Sam Francis

Untitled, 1984

106.7 X 73 inch

What is a Biennial?

What is a Biennial?

A Biennial is an art exhibition held every two years, typically on a large scale with international participants. The first and most famous example is the Venice Biennale, established in 1895 and held in the Giardini, a public park in Venice. Over time, the event has grown to include thirty permanent pavilions, each representing different countries. Biennials have become significant events in the contemporary art world, offering a platform for artists to showcase their work to a global audience.

Plate

A plate is a broad, primarily flat vessel used for serving food, but it can also serve ceremonial or decorative purposes. Plates are typically circular, though they can be any shape and made from various water-resistant materials. Most plates have raised edges, either by curving upward or featuring a wider lip. Vessels without a raised edge or with a more rounded profile are often considered bowls or dishes, while very large, plate-shaped vessels might also be classified as dishes.

Cubism

Cubism is an art movement that aimed to depict multiple perspectives of objects or figures within a single picture. Artists Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso pioneered this style around 1907. The name Cubism emerged from their use of geometric shapes and outlines that often resembled cubes, breaking objects down into abstracted forms.

Embossing

Embossing is a technique used to create raised designs or images on a surface, typically paper. Artists achieve this effect by altering the shape of the paper, often by pressing it from the reverse side using a template and a tool like a sanded dowel. The result is a design with multiple levels of depth, giving a three-dimensional appearance.

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