Guyla - A Glossary of Art Terminology

Ugly: Unsightly; displeasing to the eye; repulsive or offensive; hideous; objectionable. Bad. The opposite of beautiful.

Ultramarine: Blue pigment originally made from ground lapis lazuli. French ultramarine is an artificial substitute.

Underdrawing: Drawing preliminary to other work, and incorporated into it, thus deprived of independent artistic value.

Underpainting: The layer or layers of color on a painting surface applied before the overpainting, or final coat. There are many types of underpainting. One type is an all-over tinting of a white ground, or using a monochrome or dead color as a base for composition. Another is a blocked out image in diluted oil paints that serves as a guide for the painter while developing the composition and color effects. Also known as laying in.

Undertone: The property of a color that can be seen when it is mixed with a large amount of white into a tint or spread very thin on a surface such as a watercolor wash. The stronger the undertone, the more pigment in the paint.

Unique: One of a kind, an original.

Unity: The quality of wholeness or oneness that is achieved through the effective use of the elements and principles of design. Often it is realized through a deliberate or intuitive balancing of harmony and variety. However, this balance does not have to be of equal proportions. Harmony might outweigh variety, or variety might outweigh harmony. Harmony aids efforts to blend picture parts together to form a whole. Variety adds visual interest to this unified whole.

Unpack: In art criticism, the act of revealing hidden layers of meaning, as if removing the contents of a suitcase. A synonym for analyze or deconstruct.

Upholster, Upholsterer and Upholstery: In making furniture, to upholster is to attach stuffing, springs, cushions, and covering fabric - these materials often referred to as upholstery. A person who applies this craft or trade is an upholsterer.

Urushi-e: In Japanese art, a print with coloring thickened and made glossy with glue.

Ushabtis: Ancient Egyptian funerary figurines or statuettes, sometimes made of wood, stone, ceramic, and metal. They range in form from miniature versions of the standard coffins to shrine-shaped boxes holding from two to several hundred specimens. Some ushabtis have been found in extra-sepulchral contexts: pieces buried as votive offerings or as a medium for deceased's presence at places of special sanctity.

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