Back to Art Collection Lesson Plans

The Huntington Education Department

Scott Gallery

Primary Vocabulary List


Ash Can School
early 20th Century painters of everyday life in New York City
background
the most distant part of a scene
bronze
a mixture of metals (mostly copper) often used for statues
canvas
a heavy cloth surface on which an artist paints
colonial
pertains to regions settled by a group of people sent out from their mother country to settle foreign soil; in the case of the Scott's art works, especially to the British colonies of North America
copy
a reproduction or imitation of an original
folk art
art works created by people without academic training in art
foreground
the nearest part of a scene
frame
an open border for enclosing a picture
genre (zhan'r)
a scene of everyday life
horizon
the line where earth and sky meet
Hudson River School
a particular group of 19th century American artists who painted the landscape of New York and New England
Impressionism
a school of painting begun in France in which the artist thickly applies short brushstrokes of unmixed colors in an attempt to capture the visual effects of lights
landscape
a view of natural scenery
marble
a hard limestone used for sculpture and architecture
marquetry
a French term used to describe a patterned veneer of wood
masterpiece
major work of any great artist
middle distance
the area between the foreground and the most distant part of a scene
miniature
a very small portrait, frequently on ivory or copper
monogram
the initials of a name combined in a single design
narrative
a story
neoclassical
a revival of the artistic style of ancient Greece or of the Roman Empire
ormolu (ormo loo)
a French term used to describe gilded bronze
oil paint
a paint made by mixing ground (powdered) color pigment into oil
original
a prototype or initial work from which a copy or reproduction is made
painting
a picture created with paint
patina
the finished surface on a piece of sculpture or furniture
pigment
the coloring matter used in paint
portrait
a likeness of a person
regionalism
art that deals with one specific geographical area
school
a group of artists with common interests
sculpture
a three dimensional work of art, ex., a statue
sketch
a simple drawing or painting, often a rough draft for a future work
still life
a painting of a collection of objects usually taken from nature (flowers, birds' nests, etc.) or from domestic settings (glasses, foodstuffs, pipes, books, etc.)
stretcher
a wooden framework to which the canvas is attached
veneer
a thin surface layer of wood applied to furniture