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Art & Art History vocabulary · Describing & Interpreting Art

Juxtapose

Meaning in art & art history, with examples

/ˈdʒʌkstəpoʊz/verbAdvanced term

In art & art history, juxtapose means: To place two or more different things side by side so that their differences or connections become clear.

In Turkish: yan yana koymak, karşı karşıya getirmek, bir araya getirmek

How it is used

A favourite verb of curators and critics: an exhibition juxtaposes ancient and contemporary works; a collage juxtaposes unrelated images. The noun juxtaposition is just as common: a striking juxtaposition.

Example sentences

  1. The exhibition juxtaposes Ottoman calligraphy with contemporary graphic design.

  2. Surrealist collages juxtapose objects that would never normally appear together.

Common collocations

  • juxtapose X with Y
  • striking juxtaposition
  • deliberately juxtaposed
  • juxtapose images
  • compositionThe way the parts of an artwork, such as figures, shapes, colours and empty spaces, are arranged within the picture or space.
  • contrastA strong difference between two parts of an artwork, such as light and dark, warm and cool colours, or rough and smooth surfaces.
  • curateTo select, organise and present artworks for an exhibition, collection or event, deciding on the theme, the order and how the works are displayed.
  • SurrealismAn art and literary movement launched in Paris in 1924 by André Breton, which explored dreams, the unconscious and strange combinations of images.

More terms: Describing & Interpreting Art

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