There sure are a lot of interesting, foreign sounding words in the art making world! We thought that it might be fun to ask some of our importers and manufacturers what their favorites are and present you with the results.
David Pyle, Director of Marketing for Winsor & Newton, had trouble picking just one! “Oh, there are tons that are just too darned fun,” says David.
“Way high on my hit parade would be virtually anything Italian: sfumato (atmospheric, almost imperceptible gradations in shading) and chiaroscuro (strong but gradual value contrast) are way sexy, evocative and lyrical.”
Flocculation (a granulation-like texture that shows up in some watercolors due to electrostatic attraction amongst clumps of pigment) is another of his favorites.
The winner, however, is afflatus “not,” he says “because it’s particularly mellifluous but because its meaning is so potent. It’s from the Latin (afflare -- “to blow”), and it means a divine creative impulse.”
Mark Golden, C.E.O. of Golden Artist Colors, suggests a new usage for an old term. A remarque is a small sketch in the margin of an artist’s print.
Often, this sketch would refer to the imagery in the print and would serve to personalize the work and make it unique within the edition. Mark proposes remarking as the designation for an inkjet or giclee print that has been altered through drawing or painting. “I think a new medium deserves a new term, and one that at least makes an attempt to give a nod to the past.”
The jury is still out, however, as Mark admits that “Unfortunately, everyone else (at Golden) thought it was a bad idea to bastardize a tradition with my own definition.” Watch your dictionary for updates!
Robert Gamblin, the founder of Gamblin Artist’s Oil Colors, weighed in with trompe l’oeil, French for “trick the eye”.
“Trompe l’oeil is not my favorite genre of painting but I like the term because there is a little trompe l’oeil in most paintings,” says Robert. “Most paintings work to trick the eye by creating the illusion of 3D space in a medium which is considered to be 2D. Even in “abstract” paintings whose subject matter seems to be just the paint itself with no fooling of the eye, there is an inescapable Hans Hoffmanesque push/pull that creates 3D space.”
Not to be outdone, the staff at Wet Paint wanted to show off their word power. “I have always liked pentimenti (Italian for repentance or regret),” says Darin Rinne. In art terminology it refers to the corrections, underdrawings and restatements -- the indicators of process- left visible. “As with everything else, the preparations, missteps and accidents in art are often the most humanizing and interesting.”
Beth Bergman, owner of Wet Paint, volunteered alla prima as her pick. Alla prima is Italian meaning “at once”. Applied to the concerns of artists it refers to a painting (usually oil) that is done in one sitting-wet into wet, not layered.
We have a host of books in our newly expanded book department that review topics just like this! Also, watch our website for other favorites to be added to this article as they come in.
Do you have a favorite art term you’d like to share with us? Perhaps one that has never been properly defined to your satisfaction?
As you can see from this article, we have some of the best experts in the art
materials industry on your side!
Drop us a card, or send us an e-mail at <info@wetpaintart.com>!
Cold temperatures bring closed studios, so Gamblin Artist Colors once again asks us to think about making our studios safe.
The foundation of Gamblin’s safe studio products for oil painters is Gamsol. Gamsol is the safest odorless mineral spirits on the market due to it’s high Permissible Exposure Level (PEL) and high flash point.
PEL is a standard that rates how long one can be safely exposed to solvents and Gamsol’s PEL is three times higher than that of turpentine!
The higher the PEL, the slower the evaporation rate into the air and the longer you can be in your studio before the air is refreshed by ventilation.
Flash point is the lowest temperature at which a solvent produces vapor in sufficient concentration to create a flammable mixture. Gamsol’s flash point is 145 degrees; nearly sixty degrees higher than turpentine and over twenty degrees higher than other mineral spirits.
Gamsol is also an extremely clean solvent, free from the impurities of lesser grade spirits, so your paint film will maintain it’s integrity when you mix Gamsol with your oils.
Whether you are using Gamsol as an extender for your oil paints and mediums or as a cleaner, it is a critical component for your safe studio.
All Gamblin oil painting mediums are 20% off of Wet Paint’s everyday price during the White Sale, and gallon-sized Gamsol is being offered at a very special price!
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