Reference
The art glossary
Plain-English definitions of 39 terms you will meet when buying, hanging and caring for original paintings, from impasto and glazing to provenance and gallery wrap.
Abstract artStyles & ideas
Art that does not try to depict people, places or objects realistically. It communicates through color, shape, line, texture and composition instead.
Abstract paintings can be completely non-representational, or they can begin from something real, such as a landscape or a feeling, and simplify it until only its essence remains.
Related reading →Abstract expressionismStyles & ideas
A movement that emerged in New York in the 1940s and 1950s, emphasizing spontaneous, gestural mark-making and large fields of color to express emotion.
It is often divided into gestural 'action painting' and calmer 'color field' painting.
Acrylic paintMaterials
A fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. Once dry, it becomes water-resistant, flexible and very durable.
Acrylic can be applied in thin, watercolor-like washes or thick, sculptural layers, which makes it ideal for textured abstract work.
Related reading →ArchivalMaterials
Describes materials made to last for generations without yellowing, cracking or fading, such as acid-free supports and lightfast pigments.
CanvasMaterials
A woven fabric, usually cotton or linen, stretched tightly over a wooden frame to create a painting surface.
Certificate of authenticityBuying & collecting
A signed document from the artist confirming that a work is an original, usually listing its title, medium, size and date.
Related reading →Color fieldStyles & ideas
A style of abstract painting built from large, flat or softly brushed areas of color meant to create a mood or meditative experience.
CombingTechniques
Dragging a comb or notched tool through wet paint to create rhythmic ridges and parallel lines.
Combing gives a painting physical texture that changes with the light. You can see it in Echoes in Bloom.
Related reading →CommissionBuying & collecting
A painting created to order for a specific client, often with an agreed size, palette or theme.
Complementary colorsStyles & ideas
Colors opposite each other on the color wheel, such as blue and orange or red and green. Placed side by side, they make each other look more vivid.
CompositionStyles & ideas
The arrangement of shapes, colors, lines and space within a painting, and how they guide the viewer's eye.
DiptychDisplay & care
An artwork made of two panels designed to hang side by side. A three-panel work is called a triptych.
D-ringsDisplay & care
Small D-shaped metal hangers screwed into the back of a frame or stretcher, usually strung with picture wire.
Related reading →Focal pointStyles & ideas
The area of a painting, or of a room, that draws the eye first. A strong painting often becomes the focal point of a room.
Related reading →Gallery wrapMaterials
A way of stretching canvas so that it wraps around deep stretcher bars and is stapled on the back, leaving clean sides that can be painted. Gallery-wrapped paintings can hang without a frame.
Every painting by Svitlana Morhunov has its sides painted black, so it is ready to hang as is.
Related reading →GessoMaterials
A primer brushed onto canvas before painting. It seals the fabric and gives the surface 'tooth' so paint adheres well.
GesturalTechniques
Painting with visible, energetic brush or knife movements that record the motion of the artist's hand.
GicléeBuying & collecting
A high-quality inkjet reproduction of an artwork, printed with archival inks. A giclée is a print, not an original painting.
Related reading →GlazingTechniques
Applying a thin, transparent layer of paint over a dry layer so light passes through and the color appears to glow.
Glazing is how the gold in Golden Threshold seems to shine from within.
Related reading →Hanging heightDisplay & care
How high a painting hangs. A common gallery guideline is to place the center of the artwork about 57 to 60 inches from the floor.
Related reading →ImpastoTechniques
Paint applied so thickly that brush or knife marks stand up from the surface, creating texture and shadow.
Impasto makes a painting look different from different angles and at different times of day.
LightfastnessMaterials
A pigment's resistance to fading when exposed to light. Professional-grade paints are rated for lightfastness.
Related reading →Limited editionBuying & collecting
A set number of prints made from one artwork, usually numbered and signed. Unlike an original, more than one exists.
Related reading →Mark-makingTechniques
The lines, dots, scratches, drips and textures an artist creates. In abstract art, the marks themselves carry meaning and energy.
MediumMaterials
The material an artwork is made with, such as acrylic on canvas, or an additive mixed into paint to change its texture, flow or finish.
Negative spaceStyles & ideas
The empty or quiet areas around and between the main shapes. Negative space gives a composition room to breathe.
One of a kindBuying & collecting
A unique original artwork. No other identical version exists, unlike prints or editions.
Related reading →Original artworkBuying & collecting
A work made directly by the artist's hand, such as a painting on canvas, rather than a reproduction.
Related reading →Palette knifeTechniques
A flexible, blunt metal blade used to mix paint or apply it in thick, sculpted strokes.
ProvenanceBuying & collecting
The documented history of an artwork's ownership. Buying directly from the artist gives the clearest possible provenance.
Related reading →ScaleDisplay & care
The size of an artwork in relation to its surroundings. Getting scale right is the most important part of choosing art for a wall.
Related reading →SgraffitoTechniques
Scratching through a top layer of wet paint to reveal the color beneath.
SignatureBuying & collecting
The artist's name or mark on a work. Svitlana signs her paintings on the back, so nothing interrupts the composition on the front.
Stretcher barsMaterials
The wooden frame that canvas is stretched over. Deeper bars give a painting more presence on the wall.
TextureTechniques
The physical surface quality of a painting, from smooth and glassy to ridged and sculpted.
TriptychDisplay & care
An artwork made of three panels displayed together as one composition.
UnderpaintingTechniques
The first layers of a painting, which set out its structure and color and often show through in the finished work.
VarnishMaterials
A clear protective coat applied to a finished painting. It guards against dust, moisture and UV light and evens out the sheen.
All of Svitlana's paintings are varnished to protect their colors.
Related reading →Warm and cool colorsStyles & ideas
Warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows) feel energetic and seem to advance. Cool colors (blues, greens, violets) feel calm and seem to recede.
Related reading →
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The collection
Find a painting that feels like home
Six one-of-a-kind abstract paintings, signed, varnished and ready to hang. Free pickup in Troy, Michigan, or shipped to your door.