painting

paint·ing

noun \ˈpān-tiŋ\

Definition of PAINTING

1

: a product of painting; especially : a work produced through the art of painting

2

: the art or occupation of painting

Examples of PAINTING

1. They hung the painting in the living room.
2. The woman in that painting is my grandmother.
3. I like painting more than sculpture.
4. He is studying abstract painting.
5. She wants to devote all her time to painting.
6. The room is ready for painting.

First Known Use of PAINTING

13th century

Related to PAINTING

Synonyms

canvas (also canvass), oil, oil painting

Related Words

fresco, mural, panorama; diptych, triptych; acrylic, aquarelle, gouache, watercolor; distemper, drawing, etching, finger painting, pastel, sketch, tempera; masterpiece; pièce de résistance, showpiece

painting

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Art consisting of representational, imaginative, or abstract designs produced by application of coloured paints to a two-dimensional, prepared, flat surface. The elements of design (i.e., line, colour, tone, texture) are used in various ways to produce sensations of volume, space, movement, and light. The range of media (e.g., tempera, fresco, oil, watercolour, ink, gouache, encaustic, casein) and the choice of a particular form (e.g., mural, easel, panel, miniature, illuminated manuscript, scroll, screen, fan) combine to realize a unique visual image. Painting as an art form dates back to prehistoric cave paintings. The early cultural traditions of tribes, religions, guilds, royal courts, and states controlled the craft, form, imagery, and subject matter of painting and determined its function (e.g., ritualistic, devotional, decorative). Painters were considered skilled artisans rather than creative artists until eventually, in East Asia and Renaissance Europe, the fine artist emerged with the social status of a scholar and courtier. Fine artists signed their work and decided its design and often its subject and imagery. Over time painters have increasingly gained the freedom to invent their own visual language and to experiment with new forms and unconventional materials and techniques. In the early 20th century painters began to experiment with nonrepresentational art in which formal qualities such as line, colour, and form were explored rather than subject matter. Throughout the century styles vacillated between representational and nonrepresentational painting. In the late 20th century some critics forecast the “death of painting” in the face of new media such as video and intallation art, yet talented new artists repeatedly brought painting back to the centre of artistic production.