technique

arts

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architecture

In architecture: Expression of technique
The second aspect of content is the communication of the structural significance of materials and methods. Its purpose is to interpret the way in which architecture is put together. The characteristics of materials that are important in expressing design techniques are the properties of…
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drawing

In drawing: Tools and techniques
…on the basis of the techniques applied; not only does almost every technique have several applications but it can also be combined with other techniques, and the draftsperson’s temperament inevitably plays a role as well. Even if certain techniques predominate in certain periods, the selection of drawing mediums depends on…
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In drawing: Combinations of various techniques
The combination of various techniques plays a greater role in drawing than in all other art forms. Yet it is necessary, in the numerous drawings in which two or more mediums are involved, to distinguish between those in which the mediums…
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folk art

In folk art: Characteristic materials and techniques
The most easily distinguished characteristics of folk art as a whole relate to materials and techniques. Most commonly used were the natural substances that came readily to hand; thus, various materials that have little or no place in sophisticated art, such as straw, may…
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music

In musical performance: The Renaissance
Their discussions of tuning and technique supplied the needs of professional and nonprofessional musicians alike. There was a growing tendency to construct instruments in families (whole consorts of homogeneous timbre, high, middle, and low), a tendency perhaps related to recent expansion at both ends of the musical scale: with more…
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painting

In painting: Techniques and methods
Whether a painting reached completion by careful stages or was executed directly by a hit-or-miss alla prima method (in which pigments are laid on in a single application) was once largely determined by the ideals and established techniques of its cultural tradition.…
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Western arts

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Western arts

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Related Topics:: Western architecture; Western painting; Western sculpture; Western theatre; Western music

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Western arts, the literary, performing, and visual arts of Europe and regions that share a European cultural tradition, including the United States and Canada.

Diverse as the European continent is, the artistic traditions of its nations share many common traits. The antecedents of most European arts lie in the artistic production of ancient Greece and Rome. These bases were developed and spread throughout the continent with the advent of Christianity. In the late 15th century, European artistic styles began to spread to the New World, creating American and Canadian traditions that were intertwined with those of Europe. (Native American arts retained their own distinctive qualities, however; see arts, Native American.) At the turn of the 21st century, Western artistic production was often marked by its ability to cross national boundaries in style and message, although elements of national traditions were also retained.

Western arts are treated in a number of articles; see architecture, Western; dance, Western; music, Western; painting, Western; sculpture, Western; theatre, Western; and Western literature. Specific forms of dance are treated in separate articles, such as ballet and waltz. Literatures of specific nations are covered in separate articles—e.g., English literature, American literature, and French literature.

See also articles on individual countries (e.g., Germany).