Graphic Art
Guide to Graphic Arts of Drawing, Illustration, Cartoons, Comic Strips.
Visual Arts Information

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Graphic Art

In fine art, 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), not colour (colorito). The main classical type of graphic art is drawing, which includes cartoons, comic strips, animation and caricature, as well as line drawings and sketches with pencil, charcoal, and pen and ink. Graphic art also denotes those art forms involved in printmaking, such as etching and engraving, including drypoint.

Salome (1892)
Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley.

Another form of graphic art is simple illustration, involving black and white drawings or sketches which explain a piece of text, although a better example of textual graphic work is monochromatic illumination - the art of embellishing text through the use of complex typographical and alphabetical symbols.

That said, the supreme type of graphic art is surely calligraphy, the art of stylized writing, originating in the Far East. The two great forms of calligraphic art derive from the Arabic and Oriental languages (Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean), although the art has been consistently practised in the languages of India, Tibet, Persia, Latin and others.

Computerized Graphic Art

Computer Graphics

In modern day parlance, the term 'graphics' has come to denote computer-generated imagery, as used for example on television in the form of expository diagrams, in commercial printing and on the Internet - it is what used to be called commercial art, and is not confined to black and white works. In this commercial sense, graphic artists inhabit an area close to graphic design, as practised in areas of applied art such as textiles, wallpapers, tiles and so on.

• For more about graphics art in Ireland, see: Irish Art Guide.

• How to Update This Mini Review of Graphic Art.