Middle Ages and Renaissance Art History Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key art historical terms, artistic media, historical events, and artwork examples from the Middle Ages through the Proto-Renaissance.

Feudalism

A social hierarchy system based on land ownership, where serfs serve the elite at the bottom while kings and queens reside at the top.

Guild

A professional organization (similar to a union) for merchants and craft trades that sets trade standards, trains apprentices, provides social services, and works with patrons.

A Goldsmith in his Shop

An Early Flemish Renaissance oil painting on oak panel by Petrus Christus depicting a merchant guild setting.

Piazza

An open public plaza located directly in front of a prominent building.

Palazzo

A palace or civic town hall building in Italian cities.

Black Death (Bubonic plague)

A severe epidemic that broke out in the Mediterranean in 1347 and swept across mainland Europe over four years, killing approximately 1/3 of the population.

Hundred Years War

A conflict between the Kingdoms of England and France spanning from 1337 to 1453.

Vesperbild (Pieta)

A c.1330 German wood and polychromy sculpture depicting Mary grieving over the dead Christ; 'Vesper' refers to evening prayers, 'Bild' means image, and 'Pieta' translates to pity.

Madonna degli Ochi Grossi (of the Big Eyes)

A Medieval tempera and gold panel painting created c.1260 by Maestro di Tressa, housed in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena.

Hierarchy of scale

An artistic visual convention in which the largest objects or figures in a composition are intended to represent the most important subjects.

Stylisation

An artistic approach following preset decorative patterns or rules rather than faithfully depicting subject matter as it appears in real life.

Tempera

A paint medium composed of dry powdered pigment combined with a binder such as egg yolk, known for yielding delicate lines.

Proto Renaissance

The transitional period in European art history occurring roughly between c.1300 and 1400.

Fresco

A durable mural painting method where water-based pigments are applied directly onto freshly laid, wet plaster wall surfaces.

Lamentation (Giotto)

A ca.1305 fresco by Giotto in the Arena Chapel (Padua, Italy) displaying individual human emotions, 3D modeling with light and shadow, and realistic naturalistic space.

Renaissance

A era meaning 'rebirth' marked by a movement toward a secular, urban, and capitalist society, a revival of classical Greek and Roman philosophy, and a renewed emphasis on naturalism.

Contrapposto

A classical stance showing a shift in weight where one leg bears the body's weight while the opposite leg is relaxed and bent.

Humanism

A Renaissance intellectual movement and philosophy focusing on human values, potential, and secular concerns.

Diminution of Scale

A method of rendering spatial depth where objects or figures are portrayed progressively smaller as distance increases.

Intuitive Perspective

An observational spatial technique where an artist uses intuition and visual approximation rather than strict mathematical rules to suggest depth and receding space.

Atmospheric or aerial perspective

A method of creating spatial depth by showing distant areas as blurry, hazy, gray, and lacking fine detail due to atmospheric moisture.