Thehistory of painting reaches back in time to artifacts and artwork created by pre-historic artists, and spans all cultures. It represents a continuous, though periodically disrupted, tradition from Antiquity. Across cultures, continents, and millennia, the history of painting consists of an ongoing river of creativity that continues into the 21st century. Until the early 20th century it relied primarily onrepresentational,religious andclassical motifs, after which time more purelyabstract andconceptual approaches gained favor.

Developments in Eastern painting historically parallel those inWestern painting, in general, a few centuries earlier.African art,Jewish art,Islamic art,Indonesian art,Indian art,Chinese art, andJapanese art each had significant influence on Western art, and vice versa. (Full article...)

In thevisual arts,style is a "distinctive manner which permits the grouping of works into related categories" or "any distinctive, and therefore recognizable, way in which an act is performed or an artifact made or ought to be performed and made". It refers to the visual appearance of a work ofart that relates it to other works by the same artist or one from the same period, training, location, "school",art movement orarchaeological culture: "The notion of style has long been the art historian's principal mode of classifying works of art. By style he selects and shapes the history of art".

Style is often divided into the general style of a period, country or cultural group, group of artists orart movement, and the individual style of the artist within that group style. Divisions within both types of styles are often made, such as between "early", "middle" or "late". In some artists, such asPicasso for example, these divisions may be marked and easy to see; in others, they are more subtle. Style is seen as usually dynamic, in most periods always changing by a gradual process, though the speed of this varies greatly, from the very slow development in style typical ofprehistoric art orAncient Egyptian art to the rapid changes inModern art styles. Style often develops in a series of jumps, with relatively sudden changes followed by periods of slower development. (Full article...)

Aghost sign is an oldhand-painted advertising sign that has been preserved on a building for an extended period of time. The sign may be kept for itsnostalgic appeal, or simply indifference by the owner. (Full article...)

Inpainting,local color is the color of an object when seen under flat white light with no adjustment for form shadow or colors of light or secondary light sources. An example would be the assumption that an apple is "red" when it is actually dependent on the color of the light hitting it, color of objects around it, glossiness, and variations within the colors on the surface of the apple itself. Local color is learned in childhood to help simplify and make sense of the world. "The sky is blue", "grass is green", etc. when there are actually myriad variations in hue, chroma, within these areas. In order to represent objects realistically, painters must look beyond the simplifications of local color. Demonstrations ofcolor constancy show how flawed local color assumptions can be when the light source has a color shift.

In contemporary sculpture local color is the original color of theraw material that remains unpainted in the completed work. (Full article...)

Thepaint and sip industry is a set of experience-based businesses that hire professional artists to provide step-by-step instructions to reproduce a pre-selected work of art while they drinkwine or other beverages. When class attendees finish, they get to keep their creations.

These classes typically focus on painting as a fun activity for relieving stress, rather than as a technical skill requiring practice like the classes at anatelier or anart school. Alcohol is used to reduce inhibitions and "overthinking" in order to make the creative process feel easier. (Full article...)

Simon Hantaï (7 December 1922,Biatorbágy,Hungary –Paris, 12 September 2008; tookFrench nationality in 1966) is a painter generally associated withabstract art. (Full article...)

Watercolor (American English) orwatercolour (Commonwealth English; seespelling differences), alsoaquarelle (French:[akwaʁɛl]; from Italian diminutive of Latinaqua 'water'), is apainting method in which thepaints are made ofpigments suspended in a water-based solution.Watercolor refers to both themedium and the resultingartwork.

The conventional and most commonsupport—material to which the paint is applied—for watercolor paintings is paper, usually special types ofwatercolor paper. Other supports or substrates include stone, ivory, silk, reed,papyrus, bark papers, plastics,vellum,leather,fabric, wood, and watercolor canvas (coated with a gesso that is specially formulated for use with watercolors). Watercolor paper is often made entirely or partially with cotton. This gives the surface the appropriate texture and minimizes distortion when wet. Watercolor papers are usually cold-pressed papers that provide better texture and appearance. Transparency is the main characteristic of watercolors. "It consists of a mixture of pigments, binders such as gum arabic and humectants such as glycerin, which together with other components, allow the color pigment to join and form the paint paste, which we know as watercolor. With regard to the colors, the quality of the pigments and their degree of concentration, it is what determines how good the watercolor is and also its price. A paint that has a high concentration of pigment, professional type, allows us to use it with a large amount of water without losing the intensity of color." Watercolors can also be made opaque by addingChinese white. In the 19th century this could be controversial, and not regarded as "true watercolor" in the English tradition, but by about 1880 this dispute was over. (Full article...)

Scottish genre art is the depiction of everyday life in Scotland, or by Scottish artists, emulating thegenre art of Netherlands painters of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Common themes included markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, and street scenes.

The tradition was founded in Scotland in the late eighteenth century byDavid Allan, who moved from classical and mythological themes to scenes of everyday life, including his most famous workIllustrations of the Gentle Shepherd. As a result he earned the title of "the Scottish Hogarth". By the end of the eighteenth century genre art had become a Scottish speciality. The tradition was successfully taken up byDavid Wilkie, who was one of the most internationally influential artists of this day. (Full article...)

Panoramic paintings are massive artworks that reveal a wide,all-encompassing view of a particular subject, often alandscape, military battle, or historical event. They became especially popular in the 19th century inEurope and theUnited States, inciting opposition from some writers ofRomantic poetry. A few have survived into the 21st century and are on public display. Typically shown in rotundas for viewing, panoramas were meant to be so lifelike they confused the spectator between what was real and what was image.

InChina, panoramic paintings are an important subset ofhandscroll paintings, with some famous examples beingAlong the River During the Qingming Festival andTen Thousand Miles of the Yangtze River. (Full article...)

Raking light is the illumination of objects from alight source at anoblique angle or almostparallel to the surface. This type of illumination provides information on thesurface topography and relief of the artefact thus lit. It is widely used in the examination of works of art. (Full article...)

20th-century Western painting begins with the heritage of late-19th-century paintersVincent van Gogh,Paul Cézanne,Paul Gauguin,Georges Seurat,Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and others who were essential for the development of modern art. At the beginning of the 20th century,Henri Matisse and several other young artists including the pre-cubistGeorges Braque,André Derain,Raoul Dufy andMaurice de Vlaminck, revolutionized the Paris art world with "wild", multi-colored, expressive landscapes and figure paintings that the critics calledFauvism. Matisse's second version ofThe Dance signified a key point in his career and in the development of modern painting. It reflected Matisse's incipient fascination withprimitive art: the intense warm color of the figures against the cool blue-green background and the rhythmical succession of the dancing nudes convey the feelings of emotional liberation andhedonism.

Initially influenced by Toulouse-Lautrec, Gauguin, and other late-19th-century innovators,Pablo Picasso made his firstcubist paintings based on Cézanne's idea that all depiction of nature can be reduced to three solids:cube,sphere, andcone. With the paintingLes Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907; see gallery) Picasso created a new and radical picture depicting a raw and primitive brothel scene with five prostitutes, violently painted women, reminiscent ofAfrican tribal masks and his own newproto-Cubist inventions.Analytic cubism, exemplified byViolin and Candlestick, Paris, was jointly developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque from about 1908 through 1912. Analytic cubism was followed bySynthetic cubism, characterized by the introduction of different textures, surfaces,collage elements,papier collé and a large variety of merged subject matter. (Full article...)

Atondo (pl.:tondi ortondos) is aRenaissance term for acircular work of art, either apainting or asculpture. The word derives from theItalianrotondo, "round". The term is usually not used in English for small round paintings, but only those over about 60 cm (two feet) in diameter, thus excluding many roundportrait miniatures – for sculpture the threshold is rather lower.
A circular or ovalrelief sculpture is also called aroundel. The infrequently-encountered synonymrondo usually refers to the musical form. (Full article...)

ThePeintres de la Réalité [pɛ͂tʀ də la ʀealite] (French for "Painters of Reality") were founded after the Second World War byHenri Cadiou to connect artists who were specialized on still life and genre motifs. It later evolved to the Mouvement trompe l'oeil / Réalité. The painting of the group is no reappearance of antiquity or of the 17th century, but the logical consequence of the place in the 20th century development of a realism that has taken over the sequence of surrealism to the moderntrompe-l'œil to lead.

1973, the group exhibited at the Cultural Center of New York and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington. In 1989, after the death of Henri Cadiou, Pierre Gilou continued his father's work within the group. In 1993, the group had a sensational success as part of the Grand Palais in Paris, the exhibition "le triomphe du trompe-l'oeil" had more than 65,000 visitors in two weeks. (Full article...)

French standard sizes foroil paintings refers to a series of different sizedcanvases for use by artists. The sizes were fixed in the 19th century. Most artists—not only French—used this standard, as it was supported by the main suppliers ofartist materials. Only some contemporary artist material suppliers continue to use these standards today, as most artists no longer differentiate canvas sizes by subject.

The main separation from size 0 (toile de 0) to size 120 (toile de 120) is divided in separate runs for faces/portraits (figure), landscapes (paysage), and marines (marine) which more or less keep the diagonal. That is, afigure 0 corresponds in height to apaysage 1 and amarine 2.
In modern times in the USA size is usually stated height by width, where as in this article it is width by height. (Full article...)

In art, apendant is one of twopaintings,statues,reliefs or other type of works of art intended as a pair. Typically, pendants are related thematically to each other and are displayed in close proximity. For example, pairs of portraits of married couples are very common, as are symmetrically arranged statues flanking analtar.

Diptych differs from a pendant in that two images, reliefs, etc., are connected by hinges or similar means and cannot be separated. (Full article...)

Acoloring book (British English:colouring-in book,colouring book, orcolouring page) is a type of book containingline art to which people are intended to add color usingcrayons,colored pencils,marker pens,paint or other artistic media. Traditional coloring books and coloring pages are printed on paper or card. Some coloring books haveperforated edges so their pages can be removed from the books and used as individual sheets. Others may include astory line and so are intended to be left intact. Today, many children's coloring books featurepopular characters. They are often used as promotional materials for motion pictures and television. Coloring books may also incorporate other activities such asconnect the dots,mazes and otherpuzzles. Some also incorporate the use ofstickers. (Full article...)

En plein air (pronounced[ɑ̃plɛ.n‿ɛʁ];French for 'outdoors'), or plein-air painting, is the act ofpainting outdoors.

This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting is credited toPierre-Henri de Valenciennes (1750–1819), first expounded in a treatise titledReflections and Advice to a Student on Painting, Particularly on Landscape (1800), where he developed the concept of landscape portraiture by which the artist paints directly onto canvasin situ within the landscape. (Full article...)

Figura serpentinata (lit. 'serpentine figure') is a style in painting and sculpture, intended to make the figure seem more dynamic, that is typical ofMannerism. It is similar, but not identical, tocontrapposto, and features figures often in aspiral pose. Early examples can be seen in the work ofLeonardo da Vinci,Raphael andMichelangelo.

Emil Maurer writes of the painter and theoristGian Paolo Lomazzo (1538–1600): "The recommended ideal form unites, after Lomazzo, three qualities: the pyramid, theserpentinata movement and a certain numerical proportion, all three united to form one whole. At the same time, precedence is given to the "moto", that is, to the meandering movement, which should make the pyramid, in exact proportion, into the geometrical form of a cone." (Full article...)

The depiction ofnight in paintings is common inart in Asia.Paintings that feature the night scene as thetheme are mostlyportraits andlandscapes. Some artworks which involvereligious orfantasy topics use the quality of dim night light to create mysterious atmospheres. They tend to illustrate the illuminating effect of the light reflection on the subjects under eithermoonlight orartificial light sources. (Full article...)

Amural is any piece ofgraphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques includefresco,mosaic,graffiti andmarouflage. (Full article...)

Historic paint analysis, or architectural paint research, is thescientific analysis of a broad range ofarchitectural finishes, and is primarily used to determine the color and behavior of surface finishes at any given point in time. This helps us to understand the building's structural history and how its appearance has changed over time. Researchers may gather data for the history of the interior decoration of a building or room.

Historic paint analysis shares a common methodology with theconservation and restoration of paintings used to conserve and restore two- and three dimensional works of art. This involves the identification of components such as organic or inorganicpigments anddyes contained in the pigments. Historic paint analysis also identifies the pigments' media of suspension such as (water,oil, orlatex and the paints' associatedsubstrate. A variety of techniques are used to identify and analyze the pigment layers and finish exposure, including Finish Exposure,optical microscopy, fluorescent light microscopy,polarized light microscopy, andFourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. (Full article...)

Aproblem picture is agenre of art popular in lateVictorian painting, characterised by the deliberately ambiguous depiction of a key moment in a narrative that can be interpreted in several different ways, or which portrays an unresolved dilemma. It has some relation to theproblem play. The viewer of the picture is invited to speculate about several different possible explanations of the scene. The genre has much in common with that ofbook illustration, then at its most popular, but with the text belonging to the illustration omitted.

The genre began to emerge in the second half of the nineteenth century, along with the development of book illustrations that depicted "pregnant" moments in a narrative. One of the earliest problem pictures isJohn Everett Millais'Trust Me, which depicts an older man demanding that a young woman hand him a letter she has received. Either character might be uttering the words. The significance and content of the letter is left to the imagination. Their relationship is also unclear; in view of their ages, they might be a married couple, or a father and daughter. (Full article...)

Letras y figuras (Spanish, "letters and figures") is agenre ofpainting pioneered byJosé Honorato Lozano during theSpanish colonial period in the Philippines. The art form is distinguished by the depiction of letters of thealphabet using a genre of painting that contoured shapes of human figures, animals, plants, and other objects calledTipos del País popularized byDamián Domingo. The letters depicted spell out a phrase or a name, usually that of thepatron who commissioned the work. The paintings were done withwatercolor onManila paper. The earliest example of this art form dates from 1845; the latest existing specimens were completed during the latter portion of the American period in the 1930s during the administration of theCommonwealth of the Philippines.

In 1995, an album of José Honorato Lozano's paintings were auctioned atChristie’s at the starting bid of£300,000. (Full article...)

The depiction ofnight in paintings is common inWestern art. Paintings that feature a night scene as thetheme may bereligious orhistory paintings,genre scenes,portraits,landscapes, or other subject types. Some artworks involve religious orfantasy topics using the quality of dim night light to create mysterious atmospheres. The source of illumination in a night scene—whether it is the moon or anartificial light source—may be depicted directly, or it may be implied by the character and coloration of the light that reflects from the subjects depicted. They are sometimes callednocturnes, or night-pieces, such asRembrandt'sThe Night Watch, or the German RomanticCaspar David Friedrich'sTwo Men Contemplating the Moon of 1819.

In America,James Abbott McNeill Whistler titled works as nocturnes to identify those paintings with a "dreamy, pensive mood" by applying the musical term, and likewise also titled (and retitled) works using other music expressions, such as a "symphony", "harmony", "study" or "arrangement", to emphasize the tonal qualities and the composition and to de-emphasize the narrative content. The use of the term "nocturne" can be associated with theTonalist movement of the American of the late 19th century and early 20th century which is "characterized by soft, diffused light, muted tones and hazy outlined objects, all of which imbue the works with a strong sense of mood." Along with winter scenes, nocturnes were a common Tonalist theme.Frederic Remington used the term as well for his nocturne scenes of theAmerican Old West. (Full article...)

TheISCC–NBS System of Color Designation is a system for namingcolors based on a set of 13 basiccolor terms and a small set of adjective modifiers. It was first established in the 1930s by a joint effort of theInter-Society Color Council (ISCC), made up of delegates from various American trade organizations, and theNational Bureau of Standards (NBS), a US government agency. As suggested in 1932 by the first chairman of the ISCC, the system's goal is to be "a means of designating colors in the United States Pharmacopoeia, in the National Formulary, and in general literature ... such designation to be sufficiently standardized as to be acceptable and usable by science, sufficiently broad to be appreciated and used by science, art, and industry, and sufficiently commonplace to be understood, at least in a general way, by the whole public." The system aims to provide a basis on which color definitions in fields from fashion and printing to botany and geology can be systematized and regularized, so that each industry need not invent its own incompatible color system.

In 1939, the system's approach was published in theJournal of Research of the National Bureau of Standards, and the ISCC formally approved the system, which consisted of a set of blocks within thecolor space defined by theMunsell color system as embodied by theMunsell Book of Color. Over the following decades, the ISCC–NBS system's boundaries were tweaked and its relation to various other color standards were defined, including for instance those for plastics, building materials, botany, paint, and soil. (Full article...)

Carnation (Latin, caro, carnis, “flesh”), inpainting, refers to the representation ofcolor offlesh. It is also used in describing a painting ordrawing to signify the undraped parts of a figure. (Full article...)

Pen painting is apainting technique used by seventeenth-century artists from theDutch Republic. First the artist grounds acanvas with whiteoil paint before drawing on it with blueIndia ink. The invention of the technique is commonly attributed toWillem van de Velde the Elder. (Full article...)

Sandpainting is the art of pouring coloured sands, and powdered pigments from minerals or crystals, or pigments from other natural or synthetic sources onto a surface to make a fixed or unfixed sand painting. Unfixed sand paintings have a long established cultural history in numerous social groupings around the globe, and are often temporary, ritual paintings prepared for religious or healing ceremonies. This form of art is also referred to as drypainting.

Drypainting is practised byNative Americans in theSouthwestern United States, byTibetan and Buddhist monks, as well asIndigenous Australians, and also by Latin Americans on certain Christian holy days. (Full article...)

Underdrawing is a preparatorydrawing done on a painting ground before paint is applied, for example, animprimatura or anunderpainting. Underdrawing was used extensively by 15th century painters likeJan van Eyck andRogier van der Weyden. These artists "underdrew" with a brush, using hatching strokes for shading, using water-based black paint, beforeunderpainting andoverpainting with oils.Cennino D'Andrea Cennini (14th century most likely) describes a different type of underdrawing, made with graded tones rather than hatching, foregg tempera.

In some cases, underdrawing can be clearly visualized usinginfrared reflectography becausecarbon black pigments absorb infrared light, whereas opaque pigments such as lead white are transparent with infrared light. Underdrawing in many works, for example, theAnnunciation (van Eyck, Washington) or theArnolfini Portrait, reveals that artists madealterations, sometimes radical ones, to their compositions. (Full article...)

Protoquadro is a painting technique conceived using digital supports to produce objects that will stand into a space as paintings used to. It pertains to the realm ofGenerative art.

Protoquadro objects have some characteristics of a painting and some of a totally new class of objects, therefore the name, formed by the Greek term "protos" (first) and the Italian "quadro" (painting). (Full article...)

Gongbi (simplified Chinese:工笔;traditional Chinese:工筆;pinyin:gōng bǐ;Wade–Giles:kung-pi) is a carefulrealist technique inChinese painting, the opposite of the interpretive and freely expressivexieyi (寫意 'sketching thoughts') style.

The name is from the Chinesegong jin meaning 'tidy' (meticulous brush craftsmanship). Thegongbi technique uses highly detailed brushstrokes that delimits details very precisely and without independent or expressive variation. It is often highly colored and usually depicts figural or narrative subjects. (Full article...)

Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certainstyles of architecture,pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors.

When looking at artworks and architecture fromantiquity and theEuropean Middle Ages, people tend to believe that they were monochrome. In reality, the pre-Renaissance past was full of colour, and Greco-Roman sculptures andGothic cathedrals, that are now white, beige, or grey, were initially painted in a variety of colours. AsAndré Malraux stated: "Athens was never white but her statues, bereft of color, have conditioned the artistic sensibilities of Europe [...] the whole past has reached us colorless." Polychrome was and is a practice not limited only to theWestern world. Non-Western artworks, likeChinese temples,OceanianUli figures, orMaya ceramic vases, were also decorated with colours. (Full article...)

Cangiante (Italian:[kanˈdʒante]) is a painting technique where, when using relatively pure colors, one changes to a different, darker color to show shading, instead of dulling the original color by darkening it with black or a darker related hue. According to the theory of the art historianMarcia B. Hall, which has gained considerable acceptance, this is one of thecanonical painting modes of the Renaissance; i.e. one of the four modes of painting colours available to ItalianHigh Renaissance painters, along withsfumato,chiaroscuro andunione. The word itself is the present participle of the Italian verbcangiare ("to change"). This approach to the use of color is sometimes referred to as "cangiantismo".

Cangiante is characterized by a change in color when a painted object changes from light to dark (value) due to variations in illumination (light and shadow). For example, when in a painting an object appears yellow in its illuminated area, the artist may use a red color for attached shadows rather than transition to the dark, less colorful, forms of yellow, i.e. yellow-brown, raw umber. There are other methods of rendering shadows (for example, mixing the original hue with black or brown), but these can render the shadow color dull and impure. During theRenaissance, the variety and availability of paint colors were severely limited. (Full article...)

Anoil sketch oroil study is an artwork made primarily inoil paint in preparation for a larger, finished work. Originally these were created as preparatory studies ormodelli, especially so as to gain approval for the design of a larger commissioned painting. They were also used as designs for specialists in other media, such asprintmaking ortapestry, to follow. Later they were produced as independent works, often with no thought of being expanded into a full-size painting.

Theusual medium formodelli was thedrawing, but an oil sketch, even if done in a limited range of colours, could better suggest the tone of the projected work. It is also possible to more fully convey the flow and energy of a composition in paint. For a painter with exceptional technique, the production of an oil sketch may be as rapid as that of a drawing, and many practitioners had superb brush skills. In its rapidity of execution the oil sketch may be used not only to express movement and transient effects of light and color, its gestural nature may even represent amimetic parallel to the action of the subject. (Full article...)

Inpainting,imprimatura is an initial stain ofcolor painted on a ground. It provides a painter with atransparent, tonedground, which will allow light falling onto the painting toreflect through the paint layers. The term itself stems from the Italian and literally means "first paint layer". Its use as an underpainting layer can be dated back to the guilds and workshops during theMiddle Ages; however, it came into standard use by painters during theRenaissance, particularly in Italy.

The imprimatura not only provides an overall tonal optical unity in a painting but is also useful in the initial stages of the work, since it helps the painter establish value relations from dark to light. It is most useful in the classical approach of indirect painting, where the drawing and underpainting are established ahead of time and allowed to dry. The successive layers of color are then applied in transparentglaze or semi-transparent layers. (Full article...)

Anairbrush is a small,air-operated tool thatatomizes and sprays various media, most oftenpaint, but alsoink,dye, andmake-up.Spray painting developed from the airbrush and is considered to employ a type of airbrush. (Full article...)

Rose-painting,rosemaling,rosemåling orrosmålning is a Scandinavian decorativefolk painting that flourished from the 1700s to the mid-1800s, particularly in Norway. In Sweden, rose-painting began to be calleddalmålning, c. 1901, for the regionDalecarlia where it had been most popular, andkurbits, in the 1920s, for a characteristic trait, but in Norway the old name still predominates beside terms for local variants. Rose-painting was used to decorate church walls and ceilings. It then spread to wooden items commonly used in daily life, such as ale bowls, stools, chairs, cupboards, boxes, and trunks. Using stylized ornamentation made up of fantasy flowers,scrollwork, fine line work, flowing patterns and sometimes geometric elements give rose-painting its unique feel. Some paintings may include landscapes and architectural elements. Rose-painting also utilizes other decorative painting techniques such as glazing, spattering, marbleizing, manipulating the paint with the fingers or other objects. Regional styles of rose-painting developed, and some varied only slightly from others, while others may be noticeably distinct. (Full article...)

Silk painting refers to paintings onsilk. They are a traditional way of painting in Asia. Methods vary, but using traditional supplies of 100% silk fabric, stretched in a frame, and applying textile paints or dyes are the beginnings of the process of making textile art. (Full article...)

Grisaille (/ɡrɪˈzaɪ/ or/ɡrɪˈzeɪl/;French:grisaille,lit. 'greyed'French pronunciation:[ɡʁizaj], fromgris 'grey') is apainting executed entirely in shades of black and grey or of another neutral greyish colour. It is particularly used in large decorative schemes in imitation of sculpture. Many grisailles include a slightly wider colour range.

A grisaille may be executed for its own sake, asunderpainting for anoil painting (in preparation for glazing layers of colour over it), or as amodel for anengraver or otherprintmaker to work from. "Rubens and his school sometimes use monochrome techniques in sketching compositions for engravers." By the 19th century many illustrations for books or magazines were made reproducing grisailles inwatercolour. Full colouring of a subject makes many more demands of an artist, and working in grisaille was often chosen as being quicker and cheaper, although the effect was sometimes deliberately chosen for aesthetic reasons. Grisaille paintings resemble thedrawings, normally in monochrome, that artists from the Renaissance on were trained to produce; like drawings they can also betray the hand of a less talented assistant more easily than a fully coloured painting. (Full article...)

Adouble-sided painting is acanvas which has apainting on either side. Historically,artists would often paint on both sides out of need of material. Thesubject matter of the two paintings was sometimes, although not normally, related.

Restoring and displaying double-sided paintings can pose additional challenges for museums and galleries. When repairing canvases, restorers must ensure that theirrestoration efforts do not damage the image on either side. They must also usestretcher bars that do not obscure either side of the image, and they cannot use crossbars to help keep tension. (Full article...)

Impasto is a technique used inpainting wherepaint is laid on an area of the surface thickly, usually thick enough that thebrush orpainting-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas. When dry, impasto provides texture; the paint appears to be coming out of the canvas. (Full article...)

Giornata is an art term, originating from an Italian word which means "a day's work." The term is used inBuon frescomural painting and describes how much painting can be done in a single day of work. This amount is based on the artist's past experience of how much they can paint in the many hours available while the plaster remains wet and the pigment is able to adhere to the wall. (Full article...)

Overpainting is the final layers of paint, over some type ofunderpainting, in a system ofworking in layers. It can also refer to later paint added byrestorers, or an artist or dealer wishing to "improve" or update an old image—a very common practice in the past. The underpainting gives a context in which the paint-strokes of the overpainting become more resonant and powerful. When properly done, overpainting does not need to completely obscure the underpainting. It is precisely the interaction of the two that gives the most interesting effects.

Overpainting was used extensively in many schools of art. Some of the most spectacular results can be seen in the work ofJan van Eyck. (Full article...)

Arotary atomizer is an automatic electrostaticpaint applicator used in high volume, automaticproduction painting environments. Also called a 'paint bell', "rotary bell atomizer" or 'bell applicator', it is preferred for high volume paint application for its superior transferefficiency, spray pattern consistency, and lowcompressed air consumption, when compared to apaint spray gun. It can be mounted in a fixed position, reciprocating arm, or anindustrial robot. (Full article...)

Craquelure (French:craquelure;Italian:crettatura) is a fine pattern of dense cracking formed on the surface of materials. It can be a result of drying, shock, aging, intentional patterning, or a combination of all four. The term is most often used to refer totempera oroil paintings, but it can also develop in oldivory carvings or painted miniatures on an ivory backing. Recently, analysis of craquelure has been proposed as a way to authenticate art.

In ceramics, craquelure inceramic glazes, where it is often a desired effect, is called "crackle"; it is a characteristic of ChineseGe ware in particular. This is usually differentiated fromcrazing, which is a glaze defect in firing, or the result of aging or damage. (Full article...)

Generative art ispost-conceptual art that has been created (in whole or in part) with the use of anautonomous system. Anautonomous system in this context is generally one that is non-human and can independently determine features of an artwork that would otherwise require decisions made directly by the artist. In some cases the human creator may claim that thegenerative system represents their own artistic idea, and in others that the system takes on the role of the creator.

"Generative art" often refers toalgorithmic art (algorithmically determinedcomputer generated artwork) andsynthetic media (general term for any algorithmically generated media), but artists can also make generative art using systems ofchemistry,biology,mechanics androbotics,smart materials, manualrandomization,mathematics,data mapping,symmetry, andtiling. (Full article...)

Verdaccio is a monochromatic greenunderpainting technique often used to render flesh in art. The paint is composed of green pigment (such asgreen earth,viridian orchromium oxide) and white lead, with other pigments used to darken or adjust the tone. In theManchester Madonna, the unfinished figures to the left show the verdaccio layer. The term derives from the Italianverde, meaning green.
During theItalian Renaissance, verdaccio became an integral part offresco painting. The layer defined tonal values that would form a complete monochromatic underpainting. Often, architectural details in frescoes are left in verdaccio without any additional color layers. A notable example is the ceiling of theSistine Chapel, where the verdaccio layer is left visible on architectural details in the composition. Verdaccio was also employed intempera works; since tempera is opaque and dries quickly, the verdaccio underpainting would render the values of the image while fine lines of pink and ochre would establish flesh tones. (Full article...)

China painting, orporcelain painting, is the decoration of glazedporcelain objects, such as plates, bowls, vases or statues. The body of the object may behard-paste porcelain, developed in China in the 7th or 8th century, orsoft-paste porcelain (oftenbone china), developed in 18th-century Europe. The broader termceramic painting includes painted decoration onlead-glazed earthenware such ascreamware ortin-glazed pottery such asmaiolica orfaience.

Typically the body is first fired in a kiln to convert it into a hard porousbiscuit or bisque.Underglaze decoration may then be applied, followed by glaze, which is fired so it bonds to the body. The glazed porcelain may then be painted withoverglaze decoration and fired again to bond the paint with the glaze. Most pieces use only one of underglaze or overglaze painting, the latter often being referred to as "enamelled". Decorations may be applied by brush or bystenciling,transfer printing andscreen printing. (Full article...)

Trompe-l'œil (French for 'deceive the eye';/trɒmpˈlɔɪ/tromp-LOY;French:[tʁɔ̃plœj]^ⓘ) is an artistic term for the highly realisticoptical illusion ofthree-dimensional space and objects on atwo-dimensional surface.Trompe-l'œil, which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into perceiving painted objects or spaces as real.Forced perspective is a related illusion in architecture, andOp art a modern style mostly dealing with geometric patterns. (Full article...)

Lacquer painting is a form of painting withlacquer which was practised in East Asia for decoration onlacquerware, and found its way to Europe and the Western World both viaPersia and the Middle East and by direct contact with Continental Asia. The artistic form was revived and developed as a distinct genre of fine art painting by Vietnamese artists in the 1930s; the genre is known in Vietnamese as "sơn mài." (Full article...)