A Comprehensive Guide to Spanish Art Vocabulary Words

Something I still appreciate about my high school Spanish teacher is her introducing me to the art world. That might sound a little crazy, considering it was Spanish class, but she did a great job including famous artists from different Spanish-speaking countries and putting them in a historical and cultural context for us. I really loved my visits to museums later thanks to her lessons to a class of budding art enthusiasts! Let’s take a look at some common words in the Spanish language to talk about art and Spanish art history with your classes!

Basic Vocabulary

I actually love introducing some famous art even to my novices when we learn about colors. The basic vocabulary words include:

• rojo
• anaranjado (naranja)
• amarillo
• verde
• azul
• morado (violeta)
• rosado
• marrón (café)
• blanco
• gris
• negro

While there are certainly many more color words students will learn, I’ve found that starting with the colors of the rainbow and a few more basic colors is a great place to start. This way, students can look at different works and describe the different color they see. You don’t have to add too much new vocabulary for students to start appreciating art from any Spanish-speaking country!

Key Terms in Art Terminology

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I am not an artist. I’m SO not an artist! But, there are times when you’re looking at art and you just want to talk about what you see. Sometimes you just need the right vocabulary for the different elements found in the world of art! Here’s a short list to get your students moving beyond the basics of color vocabulary:

• autorretrato
• cerámica
• escultor(a)
• escultura
• famoso(a)
• figura
• fondo
• imagen
• influir
• inspirar
• mostrar
• movimiento
• mural
• naturaleza muerta
• obra de arte
• pintura
• primer plano
• representar
• retrato
• sentimiento
• siglo
• tema

These words play a crucial role in describing art with classes, without getting into too specific vocabulary. It’s a great way to get students talking about what you’ve shared with them without getting too weighed down in the technical details. 

Spanish Vocabulary for Artistic Movements

A natural progression is to teach students about different artists such as Pablo Picasso, Diego Velázquez, El Greco, and so many more. (Seriously, don’t get me listing or we’ll be here all day!). While there’s a lot of history and information you can cover with any of these artists, Picasso in particular is a great option to talk about artistic movements and styles with Spanish art vocabulary because he went through so many periods. Here are some common Spanish words for styles and artistic movements:

• abstracto/a
• el cubismo
• el gótico
• el impresionismo
• el paisajismo
• modernismo
• el muralismo
• el neoclasicismo
• el postimpresionismo
• el realismo
• el romanticismo
• el surrealismo

Besides looking at one artist as they go through styles and movements, it’s also great to look at one movement within a historical context and different artists who explored those artistic styles. For example, you can’t talk about the Surrealist Movement in Spanish class without looking at Salvador Dalí! You can pick and choose from any leading figures to discuss within a movement, or you might speak about art movements while studying one particular artist. 

​Appreciation of Spanish Art & Cultural Experience

While we can talk about Spanish art words all day, there’s something so much deeper to an art unit than Spanish words and new vocabulary. We know that beyond language skills, cultural competency is so important for our students, and helping them get to a deeper understanding of the art from Spanish-speaking countries will contribute to that! If they visit art galleries, what will they see? Why? 

Personally, I think one of the best ways to learn about history is through art. Art exhibitions might sort art in various forms from a specific period into an area of the gallery to explore that period in time. It might highlight everyday life or important social issues through a form of artistic expression. Many Spanish artworks have deeper meanings than what students might see just looking at a canvas or sculpture, and it’s so important to learn about those unique characteristics in each creation of art to better appreciate them. 

Spanish Artists

Here is a list of 40 Spanish artists you may choose to explore!

• Antonio Berni
• El Bosco
• Fernando Botero
• Santiago Calatrava 
• Teófilo Castillo
• Salvador Dalí
• Frida Kahlo
• Francisco “Pancho” Fierro
• Raquel Forner
• Cesar Fortuny
• Carmen Lomas Garza
• Antoni Gaudí 
• Adrián Gómez
• Francisco Goya
• El Greco
• Oswaldo Guayasamin
• Carolina Herrera (designer)
• María Izquierdo
• Wifredo Lam
• Juan Lepiani
• Roberto Mamani Mamani
• Quinquela Martín
• Joan Miró
• Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
• Francisco Oller
• José Clemente Orozco
• Pablo Picasso
• José Guadelupe Posada
• Martín Ramirez
• Diego Rivera
• José Sabogal
• David Siqueiros
• Xul Solar
• Joaquín Sorolla 
• Rufino Tamayo
• Rafael Tufiño
• Remedios Varo
• Diego Velázquez
• Patssi Valdez
• Francisco de Zurbarán

Research projects are a great way for students to learn about a bunch of different artists and then share the information with their classmates. In this research project, students follow the very clear and organized template to present their work. These also make a great bulletin board when they’re finished!

While there are many well-known artists, you might also explore discussing a budding artist or street artists with your classes. The book Es posible soñar by Adriana Ramírez is SO good for expanding beyond traditional “art”. I definitely recommend it if you’re wanting to plan an art unit around a novel with your classes! Take a look:

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More Resources for Art in Spanish Class:

Art in Spanish Class

Simple Art in Spanish Project Ideas​