Art History Background: Ancient Greek to the Early Renaissance

Vocabulary terms covering ancient Greek sculpture, early Christian developments, and the transitions leading up to the Renaissance.

Idealization of the figure

An ancient Greek sculptural approach focused on the perfecting of form and seeking the ideal beauty and natural movement of male and female figures.

Weight shift

A visual feature emphasized in ancient Greek sculpture to demonstrate natural movement, prominent around the high point of Greek art around 450 BC.

Catacombs

Underground burial places where early Christian art emerged as wall paintings, marking a radical change from the Greek and Roman sculptural tradition.

Orang

A specific figure depicted in early Christian wall paintings found inside underground catacombs.

Glass mosaics

Early Christian artworks set in churches above ground, crafted with gold leaf in the background to produce a sparkling radiance.

Dark Ages

A historical period between the early Christian era and the Middle Ages during which very little art was produced.

Saint Francis

A figure depicted in small storytelling narrative scenes during the Middle Ages, representing a break from early Christian art.

Humanism

An intellectual movement in literature and philosophy that helped lead into the early Renaissance.

Renaissance

A period defined as a rebirth of art and learning emerging out of the Middle Ages, characterized by a greater focus on the individual and beginning in the 1300s before continuing in the 1400s.