Abstraction - to take a piece of a whole; in many art works the piece is distorted or modified

Abstract Expressionism - the use of color, line, and the free application of paint; stressing energy, action, and internal "expression" of emotion

Aesthetic - concerning the appreciation of beauty or heightened senses based on visual interpretation

Aesthetic Movement - "Art for Art's Sake"; art is created and celebrated for its creation and the sheer beauty of it with no focus on its function or purpose

Ambiguity - uncertain or more than one interpretation in meaning

Ambiguous narrative - a story or message with more than one meaning or interpretation

Architectural - concerning the design, construction, and building of structures based on architectural principles, including physics

Avant-garde - the application of new and inventive techniques

Commercial Art - art used to influence or sell for commercial purposes, such as advertising

Commonwealth - a term meaning a government based on the common consent of the people; there is no difference in the government run between a commonwealth and a state, but the term traces back to the division from British rule into independent states of the American colonies. Kentucky chose to remain a commonwealth when it separated from Virginia. The four states that remain commonwealths are Kentucky, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.

Composition - how one arranges the artistic elements or parts

Configuration - the arrangement of part and elements

Constructivist - the use of glass, metal, and plastic to reflect modern technology, aiming to "construct" art not create it

Curvilinear - the use of curved lines

Decorative Arts - art made for a practical, or functional purpose (weaving and textiles, ceramics, glassware), but is also used as a decoration

Distilled - to separate or extract the essential elements

Engineer - a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve problems; an engineer can design plans and/or construct objects to solve problems

Ephemeral - short lived

Expressive gesture - the "expression" or implication of movement in limbs or body parts

Fiber artists - traditionally, they have used fabric or cloth to weave, quilt, or sew designs; fiber art continues to expand into the use of other fibrous materials, including those found in paper or wire

Figurative - a symbolic representation

Figure - representing a human or animal form

Form - how an object is structured; shapes can be put together to create form

Fragmentation - to break into pieces or parts

Gestural abstraction - the implied or suggested movement of a figure, object, or color

Hues - colors

Iconography - the use of pictures or images to represent people or objects

Impressionistic - art focusing on the changes of light and color to show a brief glimpse of the world at a given moment. The use of short, choppy brushstrokes and daubs of paint offered the artist's "impression" of everyday objects and scenes.

"Inner space" - interpretations based on internal memories and experiences

Intellectual - the power of understanding

Iridescent - reflecting or producing color in a rainbow effect

Juxtaposed - placed side by side for comparison or contrast

Kinetic - movement or motion

Landscape - a picture or scene involving land

Lithography - a printmaking technique using a limestone slab, grease pencils for the design, and greasy paint to create the print. The artist draws the design with a grease pencil, the slab is dipped in water, and greasy paint added to the slab; the paint will only stick to the parts of the limestone covered with grease pencil.

Male chauvinism - the idea or attitude believing men are superior to woman

Marilyn, Liz, and Jackie - Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jacquelyn Kennedy Onassis

Mass media - those media, or forms of communication, used to reach large numbers of the public (i.e. television, radio, Internet, newspaper, etc.)

Mixed media - using two or more mediums, or materials, to create artwork

Molten - to melt or make liquid through heat

Mundane consumer commodities - tools or items used in everyday life

Mutability of "truth" - the silencing or disguising of the "truth;"
Remembering that "truth" is relative to one's perception

Narrative - the telling of a story

Oppression - the unlawful or corrupt use of power of one being over another

Patina - the appearance of a surface over time and after use; traditionally related to the greenish surface of aged cooper or bronze

Pop Art - artwork based on images from advertising, neon signs, and mass media; using art to view the world with pleasure

Postwar - "after a time of war"; often referred to as the time after World
War II

Printmaking - the design and production of prints through various printmaking techniques, such as block, silk screen, and lithography

Regional collection - shapes or forms carved from a surface so they are raised or sticking out from the connecting background

Satirical - to make fun of or ridicule through a sarcastic manner

Sculptor - an artist who carves or creates sculpture

Sentry - a soldier placed on guard

Solitarily - the act of living or existing alone or in isolation

Textiles - woven fabrics

Uniformity - without variation in color, texture, or form

Unrefined - crude, unsophisticated

Visceral - having deep sensation

Vigor - intense physical or mental energy