Our goal with every episode is to break down fancy art talk, provide links to everything discussed, and share some additional reading we found that was inspired by our conversation.

Abstract (art), Denoting an idea, quality, or state rather than a concrete object; an image devoid of concrete representation.

Abstract Expressionism, Abstract art movement originating in 1940s-‘50s New York that aimed at subjective emotional expression with particular emphasis on creative, spontaneous action.

Allan Kaprow, American painter and writer(1927-2006) credited for helping establish the theoretical basis for performance art, such as the “Environment” and the “Happening.”

(Art) Movement, A development in art instigated by a group of like-minded people working to advance their shared ideas about style, technique or purpose.

Avant-garde, French word for “before the vanguard,” and used in art to describe work that is experimental, radical or unorthodox.

Barnett Newman, American painter (1905-1970) and seminal figure in color-field painting, known for juxtaposing large blocks of uniform color with narrow marginal strips of contrasting colors.

Baroque, Denoting a style of European art of the 17th and 18th centuries characterized by ornate detail and strong contrast.

Branden Joseph, Frank Gallipoli Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University, author of books on Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, John Cage, Diane Arbus, and others.

Centre Pompidou, Centre Pompidou national d’art et de culture Georges-Pompidou, complex building in the Beaubourg area of Paris, France, which houses France’s National Museum of Modern art, its Public Information library, and the IRCAM, a center for music and acoustic research.

Conceptual (art), Art for which the idea behind the work is more important than the finished product, emerged in the 1960s and still applied today.

Contemporary (art), Living or occurring at the same time, applied variably to art from 1959/60 to present.

Cubism, Early 20th century art movement characterized by simple geometric shapes, interlocking planes, and later, collage.

Dada, Early 20th century movement in art, literature, music, and film, (est. 1916 in Zurich by Tristan Tzara and others) which mocked artistic and social conventions, and emphasized the illogical and the absurd.

De Kooning, Willem de Kooning (1904-1997), Dutch-born US painter and leading proponent of abstract expressionism, known for his highly emotional works which often retained figural elements, especially the female form.

documenta, Exhibition of contemporary art which takes place in Kassel, Germany every 5 years, est. 1955 by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode.

Donald Judd, American artist (1928-1994) whose works, mostly of sculpture, associated with Minimalism, seek autonomy and clarity for the constructed object and the space created by it.

Duchamp, Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968), French-American artist regarded as the pioneer of the Dada movement, champion of the readymade.

Fauvism, Early 20th century movement in painting (ca. 1905 Paris) characterized by vivid, non-naturalistic use of color, of which Henri Matisse regarded as leading figure.

Figurative, Representing forms that are recognizably derived from life.

Fluxus, International group of avant-garde artists in the 1960s and ‘70s who engaged in experimental art performances that emphasized the artistic process over the finished product.

George Brecht, American conceptual artist and avant-garde composer (1926-2008), key member of Fluxus and an originator of participatory art.

Grace Hartigan, American painter (1922-2008) known for her painterly, expressive treatment of subjects in popular culture, one of few successful female members of the Abstract Expressionist movement.

The Guggenheim, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, art museum in New York City exhibiting an expanding permanent collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, modern and contemporary art, est. 1937 and housed in iconic Frank Lloyd Wright spiral building.

Immersive (art), Deployed variably to describe an exhibit or work that appears to surround its viewer.

Impressionism, A movement of painting concerned with depicting the visual impression of the moment, especially shifting light and color. Originated in 1860s France and named after Claude Monet’s Impression Sunrise of 1872.

Interdisciplinarity, The quality of involving or drawing on two or more branches of knowledge.

Jackson Pollock, American painter (1912-1952), known for abstract, gestural works incorporating his novel ‘drip painting’ technique, credited as pioneer of the Abstract Expressionist movement.

Kandinsky, Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), Russian painter and theorist, pioneer of abstraction in western art.

Le Corbusier, Pseudonym used by Charles Jeanneret (1887-1965), Swiss-French architect, designer, and writer, pioneer of what is now regarded as modern architecture.

Lee Krasner, American painter (1908-1984) known for her emotionally charged, geometric works which often included elements of collage, one of few successful female members of the Abstract Expressionist movement and wife to painter Jackson Pollock.

The Louvre, Principal museum and art gallery in France, formerly a royal palace but established as a museum by the National Assembly during the French Revolution, home to some of the West’s greatest masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.

Malevich, Kazimir Malevich (1878-1935), Russian painter and designer whose geometric, restrained works form the basis of the Suprematist art movement.

Minimalism (art), Art movement originating in the 1950s that aims to use simple units of form like lines, shapes, or single words or sounds rather than representative or complex images or scores.

Modern (art), Suggests a departure from tradition, applied variable from art from ~1789 (French Revolution) to the 1960s.

MoMA, The Museum of Modern Art in New York City, home to one of the largest and most influential collections of modern and contemporary art in the world, est. 1929.

Mondrian, Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), Dutch painter and founder of the De Stijl movement, early champion of strict geometrical abstract painting.

MACBA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Barcelona, large contemporary art museum in the heart of Barcelona, Spain, est. 1995.

Nan Jun Pike, Korean multi-media artist (1932-2006), member of Fluxus and considered the founder of video art.

Neo-, Prefix meaning new or revived.

Neo-Dada, Artistic and literary movement which sought to expand upon Dada sensibilities of playfulness, iconoclasm, appropriation, and the merging of art and daily life, flourished in 1960s New York.

Neo-Impressionism , Late 19th century movement in French painting which sought to improve upon Impressionism through a systematic approach to form and color, associated most closely with the pointillist technique of artists like Georges Seurat, Paul Signac and Camille Pissarro.

Participatory (art), Art that can only be experienced by the active involvement of the viewer, est. in 1960s New York by members of Fluxus.

Performance & Performativity (in art), Relating to or including dramatic or artistic action for an audience, involving human or mechanic actors.

Readymade (art), Art created from undisguised, but often modified, items or products that are not normally considered materials from which art is made, often because they already have a non-art function. Popularized by Cubist and Dada artists like Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp.

Renaissance (art), European revival of art and literature under the influence of classical Greek and Roman models in the 14th – 16th centuries.

Robert Morris, American sculptor, conceptual artist and writer (1931-2018), and one of the most prominent theorists of Minimalism.

Romanticism, 18th century European artistic and literary movement emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the precedence of the individual.

Score, A written representation of a musical composition showing all the vocal and instrumental parts in the arrangement, one below the other.

Simone Forti, Italian-American artist (b. 1935) who works primarily in dance, writing and choreography, early member of Fluxus movement and innovator in postmodern dance construction.

Suprematism, Russian abstract art movement (est. 1915 by Kazimir Malevich) characterized by simple geometric shapes and associated with ideas of spiritual purity.