The Art History Babes - The Honest Art Dictionary

First published in 2020 by White Lion Publishing,

an imprint of The Quarto Group.

The Old Brewery, 6 Blundell Street

London, N7 9BH,

United Kingdom

T (0)20 7700 6700

www.QuartoKnows.com

Text 2020 The Art History Babes

Illustrations 2020 Carmen Casado

The Art History Babes have asserted their moral right to be identified as the Author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from White Lion Publishing.

Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of material quoted in this book. If application is made in writing to the publisher, any omissions will be included in future editions.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Digital edition: 978-0-71125-415-2
Softcover edition: 978-0-71124-882-3

Publisher Philip Cooper

Commissioning Editor Alice Graham

Project Editor Laura Bulbeck

Designer Isabel Eeles

A JOVIAL TRIP THROUGH ART JARGON

Illustrated by

Carmen Casado

I ndividually we are Natalie De La Torre, Corrie Hendricks, Jennifer Gutierrez, and Virginia Van Dine. Collectively, we are the Art History Babes. One day, while studying art history at the University of California, Davis, the four of us found ourselves having a particularly rowdy conversation about Italian Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his sordid past. Within moments, the Art History Babes podcast was born. The podcast began as an outlet for our grad school-induced anxieties and has since blossomed into a multimedia platform and digital community consisting of podcasts, videos, social media, and now, books!

The term Art History Babe originally stems from friendship. It began as a term of endearment used between the four of us, and as the podcast came to fruition, it was the obvious choice for the title. Since the podcasts inception, the term Art History Babe has come to encompass something much larger than us four art nerds. An Art History Babe is not just us, its you as well. An Art History Babe is anyone who loves art, art history, and/or visual culture. Its as broad and as simple as that. Its not gendered, its not relegated to outwardly artsy people, and it is not used in reference to any societal beauty standard. Being an Art History Babe is more about connecting to art in whatever form appeals to you. It carries with it a sense of joy and empowerment. Art helps the four of us make more sense of this wild world and we hope to share that sentiment with all of you.

B y the Beginning we mean your first contact with the field of art historywhether that was in high school or collegeand by Introduction to Art we mean any variation of the woefully banal, painfully drudging intro course that will often be the first and last art history class the general public will ever take. This course usually takes you from the vocabulary of art (hello elements and principles!) to the timeline of style shifts in Western art, starting from ancient Greece and ending with European Modernism (with maybe one or two classes that lumped all non-Western art under labels like Asian art or Arts of the Americas). Class time usually consists of sitting in a dark room, trying to stay awake, while grainy slide after grainy slide is displayed on the overhead projector.

Or maybe this very moment, when you chose to pick up this book and flip through its pages, is your first foray into the world of art history. If this is the case, welcome! And please keep reading because this book was made with you in mind as well.

We at the Art History Babes have a deep, passionate, sometimes over-the-top love for the study of art. We believe in arts value and power and we believe it to be central to the human experience. We are also well aware that the nature of art-speak can be completely alienating andlets be realelitist as hell. Is it any wonder, then, that the field of art history has long been maligned as being out-of-touch and snobby? The art world can be a strange, seemingly impenetrable place. Stereotypes that may come to mind are stylish art dealers in all black with oversized glasses who speak about a work of art using buzzwords like derivative and dynamic. Or its a stuffy auction house filled with portraits of dead white people painted by old white guys called Old Masters. What does that even mean? (Dont worry, well tell you!).

Hey, friends, we hear youart and art lingo can be hard to understand and appreciate. Were here to explain away the confusion, define the dull (but in a fun way), and decode the terminology of art! Why are we doing this, you ask? Well, because we love art. And you.

This book is meant to act as a helping hand in defining art terms you may come across in class, museums, galleries, or perhaps in conversations with the tattooed Art Bro youve been casually dating. With these terms decoded, you can glide into a gallery and lay down that art jargon with the best of them. We will also cover terms you know and recognize but maybe just need a refresher on. If youve ever thought, I hear the word acrylic all the time but what is it actually? This book is for you. At its core, this book aims to give you a deeper understanding of the language of art: its varied history, background, and intent. Weve covered a wide range of topics here because, more than anything, we hope this book expands your curiosity.

We all have advanced degrees in art history, so we know a thing or two when it comes to art (humble brag). That being said, while writing this book, it was amazing how much we learned. There were terms some of us had never heard before, had forgotten, or had never actually understood. The breadth of art terminology is vast. Undoubtedly, we could have included many more terms here and you would have yourself a tome the size of a toddler in your arms. Alas, we were selective in what we chose to write about, in order to make a more digestible book on the language of art.

Creating a fully comprehensive compilation of art and art history terms is impossible. As is writing definitions for these terms that will satisfy every single reader. While we hope you find this book to be a valuable educational tool, please keep in mind that art (and life) are extremely subjective. Therefore, in order to spice things up a bit, you will find many of our own feelings and opinions inserted into this dictionary of terms. If you find yourself disagreeing with our take on a particular artist or art movement, great! Thats what discourse is about, babyyy.

Ultimately, we encourage you to make meaningful connections between art and your life. Art helps us understand the world. It expands our creativity and sense of wonder, and it just makes everything more funall the fundamentals of living an enriched-ass life.

We hope this book adds even a little sparkle of that enrichment to yours.