Art 1.2 Vocab

Vocab

Patron

Those who support the arts financially

Examples of a patron..

Government, religious leaders

Aesthetics

Branch of philosophy dedicated to defining beauty

Iconography

The meaning and interpretation of formal elements in a composition

Is iconography easy to decipher?

It’s difficult for outsiders, must understand symbols

Contextualism

The study of who, what, when, where, and why for each work of art

Provenance

The original location of a work of art, the history of ownership of a work art

The canon

Established body of work that the art world considers art

Representational art

Depicts recognizable objects and figures from the real world

Non-objective (non-representational) art

Doesn’t depict anything we recognize from the real world

Abstract art

Artist purposely distorts or changes objects from the real world

Subject matter

Person(s), object(s), and/or event(s) portrayed

Form

Physical appearance, how materials are organized; presented and manipulated

Content

Meaning, message, mood, or feeling

Style

A characteristic way a work is expressed, based on how an artist manipulated its form

Compostion

How an artist organizes (composes) forms in an artwork

Line

Any actual or perceived mark or area that has notably greater length than width

Shape

Two dimensional area that we perceive as distinct and that’s separated from the surrounding area by distinguishable boundary

Mass

Form with dimensions that have a height, width, and depth, that takes up volume in space

Space

Area in which form exists

Texture

Surface characteristic of a work that related to our experience of touch

Light

Kind of energy that travels in waves

Value

How light or dark something is based on how much light it reflects

Color

The sensation we perceive upon seeing different wavelengths of light because of how our eyes and brains interpret the wavelengths

Hue

Colors on the color wheel; color “families”

Saturation

Bright to dull colors

B.C.E.

Before the common era; before Christ

C.E.

Common era; same as A.D. or Anno Domino (year of dominion of Jesus)

Medium

The material(s) from which a work of art is made

Narrative

Tells a story or follows a logical progression

Pictograph

An image that communicates an idea by representing an object, place, or event in an abstracted and simplified way

Drawing

Technique of running a tool over a 2D surface and leaving descriptive marks

Painting

Technique of applying fluid color (paint) to a 2D surface

Murals(frescos)

Painted on wall or ceiling; must fit surroundings; fresco = Italian for fresh

Buon fresco

Italian for “good” or “true” fresco; a technique of mural painting in which pigments suspended in water are applied to a fresh, wet lime plaster wall

Fresco Secco

Italian for “dry fresco”; a technique of mural painting in which pigments suspended a binder are applied to a dry lime plaster wall

Easel

A painting that is a self-contained, portable work of art

Encaustic

Pigments suspended in wax

Impasto

A style of painting in which thick, built-up opaque paint stands away from the surface in textured brush strokes

Tempera

A type of paint in which pigments suspended in an emulsion

Printmaking

Technique of creating a design on a matrix or plate and transferring that design to a surface

Daguerreotype

A type of photograph, which used treated metal plates to capture a brightly lit scene, creating a detailed, unique positive image

Sculpture

3D, tangible form of expression

Free-standing sculpture

In-the-round sculpture(can be seen from all angles)

Carving

Artists start with a block of hard material and cuts away unwanted portions to create a form

Relief sculpture

Protrudes from a surface

Bas relief

Bas is French for low; a relief sculpture in which the design protrudes from the background just a little

Haut relief

Haut is French for high; a relief sculpture in which some parts of the design protrude from the background by more than half their modeled form

Sunken relief

Images are carved in low relief but set within a sunken area, so that the relief never rises beyond the original flat surface; largely restricted to Egyptian art

Modeling

Artist builds up a soft, pliable material like clay or wax to create a 3D form

Ceramics

Clay pieces that have been fired in a kiln

Porcelain

A type of clay body made from a white clay that is non-porous, hard, translucent, and glossy after firing

Casting

Artist creates a model for a sculpture out of a soft material(like clay) and uses a mold(an exact negative impression) to replicate the model precisely in a permanent material, like bronze

Weaving

Construct fabric, by interlacing vertical and horizontal threads

Tapestry

A textile im which the material is woven on a loom using differently colored threads that create a design or image

Quilting

Sewing together previously constructed cloths

Basket making

Combine reeds, roots, vines, and/or grasses by hand( without a loom) to form containers

Earthworks

Artist places human-made forms in a natural environment, molds the earth, or uses nature to create the piece

Installation

A 3D work of art in which the artist uses an entire space or room to create the piece

Architecture

The art of a structural design; buildings must meet functional, 3D, environmental, expressive, and structural requirements

Cantilever

In architecture, a beam that extends beyond a wall or column, creating an overhang

Renaissance

“Rebirth” of the traditions of Ancient Greece and Rome

Classicism

Interest in ancient Greek and Roman civilizations

Trompe l’oeil

“Fooling your eye”

Humanism

Interest in human achievements and accomplishments; as well as an interest in natural human reactions

Chiaroscuro

The contrast between light and dark to give a volumetric or 3D effect

Mannerism

Unrealistic proportions, lack of interest in actual space, and unusual/esoteric subject matter

Sfumato

Creating the effect of a smoky haze

Reformation (Protestant Reformation)

Protestant suggestions to re-form the practices of the Catholic Church

Counter-Reformation

The catholic church’s reaction to the suggestions of the Protestant Reformation

Iconoclasm

The destruction of images used for religious purposes

Artist: **Leonardo**

Title: ***The Last Supper***

Medium: **Wall painting: Tempera and oil on plaster**

Date: **Renaissance**

Source/ Museum: **Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy**

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* Painted in the dining hall of the monastery
* Disastrous combination of oil and tempera (quick deterioration)
* Central figure is Jesus- Immediately to his right are John, Peter, & Judas
* Coffers in the ceiling to give a sense of depth
* Use of *chiaroscuro* to give a volumetric quality to the figures
* Humanism: natural reaction of each Apostle as they hear the news
* No use of halos (windows for light)

Artist: **Leonardo**

Title: ***Mona Lisa***

Medium: **Oil on wood panel**

Date: **Renaissance**

**Provenance: Italy (now in Paris)**

* Set standards for portrait poses
* Particularly innovative because of the woman’s direct gaze at the audience
* Natural beauty
* Wife of a wealthy merchant in Florence
* Practice of shaving off eyebrows and shaving back hairline for beauty


* Use of *sfumato* (smoky/ hazy effect- note her veil)
* Artist kept this painting until he died

Artist: **Raphael**

Title: ***School of Athens***

Medium: **Fresco**

Date: **Renaissance**

Source/ Museum: **Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican, Rome** 

* Decorated the walls of a library
* Included all the great philosophers of the time
* Plato & Aristotle in the center
* Plato pointing to the sky
* Aristotle with his hands extended outwards
* Philosophers based on actual portraits
* Plato = Leonardo da Vinci
* Includes self-portrait of artist
* Features a portrait of Michelangelo resting on a block of stone
* *Trompe l’oeil* technique of fooling the eye

Artist: **Michelangelo**

Title: ***David***

Medium: **Marble**

Date: **Renaissance**

Source/ Museum: **Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence**

* Depicts a Biblical episode during which David questions his ability to defeat the giant Goliath
* Moment of concentration and contemplation
* Not a triumphant, victorious David
* Represents the male ideal of the time
* Leg is supported by a tree trunk in the back
* Holds slingshot over his shoulder
* Commissioned to be placed on top of a cathedral in Florence

Artist: **Michelangelo**

Title: **Sistine Chapel Ceiling**

Medium: **Frescoes**

Date: **Renaissance**

Source/ Museum: **Vatican, Rome**

* Michelangelo didn’t feel confident in his ability to paint
* He identified himself as primarily a sculptor
* Artist wasn’t happy to receive this commission from the Pope and resisted the project initially
* Scenes of the Bible decorate the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
* Include important scenes such as *The Creation of Adam*
* Figures were depicted “larger than life”

Artist: **Bronzino**

Title: ***Allegory with Venus and Cupid***

Medium: **Oil on panel**

Date: **Renaissance (Mannerism)**

* Venus and her son Cupid in the center
* Example of Mannerist art
* Commissioned for French royalty
* Esoteric meaning
* Interpretation unclear
* Winged man with hour-glass = Chronos or Father time
* Woman in the upper left with open head = Truth


* Painting includes a ½ girl, ½ monster creature
* Holds honeycomb & scorpion stinger


* Masks on the floor represent duplicity

* Artist: **Matthias Grünewald**

Title: ***Isenheim Altarpiece*** **(closed)**

Medium: **Oil on wood panel**

Date: **Renaissance (Germany)**

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* Evokes an emotional reaction from the audience
* Placed in a chapel of a hospital linked to a monastery
* Hospital specialized in skin diseases
* Jesus on the cross in central panel
* To his right are John, Virgin Mary, and Mary Magdalene (on her knees with hands clutched)
* Northern European artists utilize oils to include more details in their paintings
* In contrast to Southern European (i.e. Italian) artists use of frescoes or watercolors

* Artist: **Albrecht Dürer**

Title: ***Four Apostles***

Medium: **Oil on wood panel**

Date: **Renaissance (Germany)**

* Shows that Protestant art is possible
* Reacts to iconoclasm
* Two panels hinged together (diptych)
* Includes 4 of Durer’s favorite religious figures
* On your left leaf is John in the foreground and Peter in the background
* On your right leaf is Paul in the foreground and Mark in the background
* Encourages one to read the Bible on their own and beware of false prophets

* Artist: **El Greco**

Title: ***Burial of Count Orgaz***

Medium: **Oil on canvas**

Date: **Renaissance**

Source/ Museum: **Church of Santo Tomé, Toledo, Spain**

* Artist's nickname means the “Greek” in Spanish
* Made to honor the miracle that was believed to happen at Count Orgaz’s funeral
* Eyewitnesses claim that they saw his spirit lifted to heaven
* Division between the earthly and heavenly realm
* Angel lifting his spirit in center
* Faces of attendees based on portraits
* Self-portrait of artist included
* Artist’s young son included
* Influence of mannerism

* Artist: **Hieronymus Bosch**

Title: ***Garden of Earthly Delights***

Medium: **Oil on wood panel**

Date: **Renaissance (Netherlands/ Holland/ Dutch)**

* Altarpiece was placed in a private chapel
* 3 panels hinged together (triptych)
* Left panel represents Paradise and the creation of Adam and Eve
* Central panel represents a life of sinful existence
* Right panel represents Hell and the consequences of Sin
* Artists was a deeply religious man
* Very creative surrealist tendencies

Baldachin

Italian word for canopy or cover

Reliquary/ Relic

An object that contains holy items

Tenebrism

Spot-lighting effect in painting

Still life

A collection of inanimate objects painted or photographed

Genre paintings

Paintings that depict scenes of everyday, domestic life

Vanitas

The fleeting nature of life. The way in which an instant in time vanishes quickly

Artist: Gianlorenzo Bernini

Title: Baldacchino

Medium: Gilt bronze and marble

Date: Baroque

Source/ Museum: Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican, Rome

• Marks the burial place of Peter (1st Pope)

• Located in the main center of the Catholic world

• Meant to represent a canopy covering the burial

• Columns decorated with twisted vines

  • Symbolize the unity of the Old and New Testament

• Highly decorated and luxurious

Artist: Caravaggio

Title: The Calling of Saint Matthew

Medium: Oil on canvas

Date: Baroque

Source/ Museum: Church of San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

• Represents religious figures in ordinary, contemporary clothes

• Setting seems to be a bar/tavern

• Jesus calls upon the tax collector Levi to join his mission

  • Levi will join and become Matthew

  • Levi pointing to himself

• Jesus’ gesture reminiscent of Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam

• Peter stands in front of Jesus

• Use of tenebrism (spot-light effect)

Artist: Hardouin-Mansart and Le Brun

Title: Hall of Mirrors

Date: Baroque

Source/ Museum: Palace of Versailles, France

• Example of the decadence of the Baroque period

• Mirrors were a high status item

• Mirrors imported from Venice

Artist: Diego Velázquez

Title: The Surrender at Breda (The Lances)

Medium: Oil on canvas

Date: Baroque (Spain) 

• Battle between Spanish & Dutch

• Spanish victorious

• Breda is a Dutch city

• Civilized exchange between the 2 generals in the center

  • Shows gentlemanly conduct

• Lances up on Spanish side (right), showing organization

• Dutch side (left) more disheveled and chaotic

• Naturalism

Artist: Rembrandt van Rijn

Title: Self-Portrait

Medium: Oil on canvas

Date: Baroque (Dutch)

• Premier 17th century artist in Amsterdam

• Prolific portrait painter

• Has a series of self-portraits that chronicle his life

• Use of tenebrism

• Naturalism

• Humanism

  • Accepting our own limitations and embracing our flaws

Artist: Jan Vermeer

Title: Woman Holding a Balance

Medium: Oil on canvas

Date: Baroque (Dutch)

• Created very few paintings

• Interested in domestic scenes (genre paintings)

  • Painted many household servants

• Captured an instant in time (vanitas)

• Highly detailed oil paintings

• Painting of the Last Judgment within the painting

Scarification

• Painful rite of passage (initiation) practiced in some traditional African societies

• Body mutilation

Title: Twin Figures

Medium: Wood

Date: Yoruba culture

Source/Museum: Nigeria (West Africa)

• Kept by a mother who lost a child

• Mother applies frequently oil to keep in good condition

Title: Two masks in performance

Medium: Wood, mineral pigments, and fiber

Date: Bwa culture

Source/Museum: Burkina Faso, West Africa

• Boys and girls "kidnapped" by masked relatives for initiation

• Witnesses are told that the children have been eaten by wild animals

• Initiation ritual

Title: Power figure (nkisi nkonde)

Medium: Wood, nails, pins, blades, and other materials

Date: Kongo culture

Source/Museum: Democratic Republic of Congo, West Africa

• Carved out of a single block of wood

• Activated by metal implements

• Magical ingredients mixed with the paint

• Pouch contains additional magical ingredients

Ochre

• Natural colors (like charcoal and chalk)

Rarrk

• White cross-hatch designs typical of Australian aboriginal art

Melanesia

• Literally means "the black islands"

• New Guinea is its main island