PAINTING TERMS: WHAT THEY MEAN
Term Meaning
Aquatint Form of etching in which varying degrees of tone are produced by dipping the plate repeatedly into acid, covering different parts of the plate with varnish before each dipping.
Cartoon Full size preparatory drawing for a painting.
Chiaroscuro Strong contrasts of light and shade in a painting.
Diptych Two-panelled hinged altarpiece.
Engraving Drawing by means of lines cut on blocks or plates of metal or wood. The lines retain the link which is spread over the surface before printing. Paintings are traditionally reproduced in this way. Other engraving methods include mezzotint, drypoint, lino-cut, woodcut and etching.
Etching Form of engraving in which a resin-coated copper plate is drawn on with a needle and then dipped in acid. The acid eats into the metal through the lines in the resin; thereafter the printing process is the same as in line engraving.
Gouache Opaque watercolour paint, in which the colours are mixed with a white base.
Impasto Thickly applied oil paint.
Intaglio Gem with carving sunk into the surface, as in a signet ring.
Lithograph Pictures reproduced from a design marked out with an oily crayon on a flat stone. When the design is printed, the stone is dampened. The greasy lines absorb ink and the wet areas repel it.
Mezzotint Engraving process, popular during 18th century, in which the plate is first scored with a network of dots. The dots are later smoothed out to give a variety of tonal effects.
Mural Decorative painting applied directly to a wall.
Plastic In a painting, conveying a sculptured effect through the modelling and lines of figures.
Still Life Study of an arrangement of inanimate objects, such as fruit or flowers.
Tempera Powdered paint mixed or 'tempered' with egg yolk and thinned with water. It was widely used until the invention of oil paints in the 15th century.
Triptych Three-panelled hinged altarpiece.

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