Although ‘acrylic’ has become a generic term for any synthetic paint medium, acrylics are a specific type of manmade polymer that has become standard in the commercial paint industry as well as widely used by artists from the mid-20th century; most synthetic paint media in contemporary artistic use are based on acrylic emulsions. Acrylics are thermoplastic, have great optical clarity and excellent light stability, good adhesion and elasticity and resist ultraviolet and chemical degradation. Their unique surface properties, transparency and brilliance of colour, together with the possibilities they offer for indeterminacy, immediacy, randomness and the ability to rework immediately and to achieve extremely thin or thick surfaces, are qualities that have been exploited fully by such painting movements as Abstract Expressionism in the 1950s, and, subsequently, colour field painting, hard-edge painting and Pop art.

• painting
  • Humanism, §3: Humanism and the visual arts
  • Indian subcontinent, §VI, 3(i)(c): Wall painting, 1st century BC–16th century AD: Himalaya
  • cleaning
    • Conservation and restoration, §I, 1: Processes and ethical considerations: Cleaning
    • Solvent
    • Varnish, §3: Conservation
  • collections see under COLLECTIONS -> types
  • conservation
    • Canvas, §3: Conservation
    • Conservation and restoration, §II, 2(i): Restoration techniques: Painting
    • Japan, §VI, 6: Painting conservation
    • Pettenkofer, Max von
    • China
      • Album, §1: East Asia
  • display
    • Collecting, §3: Paintings
    • Display of art
    • Display of art, §I, 1: Top- and sidelighting
    • Display of art, §II: Paintings
    • Light, §1: Introduction
    • Museum, §I, 2: Renaissance microcosms of the world
    • Portraiture, §III: Manufacture
    • Austria
      • Display of art, §II, 4: Paintings, after c 1870
      • Harrach
      • Museum, §I, 3: Egalitarianism and instruction
    • Belgium
      • Display of art, §II, 2: Paintings, c 1500–c 1700
      • Display of art, §III, 2(iv): Sculpture, c 1500–c 1700
    • England
      • Display of art, §II, 3(i): Paintings, c 1700–c 1870
      • Display of art, §II, 3(iii): Paintings, c 1700–c 1870
      • Exhibition, §2: c 1700–c 1850
    • France
      • Exhibition, §1: Before c 1700
      • Paris, §III, 4: Art life and organization, 1789–1814
    • Germany
      • Museum, §II, 1: Architecture, before 1850
    • Greece, ancient
      • Collecting, §1: Introduction
      • Display of art, §II, 1: Painting, before c 1500
    • Italy
      • Rome, §III, 6(ii): Art life and organization, 1701–1800: Patronage and collections
    • Japan
      • Japan, §VI, 4(ii)(b): Late Yamatoe painting: Screen, door and wall painting
      • Japan, §XV, 2(iii): Folk art: Otsue
    • see also hanging
  • education see under EDUCATION (ART) -> types
  • forms
    • acrylic
      • Aboriginal Australia
        • Aboriginal Australia, §IV, 1: Contemporary painting and drawing
      • Africa
        • Africa, §IX, 3(i): Art training and guidance: Francophone Africa
      • England
        • Caulfield, Patrick
      • Germany
        • Polke, Sigmar
      • Spain
        • Ràfols-Casamada, Albert
      • United States of America
        • Computer art
        • Los Angeles, §2(i): Art life
        • Warhol, Andy
    • bark
      • Aboriginal Australia, §II, 7(i): Bark painting: Techniques
      • Aboriginal Australia, §II, 7(ii): Bark painting: Early evidence
      • Aboriginal Australia, §II, 7: Bark painting
      • Aboriginal Australia, §II, 7(iii): Bark painting: Contemporary work
      • Aboriginal Australia, §III, 4: Western Arnhem Land
      • Aboriginal Australia, §III, 5: Eastern Arnhem Land
      • Erotic art, §I, 1: Ancient cultures
    • cave see CAVE ART
    • ceiling
      • Austria
        • Po, Giacomo del
        • Rauchmiller, Mathias
      • England
        • Kauffman, Angelica, §2: London, 1766–81
      • France
        • Durameau, Louis-Jacques
        • Le Sueur, Eustache, §1(ii): Early maturity and the `Severe’ style, c 1645–52
      • Indian subcontinent
        • Indian sub., §VI, 4(vii)(a): South Indian ptg styles, 14th–18th centuries: Vijayanagara
      • Italy
        • Bagnaia, Villa Lante
        • Baldini , Pietro Paolo
        • Medici, de’: (14) Cosimo I de’ Medici
        • Rome, §V, 24: Palazzo Barberini
        • Rome, ancient, §V, 2(i)(b): Painting in Italy: Post-Pompeian
        • Tassi, Agostino
        • Veronese, Paolo, §I, 2(i): Venice and Verona, 1553–60: Major decorative commissions
      • Scotland
        • Scotland, §III, 1: Painting and graphic arts, before 1700
        • Scotland, §V, 1: Interior decoration, before 1603
        • Scotland, §V, 2: Interior decoration, 1603–1790
    • door panel
      • Japan, §VI, 4(iv)(a): Late genre painting: Fuzokuga
      • Japan, §VI, 4(viii)(b): Late naturalistic painting of the Maruyama–Shijo school: Maruyama Okyo
      • Japan, §VI, 6(ii): Painting conservation: Mounting, preventive and restoration techniques
      • Kano: (11) Kano Tan’yu, §1: Life and career
    • easel
      • Easel
      • Easel painting
      • Mexico, §IV, 2(iv)(c): Easel painting during the Mexican Renaissance, 1920–c 1950
      • Still-life, §1: Origins: ancient Egypt and the Classical world
    • encaustic see ENCAUSTIC PAINTINGS
    • finger
      • Gao Qipei
    • floor
      • Bangladesh
        • Bangladesh, §6: Other arts
      • China
        • Huang Yongyu
      • Crete
        • Minoan, §I, 4(iii): Chronological overview: Late Minoan
      • Egypt, ancient
        • Egypt, ancient, §X, 2: Painting and drawing: Wall painting
      • Islamic
        • Islamic art, §II, 9(iii)(a): Architectural decoration: Painting, c AD 700–c 900
      • Rome, ancient
        • Rome, ancient, §V, 1(i)(a): Painting: Organization and setting
    • fresco see FRESCOES
    • glass
      • Diorama
      • Glass painting
      • Indonesia, §VII, 1(ii): Traditional painting and drawing: Bali
      • Belgium
        • Vellert, Dirk, §2(ii): Small-scale roundels and drawings
      • Indian subcontinent
        • Islamic art, §VIII, 6: Glass painting
      • Senegal
        • Senegal, §5: Glass painting
      • Switzerland
        • Murer, Christoph
    • gouache
      • Burra, Edward
      • World of Art
    • ink
      • Ink, §I, 1(i)(a): Writing and drawing in Asia
      • Ink, §II, 1(i): Uses in East Asia: Painting and calligraphy
      • Bangladesh
        • Bangladesh, §4: Painting
      • Buddhism
        • Hakuin Ekaku, §2(i): Early period, 1745–55
        • Japan, §II, 3(vi)(c): Varieties of Buddhism: Zen
        • Korea, §IV, 2(i)(d): Buddhist painting: Choson, 1392–1910
      • China
        • Japan, §VI, 4(iii): Ink painting in the Muromachi period
      • China: Ming period (1368-1644)
        • Li Zai
        • Lu Zhi
        • Sheng Maoye
        • Tang Yin
        • Xu Wei
      • China: Song period (AD 960-1279)
        • Ma Hezhi
        • Zhao Lingrang
      • China: 20th cent.
        • Huang Binhong
      • Japan
        • Ashikaga
        • Japan, §VI, 4(i)(a): Late painting: Muromachi period
        • Japan, §VI, 4(i)(b): Late painting: Momoyama period
        • Japan, §XIV, 3(i): Tea ceremony utensils: Types and functions
        • Japan, §XIX, 2: Patronage, 13th–16th centuries
      • Japan: Buddhism
        • Japan, §VI, 4(vii)(c): Late Zenga painting: `Eccentrics’
      • Japan: Muromachi period (1333-1568)
        • Japan, §VI, 4(iii)(a): Ink painting in the Muromachi period: Early practitioners
        • Japan, §VI, 4(iii)(e): Ink painting in the Muromachi period: Josetsu & Ashikaga cultural hegemony
        • Japan, §VI, 4(iii)(f): Ink painting in the Muromachi period: Shubun school and kaisho décor
        • Tensho Shubun, §2: Work and influence
      • Korea
        • Korea, §IV, 2(vi): Literati ink painting
        • Korea, §IV, 3: Painting: Modern developments
        • Yi Chong (i)
      • Korea: 15th cent.
        • Kang (ii): (1) Kang Hui-an
        • Korea, §IV, 2(iii): Bird-and-flower painting
      • Korea: 16th cent.
        • Kim (i): (1) Kim Che
      • Korea: 17th cent.
        • Kim Myong-guk
      • Neo-Confucianism
        • Japan, §II, 5: Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism
    • lorry
      • Afghanistan, §II, 3(ii): Painting and sculpture after c 1900
      • Antilles, Lesser, §II, 2: Afro-Caribbean cultures
      • Sierra Leone, §3: Painting and graphic arts
    • murals see MURALS
    • oil see OIL PAINTINGS
    • panel see PANEL PAINTINGS
    • panorama see PANORAMAS
    • sand
      • Labyrinth and maze, §4: Pre-Columbian labyrinth
      • Native North American art, §I, 3(ii): Religion: Ritual
      • Native North American art, §I, 4(iii): Iconography: Southwest
      • Native North American art, §IV, 1(iii)(b): Painting before European contact: Southwest
      • Native North American art, §IV, 1(iv)(a): Painting before European contact: Plains
    • screen
      • Buddhism
        • Japan, §VI, 3(i): Early Buddhist painting
      • China
        • Screen (ii), §1: East Asia
        • Scroll, §2(i): East Asia
      • Edo period (1600-1868)
        • Hasegawa Tohaku, §2: Work
        • Japan, §XI, 1(i)(b): Textiles: Dyeing and decoration
      • France
        • Screen (ii), §2: Western
      • Japan
        • Japan, §VI, 3(iii)(a): Early Yamatoe painting: Introduction
        • Japan, §VI, 3(iii)(c): Early Yamatoe screen, door and wall painting
        • Japan, §VI, 4(ii)(a): Late Yamatoe painting: Introduction
        • Japan, §VI, 4(v)(a): Rinpa painting: Kyoto, before 1644
        • Kano: (1) Kano Masanobu
      • Japan: Edo period (1600-1868)
        • Japan, §VI, 4(viii)(c): Late naturalistic painting of the Maruyama–Shijo school: Matsumura Goshun
        • Kano: (10) Kano Sansetsu
        • Osaka, §I, 3(i): Late 15th century and after: Urban development
      • Japan: Heian period (AD 794-1185)
        • Japan, §VI, 3(iii)(d): Early Yamatoe painting: Picture scrolls and books
      • Japan: Kano school
        • Japan, §VI, 4(vi)(a): Late foreign-influenced painting: Nanban screen painting
        • Kaiho Yusho
      • Japan: Momoyama period (1568-1600)
        • Kano: (5) Kano Eitoku, §3: After 1582
        • Kano: (8) Kano Sanraku, §1: Genre and bird-and-flower paintings
        • Kano: (8) Kano Sanraku, §2: Figure painting
      • Japan: Muromachi period (1333-1568)
        • Ami: (3) Shinso Soami
        • Sesson Shukei, §2: c 1560–89
      • Japan: Rinpa
        • Sakai Hoitsu
      • Japan: yofuga
        • Japan, §VI, 4(vi)(b): Painting: Late: Foreign-influenced painting: Yofuga : Jesuit influence
    • scroll
      • Bhutan, §IV: Painting
      • Zhu Da
      • Buddhism: China
        • Muqi
      • Buddhism: Japan
        • Buddhism, §III, 10(iii)(b): Japan, Pure Land
        • Japan, §VI, 3(i)(c): Buddhist painting: Kamakura period
        • Japan, §VI, 3(iii)(d): Early Yamatoe painting: Picture scrolls and books
        • Mounting, §2(ii): Japan and Korea
      • Buddhism: Korea
        • Korea, §IV, 2(i)(c): Buddhist painting: Koryo, 918–1392
      • Buddhism: Mongolia
        • Mongolia, §IV, 9(i): Religious painting
      • Buddhism: Nepal
        • Nepal, §V, 1(iii): Traditional painting: Painted scrolls
      • Buddhism: Tibet
        • Tibet, §IV, 3(i): Painting, mid-10th century to the 14th: Central
        • Tibet, §IV, 4: Painting, 15th century to mid-17th
        • Tibet, §IV, 5: Painting, mid-17th century to the 20th
      • Central Asia, Eastern
        • Central Asia, §II, 5(ii): Eastern: Book
      • China: Confucianism
        • Confucianism, §2(i): Heroic stage
      • China: Ming period (1368-1644)
        • China, §V, 3(vi)(e): Painting: Bamboo, plum and ink-flowers
        • Dong Qichang, §2: Later career, 1599–1636
        • Du Jin
        • Fu Shan
        • Qiu Ying
        • Wang Fu
        • Wu school
        • Wu Wei
        • Zhou Chen
      • China: Nanjing school