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Art & Art History vocabulary · Describing & Interpreting Art

Style

Meaning in art & art history, with examples

/staɪl/nounCore term

In art & art history, style means: The particular way an artwork looks that links it to an artist, a group, a place or a period, shown in its forms, colours, technique and subjects.

In Turkish: üslup, stil, tarz

How it is used

Used constantly in art history: an artist develops a personal style; a work is in the style of Rembrandt or typical of the Baroque style. Experts compare styles to date works and to decide who made them. The adjective is stylistic.

Example sentences

  1. Her style changed completely after she moved to Paris.

  2. The painting is not by Rembrandt himself but in the style of Rembrandt.

Common collocations

  • personal style
  • in the style of
  • develop a style
  • period style
  • stylistic features
  • art movementA group of artists who share similar ideas, aims or styles during a particular period, and the art they produce, such as Impressionism or Cubism.
  • attributeTo say that a work was made by a particular artist, place or period, based on evidence such as style, documents or scientific tests.
  • brushstrokeA single mark made by a paintbrush, or the visible way an artist puts on paint; it can be smooth and hidden or thick and expressive.
  • oeuvreThe complete body of work an artist produced during their life, considered as a whole.

More terms: Describing & Interpreting Art

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