Art Glossary: Painting

Self-Portrait with Easel Painting by Vincent van Gogh
Self-Portrait with Easel Painting by Vincent van Gogh. Photo © Oli Scarff/Getty Images
By
Marion Boddy-Evans
Marion Boddy-Evans
Marion Boddy-Evans is an artist living on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. She has written for art magazines blogs, edited how-to art titles, and co-authored travel books.
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Updated on 03/06/17

Definition:

A painting is an image (artwork) created using pigments (color) on a surface (ground) such as paper or canvas. The pigment may be in a wet form, such as paint, or a dry form, such as pastels.

Painting can also be a verb, the action of creating such an artwork.

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