Italian Renaissance Handout

What is Northern Renaissance art?

naturalistic and expressive

What is Southern Renaissance art?

ancient monuments, ideal beauty

What does Renaissance mean?

"rebirth" in French. It refers to a cultural, artistic, intellectual, and economic revival, recovery of antiquity

What is humanism?

how humans can better themselves through education and a moral code of conduct, rather than succumbing to lower, animalistic instincts and irrational thought

What is Contrapposto?

italian for "counterpose" a pose in which the weight of the body is balanced on one leg creating a dynamic sense of movement

What is tempera?

a fast-drying paint made from a mixture of powdered pigment and a binding agent, typically egg yolk

What is fresco?

wall or ceiling painting on wet plaster

How does one use fresco?

Wet pigment merges with the plaster and once hardened, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall

What is painting on a dry plaster called?

fresco secco

What was the point of oil painting?

they were paintings that allowed for more depth and detail, and replaced both tempera and fresco

What is Sfumato?

an Italian term meaning "toned-down smokiness" that refer to atmospheric haziness in painting, da vinci used this in the mona lisa

What were the characteristics of portraits in the Renaissance, especially of women?

1. side profile

2. no emotions

3. bigger forehead

4. touching skin is inappropriate

5. more layers of fabric showing wealth

6. half-closed eyes

7. located indoors

8. blonde hair for social status

9. harmony and repitition of similar light colors

10. no individuality

What is the sculptural painting technique and who used it?

Used by Michelangelo, his paintings often showcased exaggerated musculature and physicality to highlight human anatomy using strong contours, as in the Sistine Chapel

What is the human expression technique and who used it?

Used by Leonardo, he excelled in depicting subtle emotions and naturalism, creating lifelike portraits and group compositions with psychological depth

How was symmetry and aesthetic harmony emphasized?

by renaissance artists like Raphael and Leonardo often using triangular or circular compositons

What is aesthetic harmony?

the balance of elements in a composition that creates a sense of beauty

Who is Leonardo Da Vinci?

1. born in 1452 in Florence, Italy

2. painter, musician, engineer, scientist

3. worked for the Medici family that commissioned many artworks

4. King of France asked him to work for him by the end of his life

5. believed artists should express emotions from the depth of their hearts

6. died in 1519

Which is Michelangelo Buonarroti?

1. born in 1475

2. painter, sculptor

3. celebrated his life

4. worked with fresco

5. obsessed with sculptures of ancient greece and rome

6. died in 1564

Why is the Mona Lisa important?

1. looking straight at viewers

2. colors

3. outdoors

4. expression

5. fleshy hands

6. chiaroscuro and sfumato

7. normal forehead

8. patron never took possession of it

9. stolen from the louvre in 1911

10. dark hair that is let loose

DETAILS OF THE LAST SUPPER . . .

Artist: Leonardo Da Vinci

Title: The Last Supper

Date: c. 1495

Medium: fresco and tempera

Location: Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan

Size: 460 cm × 880 cm

DETAILS OF MONA LISA . . .

Artist: Leonardo Da Vinci

Title: Mona Lisa

Date: c. 1503-1519

Medium: Oil on wood panel

Dimensions: 77 cm × 53 cm

Location: Louvre Museum, Paris

DETAILS OF THE CREATION OF ADAM . . .

Artist: Michelangelo

Title: The Creation of Adam

from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Date: c. 1511

Medium: fresco

Location: Rome, Vatican City, Sistine Chapel

DETAILS OF THE LAST JUDGMENT . . .

Artist: Michelangelo

Title: The Last Judgment

Date: 1534-1541

Medium: fresco

Location: Rome, Vatican City, Sistine Chapel