Being able to talk about paintings gives the impression to others that you are not only cultured, but you are also intelligent. So in order to give a good impression of yourself to other people it is important to know the vocabulary used in English to describe paintings.

In this first part of two online exercises on painting vocabulary, you will learn by reading a conversation the vocabulary used in English for describing the different physical features of and in a painting.

Do the quiz at the end of the reading exercise to both ensure you correctly understand the vocabulary and to help you to remember it in the future.

Much of the vocabulary you will learn here you can also use for describing drawings and photographs as well.

After you have done this exercise, I would recommend that you do the second part of this exercise to learn the vocabulary for describing the different types and styles of paintings.

Exercise: Describing painitings

Read the following conversation between two friends, Peter and Juan, where Peter is explaining to Juan vocabulary used in English to describe paintings.

The words in bold are terms used for describing paintings. From the context, try to guess what they are. Then do the quiz at the end to check if you are right.

Juan:'On Saturday I am going to an art gallery on a second date.'

Peter:'Well, I hope it goes well.'

Juan:'Me too. I do really like her. However, I know nothing at all about art. I don't want to seem stupid to her when I have nothing to say about the paintings. Would you mind helping me by telling me some vocabulary to use to talk about them?'

Peter:'Sure, no problem. Let's start with the basics, which I am sure you know. After that, we'll move on to the more complex stuff.'

Juan:'Thanks Peter.'

Peter:'The white material which a painter paints on is called a canvas.'

Juan:'You mean the paper?'

Peter:'You have got the right idea, but the canvas is not made of paper but some type of cotton I think. And the object which goes around the edge of the painting to protect it is called the frame.'

Juan:'Is there some specific vocabulary used to describe what the artist has actually painted?'

Peter:'We'll talk about that now then. How all the different objects of the painting are arranged on the canvas is called the composition. Before an artist starts to paint, they normally plan what the composition of the painting will be, where the different objects will be positioned on it. If the composition of the painting isn't right, then the painting won't work.'

Juan:'And how do you describe the different parts of the actual painting?'

Peter:'Well, in English we generally call the part which is at the bottom of the painting the foreground.'

Juan:'That's the part of the painting from the viewer's perspective which seems to be the closest, isn't it?'

Peter:'Exactly. And the part which is at the top of the painting, which seems to be the part you are furthest away from, is called the background.'

Juan:'But not all paintings have a foreground or a background, do they.'

Peter:'Most which try to show the real world do. But some paintings don't show perspective or depth in them, so you don't use those words for them.'

Juan:'And when you look at a painting, there is always a part of it which stands out from the rest, which you focus on. What do you call that?'

Peter:'The part of a painting which draws your attention to it is called the focal point. The artist wants you to look at it. The colour or shape of it makes it stand out from the rest of the painting. In many paintings it is often a figure which is the focal point.'

Juan:'What do you mean by figure?'

Peter:'Basically, in paintings we use the word figure to mean a person in the painting. For example, when describing a painting you wouldn't normally say "I like how she has painted the person sitting under the tree, the brushstrokes she uses are so delicate". You would say "I like how she has painted the figure sitting under the tree, the brushstrokes she uses are so delicate" instead.'

Juan:'I'll remember that. And when you say brushstrokes, I presume you are talking about the way the painter has used the paint brush to paint the objects in a painting?'

Peter:'Yes, I am. Painters use different techniques when putting paint on a painting using a brush.'

Juan:'When I was in New York I saw Monet's painting of the water lilies and you could clearly see his brushstrokes in the painting, they were very thick. And the size of the painting is impressive. It's massive!'

Peter:'He was an excellent painter, I love his landscapes. Although it is perfectly fine to use size when talking about the size of a painting, we often use the word scale instead of size. So you would say, the scale of the painting is impressive, and people would understand that you mean that it was very big.'

Juan:'So many words to learn.'

Peter:'We've only just started. There are still more for you to learn.'



Quiz:

Match the words/phrases in bold from the above text to each of the definitions/descriptions below. Click on the "Check" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.

When the answer is correct, two icons will appear next to the answer. The icon contains extra information on the word/phrase. In the icon, you can listen to the pronunciation of the word/phrase.

1. The part of a painting which seems to be furthest away from the viewer, is called the

         

Background:
(noun) This is the area of a painting where the objects are at the back of the perspective (the objects which look furthest away to the viewer). The background in most paintings is located at the top of the painting.

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Background:
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2. When we talk about how paint is put onto the surface of a painting, we use the word

         

Brushstrokes:
(noun) The way that paint is put on to the canvas or surface with a paint brush. When describing a painting, people often describe the movement of how the paint was applied to the painting often in order to explain what the painter is trying to convey. For example, they could describe the brushstrokes as delicate or vigorous or bold or subtle etc...

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Brushstrokes:
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3. The part or object in a painting which stands out from the rest and is what you normally first look at, is called the

         

Focal point:
(noun) It is the part of a painting which stands out from the rest. This can be because of its colour, size or shape, or the overall composition of the painting (often with the use of lines) leads the viewer to focus on that part. It's usually the first place that a person looking at a painting looks at.

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Focal point:
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4. To talk about the size of a painting, it is common to use the word

         

Scale:
(noun) Although it can refer to other things in art, when people use it to describe a painting, it is used to talk about the size of the painting as a whole. Although it is perfectly ok to say small-scale to describe paintings of a small size, it is more normal to use it to talk about very big paintings. So if you use scale to describe a painting, most people would presume you are saying that the painting is very big. For example, "The scale of Monet's water lilies is impressive. The painting nearly fills an entire wall".

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Scale:
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5. The object which surrounds a painting's edge and is used to protect it, is called a

         

Frame:
(noun) It is also called a "picture frame". It is a protective and decorative edging for a picture (e.g. a painting or a photograph). For paintings, they are often made of wood or metal and are used to make the displaying of the work both easier and safer to do. In addition, a frame can contribute to the aesthetic appreciation of the painting.

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Frame:
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6. When referring to a person/people in a painting, it is common to refer to each as a

         

Figure:
(noun) The word "figure" in paintings or drawings basically means a person in them. It is more common when describing paintings or drawings to use "figure" when you are talking about a person in them. For example, "Have you seen the figure sat under the tree?". However, when it is a portrait, you don't generally use figure to refer to the people in it.

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Figure:
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7. The material on which a painting is painted on, is called the

         

Canvas:
(noun) It is a strong type of cloth which is the surface used to do oil paintings on. Sometimes the word is used as a synonym of painting. For example, "I like what you have done on the canvas".

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Canvas:
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8. The part of a painting which seems to be closest to the viewer, is called the

         

Foreground:
(noun) This is the area of a painting where the objects are at the front of the perspective (the objects which look closest to the viewer). The foreground in most paintings is located at the bottom of the painting.

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Foreground:
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9. How all the different parts of a painting are arranged, is called the

         

Composition:
(noun) The "composition" of a painting (or a drawing) is the way in which the different elements of it are combined or arranged on the canvas. There are certain rules for where you place the objects of the painting in relation to one another and in the painting in general. If someone thinks that a painting has a good composition, they will say that it is "balanced".

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Composition:
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Now you've done this, I would recommend that you do the second part of this exercise to learn the vocabulary for describing the different types and styles of paintings.



Practice

Now that you understand the meaning of the words/phrases and when to use them, practise using them by creating your own sentences with them in English. Also click on the icon next to each correct answer and listen how each is pronounced correctly.