abstract
A term referring to art that does not attempt to depict recognizable scenes or objects, but instead uses color, form, or texture for expressive purposes

allegory
A representation of spiritual or abstract meaning through concrete or material forms; a symbolic narrative

attribute
An object closely associated with or belonging to a specific person, thing, or office (a crown or scepter is the attribute of power); often an object used for identification in painting or sculpture

avant-garde
From the French for "advanced guard"; artists, works of art, or movements–whether visual, literary, or musical–considered to be unconventional or experimental and thus ahead of their time

botanist
A person who is skilled in the science of plants or the branch of biology that deals with plants

The Century of Progress
World’s Fair held in Chicago in 1933-34

Classical
Of or having characteristics of antiquity or ancient Greek or Roman cultures

classify
arrange or organize by classes; order according to class

commission
To order works of art to be made

composition
The organizing principle or the organization of the design elements of a painting

Cubism
Art movement (c. 1908-1920) led by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque that took up Paul Cézanne’s search for the basic geometry, or structure, of nature’s forms in order to represent fully on a flat surface what the artist saw in three dimensions

Federal Art Project (FAP)
A relief project instituted by the United States government in 1935 and continuing through 1943 with the purpose of employing artists who had been affected by the Great Depression to decorate public buildings with art

flora
the plants of a particular region or period; plants, as distinguished from fauna (animals)

fresco
The art of painting by covering fresh plaster with earth colors dissolved in water

frieze
A continuous band of painted or sculptural ornamentation

generic
referring to all the members of a class or group; general

Gettysburg Address
The short speech made during the Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863 at the dedication of the national cemetery at Gettysburg, the site for the burial of soldiers killed in the war

Great Depression
The period of drastic economic decline following the stock market crash of October 1929 and continuing until about 1940. It was characterized by decreasing business activity and high rates of unemployment

Haymarket Affair
A riot in Chicago’s Haymarket Square in 1886 between labor and unionists resulting in eight dead and many injured; a group of eight German American anarchists were convicted of murder. Four of the anarchists were hanged, one committed suicide, and the other three were pardoned by Governor John Altgeld in 1893

Illinois Art Project (IAP)
The regional division of the Works Progress/Projects Administration (WPA)/Federal Art Project; a work relief program for artists sponsored by the federal government

lunettes
Any object, such as a painting or sculpture, of a crescentlike or semicircular form

mural
From the French word for "wall" (mur), a mural is a painting created for walls or ceilings. Known at least as early as Egyptian times, murals can be found both in–and outside–buildings.

narrative
A story or description of real or imaginary events

palette
The range of colors used by a particular artist or in a particular artwork

Prairie School of Architecture
An early twentieth-century architectural style in America exemplified by low-lying "prairie houses"; the most prominent architects working in this style were Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Burley Griffin, and George Grant Elmslie

prodigy
a person having extraordinary talent or ability

Progressive Era
An early twentieth-century reform movement that grew out of Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressive Party (1912); the era was marked by a renewed emphasis on social and educational reform

renderings
architectural drawings

vignettes
A small picture or literary sketch

Works Progress/Projects Administration (WPA)
Relief program created in 1935 under Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency; the WPA included the Federal Art Project, the Federal Theater Project, the Federal Writer’s Project, and the Federal Music Project, all of which offered employment to critics, actors, writers and musicians