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easel
easel. Stand on which a painting is supported while the artist works on it. The oldest representation of an easel is on an Egyptian relief of the Old Kingdom (c.2600–2150 bc). Pliny mentions a machina in an anecdote about Apelles and this presumably refers to an easel. Renaissance illustrations of the artist at work show all kinds of contrivances, the commonest being the three-legged easel of a type still used today, with pegs to support the picture. Lightweight folding easels were not made until the 18th and 19th centuries, when painters took to working out of doors. The studio easel, a 19th-century invention, is a heavy piece of furniture that runs on castors or wheels, and served to impress the clients of portrait painters. Oil painters need an easel that will support the canvas almost vertically or tip it slightly forward to prevent reflection from the wet paint, whereas the watercolourist must be able to lay his paper nearly flat so that the wet paint will not run down. The term ‘easel painting’ is applied to any picture small enough to have been painted on a standard easel.
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "easel." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "easel." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-easel.html IAN CHILVERS. "easel." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-easel.html |
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easel
easel. Stand on which a painting is supported while the artist works on it. The oldest representation of an easel is on an Egyptian relief of the Old Kingdom (c.2700–c.2150 bc). Renaissance illustrations of the artist at work show all kinds of contrivances, the commonest being the three-legged easel of a type still used today, with pegs to support the picture. Lightweight folding easels were not made until the 18th and 19th centuries, when painters took to working out of doors. The studio easel, a 19th-century invention, is a heavy piece of furniture that runs on castors or wheels, and served to impress the clients of portrait painters. Oil painters need an easel that will support the canvas almost vertically or tip it slightly forward to prevent reflection from the wet paint, whereas the watercolourist must be able to lay his paper nearly flat so that the wet paint will not run down. The term ‘easel painting’ is applied to any picture small enough to have been painted on a standard easel.
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "easel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "easel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-easel.html IAN CHILVERS. "easel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-easel.html |
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easel
ea·sel
/ ˈēzəl/
•
n.
a self-supporting wooden frame for holding an artist's work while it is being painted or drawn.
∎
a similar frame for displaying charts, promotional materials, announcements, etc.
ORIGIN: late 16th cent.: from Dutch ezel ‘ass.’ The word “horse” is used in English in a similar way to denote a supporting frame.
easel |
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Cite this article
"easel." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "easel." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-easel.html "easel." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-easel.html |
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easel
easel standing frame to support a picture. XVII. — Du. ezel ASS.
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "easel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "easel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-easel.html T. F. HOAD. "easel." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-easel.html |
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easel
easel
•basil, bedazzle, dazzle, frazzle, razzle
•damsel • razzle-dazzle • Basel
•bezel, embezzle
•Denzil
•appraisal, hazel, nasal, phrasal
•wych hazel
•diesel, easel, teasel, weasel
•chisel, drizzle, fizzle, frizzle, grizzle, mizzle, pizzle, sizzle, swizzle, twizzle
•reprisal, revisal
•nozzle, shemozzle
•acausal, causal, clausal, menopausal, monocausal
•arousal, carousal, espousal, spousal, tousle
•disposal, proposal
•accusal, bamboozle, foozle, ouzel, perusal, refusal
•guzzle, muzzle, nuzzle, puzzle
•mangel-wurzel
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Cite this article
"easel." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "easel." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-easel.html "easel." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-easel.html |
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