The Winchester Guide to Keywords and Concepts for International Students in Art, Media and Design

Annie Makhoul, Simon Morley

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9781118768945
  9781118768891
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781118768808
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Media Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

This welcome new resource for international students in art, design, and media provides clear explanations of the terminology they must master in order to fulfill their academic potential and enrich their professional careers.

• Offers a much-requested new resource that fills a gap in the academic market
• Tailored specifically to the needs of international students in art, design, and media
• Color-coded key words and phrases for quick reference
• Includes sections on study skills, academic expectations in Western institutions, methodologies, and important theorists
• An ideal handbook for curators and gallery staff everywhere for whom English is a non-native language

SECTION I
KEY WORDS AND PHRASES IN ART, DESIGN AND MEDIA

PART A
GLOSSARY

A

abject

Sunk to or existing in a low state or condition. In recent theory it refers to our reaction (horror, disgust) to a threatened breakdown in meaning caused by the loss of the normal distinctions between subject and object, self and other.

abstract art

A term referring to various art styles that first emerged in the early twentieth century in Europe and that do not use representational imagery, or that select and then exaggerate or simplify forms suggested by the world around us. Artists focus on the formal properties of line, colour, shape and texture. Cubism and Futurism explore abstraction, while Wassily Kandinsky (Russian, 1866–1944) and Piet Mondrian (Dutch, 1872–1944) were two of the first creators of pure abstraction.

Abstract Expressionism

An American painting movement that originated in the 1940s and became popular in the 1950s. It is characterised by a strong dependence on intuition, spontaneity, accident and chance. Often using large canvases, artists painted rapidly and with energy in an effort to express peaceful or anguished emotions. Works were painted gesturally and non-geometrically, sometimes with paint applied using large brushes or dripped or thrown onto canvas. The expressive action of painting was often considered as important as the finished painting. The movement is connected to parallel tendencies in other media, such as jazz music. Artists who painted in this style include Mark Rothko (American, 1903–70), Willem de Kooning (Dutch-American, 1904–97), Clyfford Still (American, 1904–80), Jackson Pollock (American, 1912–56) and Robert Motherwell (American, 1915–91).

absurd

Ridiculous or unreasonable. Also refers to the view that there is no order or value in human life or in the universe – to the idea that human beings exist in a meaningless, irrational world, and that our lives have no purpose. During the 1940s and 1950s this concept became important in relation to contemporary art. ‘The painting expressed a vision of life as absurd.’

academic art

Works of art made according to established and traditional rules and conventions, and usually hostile to progress. Considered in contrast to avant-garde, radical or progressive art.

accident, accidental

Anything that happens by chance or is uncontrolled. In art this may be considered a negative quality, or it can be taken in a positive sense, as an opportunity to break free from conventions. ‘The use of accidental effects (or “the use of accident”) in the artist’s work…’

achromatic

Black, white and greys. Artwork that is executed without colour.

acrylic

A water-based paint that uses a liquid plastic medium. This kind of paint is thicker and stronger than tempera or watercolour paint.

action painting

A style of abstract painting linked to Abstract Expressionism. It emphasised process or gesture, using techniques such as the dripping, throwing or...

Table of contents

• COVER
• TITLE PAGE
• COPYRIGHT PAGE
• DEDICATION
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• PREFACE
• SECTION I: KEY WORDS AND PHRASES IN ART, DESIGN AND MEDIA
• SECTION II: ILLUSTRATED ART OBJECTS
• SECTION III: STUDY SKILLS
• SECTION IV: METHODOLOGIES AND CULTURAL CONTEXT
• SECTION V: AN INTRODUCTION TO KEY THINKERS AND CONCEPTS IN ART, MEDIA AND DESIGN
• SECTION VI: OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION
• SECTION VII: SUGGESTED GENERAL READING
• INDEX
• END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT