Modern Humanities (Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque)
Renaissance
A cultural movement that began in Italy in the 14th century, characterized by a revival of interest in the classical art, literature, and architecture of ancient Greece and Rome.
A powerful and influential family in Florence, known for their patronage of the arts and political involvement during the Renaissance.
Neoplatonism
A philosophy based on the ideas of Plato that merged paganism with Christianity.
An Italian philosopher and scholar who contributed significantly to Neoplatonism. He translated Plato’s works from Greek to Latin.
An Italian Renaissance philosopher known for his work 'Oration on the Dignity of Man.’
A hierarchical structure of all matter and life. Believed to reflect the divine order.
An artistic technique used to create the illusion of depth and space on a flat surface.
The point in a perspective drawing where orthogonals appear to converge.
An artistic technique used to create the illusion of depth by changing the color and clarity of objects intended to appear distant.
A sculpture that is carved or molded on a flat surface.
Orsanmichele
A building in Florence that originally served as a grain market but was converted into a church. Known for its exterior niches filled with sculptures of saints.
Literally “counterbalance”. A pose in sculpture where the weight is distributed on one leg.
An artistic technique that makes objects appear to recede into space.
trompe l’oeil
Literal meaning: To deceive the eye. An artistic technique that creates the illusion of three-dimensional space or objects on a flat surface.
A gray sandstone commonly used in Florentine architecture, particularly used by Brunelleschi.
The triangular sections of a dome that serve as the transition between the dome and its supporting arches.
The period in the late 15th century to early 16th century characterized by the peak of classical artistic expression.
A political philosophy and culture that encouraged citizens to be actively involved in governing their communities.
A text that outlines the ideal qualities of a courtier and the proper etiquette in royal courts.
A political treatise that provides advice on how rulers should maintain power.
An artistic technique that uses light and shadow to give the illusion of volume.
An artistic technique that creates a soft transition between colors and tones. Particularly used by Leonardo da Vinci. Example: Virgin of the Rocks.
A painting technique where pigments are mixed with water and applied to freshly laid, wet lime plaster.
ignudi
The term used for the 20 nude male figures featured in the Sistine Chapel ceiling fresco.
Mannerism
An artistic style characterized by artificial poses and exaggerated and distorted forms.
A musical style consisting of multiple independent melodic voices.
A polyphonic choral composition on a sacred text.
a repeated melody in different voices
A Flemish composer who was known for founding the Venetian School.
A work of art consisting of three pieces.
A Dutch Renaissance humanist and theologian known for his writings on reform in the Church. Author of "The Praise of Folly.”
Martin Luther was a 16th-century German theologian and monk who initiated the Protestant Reformation. Known for his “Ninety-Five Theses”.
A French theologian known for his doctrines of predestination and God’s absolute sovereignty and his significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
A religious movement that began in the early 15th century, leading to the establishment of Protestant churches. It was a challenge to the authority of the Catholic Church.
A series of meetings that defined Catholic doctrine in response to the Protestant Reformation
Startling contrasts between light and dark.
An artistic depiction of imaginary continuations of the existing architectural features.
Characterized by dramatic shifts in volume and tempo, expressiveness, and the use of ornamentation.
The theory that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience
A mathematician and astronomer who proposed the heliocentric model of the universe.
A French philosopher and mathematician known for his statement “I think, therefore I am.”
An agreement between a government and its people that outlines the rights and responsibilities of each
An English philosopher whose theories on government and human rights influenced modern democratic thought. Commonly known as the “Father of Liberalism”.