Fine arts

to pull the wool over sb’s eyes

to deceive

Philistinism

inability of appreciate art or culture (disapproving)

detractors

critics

wise up

become more sophisticated

dumb down

become less intellectual (usually to appeal to a mass audience)

Tate Modern

new modern art gallery in London

Renaissance

period of new interest in the arts in Europe in the 14th to 16th centuries, especially in Italy

fad

a short enthusiasm for something (disapproving)

vote with one’s feet

stop coming

impressionism

a style of painting that uses colour instead of details of form to produce effects of light or feeling

cubism

style of art in which objects and people are represented by geometric shapes

surrealism

a style of art in which the artist connects unrelated images and objects in a strange way

deemed

considered (formal)

visually literate

educated with regard to art

immune/inured to sth

not affected by

movement

one of the main parts of a piece of classical music

the wind section

the group of woodwind instruments and their players in an orchestra

baton

a stick used by a conductor to show the speed of the music

rostrum

a raised surface on which a person making a speech or a music conductor stands

canvas

a piece of cloth used by artists for painting on, usually with oil paints, or the painting itself

still-life

a type of painting or drawing of an arrangement of objects that do not move, such as flowers, fruit, bowls, etc.

abstract

used to refer to a type of painting, drawing, or sculpture that uses shapes, lines, and colour in a way that does not try to represent the appearance of people or things

collage

(the art of making) a picture in which various materials or objects, for example paper, cloth, or photographs, are stuck onto a larger surface

brush-stroke

the way in which something, especially paint, is put on to a surface with a brush

hue

a degree of lightness, darkness, strength, etc. of a colour

spectrum

the set of colours into which a beam of light can be separated

characterization

the way that people are represented in a film, play, or book so that they seem real and natural

dialogue

conversation that is written for a book, play, or film

plot

the story of a book, film, play, etc.

choreographer

a person who is skilled at combining movements into dances to be performed

tap (dance)

a type of dance in which a rhythm is formed by the noise of the dancer's shoes on the floor

ballroom (dancing)

a type of dancing that is done with a partner and has different steps for particular types of music, such as the waltz

agile

able to move quickly and easily

pirouette

a dance movement in which the dancer turns very quickly, standing on one toe or the front part of one foot

first night

the evening when the first public performance of a show, play etc is given

prompter

someone who tells actors in a play what words to say when they forget

director

the person who gives instructions to the actors and other people working on a film or play

fine art

drawings, paintings, and sculptures that are admired for their beauty and have no practical use

arts page

the part of the paper that deals with all the arts

art lover

a person who loves painting and sculpture

highbrow

intended for educated, intelligent people, disapproving

lowbrow

(of entertainment) not complicated or demanding much intelligence to be understood

impenetrable

extremely difficult to understand

transparent

clear and easy to understand or recognize

sophisticated

showing advanced skills and understanding

primitive

of or typical of an early stage of development; not advanced or complicated in structure

challenging

demanding considerable effort to be understood

undemanding

not needing a lot of time, energy, or attention

dazzling

inspiring great admiration because it is brilliant in some way

pedestrian

not interesting; showing very little imagination

evocative

calling up images and memories

uninspiring

not making you feel excited or interested

exquisite

having rare beauty or delicacy

clumsy

not skilful in the way you deal with or express something

intriguing

interesting because it is strange or mysterious

dreary

boring and making you feel unhappy

peerless

better than any other

run-of-the-mill

ordinary and not special or exciting in any way

tongue-in-cheek

not intended to be taken seriously despite appearing serious

earnest

very serious and sincere

medium

a method or way of expressing something

canvas

a piece of cloth used by artists for painting on, usually with oil paints, or the painting itself

easel

a wooden frame, usually with legs, that holds a picture, especially one that an artist is painting or drawing

landscape

a view or picture of the countryside, or the art of making such pictures

fresco

painting on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling

tapestry

a piece of cloth with a pattern or picture that is created by sewing or weaving different coloured threads onto a special type of strong cloth

sculpture

the art of forming solid objects that represent a thing, person, idea, etc. out of a material such as wood, clay, metal, or stone, or an object made in this way

portrait

a painting, photograph, drawing, etc. of a person or, less commonly, of a group of people

representational skill

cognitive skills involved in understanding people, objects, and events in terms of mental representation, including the use of images and words

realistic

having or showing a practical awareness of things as they are

surreal

strange, esp. because of combining items that are never found together in reality; not seeming real; like a dream

minimalist

belonging or relating to a style in art, design, and theatre that uses the smallest range of materials and colours possible, and only very simple shapes or forms

carved

cut or engraved to produce an object, design, or inscription.

moulded

made or shaped in a mould

splattered

splashed with a liquid, typically a thick or viscous one

posed

moved into and stood in a particular position, in order to be photographed, painted, etc.

sketched

made a rough drawing of

painted

covered or decorated with paint

fired

heated objects made of clay in a kiln (= a special oven) so that they become hard

gallery

a room or building that is used for showing works of art, sometimes so that they can be sold

exhibition

an event at which objects such as paintings are shown to the public, a situation in which someone shows a particular skill or quality to the public, or the act of showing these things

auction

a usually public sale of goods or property, where people make higher and higher bids (= offers of money) for each thing, until the thing is sold to the person who will pay most

to commission

to formally choose someone to do a special piece of work, or to formally ask for a special piece of work from someone

palette

a thin board with curved edges and a hole for your thumb, used by artists to mix their paints on while they are painting

static

staying in one place without moving, or not changing for a long time

lens

the part of the eye behind the pupil (= the black hole at the front of the eye) that helps you to see clearly by focusing (= collecting) light onto the retina

filter

a tool for creating special effects on an image

lighting

the arrangement of lights used in a room, house, theatre, etc.

darkroom

a specially lit room where photographic film is processed

print

a photographic copy of a painting, or a picture made by pressing paper onto a special surface covered in ink, or a single photograph from a film

close-up

a photograph taken from a short distance that gives a very detailed picture