A-Z Guide on Spanish Art Words

This lesson of art in Spanish will really be a game changer whether you are traveling abroad, acquiring a hobby at home or chatting with your art-minded friends. Even if you are an art and Spanish principiante or beginner, you can learn from both at the same time! Immerse yourself in the beautiful and infinite world of art in Spanish with this guide and remember: these words aren’t exclusive of the art scene. So give your Spanish vocabulary a splash of color and don’t worry about making mistakes! Because in the words of painter Bob Ross, they are only happy accidents.

¡Hagámoslo!
Let’s do it!

Art as a Universal Language

Art is a unique way of communicating through the blending of creative skills and human emotion. That’s why they say art is a universal language. It transmits others’ point of views evoking beauty, sadness, melancholy, hope and all kinds of human emotions, even empathy. The artists’ motives can vary from simply capturing the moment to fully blown catharsis. Somehow, art reminds us we are human and that we are capable of emotions beyond our own experience. It brings us together.

All forms of art -sculpting, painting, writing, acting, drawing, designing, composing, dancing- are prominent in Latin America and Spain. Its richness derives from the cultural mixture of Spanish heritage (explained partially by Arabic and pre-hispanic American influences) and the economic and political climates. 

It is important to know Spanish art words to broaden your vocabulary, culture and communicating skills. This is a great way of approaching others’ way of life, customs and traditions.

A-Z Guide on Spanish Art Words

This A-Z guide on Spanish art words includes several disciplines in which mortals have aspired to transcend. Dive in to find out how many are there and how interesting the art scene can be.

A

Actor: Actor. Someone that acts on movies, on stage or TV impersonating different characters.

Abstracto: Abstract. Something that is just an idea, nothing concrete or physical.

Acuarela: Watercolor. Painting technique where color pigments dissolve in water.

Arte: Art. Expression of emotions through diverse human disciplines.

Artista: Artist. A person that creates art.

B

Baile: Dance. The art of moving to music.

Boceto: Sketch. Rough draft of a drawing or painting.

Bronce: Bronze. Metal alloy of tin and copper.

Brocha: Brush. Painting instrument made of a handle and a block of bristles or hair. 

C

Caballete: Easel. Wooden frame that supports a painting in the making.

Cámara: Camera. A device that records visual images.

Carbón: Charcoal. Residual carbon used to draw.

Creatividad: Creativity. Creating art with original ideas and imagination.

Conceptual: Conceptual. Type of art where its significance is more important than the piece itself.

D

Decorar: Decorate. Making a piece or place more attractive by changing its attributes or items.

Dibujar: To draw. Creating images with pencil, pen, or other instruments.

Dibujo: Drawing. The art of making drawings.

Dirección: Direction. Guidance of a director in the art of theatre or cinema.

Documental: Documentary film. A piece transmitted on media that reports something factual.

E

Escenario: Stage. Platform on which artists perform.

Escritor: Writer. An artist that writes a piece in a specific style.

Escultor: Sculptor. Person that creates plastic art.

Escultura: Sculpture. Piece of art made by a sculptor. Normally three-dimensional.

Estatua: Statue. Life-size figure that is carved out of a variety of materials such as marble and metal.

Exhibición: Exhibition. A public display in a museum or gallery involving pieces of art in which an artist shows his or her skills.

F

Figurativo: Figurative. Something that is metaphorical, not literal.

Filme: Film. A movie or motion picture.

Fotografía: Photography. The art of taking photographs.

Fotógrafo: Photographer. Person that takes photographs for a living.

G

Galería: Gallery. Place that displays and/or sales art pieces.

Género: Genre. Artistic category that shares similar elements across all art forms.

Geometría: Geometry. Shapes and figures that belong to specific geometric systems.

Grabado: Engraved. The process of carving designs or letters out of a variety of solid materials.

Guión: Script. Dialogues or any text written for a movie, play or screenplay.

H

Héroe: Hero. Idealized character of a story for his or her qualities, aptitudes and achievements. 

Hipérbaton. Hyperbaton. Phrases or words that are grammatically mislocated in a sentence. 

Hipérbole. Hyperbole. Claims that are exaggerated and do not have the intention of being taken seriously.

Hiperrealismo: Hyperrealism. Realism taken to the extreme. Paintings look like photographs and plastic structures are real life like. 

Historieta. Comic strip. Story books that rely principally on drawings.

Homérico: Homeric. Epic styled art.

I

Iconografía: Iconography. Symbols used in artwork.

Imagen: Image. A visual artistic representation.

Ilustración: Illustration. Drawing that serves as an example.

Ilustrador: Illustrator. Person that draws for living. 

Ilustrativo: Illustrative. Something that explains or exemplifies.

Incrustación: Incrustation. The action of inserting an individual piece in a wall or artwork.

J

Jaspeado: Marbled. Natural patterns or streaks on a canvas, wall or art material.

Jerga: Jargon. Specific expressions or words used by a demographic.

Jónico: Ionic. Classic Greek architecture style.

Junta: Joint. A point where two structures overlap or join.

K

Kitsch: Kitsch. Poor taste in art due to excessive ornamentation, appreciated ironically.

L

Lápiz: Pencil. Drawing or writing instruments made of wood and graphite.

Largometraje: Feature Film. Full length movie.

Leyenda: Legend. A folk story that can’t be verified.

Lienzo: Canvas. Cloth used as the base of oil paintings.

Literatura: Literature. Published writings or essays that are considered art.

M

Mármol: Marble. Striked stone used for carving out statues and in architecture.

Movimiento: Movement. In art, progressive action or development.

Musa: Muse. A person or thing that is considered a source of inspiration.

Museo: Museum. Building that displays any kind of artwork.

Muralismo: Muralism. Mural art. Life-like or larger forms of paint created over murals or building walls.

N

Narrador: Narrator. In literature, theatres or movies, an almost always invisible character that delivers lines to help you understand a play, its setting or anything indispensable that the reader or spectator wouldn’t know any other way. 

Narrativo: Narrative. Written or spoken sets of events that are linked.

Neoclasicismo: Neoclassicism. Classic art styles brought back.

Nostalgia: Longing. A sad feeling of a joyful thought or memory. It can be evoked in art pieces.

Novela: Novel. Book written in prose that is fiction but could be real.

O

Objeto: Object. A thing to which a sentiment is directed.

Objetivismo: Objectivism. Unbiased opinion or inclination towards something.

Obertura: Overture. A music piece that opens an opera or play.

Óleo: Oil painting. Color oil-based pigments used to paint.

P

Paisajismo: Landscape painting. Countryside views represented in the art of painting.

Pintar: Paint. Color pigments used in a canvas to express art.

Pintura: Painting. Process of painting as a form of art.

Poema: Poem. Writing in verses that rhyme.

Q

Quijote: Quixote. Idealist character that takes the compliance of values to the extreme. Spanish art has a special pedestal for Don Quixote, it is one of the maximum exponents of literature in history.

Quijotesco: Quixotesque. Resembling the Quixote characteristics. A broad part of Spanish art is

Quinteto: Quintet. Five singers or musicians singing or playing together.

R

Realismo: Realism. The art form that represents things as they are in real life.

Retablo: Altarpiece. Wood painting placed behind an altar in a church. Some of the most notorious Spanish art elements in Latin America are the altarpieces. If they are part of large cities cathedrals, they normally are gold plated.

Retrato: Portrait. A drawing, sketch, or picture of a person.

Rima: Rhyme. Sentences with words that sound alike at the end of every verse.

S

Serigrafía: Serigraphy. Printed designs on fabric.

Sentimiento: Feeling. An emotion or reaction.

Sombra: Shadow. Dark shapes or shadows in a painting or picture.

Subasta: Auction. Good sold to the highest bidder publicly.

Surrealismo: Surrealism. Art movement that seeks the release of the subconscious mind. Spanish art had a big momentum when surrealism appeared in the pieces of Dalí and Buñuel.

T

Técnica: Technique. Ways of creating art referring to materials, pigments, and instruments.

Temática: Thematic. Belonging to a certain style or theme.

Terracota: Terracotta. Modeling earth-like material used to make art and ornaments.

Textil: Textile. Type of cloth or fabric.

Toma: Take. A filmed scene.

Trama: Plot. Chain of events of a movie, play, or novel.

U

Ucronía: Uchrony. Fictional timeline alternative to ours but seems to be historical.

Unísono: Unison. Any art performance that happens at the same time.

Utopía: Utopia. An imaginary place where everything is ideal and perfect.

V

Verso: Verse. A metrical line in a poem that rhymes with others.

Virtuoso: Virtuous. Someone with high value standards.

Virtud: Virtue. High moral qualities in a person.

Voz en off: Voice-over. Play, movie or broadcast narrations that do not display the speaker.

X

Xilófono: Xylophone. Musical instruments made of wood and played with mallets.

Y

Yeso: Plaster. Soft cement or sand mixture used to sculpt.

Yute: Jute. Rough stinged fabric used to woven matts and furniture.

Z

Zócalo: Socle. Column, statue, wall or bust cement foundation.

Zoomorfo: Zoomorphic. Animal-like attributes in humans or Gods in art.

Talk About Spanish Art

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