Glossary of Art Terms - L

Landscape

Landscape art is the depiction of scenery in landscape painting, with less emphasis on Figures or objects.

Linear Perspective

A method of depicting three-dimensional depth on a flat or two-dimensional surface. Linear perspective has two main precepts: 1. Forms that are meant to be perceived as faraway from the viewer are made smaller than those meant to be seen as close. 2. Parallel lines receding into the distance converge at a point on the horizon line known as the vanishing point.

Linocut

Linocut is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum (sometimes mounted on a wooden block) is used for the relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, with the raised (uncarved) areas representing a reversal (mirror image) of the parts to show printed. The cut areas can then be pulled from the backing. The linoleum sheet is inked with a roller (called a brayer), and then impressed onto paper or fabric. The actual printing can be done by hand or with a press.

Lithographs

This is a photographic processes, using flexible aluminum or plastic printing plates instead of stone tablets. (Rather than pressing the images onto paper) Modern printing plates have a brushed or roughened texture and are covered with a photosensitive emulsion. A photographic negative of the desired image is placed in contact with the emulsion and the plate is exposed to light. After development, the emulsion shows a reverse of the negative image, which is thus a duplicate of the original (positive) image. The image on the plate emulsion can also be created through direct laser imaging in a CTP (Computer-To-Plate) device called a platesetter. The positive image is the emulsion that remains after imaging. For many years, chemicals have been used to remove the non-image emulsion, but now plates are available that do not require chemical processing.

Luminosity

A quality seen in some paintings of a glow coming from within, the illusion that there is actually a light coming out of the picture.