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... (cont.)
  • materials... (cont.)
    • gold
      • Light, §2: Pictorial representation of light
    • gold leaf
      • Japan, §VI, 1(iii): Painting materials and techniques: Application of paint
    • grounds
      • Ground, §1: Function
    • hands
      • Prehistoric Europe, §II, 2(iii)(b): Palaeolithic cave and rock art: Painting
    • inscriptions
      • China, §V, 3(i)(a): Buddhist wall paintings
    • paper
      • Paper, §V, 1: Uses: Drawing and painting
    • parchment
      • Parchment
      • Parchment, §2: History and use
    • pigments
      • Early Christian and Byzantine art, §VI, 1(ii): Icons: Techniques and centres of production
      • Japan, §VI, 2(ii): Protohistoric painting: Materials and techniques
      • Japan, §XV, 2(i): Folk art: Pilgrimage mandalas
    • plastic
      • Plastic, §2(ii): Uses: Painting
    • projectors
      • Photography, §II, 5: Photography and fine art
    • silk
      • Japan, §VI, 1(i): Painting supports
    • tempera
      • Deutsch: (1) Niklaus Manuel Deutsch I
    • varnishes
      • Varnish, §2: Uses
    • waxes
      • Wax, §II, 2: Painting
  • restoration
    • Secco-Suardo, Giovanni
  • schools see COLLECTIONS -> types -> classified; SCHOOLS OF PAINTING
  • status
    • Academy, §1: Origins and early development
    • Allegory of art
    • Allegory of art, §2: Enhancing the status of painting
  • technical examination
    • Authenticity
    • Technical examination, §II, 3: X-ray radiography
    • Technical examination, §IV, 1: Microscopy: Optical
    • Technical examination, §V, 4: Electron-probe microanalysis
    • Technical examination, §VIII, 6: Raw materials, production techniques and authenticity: Paintings
  • techniques
    • alla prima
      • Manet, Edouard, §1(v): Life and work, 1879–83
      • Manet, Edouard, §2(i): Technique: Painting
    • cartoons (drawings)
      • Cartoon, §1: Technique
    • dead colouring
      • Dead colouring
    • frottis see FROTTIS
    • gilding
      • Gilding, §II, 1: Uses: Painting
    • laying in see dead colouring
    • punching
      • Punch
    • relining
      • Relining
    • spatter painting
      • Sweden, §V, 2: Interior decoration, 1760–1820
    • stippling
      • Chiaroscuro
    • transfer (conservation)
      • Transfer, §1: History and uses
      • Transfer, §2: Techniques
  • theories see under THEORIES
  • types
    • action see ACTION PAINTING
    • allegorical
      • Austria: Baroque
        • Allegory, §V: Baroque
        • Carlone (ii): (8) Carlo Innocenzo Carlone
        • Strudel: (2) Peter Strudel
      • Austria: Expressionism
        • Schiele, Egon, §1(iii): Mature work, 1912–18
      • Austria: Jugendstil
        • Klimt, Gustav, §1: Life and work
      • Belgium
        • Allegory of art, §3: Kunstkammern
      • Belgium: Baroque
        • Janssen, Abraham, §1(ii): Rivalry with Rubens, c 1608 and after
        • Jordaens, Jacob, §2(i)(a): Paintings: History subjects
      • Belgium: Mannerism
        • Metsys: (2) Jan Massys, §2: Work
      • Belgium: Renaissance
        • Bruegel: (1) Pieter Bruegel I, §II, 1(i): Paintings, 1553–60
        • Bruegel: (1) Pieter Bruegel I, §II, 1(ii): Paintings, 1561–4
        • Bruegel: (1) Pieter Bruegel I, §II, 1(iii): Paintings, 1565–9
        • Bruegel: (1) Pieter Bruegel I, §II, 2: Drawings and prints
        • Floris: (2) Frans Floris I, §1: Life and work
      • Belgium: 16th cent.
        • Pourbus: (1) Pieter Pourbus
      • Belgium: 17th cent.
        • Bruegel: (2) Pieter Brueghel II
        • Kessel, van: (2) Jan van Kessel II
        • Vos, de (i): (1) Cornelis de Vos, §1(iv): Life and work, 1631–6
      • Croatia
        • Croatia, §III, 2: Painting, graphic arts and sculpture, 1800 and after
      • Czech Republic
        • Aachen, Hans von, §2(ii): History and genre paintings
        • Spranger, Bartholomäus, §2(i): Work at the court of Rudolf II: Paintings
      • England: Baroque
        • Ricci (i): (1) Sebastiano Ricci, §1(iv): England and France, 1712–16
        • Ricci (i): (1) Sebastiano Ricci, §1(v): Last works, 1717–34
      • England: Pre-Raphaelitism
        • Burne-Jones, Edward, §1(iii): Maturity and late work, 1870–98
        • Hunt, William Holman, §1(i): Early career and Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
        • Hunt, William Holman, §1(ii): Travels to the Near East and later career
      • England: 16th cent.
        • Iconoclasm, §2(ii): Western
      • England: 19th cent.
        • Watts, G. F.
      • England: 20th cent.
        • Spencer, Stanley, §1: Life and work
      • France: Baroque
        • Blanchard: (1) Jacques Blanchard
      • France: Fauvism
        • Matisse, Henri, §3: The Fauvist period, 1904–6
      • France: Neo-classicism
        • Classicism, §6: 19th century
        • Vien, Joseph-Marie, §1: Early career, to 1775
      • France: Realism
        • Courbet, Gustave, §I, 2: The Realist debate: Peasant and modern `history’ pictures, 1849–55
      • France: Rococo
        • France, §III, 4(i): Painting & graphic arts, c 1715–c 1814: Rise of the Rococo
        • Lemoyne, François
      • France: Romanticism
        • Allegory, §VI: Romanticism, Realism and decline
        • Iconographic programmes, §3: From c 1550
      • France: Symbolism (movement)
        • Carrière, Eugène
      • France: 19th cent.
        • Mayer, Constance
      • Germany: Expressionism
        • Beckmann, Max, §1(iii): From c 1932
      • Germany: Renaissance
        • Cranach: (1) Lucas Cranach I, §I, 2(ii): Nudes and mythological subjects, c 1520 and after
      • Germany: Rococo
        • Amigoni, Jacopo
      • Germany: Romanticism
        • Friedrich, Caspar David, §1: Life and work
        • Music and art, §3: 19th century
      • Germany: 16th cent.
        • Lemberger, Georg
      • Germany: 17th cent.
        • Venne, Adriaen van de, §1: Early training and Middelburg years, 1589–1624
      • Germany: 19th cent.
        • Overbeck, Friedrich, §2: Rome, 1810–30
        • Stuck, Franz von
      • Hungary
        • Derkovits, Gyula
      • Italy: Baroque
        • Giustiniani (i): (2) Vincenzo Giustiniani
        • Pellegrini, Giovanni Antonio, §3: Later works, 1713–41
        • Ricci (i): (1) Sebastiano Ricci, §1(iii): Venice, Vienna and Florence, 1696–1711
        • Scarsellino
        • Tiepolo: (1) Giambattista Tiepolo, §I, 5: Spain, 1762–70
      • Italy: Mannerism
        • Allegory, §IV, 1: Renaissance: Italy
        • Bronzino, Agnolo, §1(ii)(a): Court artist to Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, 1539–60
        • Titian, §I, 1: Training and early work, to 1515
        • Venice, §IV, 6(ii): Doge’s Palace: Painting and decoration
      • Italy: Renaissance
        • Botticelli, Sandro, §I, 1: Life and work, to c 1478
        • Botticelli, Sandro, §I, 2: Life and work, c 1478–90
        • Dossi: (1) Dosso Dossi, §1: Early works, to c 1522
        • Iconographic programmes, §2: c 1420–c 1550
        • Raphael, §I, 1(i): Paintings and drawings: Urbino, to 1504
        • Sarto, Andrea del, §1(ii): Life and work, 1511–18
        • Spalliera, §1: Function and arrangement
        • Vasari: (1) Giorgio Vasari, §I, 3(i): Years of maturity, 1553–74: Palazzo Vecchio
      • Italy: 14th cent.
        • Lorenzetti: (2) Ambrogio Lorenzetti, §1(ii): Life and work, after c 1337
        • Pacino di Bonaguida
      • Italy: 16th cent.
        • Fiammingo, Paolo
        • Palma: (1) Palma Vecchio
      • Italy: 17th cent.
        • Boulogne, Valentin de, §2: Works and stylistic development
        • Fetti, Domenico, §1(ii): Mantua, 1614–22
        • Mellin, Charles
      • Italy: 18th cent.
        • Ceccarini, Sebastiano
        • Subleyras, Pierre, §3: Last years, late 1746 to 1749, and posthumous reputation
      • Italy: 19th cent.
        • Palizzi: (1) Giuseppe Palizzi
        • Pellizza da Volpedo, Giuseppe, §2: Divisionism
        • Pellizza da Volpedo, Giuseppe, §3: Social themes and symbolism
      • Netherlands, the: Baroque
        • Flinck: (1) Govaert Flinck
        • Hoecke, Jan van den
        • Werff, Adriaen van der
      • Netherlands, the: Early Netherlandish style
        • Bosch, Hieronymus, §II, 2: Work and iconography: Moralizing
        • Bosch, Hieronymus, §II, 3: Work and iconography: Sources
      • Netherlands, the: 17th cent.
        • Iconography and iconology, §III, 2(iii): Analysis of symbolic meaning
      • Netherlands, the: 18th cent.
        • Leiden, §2: Art life and organization
      • Poland
        • Blocke van den: (3) Izaak van den Blocke
        • Malczewski, Jacek
        • Ruszczyc, Ferdynand
      • Portugal
        • Portugal, §III, 3: Painting and graphic arts, after c 1800
      • Russia
        • Larionov, Mikhail, §1(ii): Life and work, 1910–14
        • Vereshchagin, Vasily
      • Spain
        • González Velázquez: (3) Antonio González Velázquez
        • Pereda, Antonio de
      • Switzerland
        • Hodler, Ferdinand
        • Petrini, Giuseppe Antonio
      • United States of America
        • West, Benjamin, §1(iv): Later career, 1805–20, and reputation
    • all-over
      • All-over painting
      • see also drip
    • animal subjects see ANIMAL SUBJECTS
    • architectural
      • Architectural pictures
      • Architectural pictures, §1: Before c 1550
      • Architectural pictures, §2: c 1550–c 1700
      • Architectural pictures, §3: After c 1700
      • Façade decoration, §I, 5: Painting: Theory and criticism
      • Belgium
        • Architectural pictures, §2(ii): c 1550–c 1700: Flemish artists
        • Hospital, §2: Decoration
        • Vredeman de Vries, Hans, §2(iii): Paintings
      • Brazil
        • Tarsila
        • Volpi, Alfredo
      • China
        • China, §II, 5(ii)(a): Domestic architecture: Historical development
      • Denmark
        • Rørbye, Martinus
      • France: Impressionism
        • Monet, Claude, §1(iii)(a): Life and work, 1890s and after: Series paintings
      • France: Romanticism
        • Daguerre, Louis
      • France: Troubadour style
        • Granet, François-Marius
      • France: 18th cent.
        • Robert, Hubert, §2: Paris, 1765 and after
      • Germany
        • Blechen, Karl, §2: Later work
        • Holbein: (1) Hans Holbein (i), §1: Life and work
      • Italy
        • Rome, ancient, §II, 2(i)(e): Architecture in Rome and Italy: Trajan and Hadrian
      • Netherlands, the
        • Architectural pictures, §2(iii): c 1550–c 1700: Dutch artists
      • Netherlands, the: Post-Impressionism
        • Gogh, Vincent van, §1(iv): Saint-Rémy and Auvers-sur-Oise, 1889–90