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Glossary Of Art Terms [15]

P Paisley A term in English for a design using the buta or boteh, a droplet-shaped vegetable motif of Persian origin. Such designs became very popular in the West in the 18th and 19th centuries, following imports of post-Mughal versions of the design from India, especially in the form of Kashmir shawls, and were then imitated locally. In contemporary use, paisley became identified with psychedelic style due to a resurgence in the pattern's mainstream popularity leading up the mid and late 1960s.
Papyrus A thin paper made from the papyrus plant, originally used in ancient Egypt due to the abundance of the plant there. Due to its extreme fragility, great care must be taken in framing artwork on papyrus. Some artists and calligraphers still use it today.
Pastel An art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation. The color effect of pastels is closer to the natural dry pigments than that of any other process. Pastels have been used by artists since the Renaissance, and gained considerable popularity in the 18th century, when a number of notable artists made pastel their primary medium.
Pastel Paper Since pastel paintings rarely cover the entire surface on which they are painted, paper selection is important. Pastel papers come in a variety of colors, textures and sizes. The color of the paper will affect the final temperature of the art, lending a richer or starker tone to the image. Texture options range from extremely smooth to as coarse as sandpaper.
Pattern Discernible regularity in the world or in a manmade design. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner.
Photo engraving Photoengraving is a process that uses a light-sensitive photoresist applied to the surface to be engraved to create a mask that shields some areas during a subsequent operation which etches, dissolves, or otherwise removes some or all of the material from the unshielded areas. Normally applied to metal, it can also be used on glass, plastic and other materials.
Photogravure An intaglio printmaking process which coats a copper plate with a light-sensitive compound and then etches the surface. This method can result in extremely detailed, photo-realistic images, and is similar to photoengraving.
Pissarro, Camille 1830-1903: A Danish-French Impressionist painter who inspired Renoir and Cezanne. Order a Pissarro classic painting print today.
PMMA PMMA or acrylic is a widely used transparent plastic material known for its applications in various markets from picture framing, car windows, smartphone screens to aquariums. It is a tough plastic, easy to shape and a great alternative to the high cost and less resilient glass.
Pop Art An art movement originating in the United States in the 1950s, that focused on subject matter that was common in popular culture. For instance, Andy Warhol's screenprints of celebrities, and Roy Lichtenstein's comic book enlargements.
Portrait A portrait is a genre of photography that focuses on capturing the likeness, personality, and character of individuals or groups of people. Portraits often emphasize the facial expressions, gestures, and emotions of the subjects, aiming to convey a sense of intimacy, connection, and identity through the image. Portrait photography can encompass a wide range of styles and approaches, from formal studio portraits with controlled lighting and posing to candid, environmental portraits captured in natural settings or everyday environments. Portraits may be commissioned for personal, professional, or artistic purposes, including family portraits, senior portraits, corporate headshots, editorial portraits, and fine art portraiture. Successful portrait photography requires a combination of technical skill, interpersonal rapport, and artistic vision to capture authentic and compelling images that resonate with viewers and evoke a sense of empathy, curiosity, or admiration.
Primary Colors A set of colors that, when combined, present as different colors. Red, green and blue are additive primary colors. When overlapped in different ratios, new colors are created. Yellow, cyan and magenta are subtractive primary colors used in mixing pigments or dyes.
Primed canvas A blank painter's canvas coated with a lead paint that reduces the absorbency of the canvas and improves the application the artist's paint. Canvas may be single or double-primed, as well as coated for a specific use, such as acrylic or oil paints. KeenART Media offers double-primed and unprimed blank artist canvases for sale. Order online: Artist Canvas
Print Printing in photography refers to the process of producing physical copies of digital images on paper or other printable substrates using a variety of printing methods and technologies. Printed photographs serve as tangible, archival records of visual memories, artistic expressions, and moments captured by photographers. Printing allows photographers to showcase their work, share their vision with others, and preserve their images for posterity. Common printing methods used in photography include inkjet printing, laser printing, and traditional photographic printing processes such as silver halide printing (e.g., darkroom printing) and digital C-type printing (e.g., digital chromogenic printing). The choice of printing method depends on factors such as image quality, color accuracy, durability, cost, and intended use. Photographers may print their images for personal enjoyment, portfolio presentation, exhibition, commercial sale, or publication in books, magazines, and fine art prints. Printing technology continues to evolve, offering photographers and artists a wide range of options and opportunities to produce high-quality, archival prints that faithfully reproduce the beauty and impact of their digital images.
Printmaking Printmaking is the act of transferring ink through a screen or plate (a matrix) onto paper or another substrate. As an art, printmaking does not extend to the reproduction of original artworks in other mediums. Rather, the term refers to any number of techniques that allow for multiple reproductions of the same image to be created. Due to the process, each "impression" will vary slightly from the others making each an original, not a copy. Often a limited number of impressions - called an "edition" - will be created from each plate, after which time the plate is destroyed to guarantee the exclusivity of the edition.