Art

Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh): overview, history, and status Republic of Artsakh A neutral overview of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh): its origins, demographics, political status, conflicts, and recent developments in the South Caucasus.

Reservoir: purpose, design, uses, and environmental effects Reservoir A reservoir is an engineered water body used to store and manage water supplies. This article explains what reservoirs are, how they are built, their main uses, and key environment…

Rhetoric: Art and Study of Persuasion Rhetoric Rhetoric is the study and practice of using language to inform, persuade, or move audiences. This article explains its principles, devices, history, applications, and ethical disti…

Riace Bronzes: Two Classical Greek Bronze Statues from Riace Marina Riace bronzes Two life-size 5th‑century BCE Greek bronze statues recovered off Riace Marina in 1972; celebrated for technical skill, inlaid eyes and polychrome metalwork, and for being rare inta…

Rijksmuseum — National Museum of the Netherlands Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is the Dutch national museum for art and history, founded in 1800. Its collection includes masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals, with about 8,00…

Road rage: causes, behaviors, consequences and prevention Road rage Road rage refers to aggressive or violent behavior by drivers that endangers others. This article explains typical behaviors, causes, legal consequences, prevention strategies and…

Roaring Twenties The Roaring Twenties (1920s) was a decade of rapid social, cultural, and economic change—marked by jazz, consumerism, Prohibition, modernist art, and ending with the 1929 crash.

Rock art: petroglyphs, pictographs, geoglyphs and stone arrangements Rock art Rock art encompasses human-made markings on natural stone—carvings, paintings, and arranged stones—found worldwide. This article explains types, methods, cultural meanings, dating…

Rococo: 18th-century ornamental style in art, interiors and design Rococo Rococo is an 18th-century decorative movement that began in France, noted for ornate, asymmetrical ornament, pastel colours, playful subjects and its influence on painting, interio…

Romantic ballet: origins, characteristics, and legacy Romantic ballet An overview of Romantic ballet: its origins in the early 19th century, defining features (pointe, ethereal tutus, supernatural themes), landmark works and lasting influence on clas…

Romanticism: an overview of the late 18th–19th century movement Romanticism Romanticism was a broad cultural movement that emphasized emotion, imagination, nature, and individual expression across art, literature, and music in the late 18th and early 19th…

Rose (color) Rose is a vivid hue between red and magenta, named after the rose flower; used in art, fashion, and design and distinguished from pink, magenta, and crimson.

Rose Tattoo (Australian hard rock band) Rose Tattoo Australian hard rock band formed in Sydney in 1976, noted for gritty slide-driven pub rock and the raspy vocals of Angry Anderson. Early records were produced by Harry Vanda and Ge…

Roy Lichtenstein: Pop Art, Technique, and Legacy Roy Lichtenstein Overview of Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997), American pop artist known for comic-book imagery, Benday-dot technique, major works, debates over appropriation, and enduring influence on…

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium Major Brussels art complex combining Old Masters, modern and fin-de-siècle collections and the leading Magritte collection, with works by Rubens, Bruegel, Ensor and other European…

Rubber duck Small duck-shaped bath toy, typically yellow, made from rubber or plastic. Used by children, collectors, and for cultural events; notable for its squeaker, historic development, sa…

Ruby (color) Ruby is a deep, vivid red evocative of the cut ruby gemstone; used in design, jewelry description, and cultural symbolism since the 16th century.

Sand castle A sand castle is a temporary structure made by shaping wet sand. It ranges from children’s play to detailed sand sculpture, with simple techniques, seasonal events, and an emphasis…

Sans serif typefaces: characteristics, history, and uses Sans serif Sans serif typefaces are letterforms without terminal strokes (serifs). Widely used in modern design, signage and interfaces, they include grotesque, humanist and geometric styles…

São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP): collection, architecture, history and visiting guide São Paulo Museum of Art MASP is a leading São Paulo museum known for its modernist building by Lina Bo Bardi and a world-class collection of European and modern art, plus active exhibitions and public pro…

Sapphire (color) Sapphire is a rich blue hue named for the gemstone. It spans bright to deep blues and is used in design, fashion and symbolism to evoke luxury, stability and clarity.

Satire Satire is a creative form that exposes folly or vice through humor, irony and exaggeration across literature, visual arts and performance to provoke reflection or reform.

Scarlet: the bright red hue — meaning, history, and uses Scarlet Scarlet is a bright, vivid red with an orange tinge. This article explains its appearance, etymology, historical use, cultural meanings, and how it differs from related reds.

Scottish Highland Dance Solo, athletic dances from Scotland performed to bagpipe music, with precise footwork, traditional dress (kilts, Aboyne), and a global competitive tradition governed by standard bo…

Screen printing: techniques, materials, history and applications Screen printing Screen printing is a stencil-based printing method that forces ink through a woven mesh to make images on many surfaces, widely used for textiles, posters, industrial parts and fin…

Sculpture: Forms, Materials, Techniques, and Historical Development Sculpture A concise encyclopedia overview of sculpture as three-dimensional art, covering its characteristics, principal materials and techniques, historical development, cultural roles, and…

Seal script (Chinese calligraphy) Seal script Seal script is an early form of Chinese writing, known for its rounded, uniform strokes. It includes large and small seal varieties and was standardized in the Qin dynasty; used to…

Secondary color (definition, models, and uses) Secondary color Secondary colors are produced by mixing two primaries. This article explains secondary colors in traditional painting (RYB), additive light (RGB), and printing, with history, disti…

Self-portrait: history, forms, and notable examples Self-portrait An overview of self-portraits: what they are, how artists have made them, their purposes, and notable examples from early painted panels to modern photography.

Sense (perception, meaning, and usage) Sense Overview of 'sense' as sensory perception, linguistic meaning, and related concepts; includes biological senses, philosophical distinctions, study methods, and common usages.

Serif (Typography): definition, history, forms, and uses Serif A serif is a small stroke attached to the end of a letterform. This article explains what serifs are, their anatomy and classifications, origins, practical uses, and how they diffe…

Shamanism: practitioners, practices, and cultural roles Shamanism Summary of shamanism: defining features, roles (healing, mediation, divination), methods for entering non-ordinary states, regional varieties, initiation processes, contemporary fo…

Silhouette: outline shapes and profiles in art, design, and photography Silhouette A silhouette is a solid, featureless shape representing the outline of a person, object, or scene. This article covers its characteristics, history, common techniques, and practica…

Silver (color) Silver is a metallic gray-white color associated with the metal silver. It denotes sheen, neutrality, and prestige in design, and appears in heraldry, fashion, industry, and digita…

Silversmith: craft, history, techniques and uses Silversmith Silversmiths are metalworkers who shape and decorate objects in silver. This article outlines their tools, techniques, historical development, typical products and how they differ…

Singapore Art Museum — museum for contemporary art in a historic building Singapore Art Museum Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is a public institution established in 1996 that focuses on contemporary art from Singapore, Southeast Asia and Asia, housed in restored colonial-era sch…

Singing Reveler (tondo by Epiktetos) Singing Reveler (Epiktetos) A tondo painting by the Athenian vase painter Epiktetos (c. 520–510 BC) showing an elderly man reclining and singing on the interior of a drinking cup in the Getty Museum collectio…

Sketch: quick freehand drawings, types, history and uses Sketch A sketch is a rapid freehand drawing or study used to record ideas, plan compositions, experiment with forms, and prepare for more finished works across drawing, painting, and desi…

Skill: Definition, Types, Development and Practical Uses Skill An overview of skills: what they are, common types, how they are learned and measured, examples, and why they matter in work, learning and everyday life.

Skillet (American Christian rock band) Skillet Skillet is an American Christian rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1996, known for blending hard rock, symphonic elements and faith-based themes and for crossing into mains…

Slate gray Slate gray is a cool gray with a subtle blue undertone, named for the common color of slate rock. It appears in design, architecture, textiles, and digital palettes and signals neu…

Slide (photographic transparency) Slide A photographic slide (transparency) is a positive photographic image on transparent film, often mounted for projection. Used in presentations, art and archives, slides differ from…

Snow angel A snow angel is a figure pressed into fresh snow by lying on the back and sweeping arms and legs. It is a simple winter pastime, a visual motif and occasional subject for photograp…

Social realism Social realism is an artistic and literary approach that depicts everyday life and social conditions of working-class and marginalized people, often to highlight inequality, labor,…

Software Agent A software agent is a computer program that acts autonomously to achieve goals by sensing, deciding, and acting, often interacting with other agents or environments across many app…

Software developer A software developer designs, implements, tests, and maintains computer programs. Developers work in teams or alone across front‑end, back‑end, full‑stack, mobile, embedded and oth…

Software development The organized process of designing, building, testing and maintaining software. Covers lifecycle phases, methodologies, roles, tools, history, applications, and key distinctions fr…

Sons and Daughters of Saint Lucia — national anthem of Saint Lucia Sons and Daughters of Saint Lucia Overview and history of 'Sons and Daughters of Saint Lucia', the national anthem adopted at independence in 1979; its themes, uses, and cultural role in Saint Lucia.