Glossary
drawing
Depiction of shapes and forms on a surface chiefly by means of lines. Color and shading may be included. A major fine art technique in itself, drawing is the basis of all pictorial representation, and an early step in most art activities. Though an integral part of most painting, drawing is generally differentiated from painting by the dominance of line over mass. The artist's choices of drawing media-- tools and surface-- tend to determine whether a drawing will be more or less linear or painterly in quality. There are many sorts of drawing techniques, varying according to the effect the artist wants, and depending on whether the drawing is an end in itself-- an independent and finished work of art-- or a preliminary to some other medium or form-- although distinct from the final product, such drawings also have intrinsic artistic value. Preliminary drawings include various exercises (e.g., contour drawing, gesture drawing, figure drawing, drawing from the flat), as well as sketches and studies, cartoons and underdrawings. Drawing has been highly appreciated since the Renaissance, greatly because it implies spontaneity-- an embodiment of the artist's ideas. This spontaneous idea has always been used to particular advantage in caricature. The invention of printmaking techniques in the 15th century made possible the duplication and dissemination of drawings, further establishing drawing as a definitive art form. Also see pencil, brush, pen, ink, chalk, charcoal, crayon, pastel, watercolor, wash, hatching, sinopia, abbozzo, computer graphics, and mechanical drawing.
kaolin
a pure clay, sometimes called china clay, used in white clay bodies such as porcelain. It is used as a source of silicon
kelvin
A unit of absolute temperature often used in photography to measure the color temperature of a source of light. Abbreviated K, kelvins can be converted to degrees Celsius by subtracting 273. Certain tungsten lamps are designed to burn at specific absolute temperatures (usually 3200 or 3400 K), guaranteeing that compatible photographic films will render the color they illuminate quite accurately.
key
A small interlocking device in the seam of a mold, enabling the mold to be precisely reassembled. The term may also refer to the slight roughening of a surface which allows a painted finish to adhere effectively. Also, it's a name given to wedges for canvas stretchers. And in architecture, the keystone at the top of an arch.
kickwheel
A potter's wheel which is driven by kicking a revolving cement disk. The major alternative is a wheel driven by an electric motor.
kiln
An special oven or furnace that can reach very high temperatures and is used to bake, or fire clay. Kilns may be electric, gas, or wood-fired. (pr. kiln or kill)
kiln wash
A refractory mixture, usually kaolin or flint, which is mixed with water and painted on kiln shelves to prevent glaze from adhering.
See Also: dry foot
kilogram
A unit of weight measurement equal to 1000 grams. To convert kilograms into pounds (US), multiply them by 2.20462. Abbreviated kg.
kinetic
Expressing movement. In art, kinetic refers to sculpture that moves, such as a mobile or stabile. (pr. ki-ne'tick)
kinetic art
Artwork that includes movement, either mechanical or random. The Constructivists were the first to create kinetic art in the early 20th century, and Alexander Calder worked almost exclusively to make kinetic sculptures.
Example: Alexander Calder's Lobster Trap and Fish Tail, 1939
kitsch
Mass-produced or manufactured art that imitate or make fun of standard aesthetics.
Example: Jeff Koon's Puppy, 1992
kouros
Greek for "young man", kouros figures refer to archaic Greek statuary that are life-size, freestanding figures meant for tomb decoration.
Example: Kouros, from Attica, Greece, c. 600 B.C.
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