National Galleries of Scotland

Genres

A French term that denotes different types of paintings, such as landscape, portrait or still life. The phrase `genre painting? is used specifically to describe works depicting everyday scenes.

History painting

Paintings in which the subject is taken from biblical, classical or other mythological histories.

Trustees' Academy

The Trustees? Academy was founded in Edinburgh in 1760 by the Board of Trustees for the Improvement of Fisheries and Manufactures in Scotland. This was the earliest publicly funded art school in Britain, but during the early years it was essentially an elementary drawing school dedicated to applied design. The students included practical craftsmen as well as fine artists. The school gradually developed more facilities for advanced fine art education, including a plaster cast collection. In 1826, it relocated to a new building on The Mound, which was erected by the Board. The Trustees? Academy was reformed in 1858, using the well established government Schools of Design in London as its model, and was the direct ancestor of Edinburgh College of Art, established in 1907.

Watercolour

A paint with colouring and binding agents diluted with water. It has a transparent quality and is usually applied to paper.