Glitter

DEFINITION

Sparkle. Also, very small pieces of light-reflecting decorative material, usually foil. And, by extension, superficial attractiveness. The old-fashioned thick and chunky glitter is still around, but there are more textures and colors than ever.Examples: Grandma Moses (the popular name of Anna Mary Robertson Moses) (American, 1860/61-1961), Early Sugaring Off, 1944, oil and glitter on canvas, 35 x 45 inches, Gihon Foundation. See feminist art and folk art.Quote: "Glitter is to children what sex is to adults." Charles Peterson, contemporary American art educator. "Cases of Glitter Lung on the Rise Among Elementary-School Art Teachers CHICAGO ? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released figures Monday indicating that record numbers of elementary-school art teachers are falling victim to pneumosparklyosis, commonly known as glitter lung." Headline and first sentence of a satirical news story in The Onion, November 23, 2005. See satire.Related link: Barbara Trombley's Art Institute Glitter, a Willy Wonka-type factory that produces thousands of pounds a month of the sparkly stuff. Tucked away in Cottonwood, Arizona, the AIG has the world's largest variety of glitter colors ? more than 375 in 11 varieties.Also see bad art, children's art, cute, elitism, fluorescent colors, kitsch, light, luminous paint, opalescence, popular culture, and pretty.