Glossary of Art Terms - G



Gavel

A term for the hammer of the auctioneer that is used when the bidding is closed.



Genre

Genre, (French: "kind" or "sort") is a division of a particular form of art or utterance according to criteria particular to that form. In all art forms, genres are vague categories with no fixed boundaries. Genre painting can depict paintings from everyday life or to identify the Subject, Genre- Portrait,Nude etc.


 

Gesso

Gesso" is the Italian word for "chalk" (akin to the Greek word "gypsum"), and is a powdered form of the mineral calcium carbonate used in art. This is the foundation used to size the canvas and prepare the surface for painting.


 

Giclée

Giclée, commonly pronounced "zhee-clay," is an invented term for the process of making fine art prints from a digital source using ink-jet printing. The word “giclée”, from the French language word "gicleur" meaning "nozzle", was created by Jack Duganne, a printmaker working in the field, to represent any inkjet based digital print used as fine art.


 

Gilding

Gilding is the art of applying metal leaf (most commonly gold or silver leaf) to a surface. This art was known to the ancients. According to Herodotus, the Egyptians were accustomed to gilding wood and metals; and gilding by means of gold plates is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. Pliny the Elder informs us that the first gilding seen at Rome was after the destruction of Carthage, under the censorship of Lucius Mummius, when the Romans began to gild the ceilings of their temples and palaces, the Capitol being the first place on which this process was used. But he adds that luxury advanced on them so rapidly that in very little time you might see all, even private and poor people, gild the walls, vaults, and other parts of their dwellings. Owing to the comparative thickness of the gold leaf used in ancient gilding, the traces of it which yet remain are remarkably brilliant and solid.


 

Glasgow School

Glasgow School of Art has its origins in the Glasgow Government School of Design, which was established on 6 January 1845. the Government Schools hoped to improve the quality of the country's product design through a system of education that provided training in design for industry. In 1853 the Glasgow Government School of Design changed its name to the Glasgow School of Art. Following the receipt of some funding from the Haldane Academy Trust, a trust set up by James Haldane, a Glasgow engraver, in 1833.The schools famous Alumni include 'The Four' Charles Mackintosh, Herbert Macnair and the Macdonald sisters.


 

Glazing

Glaze or glazing is a thin shiny coating, or the act of applying the coating; In Art it may refer to: Glaze (painting technique), a layer of paint, thinned with a medium, so as to become somewhat transparent Ceramic glaze, a vitreous coating to a ceramic material whose primary purposes are decoration or protection.


 

Goldleaf

Thin, delicate sheets of gold, usually obtained from a book of 25 three-inch sheets that can be removed individually by a delicate process. Gold Leaf, which is literally gold beaten into flat leaves, can be put on board or paper. Because gold is inert, it does not tarnish, so it retains its ability to lend elegance to works of art. A person correctly applying Gold Leaf first puts down sizing, letting it dry until sticky, and then attaches it to the sized surface by using a small brush and a leaf lifter. The lifter is a small piece of clear plastic that is activated for the process by rubbing it on one's arm, which charges it with static electricity. Then the the leaf-lifter is used to pick up the delicate sheets of gold, usually in three-inch squares between tissue paper, and places them on the sized surface. The next step is burnishing, which is rubbing the leaf so that it adheres. Standard Gold Leaf is 23.5 carats, with about 2000 leaves weighing one ounce. However, variations are available such as lemon gold (18.5 carats) and pale gold (16 carats). Gold Leaf can enhance a work by suggesting grandeur or wealth or divinity as expressed in the artwork of Judeo-Christian religion. It has been used throughout western history on sculpture, church domes, picture frames, decorations, manuscript illuminations, and religious paintings suggesting haloes, etc.


 

Gothic Art

Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that lasted about 200 years. It began in France out of the Romanesque period in the mid-12th century, concurrent with Gothic architecture found in Cathedrals. By the late 14th century, it had evolved towards a more secular and natural style known as International Gothic, which continued until the late 15th century, where it evolved into Renaissance art. The primary Gothic art mediums were sculpture, panel painting, stained glass, fresco and illuminated manuscript.


 

Gouache

Gouache (from the Italian guazzo, "water paint, splash") or bodycolor (the term preferred by art historians) is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. Gouache differs from watercolor in that the particles are larger, the ratio of pigment to water is much higher, and an additional, inert, white pigment such as chalk is also present. This makes gouache heavier and more opaque, with stronger colours.


 

Graffiti

Graffiti, are images or letters applied without permission to publicly viewable surfaces such as walls or bridges. Graffiti has existed at least since the days of ancient civilizations such as Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Graffiti has changed over time into what are known as "modern graffiti": the public defacing of a surface using spray paint, markers, or other materials. When graffiti painting is done without the property owner's consent. Graffiti can be used to communicate social and political messages, and as a form of advertising. It is also considered a modern art form, and can be seen in galleries around the world. In the UK Artists like Banksi are finding recognition and a considerable following for their Art.

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