Sixteenth Century Art and Baroque Art: Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from a lecture on 16th-century European art, Baroque art, notable artists like Anguissola and Holbein, art historical analysis methods, and important art historical terms.

Mannerism

A stylistic buffer between the High Renaissance and the Baroque, emerging in Florence in the 1520s, challenging classical aesthetics, and known for its stylized approach where technical skill appears effortless.

Vasari

An Italian painter and art historian during the sixteenth century, largely connected with Mannerist style, known for writing biographies or the lives of Mannerist artists.

Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects

A book published by Vasari in 1550, considered a primary source, which discusses the biographies of artists, including four specific women like Anguissola.

Primary Source

A source that was written during the time period being discussed, such as a writing from an artist or an art critic from that era.

Dr. John Sherman

A leading scholar in Italian Renaissance art, author of the 1967 book 'Mannerism,' credited with describing Mannerism as a 'stylized style'.

Secondary Source

A source that builds upon primary sources by filling in gaps with more information and analysis from a later time period, such as Dr. Sherman's book on Mannerism.

Sofonisba Anguissola

An Italian noblewoman painter who was educated in the arts, mentioned by Vasari, known for works like 'The Artist's Sisters Playing Chess' and for serving as a painting instructor for Queen Elizabeth of Spain.

Tudor Dynasty

The English dynasty that began in 1485 with Henry VII and ended in 1603 with Elizabeth I, marked by efforts to bring international Renaissance and Mannerist art styles to London.

Henry VII

The first king of the Tudor Dynasty, known for importing artists from across Europe to introduce the international style of the Renaissance and Mannerism to London.

Henry VIII

Son of Henry VII, known for his six marriages and for splitting with the Catholic Church in 1534 to establish the Church of England.

Hans Holbein the Younger

A German painter (c. 1497-1543) favored during the Tudor dynasty, known for portraits like 'Sir Thomas More' and 'Anne of Cleves,' and for using a heightened sense of realism.

Utopia

A famous book written by Sir Thomas More, who was depicted by Hans Holbein the Younger at the height of his career.

Parchment

A surface prepared from the skin of a certain animal that has been treated, stretched, and polished, used by Holbein for his portrait of Anne of Cleves.

Humanism

An ideology based on the celebration of human achievements and civic virtue, a concept prominent in the Renaissance and influencing figures like Anne of Cleves's father.

The Ambassadors

Hans Holbein the Younger's most well-known painting (1533), a double portrait featuring an anamorphic image of a skull, commissioned to promote a message to Henry VIII.

Anamorphic Image

A distorted image that is stretched out and must be viewed at an angle or with a mirror to see the image in its correct shape, such as the skull in Holbein's 'The Ambassadors'.

Memento Mori

A reminder of death that emphasizes the fleeting nature of earthly existence, often depicted as a skull, encouraging one to live life to the fullest.

Perspective

The study of three-dimensional objects and their depiction on a two-dimensional surface, a concept that contributed to the development of anamorphic images.

Optics

The study of light and how we see its proportions, which, along with perspective, was explored by artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Holbein in creating realistic and anamorphic images.

Art Historical Analysis

A comprehensive method for studying art, consisting of three main parts: formal analysis, content analysis, and context analysis.

Formal Analysis

The part of art historical analysis that focuses on the visual elements and principles of design, describing the artist's techniques in composition, color, light, and scale, solely based on what is visible within the artwork.

Content Analysis

The part of art historical analysis that interprets the meaning of specific signs or symbols within an artwork, identifying metaphors and symbolism to establish the overall message.

Context Analysis

The part of art historical analysis that examines the historical, religious, social, or other external circumstances during the time period an artwork was created, requiring research on broader cultural factors.

The Executions of May 3, 1808

A 19th-century painting by Francisco Goya, used as an example for art analysis, depicting the brutal killing of innocent Spaniards by French soldiers of Napoleon's army, observed and sketched by Goya.