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Visual Art Glossary
Lost-wax casting- Motif
     
Lost-wax casting- A method of casting metals, such as bronze, by a process in which a wax mold is covered with clay and plaster, then fired, melting the wax and leaving a hollow form. Molten metal is then poured inot the hollow space and slowly cooled. When the hardened clay and plaster exterior shell is removed, a solid metal form remains to be smoothed and polished.
Lost-wax casting		 Low-relief- Relief sculpture whose figure projects slightly from the background
Low-relief		 Lozenge- A decorative motif in the shape of a diamond.
Lozenge		 Majolica- Pottery painted with a tin glaze that, when fired, gives a lustrous and colorful surface.
Majolica		 Maki-e- In Japanese art, the effect achieved by sprinkling gold or silver powder on successive layers of lacquer before each layer dries.
Maki-e		 Mandala- An image of the cosmos represented by an arrangement of circles or concentric geometric shapes containing diagrams or images. Used for meditation and contemplation by Buddhists.
Mandala
Mandoria- Light encircling or emanating from the entire figure of a sacred person.
Mandoria		 Memento mori- From Latin for "remember that you must die"". An object, such as a skull or extinguished candle, typically found in a vanitas image, symbolizing the transience of life.
Memento mori		 Mithuna- The amorous male and female couples in Buddhist sculpture, usually found at the entrance to a sacred building. The mithuna symbolize the harmony and fertility of life.
Mithuna		 Mobile- A sculpture made with parts suspended in such a way that they move in a current of air.
Mobile		 Module- A segment or portion of a repeated design. Also a building block.
Module		 Mosaic- Images formed by small colored stone or glass pieces (tesserae) affixed to a hard, stable surface.
Mosaic
Lost-wax casting- A method of casting metals, such as bronze, by a process in which a wax mold is covered with clay and plaster, then fired, melting the wax and leaving a hollow form. Molten metal is then poured into the hollow space and slowly cooled. When the hardened clay and plaster exterior shell is removed, a solid metal form remains to be smoothed and polished.

Low-relief- Relief sculpture whose figure projects slightly from the background

Lozenge- A decorative motif in the shape of a diamond.

Majolica- Pottery painted with a tin glaze that, when fired, gives a lustrous and colorful surface.

Maki-e- In Japanese art, the effect achieved by sprinkling gold or silver powder on successive layers of lacquer before each layer dries.

Mandala- An image of the cosmos represented by an arrangement of circles or concentric geometric shapes containing diagrams or images. Used for meditation and contemplation by Buddhists.

Mandoria- Light encircling or emanating from the entire figure of a sacred person.

Manifesto- A written declaration of an individual's or groups ideas, purposes, and intentions. The Futurist art manifesto was written by a group of artists including, Gino Severini.

Matte- Term describing a smooth surface that is without shine or luster.

Mediums- In general the material from which any given object is made. In painting, the liquid substance in which pigments are suspended.

Memento mori- From Latin for "remember that you must die"". An object, such as a skull or extinguished candle, typically found in a vanitas image, symbolizing the transience of life. "The Repentant Magdalene" by Georges de la Tour is a great example with a candle, a book and a skull shown with the woman.

Memory image- An image that relies on the generic shapes and relationships that readily spring to mind at the mention of an object.

Metope- The carved or painted rectangular panel between the triglyphs of a Doric frieze

Middle ground- Within the depicted space of an artwork, the area that takes up the middle distance of the image.

Mithuna- The amorous male and female couples in Buddhist sculpture, usually found at the entrance to a sacred building. The mithuna symbolize the harmony and fertility of life.

Mobile- A sculpture made with parts suspended in such a way that they move in a current of air.

Modeling- In painting, the process of creating the illusion of three dimensionality on a two dimensional surface by use of light and shade. In sculpture, the process of molding a three dimensional form out of a malleable substance.

Module- A segment or portion of a repeated design. Also a building block.

Molding- A shaped or sculptured strip with varying contours and patterns. Used as decoration on architecture, furniture, frames, and other objects.

Monoprint- A single print pulled from a hard surface, such as a blank plate or stone, that has been prepared with a painted design. Each print is an individual artwork, as the original design is a transient one, largely lost in the printing process. Also called monotype.

Mosaic- Images formed by small colored stone or glass pieces (tesserae) affixed to a hard, stable surface.

Motif- Any recurring element of a design or composition. Also: a recurring theme or subject n artwork. Michael Arnold Art created a  Michael Stipe motif with "Stipe", "Psychedelic Stipe", and "Stipe Three".		 Personals 120x600 IM

Abacus - Appropriation   -Aquatint - Blackware   -Block printing - Champieve  -Chasing - Cycle   -Dado - Fang Ding   -Fete Galante - Giornata  
-Glazing - Heliograph    -Hemicycle - Intarsia   -Japonisme- Lithography   -Lost-wax casting- Motif   -Movable type printing- Paris Salon  
-Passage- Putto   Quatrefoil- Sfumato   -Sgraffito- Tondo   -Tone- Woodcut

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