Art Terms Glossary beginning with M
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- Maenad
- A woman participant in the rites of the Greek god of wine, Dionysus.
- Martyr
- Someone who sacrifices his or her life or something of great value for the sake of a principle. Christian martyrs were put to death because they would not renounce their religious beliefs.
- Mat/mount
- A mat is a piece of good quality card or paper stock with an opening cut to expose the photograph. It is attached to the mount with a paper hinge. A mount, also cut from good quality card or paper stock, is a secondary backing or support for a photograph, other than the primary support of the paper on which the image is printed. Both serve to exhibit and protect the photograph.
- Metalpoint
- A stylus of silver, gold, copper or some other soft metal is used to draw on the surface of a sheet of paper specially prepared with a ground, whose texture picks up the metal, producing a fine line. It is not always possible to identify the metal used, but if so, one uses the more specific term of silverpoint, goldpoint, etc. This drawing by Raphael on paper prepared with a pink ground is in silverpoint.
- Mezzotint
- The copper plate is systematically worked over with a spiked tool called a rocker until it is thoroughly roughened. If inked in this state it will print a solid black. The engraver then works from dark to light smoothing out graduated highlights with a scraper. The smoother the area is the less ink it will hold, creating an image in a range of tones.
- Microscopy
- The investigation of the panel and its components with a microscope.
- Miniature
- A picture, frequently narrative, used as illustration in a manuscript (from Latin minium, a red pigment used in manuscript painting).
- Missal
- The service book of the altar. A book used by the celebrant at Mass; contains all spoken and chanted texts for the celebrant with directions. Arranged according to the liturgical calendar.
- Mixed media
- The technique of combining photographic images with other materials on a common support. A mixed-media piece can include fragments of various graphic media, such as etching or lithography, with pencil or pen and brushwork applied directly to the surface.
- Monotype
- Ink or paint is applied to a smooth plate. Because there is no fixed matrix, only one strong impression can be printed.
- Multiple exposure
- The intentional exposure of a negative in a camera more than once to produce a combination of images in a single print of that negative. The accidental double exposure of film is an all-too-familiar variant of this effect.
