Medieval and Renaissance Art and Culture

These flashcards cover important figures, concepts, and events from Medieval and Renaissance art and culture.

St. Bridget

Medieval mystic saint whose visions influenced Northern religious imagery (intense suffering/realism).

Calvinism

Protestant branch emphasizing predestination and strict morality.

Erasmus

Christian Humanist scholar; promoted reform through education and scripture.

Nuremberg

Major German Renaissance city; closely associated with Albrecht Dürer.

Maniera

Italian for 'style'; artificial elegance and exaggeration typical of Mannerism.

Arcimboldo

Artist known for portraits composed of objects (fruit, flowers, books, etc.).

Sack of Rome (1527)

Major political disaster that disrupted Renaissance confidence and helped fuel Mannerism.

Cosimo I de Medici

Powerful Florentine ruler and patron; supported Medici power and Mannerist art.

Parma

Important Mannerist center (Correggio / Parmigianino).

Crete / Toledo

Crete = El Greco’s origin; Toledo (Spain) = his major career center.

La Gioconda

The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

Francis I

French king and major patron who helped spread Renaissance ideals to France.

St. Peter’s Basilica

Major Vatican architectural project of the High Renaissance.

Julius II

Powerful Pope patron; commissioned Michelangelo and Raphael.

Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo ceiling frescoes + later the Last Judgment.

Terribilità

Michelangelo’s awe-inspiring intensity (monumental power + emotion).

Stanza della Segnatura

Raphael’s Vatican fresco rooms (includes School of Athens).

Colorito

Venetian emphasis on color, atmosphere, and painterly effects (Titian).

Greek Cross plan

Church plan with equal arms; symmetry and balance.

Herringbone pattern

Brick-laying technique used by Brunelleschi in domes for stability.

Modular design

Architecture based on repeating proportional units (math-based harmony).

Neoplatonism

Philosophy blending Plato + Christianity; beauty = divine truth.

Disegno

Florentine emphasis on drawing, structure, and design (vs Venice’s colorito).

Cosimo Medici / Lorenzo the Magnificent

Major Florentine patrons who funded Renaissance art and culture.

Savonarola

Religious reformer who opposed luxury art; associated with the Bonfire of the Vanities.

Venice / Mantua

Important cultural/political art centers (Venice = colorito; Mantua = court patronage).

Siena vs Florence

Siena = decorative/spiritual Gothic tradition; Florence = realistic/scientific Renaissance style.

Machiavelli / The Prince

Renaissance political theory on power and leadership; realism in government.

Vasari

Art historian who wrote Lives of the Artists.

Duke of Berry

Major International Gothic patron; famous for commissioning illuminated manuscripts.

Philip the Bold

Duke of Burgundy and major Northern patron; helped make Burgundy a cultural center.