Different Types of Art Vocabulary
Arts and crafts – Decorative design and handicraft
Contemporary/Modern art – Art produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century
Cubism(Cubist) – A movement in art in which perspective with a single viewpoint was abandoned and instead it uses simple geometric shapes
Digital art – Art made using software, computers, or other electronic devices
Expressionism (Expressionist) – Expressionism refers to art in which the image of reality is distorted in order to make it expressive of the artist’s inner feelings or ideas
Figurative art – Any form of modern art that retains strong references to the real world, particularly the human figure
Fine arts – Art whose products are to be appreciated primarily for their imaginative, aesthetic, or intellectual content
Graffiti art –A form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorised marking of public spaces
Impressionism (Impressionist) – A movement in painting characterised by a concern with depicting the visual impression of the moment
Modernism(Modernist) – A style or movement in the arts that aims to break away from classical and traditional forms
Performing arts – Forms of creative activity performed in front of an audience, such as drama, music, and dance
Plastic arts – Art forms that involve modelling or moulding, such as sculpture and ceramics, or the representation of solid objects with three-dimensional effects
Romanticism (Romanticist) – A movement that originated in the 18th century, emphasising inspiration and subjectivity
Still-life painting – The depiction of inanimate objects for their form, colour, texture, and composition
Surrealism (Surrealist) – A 20th-century avant-garde movement which strives to release creativity, for example,through the irrational juxtaposition of images
Visual arts – Art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture
General Art Vocabulary
Aesthetics – related to beauty and the pleasure given by beauty
Art critic – A person who evaluates and criticises art
Artist – A person who practices an art or craft, such as a sculptor, novelist, poet, or musician
Canvas – A strong cloth used as a surface for oil painting
Composition – The artistic arrangement of the parts of a picture
Contrast – Enhancement of the apparent brightness or clarity of a design provided by the difference in colours or textures
Curate (Curator) – To select, organise, and care for the items of an exhibition
Draw – To produce a picture or diagram) by making lines and marks on paper
Exhibition – A public display of works of art; held in an art gallery or museum
Gallery – A room or building for the display or sale of art
Genre – A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterised by similarities in form or style
Landscape – A picture representing an area of countryside or scenery
Masterpiece – A work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship.
Motif / Pattern – A decorative design or pattern.
Oil paint – A type of slow-drying paint that consists of coloured pigment in oil
Original – Created directly and personally; not a copy or imitation.
Paintbrush – A brush for applying paint
Painting – The process or art of using paint for pictures, or to paint/decorate something
Photography – The art or practice of taking and processing photographs
Portrait – A drawing, painting, or photograph usually depicting the head and shoulders
Sculpture – The art of making two- or three-dimensional representations out of stone, wood, metal, or plaster.
Sketch – a rough or unfinished drawing or painting, often made to assist in producing a picture or painting
Watercolour – artists’ paint made with a water-soluble binder
Work of Art – A painting, sculpture, piece of music, or other product of the creative or fine arts
Art Collocations and Idioms
A culture vulture – A person who is very interested in the arts, often obsessively
A visual feast – Something that is extremely beautiful
Break new ground – Innovate or new
Dribs and drabs – Very small or slow amounts
Hype – Extravagant or intense publicity
It wasn’t much to write home about – Normal, nothing special
Lose yourself – Become so involved that you don’t notice anything else
Road less travelled – An unconventional path, a choice that leads in a different direction than most people go
Think outside the box – To think creatively
Thought-provoking – stimulating careful consideration or attention.
To have a passion for – To be very enthusiastic about something
Up and coming – Soon to be famous, established, noticed, or successful
General Entertainment Vocabulary and Music/Film/Book Genres
A gig/show – A performance by musicians or comedians
A musical – A film or theatre production in which dancing and singing play an integral part
A play – A theatre production/performance
Absorbing – Something that is extremely interesting and captivating
Audience – The people watching a particular show/event
Background music – Music that is played as an unassuming compliment to another activity. For example, music that is played in restaurants, elevators, shopping centres etc…
Band / Group – A group of people that join together to play or perform music
Cinema/Movies/Pictures/Flicks – The place where people go to watch films with a public audience
Classical – A musical genre that uses traditional instruments and follows established principles and convention
Comedy – A film/book/play designed to make people laugh
Director – The person in charge of actors and crew during film or theatre productions
Drama – A genre that involves stories containing conflict and emotions
Dubbed – When a film/TV show has different audio from the original and in a different language
Electronic – A musical genre that involves the electronic production and processing of sounds
Folk – The traditional music of a country or region / A genre using traditional acoustic instruments that experienced a revival in the 1960s
Genres – Categories of either film, literature, plays, or music that are similar in style/composition
Heavy metal – A musical genre of highly amplified harsh-sounding rock music
Hip Hop/Rap – The cultural movement associated with rap music / A musical genre where the words are spoken rather than sung
Horror – A genre that is designed to scare or shock the audience
Jazz – A musical genre associated with improvisation and brass instruments
Lyrics – The words of a song
Melody – A satisfying sequence of musical notes
Mystery – A genre that tells stories that are puzzling or confusing. They are very often crime stories
Orchestra – A group of people playing classical instruments
Overrated – To have a higher prestige or opinion that is deserved
Plot – The sequence of events in a play/film/book
Posthumous – Occurring or being released after the death of the originator
Record label – A company that produces, records, and sells music
Reggae – A musical genre that started in Jamaica and which is influenced by Rastafarian ideas
Rock – A popular musical genre that typically involves guitar, bass, drums and a vocalist
Star – A famous person
Streaming platforms – A TV-based entertainment source that broadcasts movies/TV shows/events to paying subscribers
Subtitles – The text that appears at the bottom of the screen to translate the audio into different languages
Thriller – A genre of film/book/play that aims to excite the audience
To binge-watch – To watch several episodes of a TV show in quick succession
To chill – To relax
To improvise – To create or perform drama or music spontaneously
Venue – The place where an event takes place
Entertainment Idioms, Phrasal Verbs, and Collocations
A cliff-hanger – An ending that leaves the audience guessing or in suspense
A crowd-pleaser – A thing or person that holds substantial popular appeal
A popcorn movie – A film that is entertaining and easy to watch but with low artistic merit
A sell-out – A person who betrays their original cause/integrity to gain popular appeal
Be into something – To have a general interest in something, for example, a musical genre, the films of a specific director etc…
Couch potato – A person who spends lots of time on the sofa watching TV
Critical acclaim – Very good reviews from critics
Gave me food for thought – Something that makes you think
Get into something – To become interested in a specific book/film/play/TV show
Go downhill – To gradually get worse
Heart-warming – Something that creates happiness, sympathy, or an emotional reward
Hit the big time – To become famous
Hit the headlines – To be focused on in the press/media
In the limelight – To receive a lot of attention from the press/media
Music to my ears – Something that is pleasant or gratifying to hear
On the edge of your seat – In a state of excitement
Play by ear – Proceed instinctively or spontaneously according to what happens rather than following a plan
Put something on – To make something start on a device such as a TV, CD player etc…
Show stopper – A performance that receives long and enthusiastic applause from the audience
Star-studded – Containing lots of famous people
Steal the show – Attract the highest amount of praise and attention
Take up – To start something such as a musical instrument or hobby
To be tone-deaf – Someone that is not sensitive to differences in musical pitch
Definitions
Curl up with a book: to get comfortable and read.
Thrillers or action books: exciting and full of events
A strong plotline: good story which keeps moving
Cover to cover: from start to finish
Rom-com movie: a romantic comedy film
Adapted from fiction: a film which was first a book
Strong characterisation: the main people are well rounded and believable
Recommended to me by a friend: someone suggested that I read it
Black humour: funny but rather dark or mysterious as well
Genre: the type of film. E.g. horror or comedy
Commercial blockbusters: films made for the mass market to generate a lot of income
A sea change in something: a fundamental shift
Online streaming: watching via the internet
To commission a film: to ask for one to be made
A valid perspective: a real view / outlook/insight to something
Cultural heritage: the background and history of a country
Vocabulary to talk about Films
go for (something) : choose something in particular
some kind of film buff: an expert on the cinema
an Art House movie: an independent, artistic film
if that’s anything to go by: if that means anything at all
be first released: shown in cinemas or to the public for the first time
streaming services: online platforms like Netflix that show movies
not easy to put a label on it: it’s difficult to categorise the film
it’s whatever you want it to be: you decide what type of film it is
a romantic comedy*: a funny film with a love interest
another layer of meaning: another level of interpretation
there’s something in it for everybody: we can all find something we like in the film
the film is open to interpretation: there is no one meaning to the film
get a lot out of it in all kinds of ways: enjoy and understand it in several ways
in the lead: playing the main part or role in a film
star in many films: be the most famous actor in many movies