Eight Essential Art Terms

Art lexicon is often daunting and dense. The words usually have roots in French or German, but even the simple(r) English ones are worthy of brushing up on. Learning the right terms is essential when attempting to analyze art—a builder has to have the right tools, after all. From “foreshortening” to “gestural,” Artsy has listed eight essential terms.

Muna Ileiwat: Baby

Hypnotic, methodic and measured, London-based Muna Ileiwat’s Baby is a slow-burning tune that builds beautifully—layer upon layer. With a sharp staccato rhythm at times, the song is balanced with Ileiwat’s smooth and seemingly effortless vocals.

Blood Orange: Charcoal Baby

Unsurprisingly, Blood Orange’s new track “Charcoal Baby” (from the album Negro Swan) is a sublime, atmospheric song that progresses with gentle beauty. The enthralling track—written by Blood Orange (aka Dev Hynes) and Porches’ Aaron Maine—sounds similar to the unconventional R&B of 2016’s Freetown Sound, with some jazzy horns and guitars. The Crack Stevens-directed video is a split-screen creation that reflects the song’s spoken-word introduction about …