Art Glossary

Complete reference guide to artists, artworks, and art movements.

Featured Artists

Complete list of artists and their works

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)

Dutch Post-Impressionist painter known for bold, dramatic brush strokes and vivid colors.

Movement: Post-Impressionism

Nationality: Dutch

Artworks:

  • The Starry Night (1889) - Oil on Canvas
  • Sunflowers (1888) - Oil on Canvas
  • The Bedroom (1888) - Oil on Canvas

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)

Mexican painter known for deeply personal and symbolic self-portraits exploring identity, pain, and Mexican culture.

Movement: Symbolism, Surrealism

Nationality: Mexican

Artworks:

  • The Two Fridas (1939) - Oil on Canvas
  • Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace (1940) - Oil on Canvas
  • Henry Ford Hospital (1932) - Oil on Canvas

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Spanish painter and co-founder of Cubism, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.

Movement: Cubism, Surrealism

Nationality: Spanish

Artworks:

  • Guernica (1937) - Oil on Canvas
  • Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) - Oil on Canvas
  • The Weeping Woman (1937) - Oil on Canvas

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

Italian Renaissance polymath whose expertise spanned painting, sculpture, engineering, anatomy, and invention.

Movement: High Renaissance

Nationality: Italian

Artworks:

  • Mona Lisa (1503-1506) - Oil on Wood
  • The Last Supper (1495-1498) - Tempera on Gesso
  • Vitruvian Man (1490) - Pen and Ink

Art Movements

Major art movements in this project

Impressionism (1860s-1880s)

19th-century art movement known for open compositions, natural light, and visible brushstrokes.

Key Characteristics:

  • Focus on natural lighting and color
  • Short, visible brush strokes
  • Everyday life scenes
  • Painted outdoors (En Plein Air)

Notable Artists in Project:

  • Claude Monet (1840-1926) - French
  • Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) - French
  • Edgar Degas (1834-1917) - French

Artworks in Project:

  • Water Lilies by Claude Monet (1896-1926)
  • Bal du moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1876)
  • The Ballet Class by Edgar Degas (1874)

Abstract Art (1910s-Present)

Art using visual language of shape, form, color and line to create compositions independent of visual references in the world.

Key Characteristics:

  • Non-representational forms
  • Emphasis on color relationships
  • Geometric or organic shapes
  • Emotions over realism

Notable Artists in Project:

  • Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) - Russian
  • Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) - Dutch
  • Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) - American

Artworks in Project:

  • Composition VIII by Wassily Kandinsky (1923)
  • Broadway Boogie Woogie by Piet Mondrian (1943)
  • No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock (1948)

Portrait Art (Ancient-Present)

Art genre representing a person, capturing their likeness, personality, and mood through various artistic mediums.

Key Characteristics:

  • Focus on individual subjects
  • Captures personality and emotion
  • Attention to facial features
  • Pose, lighting, and background composition

Notable Artists in Project:

Artworks in Project:

  • Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci (1503-1519)
  • Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace by Frida Kahlo (1940)
  • The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn (1642)