Art and Architecture Terms: Renaissance, Gothic, and Medieval Styles

Basilical plan

Church layout with a long central nave, side aisles, and an apse.

Central plan

Building organized around a central space, often circular or polygonal.

Coffered barrel vault

A curved ceiling (barrel vault) with recessed panels (coffers) to reduce weight and add decoration.

Column

Upright architectural support, often classical (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian).

Dome

A rounded vault forming a roof.

Double shell dome

Dome with two layers (inner & outer), e.g., Brunelleschi's dome in Florence.

Module/ratio

Unit of measurement used to create harmonious proportions in architecture.

Ribs

Structural arches that support vaults.

Atmospheric perspective

Creating depth by fading colors and reducing clarity in distant objects.

Contrapposto

Naturalistic stance with weight shifted onto one leg, giving movement and balance.

Disegno

Italian term for 'drawing/design,' emphasizing planning and structure in art.

Drapery

The representation of clothing folds in sculpture/painting.

Foreshortening

Technique to create depth by shortening lines to suggest projection into space.

Illusionistic space

Making a flat surface appear three-dimensional.

Linear perspective

System using vanishing points, orthogonals, and horizon line to create space.

Modeling

Shading to give figures volume and form.

Naturalism

Art that aims to depict the world realistically.

Shading

Use of light and dark to create depth and volume.

Sfumato

Smoky blending of tones without harsh outlines (Leonardo da Vinci).

Horizon line

Eye level; where sky meets ground in linear perspective.

Orthogonal

Diagonal lines that converge at the vanishing point.

Transversal

Lines parallel to the picture plane that intersect orthogonals.

Vanishing point

Point where orthogonals converge; creates depth in perspective.

Pictorial space

The illusion of depth and space within an artwork.

Altarpiece

Artwork placed on or behind a church altar.

Book of Hours

Illustrated prayer book for private devotion, popular in the Middle Ages.

Cartoon

Full-scale preparatory drawing for a fresco, painting, or tapestry.

Illumination

Decorative painting in manuscripts, often with gold/silver.

Miniature painting

Small, detailed paintings in manuscripts or as independent works.

Relief sculpture

Sculpture carved from a flat surface (low, high, or sunken).

Triptych

Artwork made of three panels, often hinged together.

Proto-Renaissance

Pre-Renaissance art (13th-early 14th c.) showing shift toward naturalism.

Trecento

1300s Italian art.

Quattrocento

1400s Italian art (15th century).

Renaissance

'Rebirth' of classical ideals in art/architecture (14th-16th centuries).

High Renaissance

Peak of Renaissance art (late 15th-early 16th c.); artists like Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo.

Florentine School

Florence-based artists, focused on linear perspective, disegno, and naturalism.

Sienese School

Siena-based artists, more decorative, elegant, and spiritual style.

Humanism

Renaissance focus on human experience, classical learning, and individual potential.

Iconography

Study of symbols and subject matter in art.

Maestà

Italian for 'majesty,' large altarpiece of the Virgin and Child enthroned.

Venus pudica

Pose of Venus covering herself with her hands (modest Venus).

Tempera

Egg-based paint, matte finish.

Trecento / Proto-Renaissance

1300s, transitional style.

Shading / Modeling

Light/dark to show volume.

Fresco

Pigment on wet plaster, bonds to wall.

Dome of Florence Cathedral

Architectural engineering masterpiece.

Herringbone brick pattern

Innovative construction technique.

Giotto

Artist known for greater naturalism than Duccio.

Duccio

Artist known for elegant, symbolic, decorative style.

Gates of Paradise

Relief sculpture with multiple scenes in one frame.

Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel

Location of Giotto's wall fresco cycle.

Pietra serena

Gray sandstone used in Florentine Renaissance architecture.

Neo-Platonism

Philosophical blending of pagan and Christian ideals, particularly in art.

Early Renaissance naturalism

Artistic style emphasizing realistic representation over decorative styles.

Narrative continuity

Technique of showing one story across multiple scenes.

Manuscript

Handwritten and illustrated book.

Vellum and parchment

Writing surfaces made from animal skin.

Oil painting

Painting with oil-based pigments; allows vivid color and fine detail.

Milan

City where Leonardo worked for Ludovico Sforza; location of Last Supper.

Florence

Leonardo's early training ground; influenced by Florentine disegno tradition.

Robert Campin

Master of Flémalle, known for the Mérode Altarpiece.

Jan van Eyck

Artist known for Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride.

Limbourg Brothers

Creators of Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.

Masaccio

Associated with realism, perspective, atmospheric depth.

Botticelli

Associated with mythology, idealized beauty, Neo-Platonism.

Basilical plan

Church layout with a long central nave, side aisles, and an apse.

Central plan

Building organized around a central space, often circular or polygonal.

Coffered barrel vault

A curved ceiling (barrel vault) with recessed panels (coffers) to reduce weight and add decoration.

Column

Upright architectural support, often classical (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian).

Dome

A rounded vault forming a roof.

Double shell dome

Dome with two layers (inner & outer), e.g., Brunelleschi's dome in Florence.

Module/ratio

Unit of measurement used to create harmonious proportions in architecture.

Ribs

Structural arches that support vaults.

Atmospheric perspective

Creating depth by fading colors and reducing clarity in distant objects.

Contrapposto

Naturalistic stance with weight shifted onto one leg, giving movement and balance.

Disegno

Italian term for 'drawing/design,' emphasizing planning and structure in art.

Drapery

The representation of clothing folds in sculpture/painting.

Foreshortening

Technique to create depth by shortening lines to suggest projection into space.

Illusionistic space

Making a flat surface appear three-dimensional.

Linear perspective

System using vanishing points, orthogonals, and horizon line to create space.

Modeling

Shading to give figures volume and form.

Naturalism

Art that aims to depict the world realistically.

Shading

Use of light and dark to create depth and volume.

Sfumato

Smoky blending of tones without harsh outlines (Leonardo da Vinci).

Horizon line

Eye level; where sky meets ground in linear perspective.

Orthogonal

Diagonal lines that converge at the vanishing point.

Transversal

Lines parallel to the picture plane that intersect orthogonals.

Vanishing point

Point where orthogonals converge; creates depth in perspective.

Pictorial space

The illusion of depth and space within an artwork.

Altarpiece

Artwork placed on or behind a church altar.

Book of Hours

Illustrated prayer book for private devotion, popular in the Middle Ages.

Cartoon

Full-scale preparatory drawing for a fresco, painting, or tapestry.

Illumination

Decorative painting in manuscripts, often with gold/silver.

Miniature painting

Small, detailed paintings in manuscripts or as independent works.

Relief sculpture

Sculpture carved from a flat surface (low, high, or sunken).

Triptych

Artwork made of three panels, often hinged together.

Proto-Renaissance

Pre-Renaissance art (13th-early 14th c.) showing shift toward naturalism.

Trecento

1300s Italian art.

Quattrocento

1400s Italian art (15th century).