Teachers Lesson Plans
Browse Glossary
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
- Aboriginal
- Definition: Aboriginal encompasses Indian, Inuit and Métis people living in Canada.
Carl Beam
The North American Iceberg, 1985 - Abstract , Abstraction
- Definition: In art, the word "abstract" designates a work that does not represent the world as we see it in reality. Abstract art is a 20th-century artistic trend that sees the artist discarding the depiction of real objects in nature, and favouring the use of formal patterns of shapes, lines, colour and texture. It is also known as non-representational art.
- Academic
- Definition: Strict observance of conventional rules.
- Acute Angle
- Definition: An angle measuring less than 90 degrees.
- Aerial perspective
- Definition:
Aerial or atmospheric perspective implies the successive use of less intense colours for each zone. This creates a feeling of spatial distance, and corresponds to the effect of the atmosphere on our perception of faraway objects.
John Elliott Woolford
City of Detroit, Michigan 1821
watercolour over graphite with gum arabic on wove paper, mounted on several layers of laid paper, 14.7 x 24 cm
Purchased 2006 with the support of Harvey and Louise Glatt and the Members and Supporting Friends of the National Gallery of Canada and its Foundation - Aesthetic
- Definition: Science of beauty in nature and in art.
© West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative Ltd. - African American (Canadian)
- Definition: refers to Black people who have lived in USA (Canada) since the beginnings of transatlantic settlement. Although historically very few have arrived directly from their ancestral homeland in the continent of Africa, the term "African American", "African Canadian" became increasingly popular in the 1990s to identify all descendants of Africa regardless of their place of birth. The earliest arrivals were slaves brought from New England or the West Indies. Between 1763 and 1865 most blacks migrating to Canada were fleeing slavery in the US. The US remained the main source of new black immigrants until the 1960s, when large numbers of West Indians began arriving. Today African Canadians constitute about 2% of the Canadian population.
Photo:© Dave Heath - Amauti
- Definition: Traditionally made of seal or caribou skin, amauti (parkas) are now made of fabric. They are worn by women and girls for protection from the cold. Infants are carried in a pocket in the back, rather than in the hood.
- Antler
- Definition: A branched horn of a deer or similar animal (Gage Canadian Dictionary)
- Aquatint
- Definition:
The discovery of aquatint, around 1768-69, and its quick rise in popularity in England resulted in a wide dissemination of drawings. The technique made it possible for artists to obtain subtle hues, ranging from deep blacks and browns to light greys and blackish browns. Its greatest advantage allowed artists to retain the pictorial quality of drawings when reproducing them as engravings. As a result aquatint was the favoured form of illustration for travel albums. Publishers sought artists or art enthusiasts in 19th century who could keep them supplied with suitable models.
James Pattison Cockburn (1779–1847)
The Cone of Montmorency, as It Appeared in 1829, 1833, etching and aquatint handcoloured with watercolour and gum arabic on ivory wove paper,
55.4 × 73.4 cm, plate: 51.8 × 70.7 cm
Purchased 2006 with the support of Harvey and Louise Glatt and the Members and Supporting Friends of the National Gallery of Canada and Its Foundation - Architecture
- Definition: The art of designing buildings and other structures.
- Area of a Circle
- Definition: The amount of space inside a circle, measured in square units, and calculated by the formula A = πr2.
- Area of emphasis
- Definition: The element in an artwork that is treated in such a way as to stress its importance and make it stand out.
- Aristocracy
- Definition: Government by the best or most outstanding citizens. Grand and stylish with distinguished bearing and manners.
© Estate of August Sander / Bild-Kunst (Bonn) / SODRAC (Montreal) - Atmospheric perspective
- Definition: In a painting using atmospheric perspective, the use of successively less intense colours for each zone creates a feeling of spatial distance, corresponding to the effect of the atmosphere on our perception of faraway objects.
Detail of : Piero di Cosimo, Vulcan and Aeolus, 1495
Word of The Month
June
Modern, Modernism
Modernism refers to the new art prevalent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when artists wanted to distance themselves from the styles of the past, and instead use innovative forms of expression.
© The Humphrey Estate