Research Guides: Graphic Arts: About

Drawing

About the Graphic Arts

The term 'graphic art' (a derivation from the German Graphik, originating from graphikos, the Greek for drawing) commonly denotes those forms of visual expression that depend for their effect on line and tone (disegno). The main classical type of graphic art is drawing, which includes cartoons, caricature, comic strips and animation, as well as line drawings and sketching with pencil or charcoal, and pen and ink. Graphic art also denotes those art forms involved in printmaking, such as etching and engraving, including drypoint. Postmodern forms include the word art of Christopher Wool (b.1955) - characterized by monumental black stencilled letters arranged on a geometric grid - and the conceptual graphic art of Barbara Kruger (b.1945).

Although always a type of visual art, graphic artworks can also (depending on the application) be classified as applied art (if design-oriented), or fine art (if stand-alone).

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