Art History II Terms

painting

what it says on the box

sculpture

what it says on the box

space and light

study of the way things are seen in life/three-dimensional using space and light

chiaroscuro

refers to using light to dark paint across surface to make it look three-dimensional

modeling

anytime chiaroscuro is used

grisaile

grey, type of painting only using grey to make three-dimensional image

illusionistic

not real, illusion of space

artist

person who created

guild

decide things/guidelines for art

patron

person/s who paid for work of art (could be individual, city, church), often included in painting

altarpiece triptych

piece used to aid in worship, placed on a church or home altar + altarpiece with three pieces

annunciation

the time when Gabriel told Mary she was going to give birth to Jesus

oil paint

started being used during the Flemish Renaissance, pigment mixed with linseed oil created oil paint

glaze

layering of oil paint

tempera

type of paint, powdered pigment mixed with egg to bind, could only apply one layer, opaque

symbol/symbolism

an object that represents something else

icon/iconography

represents not only what they are, but an embedded meaning

portrait

image that captures real likeness of specific person, could be statue or painting

naturalism

can be used interchangeably with realistic

realism

realistic

idealizied

buon fresco

pigment applied to wet lime plaster, more permanent, have to work face because dry plaster won’t absorb pigment

fresco secco

pigment applied to dry lime plaster, doesn’t get absorbed, sits atop plaster, not as permanent

cartoon

stencil

deposition

removing Jesus from the cross

stigmata

marks resembling Christ’s hand/feet wounds

linear perspective

recreating a three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional surface

vanishing point

where walls meet/things get smaller further away they are

horizon line

orthogonals

diagonal lines that meet at vanishing point

atmospheric perspective

forms in distance are less clear, forms in the distance are paler and blueish-green

focal point

part of painting that draws your attention

(Italian) Renaissance

rebirth of interest in realism/humanism

humanism

philosophy, renewed interest in studying individuals, not going against god to learn these things

classical antiquity

ancient Greek/Roman architecture, poets, writers, artists, philosophy

continuous narration

story that continues in multiple sections of painting

psychological line

lines between two people

implied line

lines that are made up

geometric shape

shapes that are geometric

organic shape

shape found in nature

amorphic (amorphous) shape

a shape that is neither geometric or organi

foreground

front of painting

middle ground

middle of painting

background

back of painting

sculpture in the round

sculpture that was made to be viewed from all sides

relief sculpture

sculpted, sticks out from the surface, only meant to be seen from the front

additive sculpture

material added

subtractive sculpture

material subtracted

lost-wax bronze casting

ax is lost in a kiln and metal poured into mould

contrapposto

more natural way of standing, weight on one leg, naturalistic representation of human body

sfumato

smokiness, started by Leonardo da Vinci, softening of edges to make three-dimensional

mannerist/mannerism

emphasizing that which is not natural, artificial, elongated limbs

la maniera

the manner

artifice

not realistic

pietà

reformation

when catholicism was rejected

print

relief (woodcut)

design drawn on wood, wood cut away from the unwanted spots

intaglio

etched design into metal plate

counter-reformation

art could only be educational/religious. catholic church created to get people back into catholicism. catholic church= one true church. art should be easy to understand

tenebrism

extreme contrast between light + dark seen in the whole painting, usually looks like a spotlight