Art History Final - Key Terms

contrapposto

the intimation of a weight shift to one leg (associated with classical, Greco-Roman sculpture)

perspective (geometric)

the geometric aspects of paintings which makes them look three dimensional through aspects such as a horizon line, distance point, and vanishing point

perspective (atmospheric)

observation allowed for the recognition of the haziness and flattening tonality of color (the greying of tone) that occurs when we look out at landscapes that are far in the distance

sfumato

a technique Leonardo began to do softening edges of his forms erasing hard outlines to create the illusion of roundedness and three dimensionality, making the transitions from light to shadow less rigid and distinct

horizon-line isocephaly

a perspective drawing technique where the heads (and eyes) of all human figures in a scene are aligned along the viewer’s eye level, the horizon line, regardless of their distance in the scene

contract

legally binding agreements between artists, patrons, galleries, or institutions that define the creation, sale, exhibition, and ownership of artworks

guild

a medieval and Renaissance association of artisans, painters, and craftsmen

ultramarine

pigment in the Renaissance depriving from lapis lazuli (a precious blue stone)

Mihrab

a semicircular niche or arched indentation in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla towards the Mecca (Mihrab)

macrocosm/microcosm

the world in its entirety as imagined by God

a small perfect form

sprezzatura

the ability to do many things well looking entirely effortless

terribilità

a fearsome strength of character and outsized will & determination

Humanism

pursuit of an education in a secular context, laymen (men unaffiliated with religious institutions) began to study works of philosophy, science, and literature from classical antiquity

melancholia/melancholy

connected in medieval medicine to black gall, where one of the fours humours thought to dominate human health and character, is also associated with Saturn, it became associated with artists because it’s genius expressed both creativity and depression

indulgence

certificates sold by the Catholic Church during the Renaissance that granted forgiveness for sins

decorum

was a rule of art first defined by Leonardo da Vinci where works of art should stylistically fit the the subjects being portraye

Protestant iconoclasm

the systematic, religiously motivated destruction of religious images, statues, and art in Western European churches, fueled by the Reformation’s theological rejection of idolatry

woodblock printing/relief

a technique where the lines in a print are the raised parts left behind after Durer removed what he didn’t want

engraving/intaglio

typically on metal plates rather than wood where lines that will form the final image are incised directly onto a metal plate with a metal tool called a burin and the plate is inked then wiped so the ink stays only in the incised lines, the paper is then laid on top and the plate is put unto a press to draw the ink up out of the lines to leave an imprint (allowed more details rather than woodblocking)

paragone

a debate Leonardo was activity involved in which was a literary comparison of different art forms in the Renaissance where poetry, aligned with the arts, was generally thought to be both the better and higher art form since it could evoke all aspects of man & nature

Vitruvian man

fresco

a technique in which pigment (colors) are added to wet plaster to create a painted surface, the painting becomes a part of the wall incorporated directly into the architecture, technique was used in the Allegory of Good and Bad Government

oil painting

oil allowed for more mixing and greater ranges of color which dried slowly allowing painters to work on a single painting over a much longer period of time

Nominalism

a religious philosophy that maintains that the universe can only be understood through direct experience rather than through speculations about the ideal or abstract nature of things, focuses on the small experiences of nature, taking the ordinary, mundane stuff of life as signs of divine invention

iconographic analysis

a method used to interpret the meaning of a work by studying its visual symbols, themes, and subject matter within its cultural and historical context

telescopic/microscopic view

an attention to describing in detail even those things that are farthest away (the tiny city in the landscape out the window)

an attention to the minutest details from up very close (the rug, the hair, fabric)

genre painting

often depicted subjects that may have a moral subject but are not explicitly religious, may depict tavern scenes, or landscapes, or still life arrangements and were sold on the open market to the burgher class

Reformation

Counter-Reformation

in reaction to Luther’s doctrine of Sola Fide, the church affirmed the Decree of Justification, faith alone cannot justify man because sin cannot be remitted without penance, charity and good works, thus the church reaffirmed the Sacrament of Penance

satirical broadsides

single sheet prints, usually woodcuts, that were relatively cheap to produce using images and minimal texts to convey anger with social and religious institutions and human behavior

sola fide

a doctrine which could guarantee remittance for sin the eyes of God (faith alone as direct translation)

Council of Trent

the 19th ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, convened in northern Italy to address the Protestant Reformation and implement internal reforms

The Three Magi/Kings

kings representing the three ages of man (youth, middle age, old age) and three continents (Europe, Asia, Africa), symbolizing the universality of Christ's call to all humanity

Mannerism

practiced by followers of Michelangelo, a highly decorative, late Renaissance artistic style that focused on the aesthetic qualities of art and the beauty of the human form in emulation of Michelangelo