Art terms 101
Hi Friend,
Today we’re talking a little bit about terms you might hear in an art gallery! Some of these are pretty universal but some of them can mean slightly different things depending on what gallery you’re in - don’t ever hesitate to ask questions. Staff in a gallery is always happy to talk to you about art (seriously, it’s why we went into this line of work)!
first let’s talk about some styles you might hear a lot about:
Art Nouveau - This style was developed in the 1890s and was popular through the early 20th century. It is characterized by intricate designs and flowing shapes, often with a great deal of symbolism hidden in each piece. Art created in this style was usually very ornamental and took a lot of inspiration from traditional Japanese motifs. Casey’s “Gifts of the Garden” trio was inspired by this style
Impressionism - This school of art was developed in the mid-1800s by (mainly) French artists who experimented with brighter palettes and sketchy/rapid brushwork to better convey the feeling of shifting light that the artists saw while working outside. Famous Impressionists include Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, August Renoir, Mary Cassatt, and Camille Pissarro.
Post-Impressionism - Developed in the late-1800s, this style was partially an extension of impressionism and partially a rejection of what was seen as the limitations of the style. The four main painters that we associate with Post-Impressionism are Paul Cezanne, Paul Gaugin, Vincent Van Gogh, and Georges Seurat. Each of them developed a highly personal and recognizable style that, while owing its origins to Impressionism, went in completely different directions.
Now, let’s talk about some tools and techniques:
Acrylic paint - A versatile paint that was first created in the 1950s by using a synthetic resin to bind pigments. Depending on how much water is added to the paint, it can resemble anything from watercolor to oil paints. It is waterproof once it’s dry and it dries much more quickly than oil paint. One of the first big artists to champion acrylics was David Hockney.
Impasto - This is an Italian word used to describe a painting technique where the artist lays the paint so thickly on the surface that brushstrokes/palette knife marks are visible in the texture. Casey loves adding this thick texture to all of her paintings!
Mixed Media - A technique where the artist uses two or more artistic media - such as ink and pastel, collage and painting, etc.
Palette Knife - A blunt, flexible blade attached to a handle. Palette knives range in size and are a great way to create a highly textured painting. Casey solely uses palette knives throughout her paintings!
Finally, let’s look at some different kinds of art that you will see in a gallery:
Collection - A group of pieces (in our case paintings) released by an artist at the same time and usually centering around a single theme or idea or inspiration
Commission - A painting created at the request of a private collector, usually of a specific scene personal to the collector
Prints - (psst, these definitions are based on what we do at Casey Langteau Art)
Print - Our prints are created using a giclee large scale professional printer on flat fine art canvas with archival ink. They are hand-cut in the studio and feature Casey’s signature.
Canvas Print - Our canvases are printed on high-quality archival gloss canvas at a studio here in the South. The canvas is stretched onto a wooden frame and the image wraps along the 1.5” edge to create a seamless, ready to hang piece. Casey’s signature is featured on the canvas prints. Framing is not necessary.
Reworked canvas print - This canvas print has been extensively hand-embellished with thick acrylic brushstrokes and texture to more closely resemble an original painting. It is hand-signed by the artist and ready to hang.
“Art ” is a big, complicated, variable term
and none of us is an expert on all of it.
We hope y’all found these useful, or at the very least interesting! Next time you’re in the gallery, see if you can pick out where some of Casey’s inspirations and techniques came from!