Glossary of Art Specific Terms
We use a bunch of art specific terms on the website which you may or may not be familiar with the definitions. While you can look these terms up on Google, we wanted to give you a quick glossary to define the terms as we use them.
Catalogue Raisonné
A comprehensive, descriptive catalog of all Miriam McClung’s known works of art with explanations, history and comments. This includes works sold, donated, gifted, lost and destroyed. View Miriam’s online catalogue raisonné here and contact us if you have information on a piece that needs to be corrected, updated or added.
Condition Ratings
EXCELLENT: Original condition with little or no sign of use.
GOOD: Some minor signs of wear but physically sound.
FAIR: Minor damage to the work with some losses or deterioration. More aesthetic than physical.
POOR: Wear, damage, deterioration and loss to a large portions of the work.
VERY POOR: Extremely deteriorated, weakened condition with very extensive loss/damage which greatly impacts the integrity of the work.
UNKNOWN: The work may be lost or in the custody of someone and an assessment has not been performed.
NOT ASSESSED: We have not yet had an opportunity to make a proper assesment of the condition of this work.
NOT APPLICABLE: We do not and will not assess reproductions.
Conservation
Art conservation is the principles and practices of examining, documenting and treatment of art for preservation and restoration. We do not generally conserve artwork but instead recommend any treatment be done by a trained conservator in your city.
Gallery Wrap
Giclée Printing
Giclée is a French word used to describe the high quality, high resolution, fade resistant, archival inkjet printing process that is used for all Miriam McClung artwork reproductions on canvas.
A giclée print is a digital inkjet print. It is made using a combination of pigmented inks and archival substrates (paper/canvas).
The inkjet printer literally blends the colored inks as it prints to produce seamless, highly detailed prints of stunning color and detail.
A giclée should not fade for a minimum of eighty years!
You can read a detailed explanation here.
Provenance
Provenance is the chronology of the ownership, sale, transfer or custody of a work of art. Miriam’s art provenance after 2017 consists of documentation to include Certificate of Authenticity and an Artist Reserved Right Transfer and Sale Agreement. Works sold prior to 2017 are listed in her catalogue raisonné.
Reproductions
A reproduction is a copy of an original work of art. The original work is photographed and reproduced a substrate (paper or canvas) by a variety of printing methods. Some reproductions are limited edition while others are not. Miriam’s reproductions are marked clearly on the store as reproductions and do not come with a certificate of authenticity. Reproductions are much less expensive than the original and a print.
Prints
Unlike reproductions which are always some form of photomechanical copy of the work, prints are always considered original works of art. Prints (such as a woodcut or block print, etching, silkscreen, lithograph, etc.) are intended for graphic reproduction and produced under the supervision of the artist who designed it. They are almost always done in small runs or editions by the artist. Miriam has several prints in her catalogue and store and they will be marked as such.