WordVale

Arts & Culture

100 words and expressions, each with a learner-friendly meaning. Tap any term for its page.

• aestheticconcerned with beauty or the appreciation of art
• avant-gardenew and experimental, ahead of its time
• baroquean ornate, dramatic style of 17th-century art and music
• chiaroscurothe treatment of light and shade in painting
• compositionthe arrangement of elements in a work of art
• cubisman art style depicting subjects from many angles at once
• curatora person who selects and organizes works for exhibition
• diptycha painting made of two hinged panels
• engravinga print made from an incised metal or wood plate
• etchinga print made using acid to cut lines into a plate
• expressionismart that distorts reality to convey emotion
• figurativerepresenting recognizable subjects, not abstract
• foreshorteningcompressing the proportions of an object along the line of sight to create an illusion of depth
• frescoa painting done on freshly laid wet plaster
• genrea category of artistic work with shared conventions
• gouachean opaque water-based paint
• impastopaint applied thickly so brushstrokes are visible
• impressionisma style capturing fleeting light and momentary effects
• installationa three-dimensional work designed for a specific space
• juxtapositionplacing contrasting elements side by side for effect
• kitschart considered tasteless or overly sentimental
• landscapea work depicting natural scenery
• lithographa print made from a design drawn on stone or metal
• minimalismart stripped to its simplest essential forms
• mosaica picture made from small pieces of colored material
• motifa recurring element or theme in a design
• murala large painting applied directly to a wall
• negative spacethe empty area around and between subjects
• oeuvrethe complete body of an artist's work
• palettethe range of colors an artist uses
• pastela soft chalk-like coloring stick, or its muted tones
• patinaa surface sheen that develops on metal or wood with age
• perspectivethe technique of representing depth on a flat surface
• pigmenta substance that gives color to paint or dye
• portraita representation of a particular person
• provenancethe record of ownership of a work of art
• realismdepicting subjects truthfully, without idealization
• reliefa sculpture that projects from a flat background
• renaissancethe 14th–16th century revival of classical art and learning
• still lifea work depicting inanimate objects
• surrealismart depicting the illogical imagery of dreams
• tableaua striking, artfully arranged group or scene
• temperapaint made by binding pigment with egg yolk
• terracottaa hard fired clay used for pottery and sculpture
• triptycha work made of three panels side by side
• vignettea small illustration that fades at its edges
• watercolortranslucent paint made with water-soluble pigment
• abstractart that does not depict recognizable objects
• acousticrelating to sound, or unamplified instruments
• ariaan elaborate solo song in an opera
• baritonea male singing voice between tenor and bass
• cadencea sequence of chords ending a musical phrase
• chordseveral musical notes sounded together
• chromaticusing notes outside the standard scale
• concertoa piece for a solo instrument and orchestra
• crescendoa gradual increase in loudness
• dissonancea combination of notes that sounds unresolved or harsh
• ensemblea group of musicians or performers
• falsettoa male voice singing above its normal range
• harmonythe combination of notes sounded together pleasingly
• improvisationcreating music spontaneously as one performs
• librettothe text of an opera or musical work
• melodya sequence of single notes forming a tune
• moteta polyphonic choral composition, often sacred
• octavethe interval between a note and the next of the same name
• opusa numbered musical composition
• overturean orchestral piece opening an opera or concert
• pitchhow high or low a sound is
• polyphonymusic with two or more independent melodic lines
• preludea short piece introducing a larger work
• refraina repeated line or section in a song
• resonancethe enrichment of sound by vibration
• sonataa composition for one or two instruments in several movements
• staccatoplayed in short, detached notes
• syncopationstressing normally weak musical beats
• tempothe speed at which music is played
• timbrethe characteristic quality of a sound or voice
• tremoloa wavering effect made by rapidly repeating a note
• vibratoa slight, rapid variation in pitch
• virtuosoa performer of extraordinary technical skill
• choreographythe arrangement of movements in a dance
• balleticgraceful and precise, like ballet
• ensemble casta cast with several equally central actors
• denouementthe final resolution of a drama's plot
• monologuea long speech by a single character
• prosceniumthe arch framing a traditional theater stage
• repertoirethe works a performer or company is ready to perform
• soliloquya speech revealing a character's thoughts, spoken alone
• understudyan actor who learns a role to substitute if needed
• auteura filmmaker whose personal vision shapes the whole film
• cinematographythe art of photographing a motion picture
• montagea sequence of short shots edited to condense events
• mise-en-scènethe arrangement of everything within a film frame
• aesthetea person with a deep appreciation of beauty and art
• connoisseuran expert judge in matters of taste
• philistinea person indifferent or hostile to the arts
• zeitgeistthe defining spirit or mood of a period
• collageart made by assembling different materials onto a surface
• gallerya room or building for displaying works of art
• canvasthe fabric surface on which a painting is made