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asphalt

(Encyclopedia)asphalt ăsˈfôlt, –fălt [key], brownish-black substance used commonly in road making, roofing, and waterproofing. Chemically, it is a natural mixture of hydrocarbons. It varies in consistency fro...

mastic

(Encyclopedia)mastic, resin obtained from the small mastic tree Pistacia lentiscus (of the sumac family), found chiefly in Mediterranean countries. When the bark of the tree is injured, the resin exudes in drops. I...

Lear, Edward

(Encyclopedia)Lear, Edward, 1812–88, English humorist and artist. At 19 he was employed as a draftsman by the London Zoological Society; the paintings of parrots that he produced for The Family of the Psittacidae...

litmus

(Encyclopedia)litmus, organic dye usually used in the laboratory as an indicator of acidity or alkalinity (see acids and bases). Naturally pink in color, it turns blue in alkali solutions and red in acids. Commonly...

Léger, Fernand

(Encyclopedia)Léger, Fernand fĕrnäNˈ lāzhāˈ [key], 1881–1955, French painter. Léger first studied architecture, then he began to paint, studying briefly at the École des Beaux-Arts. He became known for h...

Kline, Franz

(Encyclopedia)Kline, Franz, 1910–62, American painter, b. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. He studied (1937–38) in England, then settled in New York City. His first works were representational, often portraying the industrial...

Karfiol, Bernard

(Encyclopedia)Karfiol, Bernard kärˈfēŏl [key], 1886–1952, American painter, b. Budapest of American parents; educated in Brooklyn, N.Y. He studied at the National Academy of Design in New York City and at Jul...

phlogiston theory

(Encyclopedia)phlogiston theory flōjĭsˈtŏn [key], hypothesis regarding combustion. The theory, advanced by J. J. Becher late in the 17th cent. and extended and popularized by G. E. Stahl, postulates that in all...

photoengraving

(Encyclopedia)photoengraving, photomechanical process in the graphic arts, used principally for reproducing illustrations. The subject is photographed, and the image is recorded on a sensitized metal plate, which i...

Campagnola, Domenico

(Encyclopedia)Campagnola, Domenico dōmĕˈnēkō kämpänyôˈlä [key], 1500–c.1564, painter and engraver. Although Campagnola worked exclusively in Italy, there are documents indicating that he was of German o...