11 & 12 art history

Renaissance

A period of cultural rebirth in Europe characterized by a revival of classical art, architecture, literature, and learning.

Humanism

An intellectual movement focusing on human potential and achievements, emphasizing the study of classical Greek and Roman texts.

Secularism

A focus on worldly rather than spiritual or religious matters.

Patronage

Financial support given by a wealthy individual or organization to an artist.

Guild

An association of artisans or merchants who oversee the practice of their craft in a particular town.

Fresco

A painting technique where pigments are applied to wet plaster (buon fresco) or dry plaster (fresco secco).

Tempera

A fast

Oil Paint

A medium consisting of pigments suspended in drying oils, allowing for rich color, detail, and slow drying time.

Glazing

Building up color with many thin layers of transparent oil paint to create depth and luminosity.

Triptych

An artwork made of three panels hinged together, often used as an altarpiece.

Polyptych

An artwork consisting of more than three panels hinged together.

Altarpiece

A panel, painted or sculpted, situated above and behind an altar.

Predella

The base of an altarpiece, often decorated with small scenes related to the main subject.

Linear Perspective

A mathematical system for creating the illusion of depth on a flat surface using a vanishing point and orthogonals.

Vanishing Point

The point on the horizon line where parallel lines appear to converge.

Orthogonals

The converging diagonal lines that meet at the vanishing point in linear perspective.

Atmospheric Perspective

Creating the illusion of depth by making distant objects paler, bluer, and less distinct.

Foreshortening

The visual effect causing an object to appear shorter than it actually is because it is angled toward the viewer.

Chiaroscuro

The dramatic treatment of light and shadow to create the illusion of three

Sfumato

A technique of allowing tones and colors to shade gradually into one another, producing softened outlines (smoky).

Tenebrism

A dramatic use of intense darkness and focused light (spotlight effect), typical of Baroque art.

Contrapposto

A relaxed pose where a figure's weight is shifted onto one leg, creating a natural S

Idealization

Representing subjects in a perfected form rather than realistically with flaws.

Naturalism

A style of representation based on the accurate depiction of detail.

Canon of Proportions

A set of ideal mathematical ratios in art based on measurements of the human body.

Neoplatonism

A philosophy that merged classical Platonic ideas with Christian theology.

Sibyls

Ancient Greco

Ignudi

Nude figures, often used decoratively in the Sistine Chapel.

Trompe l'oeil

A painting technique that tricks the eye into perceiving a painted detail as a three

Pilaster

A rectangular column projecting slightly from a wall, used for decoration.

Rustication

Rough, unfinished masonry used on the exterior of buildings to convey strength.

Pietra Serena

A gray sandstone used extensively in Florentine Renaissance architecture.

Loggia

A gallery or room with one or more open sides, typically expanding to the garden.

Chapter House

A meeting place for the clergy or members of a religious order.

Refectory

A dining hall in a monastery or convent.

Annunciation

The biblical event where the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus.

Lamentation

A scene depicting the mourning over the dead body of Christ.

Deposition

A scene depicting the removal of Christ's body from the cross.

Entombment

A scene depicting Christ being placed into the tomb.

Last Supper

The final meal shared by Jesus and his disciples before his crucifixion.

Last Judgment

The judgment of humans by God at the end of the world.

Doni Tondo

A circular painting or relief sculpture.

Figura Serpentinata

A figure in a spiral pose, twisting like a snake, characteristic of Mannerism.

Mannerism

A style of later Renaissance art emphasizing artificiality, elongated forms, and discordant colors.

Protestant Reformation

A religious movement in the 16th century that split the Western Church into Catholic and Protestant groups.

Engraving

A printmaking process where lines are cut into a metal plate with a burin.

Etching

A printmaking process where acid is used to bite lines into a metal plate.

Woodcut

A relief printmaking process where the image is carved into a block of wood.

Burin

A sharp metal tool used for engraving.

Hatching

Shading using closely spaced parallel lines.

Cross

hatching

Genre Painting

Paintings depicting scenes of everyday life.

Disguised Symbolism

Everyday objects in Northern Renaissance art that carry deeper religious meaning.

Memento Mori

An artistic or symbolic reminder of the inevitability of death.

Attribute

An object associated with a specific figure (e.g., keys for St. Peter) that helps identify them.