color strokes beside each other so the eye does the blending. Most pastels have water-based gum or binder, but Oil Pastels have an oil binder and can be thinned with turpentine and used like paint. Oil Pastels are less easily damaged than water-blended pastels. Traditional Pastels are difficult to mix because of the purity of the color, so boxes of Pastels often have over one-hundred sticks of varying shades of colors. In order for the pastels to adhere, a textured surface is required for a ground such as sandpaper and canvas. Then a fixative, either a spray or glass, is used to cover the pastel painting so that it has permanence. However, the glass must have a separating mat, so that it does not touch the Pastels, and fixitives must be used very lightly; otherwise they can alter the color effects and relationships. When properly cared for, pastels are "can survive indefinitely" (Mayer) and will never crack, darken or get yellow. Pastel works are generally called paintings because the colors are applied in mass and not by line drawing. However that is true of soft pastels, but some artists use harder, sharply pointed crayons and get a drawing effect. Pastel is the simplest and purest method of painting, since pure color is used without a fluid medium and the crayons are applied directly to the pastel paper. Pastel Painting is rooted in prehistoric painting when visual art was made with dry lumps of colored material. As known today, Pastel Painting was first made popular in Paris in the 1720s by Rosalba Carriera, a Venetian painter. Edgar Degas of France was a prolific pastel painter in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he in turn influenced Mary Cassatt, one of America's best-known Pastel painters. Other noted American Pastel Painters are Henrietta Johnston, reportedly America's first pastel painter; Andrew Wyeth; Wolf Kahn; Ramon Kelley; Dee Toscano and Lyonel Feininger. Sources: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques"; Kimberley Reynolds & Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms"; Pastel Society of America; AskART database (LPD) |
Patina | A film or an incrustation, often green, that forms on copper and bronze after a certain period of weathering and as a result of the oxidation of the copper. Different chemical treatments will also induce myriad colored patinas on new bronze works. Bronzes may additionally be painted with acrylic and lacquer. Source: Artlex.com, courtesy ichael Delahunt |
Patron | A person who supports the arts or an individual artist and has their name associated with the person and/or the work. The connotation suggests generosity, but many patrons have become involved primarily to enhance their own reputation and self importance. These motives became especially true from 17th-Century France when art was created outside the control of the Catholic Church and private money was associated with the value of art. Source: Kimberley Reynolds & Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms" |
Patroon Painters | Early 18th Century New York-based artists whose specialty was painting portraits of wealthy members of society, often merchants. Many of the artists had little training, remain unnamed, and copied styles of Dutch and English portraitists. Much of their work is described as Naive. By 1750, most of these artists had been replaced for portrait commissions by ones with schooling. Source: Kimberley Reynolds and Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms" |
Peale Museum | Founded in 1814 in Baltimore, Maryland with the name "Peale's Baltimore Museum and Gallery of Fine Arts". Founders were members of the Peale family of painters headed by Charles Willson Peale and including his sons and daughters: Rembrandt Peale, Raphaelle Peale and Sarah Miriam Peale. In 1931, the Peale Museum became the Municipal Museum of the City of Baltimore. In addition to works by the Peale family, the collection has maps, engravings, paintings and lithographs relating to the city of Baltimore. Source: "The Britannica Encyclopedia of American Art", p.628. (LPD) |
Peconic Art Colony | A colony of artists settling in the area of the picturesque village of Peconic on the North Fork of Long Island in the early 20th century. It was a quieter place than the more settled South Fork of the Island and provided scenes for landscape painters of farms, country roads, serene bays, and boats in Long Island Sound inlets. Early artist settlers were Edith and Henry Prellwitz, Irving Wiles and August Bell. Source:Lisa Peters, 'Henry Prellwitz', "The Poetic Vision: American Tonalism", (Spanierman Galleries, LLC), p. 160 |
Pen/Pen and Ink | A tool used for writing or drawing in ink and the description of that process. The earliest pens were made from reeds and quills of feathers, and some drawing specialists still use these items. However most use manufactured pens such as Ballpoint Pens, Drawing Pens, Felt Markers, Fountain Pens and Ruling Pens. A drawing described as having the mediums of Pen and Ink is one that is created with a pen dipped in ink. Source: Kimberley Reynolds & Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms" |
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts | Founded in 1805 by Charles Willson Peale, the Academy is the oldest art academy in the United States, and called "the foremost 'picture gallery' in Philadelphia, it was the city's public gallery.” (Carter 23) The original location was Tenth and Chestnut Streets, and in 1845, a fire occurred at the Academy. In order to save one of its most famous early paintings, “Death on a Pale Horse” by Benjamin West, firemen cut the canvas out of its frame and carried it to safety. By the 1870s, classes at the Academy had become so popular that they were suspended for six years while a new building was constructed at 118 North Broad Street, the corner of Broad and Cherry Streets. Architects were Frank Furness and George Hewitt, and the opening of the new building occurred in 1876. At that time Christian Schussele was the primary instructor, a position he held briefly because of ill health. He was replaced by Thomas Eakins, who became controversial and was removed because of his insistence that women students be allowed in classes with nude models, a violation of tradition. Other famous Academy artist teachers are Thomas Sully, Thomas Anshutz, William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri and Charles Sheeler. In the late 20th century, the campus has two buildings: the Frank Furness-designed historic landmark building and a late 20th-century structure, the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building. Sources: 'Pennsylvania Academy Receives 2005 National Medal of Arts', "Antiques and Arts Weekly", November 25, 2005; Alice Carter, “Cecilia Beaux”. (LPD) |
Pennsylvania Almshouse Painters | Three painters committed to the Berks County Almshouse in Shillington, Pennsylvania. They were John Rasmussen, Charles Hoffman, and Louis Mader, and in a naive style, they painted scenes of the almshouse and its environs. Mader and Rasmussen imitated Hoffman's style.
Credit: Peter Falk, "Who Was Who in American Art" |
Pentimento/Pentimiti | An Italian term meaning to repent. "Pentimento" is a condition descriptive of old paintings where lead-containing pigments have become more transparent over time, revealing earlier layers or images. Sometimes the initial drawing by the artist appears or perhaps an earlier painting, which was overpainted. Preventive measures by artists include removing preliminary lines or colors that are darker than the new paint and smoothing out the first layer of impasto before overpainting. Some artists such as Richard Diebenkorn deliberately left "Pentimiti" or traces of pigments from his previous work on that ground as an indicator of human frailty---attempts to create something at an earlier time. Diebenkorn called these leftovers 'crudities', in that they expressed errors or mistakes and were very much a part of the addition and correction processes involved in making art. Source: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques" |
Performa Biennial | An idea of Rose Lee Goldberg, art historian and curator, it is a New York City event for Performance Art. The beginning was in 2005 with Performa 05, which was succeeded by Performa 07 with 67 events around the four burroughs of the city. Involved were museums, theaters, galleries, office buildings and universities. "The center of gravity was between performer and individual audience members who could avail themselves of experiences ranging from haircuts by children in Chinatown" to personal conversations with artists to private photo sessions. Among the 'performance' artists were Sanford Biggers, Kelly Nipper, Adam Pendleton, Darren O'Donnell and Dave McKenzie. Source: Fay HIrsch,Performance: Everywhere and All at Once, "Art in America", March 2008, p. 51 (LPD) |
Performance Art | Art in which there is no concrete single object, but rather a series of events performed by the artist in front of an audience, possibly including music, sight gags, recitation, audio-visual presentations, or other elements. The term is fairly open ended and embraces art activities from the late 1970s. However it is applicable to earlier movements such as Body Art, Happenings and Fluxus, and these expressions brought into the mix make for a less-than-definite explanation of the term. Performance Art grew from the desire of artists to communicate more directly with their viewers. American artists involved since the 1970s include Vito Acconci, Laurie Anderson, Eleanor Antin, Anna Banana, Rebecca Horn and Karen Finley. Source: Robert Atkins, "Art Speak" |
Perspective | The representation of three- dimensional objects on a flat surface so as to produce the same impression of distance and relative size as that received by the human eye. In one-point linear perspective, developed during the fifteenth century, all parallel lines in a given visual field converge at a single vanishing point on the horizon. In aerial or atmospheric perspective, the relative distance of objects is indicated by gradations of tone and color and by variations in the clarity of outlines. |
Perspective Box | Dutch, "perspektyflas" or "perspective cabinet." Developed by Dutch artists to show young art students the characteristics of perspective. The term is also known as a "peep show." The Perspective Box/Cabinet combines anamorphic images with fine art to produce a realistic image that appears much larger than the box/cabinet's interior. Currently there are only six known examples of the 17th century "perspektyflas", two of which are by the Dutch artist, Samuel Van Hoogstraten. One of these is in the permanent collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Submitted by Eric Conklin, Trompe L'Oeil Society of Artists, who writes:
This art form has been significant in the development of fine art trompe l'oeil painting. It is my belief that they are one of the keys to the future success of artists with the study and development of trompe l'oeil in mind.
|
Pew Fellowship in the Arts | Established by The Pew Charitable Trusts in 1991, it is an award money grant of $60,000 to visual and literary artists. The goal is to provide artists financial help at a time critical to their careers to be able to focus completely on their art. An underlying motive of the Trust is that cultural development in America is critical to the strength of the country. Each year up to twelve grants are provided. Visual artists receiving Pew grants include Emily Brown and Peter d'Agostino. Source: http://www.pewarts.org/aboutpewfellows.html (LPD) |
Philadelphia School of Design for Women/Moore Coll | Founded in 1848 by Sarah Peter, a philanthropist, The Philadelphia School of Design for Women, later named the Moore College of Art, challenged prevailing norms by training women to be artisans and craftswomen. It was the first school to teach women industrial art. Upon graduation, students were helped by faculty to find jobs with industries. Women of all ages enrolled, but by 1920, most were between the ages of 18 and 22 years. "A key figure in developing the school as a major center for fine arts was Emily Sartain, who was Principal from 1886 to 1920." (Strass) From a family of distinguished Philadelphia artists, she asserted that training in commercial and fine art should receive equal attention, and under her direction the curriculum included work from the living model, perspective, and design. She brought respected teachers including Robert Henri to the school. Harriet Sartain, niece of Emily, took over as Principal in 1920. She strongly opposed modernist movements in art and kept the school on message that the institution’s success lay in its ability to train women for industrial art vocations. In 1932, the name changed to the Moore College of Art with a $3 million dollar gift from Joseph Moore, Jr. Enrollment increased greatly, although after World War II into the 1950s, many of the women graduates directed their energies to home and family instead of industrial vocations. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the school weathered accreditation problems but continues into the 21st Century. Sources: Stephanie Strass, "American Women Artists, 1819-1947"; Charlotte Rubinstein, "American Women Artists"; http://tricolib.brynmawr.edu/swarthmoreana/reviews.cfm?id=12 (LPD) |
Philadelphia Sketch Club | Founded in 1860 in Philadelphia, the organization was a rebellion against the Pennsylvania Academy by artists who wanted more freedom of expression. They wanted to do sketching, which later came to mean illustration, and also to have a place to socialize and exchange ideas freely. Founders were George and Edmund Bensell, Edward McIlhenny, Henry Bispham, John Gihon and Robert Wylie. They were quickly joined by other artists, and key personalities were Thomas Eakins and Thomas Anshutz. During the 1870s, when the Pennsylvania Academy's new building was incomplete, classes were held at the Sketch Club including life classes by Eakins. Over the years, members have shared studio space and learned from each other, and they have initiated programs including regular workshops and exhibitions to promote the appreciation of art. Many older members have reached out to emerging artists. The organization was incorporated in Pennsylvania in 1889, and in 1991, it received legal status to solicit outside funding, having survived on donations from members. In 1903, the Philadelphia Sketch Club began its long-time occupancy of its buildings at 235 South Camac Street. This site has three federal period row houses, built in 1822, and joined together to form one building. Source: David Sellin and Mark Sullivan, "Thomas Eakins and His Fellow Artists at the Philadelphia Sketch Club" (LPD) |
Philadelphia Ten | A women's artist group, 1917–1945, The Philadelphia Ten was composed of women who trained in Philadelphia. They began in 1917 with an exhibition at the Art Club of Philadelphia of 247 paintings. Included were landscapes (views of Cape Cod, Bermuda, Venice, Arizona, Ravello, Taos, Ireland) and a few floral still lifes and portraits.
This little-heralded opening was the first in a nearly thirty-year program by this group, now known as The Philadelphia Ten (although its fluctuating membership eventually included 30 women: 23 painters and 7 sculptors). Soon the group's exhibitions became annual events that critics and collectors could depend upon for consistently high standards and for variety of subject matter and style.
The 1920s, the first full decade of the group's association, was a period notable for productive and self-sufficient women artists in every medium. No less dedicated to their art than Colette or Marianne Moore, The Philadelphia Ten were liberated before the term acquired its feminist meaning. Theirs were vigorous, unconventional lives. Many never married. Few had children. Self-promotion, aggressive marketing (the paintings and sculpture were made to be sold) and creative outreach were all components of their exhibitions. These women entrepreneurs showed their work—quite a lot of work (perhaps a total of 3000 pieces)—far and wide, and they made a good living from it. Their achievement provides a model for women in art: for the twenties, for the nineties, for the coming century.
Some have suggested that The Philadelphia Ten was formed in response to the Eight of the Ashcan school, and others have proposed a similarity to The Ten from New York and Boston who seceded from the Society of American Artists. More likely, the women's intent was practical: to provide additional venues for their work under conditions that they could control, thereby enhancing their visibility locally and nationally. To that end, they certainly succeeded, receiving positive reviews from the east coast to Texas, Milwaukee, Memphis, and beyond, and attracting eager patrons wherever they went.
Credit: "American Art Review" (LPD)
|
Phillips Mill, New Hope PA | Founded in October, 1928 as an exhibition space for artists painting in New Hope, Pennsylvania, the location was an old mill on the Delaware Canal, which served barges from the Lehigh Valley to Philadelphia. For many of the early exhibiting artists, the Mill was an alternative to the Pennsylvania Academy, which was becoming increasingly exclusive of younger, modernist painters. The founding committee of Phillips Mill was headed by artist William Francis Taylor. The site evolved into the Phillips Mill Community Association, and in the late 20th century led to the formation of the James A. Michener Museum with branches in New Hope and Doylestown. Source: Thomas Folk, "The Pennsylvania Impressionists" (LPD) |
Photo Realism | A painting and drawing style of the mid-20th century in which people, objects, and scenes are depicted with such naturalism that the paintings resemble photographs – an almost exact visual duplication of the subject. New York art dealer Louis Meisel is credited with originating the term as art description. Most photo-realist painters have certain subjects that interest them the most. Richard Estes, reflective windows; Malcolm Morley, tourists on cruise ships; Chuck Close, portraits; Duane Hanson, human figures; Gordon Snidow, cowboys; and Mel Ramos, flashy nudes. Sources: Artlex.com, courtesy Michael Delahunt; Robert Atkins, "Art Speak"; AskART database. |
Photo-Secession Gallery | See Gallery 291/Photo-Secession Gallery |
Photogravure/Photo Etching | An innovative method promoted in the late 19th century of making hard-copy images or prints from photographs with the result being an image composed of fine lines rather than dots that allows for more subtle transfer of light and shadowing. Photogravure prints are created by using light-sensitive gelatin, a grid as the image transfering guide, a pure copper plate, ink applied to hollowed out pits on the plate, and an etching press. Resulting prints have shades from black to warm grays. The word 'gravure' refers to the 'grainy' appearance created by dusted rosin, which is part of the very time-consuming process that today is used primarily by fine-art photographers. Karl Blossfeldt has created many photogravure botanical prints. Others associated with the process are Alfred Stieglitz, Albin Langdon Coburn, Ernest Bradshaw, and Edward Curtis. Paul Strand did one of the last major portfolios of photogravures, "Mexican Portfolio", 1940. Sources: www.finerareprints.com/articles/photogravure.html; www.photogravure.com/process/process_printing.html' Wikipedia-Photogravure (LPD) |
Physiognotrace | A machine invented in 1789 by Gilles Louis Chretien for tracing a portrait subject's profile. It was used in the 18th and early 19th centuries when silhouettes were popular. Among artists working in America who used the device were Charles Saint-Memin (1770-1852). Source: Peter Falk, "Who Was Who in American Art"; Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques" (LPD) |
Pictorial Space | The illusory space in a painting or other work of two-dimensional art that seems to recede backward into depth from the picture plane, giving the illusion of distance. |
Picture Plane | A term applied to the visual elements of a painting that are in the viewer’s most direct line of sight, usually the foreground. The word “plane” is used because the subject is often compared to a window separating viewers from the images. Shapes in a painting intended to appear in three-dimensional space are said to be behind the picture plane, and those in the foreground are in front of the picture plane. Working in relation to the picture plane, the artist achieves perspective by arranging objects behind the picture plane in smaller sizes to create a sense of distance and larger to suggest foreground. In much modernist or abstract art, traditional rules of working with the picture plane are violated, and often there are visual distortions such as looming, out-of-scale objects in the foreground. The concept, which relates to an imaginary surface of a painting, originated during the Renaissance and led to much exploration of techniques to achieve perspective. Sources: Ralph Mayer, “A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques”; Robert Atkins, “Art Speak”. |
Picturesque | A description of that which is akin to beauty and formulated by 19th century English theoreticians and articulated by Reverend William Gilpin (1724-1804), schoolmaster of Salisbury. He wrote the description as "that particular quality, which makes objects chiefly pleasing in painting." It also included variety, rough textures, and small scale. Thomas Cole referenced the word picturesque when discussing his philosophies of landscape painting, which he applied to the Hudson River School, 1820-1880. Further description includes rich in meandering line and charming, evocative detail. Soothing and day-dreamy – a country cottage or ruins of a Gothic shrine overrun with flowering vines. Thomas Doughty (1793-1852) predating Cole, applied principles of Picturesque to his paintings. Partial source: Andrew Wilton and Tim Barringer, "American Sublime: Landscape Painting in the United States, 1820-1880". |
Pierhead Painter | A painter who sought commissions to paint portraits of ships, setting his easel up on the head of the pier. The commissions were often of short duration and subject to the ship’s departure from port, with the artist’s client aboard. Although the pierhead artists did not often have the luxury of time and academy training, they generally produced accurate depictions born of the benefit of specialization, true love of the subject matter, and perfume of the salt air and sea spray. (Compliments of Vallejo Gallery, Calif.) |
Pigment | The coloring component of paint, derived from either natural or synthetic sources. When mixed with binders it becomes paint, ink or crayon, etc. Pigments, as opposed to dyes, are insoluble and impart their color by staying on the surface. Pigments can be derived from a multitude of sources including vegetable sources from wood or flowers, animals such as beetles and cuttlefish and unnatural sources created in chemical laboratories. How ever it is made, pigment serves one purpose, which is to provide the color for all painting mediums. Earth Colors that are made from natural materials are often named from specific localities such as French Yellow and Burnt Siena. Red Iron Oxides were among the earliest pigments used for visual art. To be usable for artists, a pigment must be finely ground enough to pass through a screen of 325 meshes to the inch, and must meet standards of brilliance, clearness, color strength and inertia so when mixed with other colors, no harmful effects occur. Sources: Roger Dunbier, PhD, Essay on Mediums; Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques"; Kimberley Reynolds & Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms" (LPD) |
Pilchuck Glass School | Founded in 1971 on fifty four acres of land fifty miles north of Seattle by Dale Chihuly with Anne and John Hauberg, fine-art glass collectors, as a school to teach the art of glassblowing. The school has been the primary influence in the late 20th and early 21st centuries for glassblown objects evolving into fine-art expression. Pilchuck Glass School is the largest and most comprehensive center for persons wishing training in working with glass. Available at the facility are a wide offering of work areas including a kiln shop, hot-glass shops, shops for neon and flameworking, wood and metal shops. Also residential buildings house teachers and students. Classes are limited to ten students. Teachers include Italo Scanga, Flo Perkins, Glen Alps and Harvey Littleton as well as Dale Chihuly. Among the students are Nicholas Africano, Toots Zynsky and Mary Shaffer. Source: school website http://www.pilchuck.com/about/about_main.htm |
Plaster | A dry white powder base made of sand and limestone mixed with water. Depending on the consistency, plaster can be spread on a flat surface such as walls in building construction or modeled by sculptors into finished works or used for molds for clay or terra-cotta finished figures. When dry, plaster can be quite hard and durable. American sculptors who have used plaster as a finished product include Claes Oldenburg whose first pop-art figures in the 1970s included a mock store filled with plaster objects; George Segal, whose signature works were life-size human figures of upainted plaster; Manuel Neri, whose earliest pieces were in plaster; Peter Agostini who did plaster forms over various armatures that anticipated Pop Art; and Deborah Butterfield whose first life-size mares, done in the 1970s, were painted plaster over steel armatures. (They proved so heavy she changed to lighter assemblage materials). Sources: Kimberly Reynolds, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms". "Phaidon Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art"; AskART biographies. |
Plastic Club-Philadelphia | Founded in 1897, the Plastic Club was initially a women's art club In Philadelphia, whose purpose was to hold classes and exhibitions of their work. However, from 1991, membership has expanded to include men. Howard Pyle and William Merritt Chase were both very strong early supporters of the Club as were other male artists including Daniel Garber, William Glackens and Colin Cooper Campbell. The name "plastic" refers to that which is visual---painting, prints, photography, sculpture, murals, and stained glass. Blanche Dillaye suggested the name Plastic Club, and she became the first President. Emily Sartain and Alice Barber Stephens were among the founding members as were members of a group called the "Red Rose Girls"---Violet Oakley, Jessie Willcox Smith and Elizabeth Shippen Green. (Their name derived from the Red Rose Inn, an estate they shared in Philadelphia). Other early members of the Plastic Club included Beatrice Fenton, Theresa Bernstein, Mary Mullineaux, Mary Butler Cable and Blanch Dillaye. Stephens served as Vice President from 1897 to 1913. The Plastic Club continues to operate with headquarters including gallery exhibition space in an historic double town house at 247 Camac Street in the heart of Philadelphia. The Club purchased that property in 1909-1910, and in 2001 did extensive renovations. The Philadelphia Sketch Club is a neighbor to the north. Source: http://plasticc.libertynet.org/ |
Plastic/Plastic Art | A term used both as a noun and an adjective. As a noun Plastic refers to synthetic polymer that can be molded permanently to a desired shape. Industrial plastics are made from synthetic resins by molding, casting or extruding. American sculptors who have created work using Plastic include Linda Benglis, Jeff Koons, Claes Oldenburg, Frank Gallo, Leo Amino and Chryssa Vardea. As an adjective, Plastic means pliable or capable of being molded. Plastic Art is three-dimensional art or two-dimensional art that gives the impression through realistic perspective of being three dimensional. Source: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques" |
Plasticiens | A Canadian non-figurative painting movement, descended from Cubism, which began in 1955 with “Manifeste des plasticiens” , written by Rodolphe de Repentigny (AKA: Jauran). Adherants included Claude Tousignant, Fernand Leduc, Louis Belzile, Jean-Paul Jerome, Fernand Loupin and de Repentigny. They followed the example of Piet Mondrian. The focus of their works was colour, line and contrast. Source: Written and submitted by M.D. Silverbrooke, Art Historian and Collector, West Vancouver, British Columbia. |
Players Club-New York | Founded in 1888 as a private club by actor Edwin Booth, the purpose was to provide a social setting for actors and artists. Members included John Barrymore, Stanford White, Mark Twain, Childe Hassam, and Thomas Nast. The Club remains in existence.
Source: Abigail Aldridge, "Art & Antiques", December 2004, p. 87 |
Plein-Air Painters of America | Organized in the early 1980s, The Plein-Air Painters of America was spearheaded by artist Denise Burns. She was encouraged at Catalina Island by her neighbor, Roy Rose, great nephew of plein-air California painter, Guy Rose. The First Annual Plein-Air Festival was held in October, 1985 at Catalina and is now a once a year fall event with selected painters working outside for a week. A display and sale of their works follows in the Avalon Casino.
Credit: Kevin Macpherson, "Southwest Art", October 2002 |
Plein-Air Painting | Derived from the French word "en plein aire," the term means painting in the open air and not in the studio. It first came into general use in the mid 19th century in France when landscape painters at Barbizon, a village near Paris, used the method for their depictions of the landscape. Shortly after that, it was adopted by the French Impressionists led by Camille Pisarro and Claude Monet. The method was facilitated by newly developed oil paint that was sold in tubes, which meant it did not dry out quickly and could be easily transported. Plein-air painting was a major break in tradition from the prevalent method of working only in studios.
Plein-air painting can be traced back to the seventh century and forward for about two-hundred years when European artists did outdoor sketches to sharpen their skills but not for exhibition. In 1630 engravings were done in Europe that show artists working in the open air. Also an illustrated catalogue titled "A Brush With Nature: The Gere Collection of Landsape Oil Sketches" refers to the painting in nature of Salvator Rosa (1615-1673). Plein Air oil painting evolved into fully finished paintings with Frenchman Claude Lorraine 1600-1682 and then moved forward through the Barbizon School and Impressionists.
In the United States and Canada, plein-air painting was practiced by the first-generation of American impressionists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. William Merritt Chase opened the first organized school of landscape painting at Shinnecock on Long Island. The method also took hold in a major way in Southern California from the time of the state's first Impressionist landscape painters including Guy Rose. In that warm climate combined with bright sunlit days and diverse mountain, water and land views, Plein-Air painting was popular.
Sources: "Plein Air Magazine", November 2004; William Gerdts, "American Impressionism" (LPD) |
Plexiglas | One of the Acrylic Resins, it is Polymethyl methacrylate in solid form and is a permanent glass-like plastic that does not turn yellow. Plexiglas is used in many modern sculptures and can be cast and shaped by heating. Source: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques" |
Plop Art | A term of derision, a work that is non-appealing to the viewer. |
Plumbago | A term used to describe pencil miniatures on vellum, a type of drawing practiced in England that did not become popular in the Colonies. The advantage of this method was the affordability of the works.
Credit: Peter Falk, "Who Was Who in American Art" |
Pochoir | A French word meaning stencil. The term is applied to prints that are usually hand-coloured with a series of carefully cut out stencils.
This process was popular in Paris during the early decades of the 20th century and was especially popular in the art deco period.
Credit
www.collectorsprints.com/glossary/pochoir
|
Point Group, Victoria, Canada | A group of 12 Victoria, British Columbia artists headed by Herbert Siebner. The other members were Bill West, Robert de Castro, Duncan de Kergommeaux, Richard Ciccimarra, Molly Privett, Nita Forrest, Michael Morris, Flemming Jorgensen, Elza Mayhew, Sylvia Sutton and Virginia Lewis. The focus or "The Point" of the group was to break out of the insularity geographically imposed on the mostly mature artists who lived on an island on Canada's west coast. Their exhibition space was Don Adam's Danish Furniture Store on Front Street in Victoria. The group was organized in 1960, and had its last exhibition in September 1962. Many of the members were founders of the Limners, a Victoria group formed in 1971 for similar reasons and who's survivors were still exhibiting together in Victoria in 2005 at The Moore Gallery, November 10 — 17, 2005. Sources: "Ciccimara - A Biography" (1988), by Frank Nowosad; "Herbert Siebner: A Monograph" (1979), by Robin Skelton; and "Herbert Siebner - A Celebration" (1993), by Robin Skelton, James Bennett and Karl Spreitz. Written and submitted by M.D. Silverbrooke, Art Historian and Collector, West Vancouver, British Columbia. |
Pointillism | A branch of French Impressionism in which the principle of optical mixture or broken color was carried to the extreme of applying color in tiny dots or small, isolated strokes. Forms are visible in a pointillist painting only from a distance, when the viewer’s eye blends the colors to create visual masses and outlines. The inventor and chief exponent of pointillism was George Seurat (1859-1891); the other leading figure was Paul Signac (1863-1935). |
Pollock-Krasner Foundation | Created in 1984 after the death of Lee Krasner as part of her bequest, the foundation by 2004 had awarded $37 million through 2,608 grants to artists in 65 countries. In memory of artist Krasner and her artist husband, Jackson Pollock, the foundation has the mission of helping needy artists. It is a one-year prize intended to help with personal or professional expenses, child care and medical treatment.
Source: ARTnews, November 2004, p. 54 |
Polychromatic/Polychrome | Having many colors as opposed to monochromatic, which means only one hue or color. Polychrome means decorated in many colors and most frequently references wood and stone carving that is covered in full color and gold. Many ancient sculptures from Egypt, Greece and Rome were polychromed as were sculpture in the Medieval and Renaissance periods. In the early 20th Century, sculptors working in Cubist styles such as Alexander Calder, Alexander Archipenko and David Smith used color in their sculpture. In the late 1950s, a new movement developed in polychrome sculpture and continued through the 1960s. Influences were the new interest in color stirred by Op Art and materials such as neon lighting and certain plastics that had inherent color. Examples are assemblage metal works of John Chamberlain, colored neon of Vardea Chryssa, colorful still-life sculpture arrangements of Robert Hudson, and polychrome clay sculptures of Peter Voulkos, John Mason and Kenneth Price. Sources: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques"; "Phaidon Dictionary of Twentieth Century Art" |
Pop Art | A term derived from the word ‘Popular’ and linked to an art movement whereby artists depicted commonplace or familiar, everyday images in contemporary culture. The movement emanated from a meeting held in London in the mid 1950s of artists and architects at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. The purpose was to discuss topics of mass media, fashions, industrial design and science fiction relative to art and architecture. Subsequently the group held English Pop-Art exhibitions: "Parallel of Life and Art", 1953; "Man, Machine and Motion", 1955; and "This is Tomorrow", 1956. British artist, Richard Hamilton, was a leading exponent in these early years.
The English Pop Art movement influenced Englishman David Hockney, who, in turn, became active in the USA, especially in California. Meanwhile in New York in the mid 1950s, Jasper Johns, Tom Wesselmann and Robert Rauschenberg were vanguard artists depicting everyday objects in their work, often as social commentary. Objects used in Pop Art often related to mass production such as Andy Warhol's Coca Cola bottles or Campbell's Soup Cans, and also to his iconic personalities such as the silkscreen reproductions, often hand colored, of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Chairman Mao, Albert Einstein and Jackie Kennedy.
Other Pop artists of the initial era include, of course, Warhol, and Claes Oldenburg, Jim Dine, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jim Rosenquist, and today Jeff Koons with his factory-made objects is famous for his Pop Art. Some Pop artists such as Wesselmann express cynicism of the contemporary world while others such as Koons seem only fascinated and amused by the ‘passing show’. Henry Geldzahler, former curator of contemporary art at the Metropolitan Museum, "helped put Pop on the map in 1962" (199) during the Museum of Modern Art's symposium on Pop Art by being the only panel member to support it. He was a close friend of Andy Warhol, who later said: "Henry gave me all of my ideas." (200)
Pop Art, initially a rebellion against Abstract Expressionism, began to lose ground in the late 1960s, and was replaced by Minimalism, Contemporary Realism, and Hard-Edge painting. Sources: "Phaidon’s Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Art"; Nancy Hoban, "Basquiat" (source of quotations); Norman Geske and Karen Janovy, "The American Painting Collection of the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery"; Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques". (LPD)
|
Porcelain | The finest of ceramic ware, which is fired to the highest temperature ranges. The term has come to reference all wares that are translucent as distinguished from Earthenware and Stoneware. Porcelain is usually made from clay, feldspar and flint and is often used for dinnerware, vases, and smaller sculpture. True porcelain ranges in color from white to grey and when struck, produces a clear tone.
The original formula was developed in China during the T’ang Dynasty of the seventh century A.D. In the early 18th century, it was first produced in Europe. Source: Ralph Mayer, “A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques”.
|
Portrait | A painting, sculpture, drawing or photograph that is a likeness of a human being or animal, living or dead. Portraits can be full length, heads, torsos or portrait busts, life size or disproportionate, abstract or realistic and executed in many mediums. Many artists do self portraits. In the 17th and 18th centuries miniature portraits were popular and small enough to be carried or worn as a locket. John Ramage, James Peale Sr. and Rufus Hathaway were well known miniaturists of that era. Commissioned portrait painting has been especially popular as the way to record a likeness until photography became readily available. In Europe and early America, many painters made their living either as commissioned portrait painters for wealthy families or as itinerants who traveled the countryside. Often itinerants had a set of body figures filled in and then customized faces of subjects. Among noted early American itinerant portraitist painters were John Brewster, Robert Feke, William Dunlap and William Jennys. In ancient Egypt portraits were monuments to the greatness of a subject rather than realistic depictions. In Classical Greece, portraits demonstrated ideal beauty, but Roman portraits tended to be realistic. The art of portraiture was not practiced during the Middle Ages because of the focus exclusively on religious subjects. During the industrial revolution and the rise of capitalism and humanism, portrait painting was in high demand because many successful persons wanted to be immortalized and have their importance remembered with portraits. Society portraitists include William Merritt Chase, John Alexander White and John Singer Sargent. Among American portraitists of important American historical figures are Gilbert Stuart and Charles Willson Peale who did famous likenesses of George Washington. Mary Cassatt remains known for child portraits, mostly of family members, and Nicolai Fechin for impressionist portraits of well known people such as Willa Cather that captured the complexities of the inner person. Some artists such as Robert Henri depicted ordinary people, and Alice Neel painted her own children, sad and pensive. Animal portraitists include Ann Collins and Michael Finnell who are noted for their portraits of famous race horses. In contrast Deborah Butterfield is famous for her assemblage sculptures of ordinary horses, often old broken down and unglamourous. Cassius Coolidge and William Wegmam pose their own dogs for humorous depictions that combine portraiture with anthropomorphic genre. Sources: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques";AskART database |
Positive Space | The space in a painting occupied by the object depicted (not the spaces in between objects). |
Post | A term meaning "after" that is prefixed to some art terms such as Post-Impressionism, Post-Minimalism and Post-Modern. However, these terms are handy primarily to suggest a time line and not to suggest a unity of style amongst the artists to whom the terms are applied. Even if the artists do share a rebellion against a preceding movement, they often have approaches independent of each other. Included among the Post-Impressionists, each with a unique style, are Paul Cezanne, Georges Seurat, Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gaughin. However, they did share determination to inject identifiable objects and or figures into their work rather than be confined to the strictures of Impressionism. Usage of the word "post" linked to fine art began in the early 20th century and like the term "neo" can be deceptive in that it suggests "a linear but not necessarily accurate vision of history . . . (It can) "obscure, rather than enhance, the understanding of art." Source: Robert Atkins, "ARTSPEAK" |
Post Impressionism | A term applied to the work of modernist artists, many of them French or living in France from about 1885 to 1900. Included among the Post-Impressionists are Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat and Vincent Van Gogh. Although they all painted in highly personal styles and did not exhibit together under the 'umbrella' of Post-Impressionism, they were united in rejecting the relative absence of form and emotion characteristic of Impressionism. The focus was on finding new ways to express form and space, and generally the public was not receptive. Sources: Robert Atkins, ARTSPEAK; Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques" |
Post Modernism | A term that is vague in meaning but has evolved as general reference to artwork that is anti-modernist in that it is a rebellion against artistic expression such as Abstraction, Conceptual and Performance Art. Use of the description, “Post Modernist", is attributed to writer Joseph Hudnot in a 1949 book, "Architecture and the Spirit of Man". In the 1960s, Post Modernism came into wide use, and since then includes the revival of realist artwork with recognizable subjects such as landscapes, social genre and history painting; in other words, that which has been scorned by abstractionists. Although Post Modernism has new elements reflective of the hybrid aspects of modern society, such as sculpture that is also furniture, it seems impossible to list unifying characteristics of style or subject matter other than that it embodies some aspects of Realism. A phenomenon associated with Post-Modernist artists is that of defying the 19th and early 20th-century images of the poor, starving, bohemian artist. Today, most artists who ‘succeed’ do so because their careers are orchestrated by professional public relations persons along a prescribed route that includes gallery exhibitions, positive reviews by critics, high-dollar auction sales, and feature articles in publications. This attention, if positive, often brings money and reputation to young artists, “post modernists” who are beneficiaries of communication technology. Source: Robert Atkins, “Art Speak” |
Posterism | The documentation or indices of prices of original works of art used for posters. |
Potlatch Collection/Mountie Art | An art collection from the Potlatch Paper Corporation that donated in 1981 349 original illustrations and transferred all rights, without consideration, to the Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota Duluth. Commissioned between 1930-1971, these paintings on canvas, paper, and illustration board used the Royal Canadian Mounted Police image--a powerful symbol of honesty and resourcefulness--to advertise the company's printing papers. Among the 16 artists who created "mountie" paintings are Hal Foster, known as the illustrator of many classic American comic strips, and Arnold Friberg, whose set designs for Cecil B. De Mille's movie, "The Ten Commandments", won him an Academy Award. The Tweed Museum of Art has developed comprehensive illustrated book called "The Mountie Legacy and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Illustrations, published by Afton (Minnesota) Historical Society Press, and scheduled to be released in the Summer of 2003. Courtesy: The Tweed Museum |
Potter's Wheel | A turntable mounted on a shaft for shaping pottery. As the platform spins, either foot-operated or machine driven, the potter shapes the clay by raising it to make vessels or other objects. Potter's Wheels date from the ancient Egyptians to the present day. Sources: Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques"; Kimberley Reynolds and Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms" |
Pottery | A general term dating to ancient times that includes ceramics or fired clay such as earthenware, stoneware and raku. Throughout history, pottery has served both utilitarian and aesthetic purposes. Pottery fragments as part of drinking vessels are documented to the sixth millenium BC in Arpachiya near the Upper Tigris River. In 20th-century American art, pottery has become an accepted fine-art medium. Especially noted are Anna and Albert Valentien, George Ohr, R. Guy Cowan, Maria Martinez, Popovi Da; Nampeyo (the Old Lady), William Dickey King and Charles Loloma. Sources: Kimberley Reynolds and Richard Seddon, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms"; Brian S. McMillan, 'Cultural Influences from Early Summerian Egypt' from the book "Ancient Iraq" by P.R.S. Moorey. |
Powder Coat | A clear coat that enhances the finish of a metal or steel object as well as protects it and makes it easy to clean. Powder coating is a dry finishing process, using finely ground particles of pigment and resin, which are electrostatically charged and sprayed onto a surface. The pieces receiving the powder coating are electrically grounded so that the charged powder particles projected at them adhere to the pieces and are held there until melted and fused into a smooth coating in the curing oven. The result is a uniform, durable, high-quality finish that is also environmentally friendly.
Source:
LeKae Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona |
Prairie Print Makers | Formed in 1930 in Lindsborg, Kansas, the artist membership included many of the country's foremost printmakers including Gustave Baumann, Gene Kloss, Birger Sandzen, Maynard Dixon, Luigi Lugioni and John Taylor Arms. The purpose as stated in a letter by Coy Avon Seward was "to further the interest of both artists and laymen in printmaking and collecting." Artists were charged one-dollar per year, and collectors were required to pay five dollars per year. Each year one of the artists was chosen to do a print, which would be The Annual Gift Print given exclusively to the members and limited to an edition of two hundred. Norma Bassett Hall designed the logo. Each year the Prairie Print Makers sponsored traveling exhibitions throughout the United States to schools, libraries and civic organizations. In this way, artist members got wide exposure and sales and sponsoring entities had access to high-quality art and could get commissions on sales. The group was formally initiated on December 28th in the studio of Sandzen, a professor at Lindsborg's Bethany College. His good friend, Coy Avon Seward of Wichita, issued the invitations, and present in addition to Seward and Sandzen were Leo Courtney, Charles Capps, Lloyd Foltz and Clarence Hotvedt, Arthur and Norma Bassett Hall, Herschel Logan and Edmund Kopietz. Courtney was elected president. The first order of business was inviting William Dickerson of Wichita to join the group. "The entire financial philosophy of the Prairie Print Makers in its early days was in keeping with the constraints of the Depression era. Sandzen and Seward felt so strongly that prints should be affordable to everyone that they asked members to sell their work for the lowest possible prices. The Secretary-Treasurer, paid $25.00 per month, was the only hired staff person, and had the responsibility of expanding the membership and handling the exhibition details including packing, shipping, and distributing the society's annual print. By the mid 1930s, Prairie Print Makers was a well-established entity and had members in many states as well as Hawaii and Washington DC. Thirty-one exhibitions had been held, and forty-seven artists were members, having submitted portfolios for acceptance. The organization continued to expand in the next few years; thirty-four gift prints were created, and with the exception of three were American Scene subjects in a variety of styles. Methods included lithography, etching, woodblocks, drypoints and aquatints. Some were printed by the artists and others by a printing company. Prairie Print Makers came to an end in 1966, its member goals achieved of stimulating interest in printmaking and selling work by the artists. "The society had also provided an important bond of interest and purpose that made the lives of the ten original Kansas-based founders less isolated and removed from the art centers of the rest of America. . . .and perhaps most importantly, a sense of identity as artists, even though for all of them financial reality meant supporting their families through jobs as commercial artists or teachers." (9-10) Source: Barbara Thompson O'Neill and George C. Foreman, ‘C.A. Seward’, “The Prairie Print Makers”, pp. 12-19. Courtesy Denise Morris. (LPD)
|
Pre-Columbian | Art created in the Americas by native people that pre-date the discovery of the new world. |
Pre-Raphaelite/Naturalists | A mid 19th-century movement in England, which spread to America. The name "Pre-Raphael" meant artwork which was done previous to the influence of the Italian painter, Raphael, who lived from 1483 to 1520, and who defied traditional realistic painting and injected grandeur or imagination into his portraits and religious depictions. In England, the leader and founder of the Pre-Raphaelite movement was John Ruskin, whose book "Modern Painters" was a guiding source. The underlying idea was to study nature closely and then create art that emulated nature---exactly. Resulting were many realistic still lifes, landscapes and figure paintings, and avoided were exuberant, historical, narrative genre works that had so dominated European art. However, many viewers found the Pre-Raphaelite work tedious because of the obsession with staying close to nature and avoidance of injecting imagination. American artists who subscribed to the movement included William Trost Richards, Thomas Charles Farrer, John William Hill, John Henry Hill, Charles herbert Moore, Henry Roderick Newman and Robert J. Pattison. Many of their paintings were in watercolor. Source: Grace Glueck, 'Art: The American Pre-Raphaelites', "The New York Times", October 11, 2006 (LPD) |
Pre-Sale Estimate | The fair-market price range, low and high, listed with an auction lot as determined usually by auction-house professionals, sometimes working with an appraiser. This estimate is often the basis for establishing the reserve price or minimum price, and is a valuable guide for prospective buyers. Sometimes the Pre-Sale Estimate is altered just before auction if the market for work by the artist has recent change. Source: www.sothebys.com |
Precisionism | An early 20th-century abstract movement in American art with a style noted for clean-cut, severe-seeming lines, simple forms, large areas of flat color, smooth finish and the conveying of a general sense of good order and precision. Often the subjects were architectural or industrial and usually devoid of human reference. Precisionist Painters, sometimes called The Immaculates, were never organized officially but simply shared a style and certain convictions about art. Among them are Charles Sheeler, Charles Demuth, Georges Ault, Niles Spencer and Ralston Crawford. Sources: "Phaidon Dictionary of 20th Century Art"; AskART database |
Prehistoric Art | Art forms predating recorded history, such as Old, Middle, and New Stone Ages. |
Primary Colors | Any hue that, in theory, cannot be created by a mixture of any other hues. Varying combinations of the primary hues can be used to create all the other hues of the spectrum. In pigment, the primaries are red, yellow, and blue. |
Primitive Art | A term with several meanings: 1) Paintings and drawings of and by peoples and races outside the influence of accepted Western styles. 2) Religious portrayals predating scientific studies of perspective and anatomy 3) Intuitive artists with a “naïve” style often due to little, if any, training (or works intentionally made to look this way. Source: Artlex.com with permission of Michael Delahunt. |
Primitivism | A term descriptive of artwork of several origins: 1)pre-historic art 2) art whose subjects are borrowed from non-western cultures such as Paul Gaughin's depictions of Tahitian people and Pablo Picasso's use of African motifs. 3) art by self-taught or unsophisticated artists and 4) a Russian form of Expressionism, which developed between 1905 and 1920 under the influence of Cubism, Fauvism and Russian folk art. Characteristic of the style were simple, block-like shapes that conveyed strength and power. These primitivist painters usually focused on laboring people. The general concept of Primitivism is tied to the sentimental image of the "noble savage", uncorrupted, naturally good, and uninhibited by western civilization's sexual mores. Jean-Jacques-Rousseau, 18th-century French philosopher, popularized this idea in his widely-circulated writings, as did imperialistic travel by westerners in Asia, Africa, India and the South Pacific. Many 19th-century fairs and expositions featured creative work by "Primitives". In art expression, much of the fascination with Primitivism related to the fact that it was such a contrast to the formal, prescribed academic art of western culture dating back to the Renaissance. Primitivism also allowed western artists to focus on their own emotional and spiritual interpretations that were not prescribed by tradition. However, some interpretation by western artists of Primitivism was misinterpreted such as fierce-looking African masks presented as reflecting the aggressions of its wearer, whereas in fact, they were made to scare away evil spirits who would thwart success in battle. Sources: "Phaidon Dictionary of Twentieth Century Art"; Robert Atkins, "Art Speak". (LPD) |
Print | An image created from a master wood block, stone, plate, or screen, usually on paper. Prints are referred to as multiples, because as a rule many identical or similar impressions are made from the same printing surface, the number of impressions being called an edition. When an edition is limited to a specified number of prints, it is a limited edition. A print is considered an original work of art and today is customarily signed and numbered by the artist. |
Print and Drawing Council of Canada | An organization formed in 1976 in London, Ontario, as a merger between the Society of Canadian Painters, Etchers and Engravers and the Canadian Society of Graphic Art. Source: Written and submitted by M.D. Silverbrooke, Art Historian and Collector, West Vancouver, British Columbia. |
Print Research Foundation | A repository of American fine-art prints located in Stamford Connecticut, it houses more than 4,500 fine art prints owned by Reba and Dave Williams. The focus of the collection is WPA (Works Progress Administration) images, and the purpose of the institution is the facilitation of historical research about the 1930s in America and about printmaking of that era. Source: Bob Bahr, 'The printmaking World's Hidden Treasures', "Drawing" magazine, summer 2006. (LPD) |
Prisme d'Yeux (Prism of Eyes) | A Canadian group of artists founded in 1948, largely on the initiative of Alfred Pellan, to counteract the rising influence of Paul-Emile Borduas and Les Automatistes. Alfred Pellan, Louis Archambault, Léon Bellefleur, Jean Benoit, Jacques de Tonnancour, Albert Dumouchel, Gabriel Filion, Pierre Garneau, Arthur Gladu, Lucien Morin, Mimi Parent, Jeanne Rhéaume, Goodridge Roberts, Roland Truchon and Gordon Webber were the founding members. They had an exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in February 1948. Having accomplished its goal of eroding Borduas's control of the Contemporary Arts Society, Prisme d’Yeux folded shortly after the CAS disbanded. It was active for only about 18 months. Source: "Egregore: A History of the Montreal Automatist Movement" (1998), by Ray Ellenwood. Source: Written and submitted by M.D. Silverbrooke, Art Historian and Collector, West Vancouver, British Columbia. |
Prix de Rome/Rome Prize | Initially referencing an award given by the French Academy in Paris to art students showing great promise who had completed required work at the École des Beaux-Arts or elsewhere. The prize entitled recipients to four years’ study at the Académie de France à Rome, founded in 1666 by Jean Baptiste Colbert. The competition was open to all French painters, sculptors, architects, engravers, and musicians between the ages of 15 and 30. It was instituted by Louis XIV in 1666 for the purpose of enabling talented artists to complete their education by study of classical art in Rome. For 300 years, the Prix de Rome was the highest honour in the western world that an artist could earn. The competition was abolished in 1968 but the prize is still given in France to young artists deemed worthy by the academy. Some American artists have received an award called the Prix de Rome based on the tradition of the French prize. The American Prix de Rome is for study at the American Academy in Rome. Recipients include Paul Manship, Raymond Saunders, Ana Mendieta, Albert Krehbiel and Hermon Atkins MacNeil.
Sources:
http://www.bartleby.com/65/pr/PrixdeRo.html
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
Prix de West Award | Showcase prize for western art given at the annual exhibition of the The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The exhibitions of the Academy are known as the Prix de West, and winners of the prize receive a medal and five-thousand dollars. include Kent Ullberg, Clyde Aspevig, Oreland Joe, Kenneth Riley and Howard Terpning. Source: The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum; Traditional Fine Arts Online, http://www.tfaoi.com/newsmu/mile2.htm (LPD) |
Prix de West Exhibition | An annual invitational exhibition hosted in the summer by The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. The intention is to showcase the work of the country's finest contemporary western artists. Approximately 300 works of art, by more than 90 artists, are featured in the exhibition, whose artists bring a diversity of styles and subjects that range from historical Western pieces to more contemporary and impressionist works of art. Landscapes, wildlife and illustrative scenes are always highlighted in the exhibition. Among the awards presented at each show are: 1) The Prix de West Purchase Award, given to a work of art that is purchased by the Museum to enhance its Prix de West art collection. The award includes a medal and $5,000. 2) The Frederic Remington Painting Award, a cash award of $3,000 for exceptional artistic merit, sponsored by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. 3)James Earle Fraser Sculpture Award, a cash award of $3,000 for exceptional artistic merit, sponsored by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. 4) Express Ranches the Great American Cowboy Award, best portrayal of the American Cowboy, chosen by the museum's Prix de West Committee for exceptional artistic merit. The award includes a medal and $3,000, and is sponsored by Bob and Nedra Funk. 5) The Robert Lougheed Memorial Award, a cash award of $3,000 for the best display of three or more works. The award is chosen by the exhibiting artists and is sponsored by the Robert S. And Grayce B. Kerr Foundation, Inc. 6) Major General and Mrs. Don D. Pittman Wildlife Art Award , a cash award of $3,000 for Exceptional Artistic Merit for a Wildlife Painting of Sculpture. Sponsored by Major General and Mrs. Don D. Pittman 7) The Nona Jean Hulsey Rumsey Buyers' Choice Award, a cash award of $3,000 for the most popular work of art as chosen by the patrons attending the opening night of the Prix de West Invitational. Source: The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
|
Prix Paul-Emile-Borduas Award | Prix Paul-Émile-Borduas is the highest distinction, in the arts, given to an individual by the government of Quebec, underscoring outstanding career achievement in the field of visual arts, applied arts, architecture or design. It is the visual arts component of the group of awards given annually by les Prix du Québec to honour achievement in eleven categories of arts and sciences. Source: Manifestation internationale d’art de Québec and les Prix du Québec. Source: Written and submitted by M.D. Silverbrooke, Art Historian and Collector, West Vancouver, British Columbia. |
Proportion* | Size relationships between parts of a whole, or between two or more objects perceived as a unit. |
Provenance | An artwork’s complete lineage of ownership and/or exhibitions. Establishing Provenance is often a an important factor in authentication in that it can establish ownership back to the time an artist lived---meaning it could be by the hand of the alleged artist. Such information is often difficult to establish, especially when a painting has been owned by a family for several generations and no record of sale is found. Another obscuring factor is that many private collectors prefer to buy and sell works anonymously through dealers or auction houses, who, in turn oblige collectors by not disclosing the true owner. Also, many dealers and auction houses that were active in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are no longer in business, and their records may have been lost or destroyed. Thus it is rare to find works of art having a complete history of ownership unless it is contemporary art. As a result of these complicating matters, it is important to bear in mind that gaps in provenance do not necessarily indicate that a work was looted, stolen, or suggest lack of
authenticity.
|
Public Art | A descriptive term for art, usually sculpture, in public spaces such as playgrounds, plazas and parks. Traditional public art includes statuary, of which a dramatic example is "Diana", a classical figure by Augustus St. Gaudens. Thirteen feet high, it is a gilded copper weathervane atop the Madison Square Garden Tower in New York City. One of the largest pieces of public art in America is at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, where Gutzom Borglum designed and oversaw the carving into the mountain of the faces of four U.S. Presidents. Public Art can also refer to environmental sculpture that gives meaning to the space around it such as a set of fountains created by Isamu Noguchi for Expo '70. This event was an international exposition hosted in Osaka, Japan to celebrate Japan's industrial accomplishments in the free world. Noguchi, who lived between Japan and New York City, created nine fountains that recalled forms and shapes from his childhood in Japan. They were inspired by America's success with Apollo 11, the space launch symbolizing the future of mankind. "When the exposition opened in March 1970 the fountains sprayed, jetted, misted, and rotated in ways that no one had ever thought of or seen before." (Noguchi 325) Other sculptors noted for public art include Daniel Chester French who sculpted the sitting figure of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial, Maya Lin, who designed the Vietnam Memorial; and Alexander Calder whose mobiles and stabiles are in numerous public places. Sources: Peter Duus, "The Life of Isamu Noguchi"; AskART database. |
Purism | A term coined by Charles Edouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier, and Amedee Ozenfant that described their intention as painters, working together in Paris, to ‘purify’ Cubism back to its earliest expression and away from what they perceived as polluting decorative and illustration content. The goal was to return the expression to simple geometric lines, unmixed colors, and visual art that suggested basic form and function. Corbusier from Switzerland and Ozenfant of France appear to have been the primary proponents of “Purism”, which lasted from 1918 to 1925. Their book, "Apres le Cubisme" ("After Cubism") is their manifesto on the subject. Jeanneret's dedication to "Purism" led to his becoming by the late 1920s, a foremost exponent of the International Style of Architecture. Source: Kimberly Reynolds and Richard Seddon, “Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms; Robert Atkins, "ART SPOKE" (LPD) |
Puteaux Group | Named for Puteaux, a suburb of western Paris, France. Most of the members, about 20, were French artists, excepting Alexander Calder, an American; Frantisek Kupka, from Czechoslavia; and Louis Marcoussis from Poland. The group's assertion was that they wanted to expand the definition of Cubism to be more embracing than the methods of Cubist founders Pablo Picasso and George Braque. In 1911, the Puteaux Group stirred much controversy and brought public attention to themselves with their exhibition at the Salon des Indépendants. Much of their work was described as being by "fauves" or 'wild beasts' in that it was very garish in color and far-out experimental in composition. Members included Albert Gleizes, Fernand Léger, Francis Picabia, Robert Delaunay, Marcel Duchamp, and Jacques Villon. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puteaux_Group (LPD) |
Pyramid Club | Located at 1517 Girard Avenue in Philadelphia and founded in 1937. This was a presitigeous organization for the "cultural, civic and social advancement of African Americans in Philadelphia. Under the direction of painter Humbert Howard, the Club sponsored a variety of cultural events such as annual art exhibitions and the highlighting of individual artists beginning in 1941 with Henry Ossawa Tanner. Other featured artists were Beauford Delaney, Dox Thrash. Source: 'Beauford Delaney: From New York to Paris', "American Art Review", December 2005. |
|