Art History Vocab

International Gothic

detailed, gaudy, less focus on realism

High ren

perfection in forms, heavy emphasis on drapery and composition

Reformation

emergence of protestantism in a catholic europe

Martin luther

started the reformation, nailed his 95 theses to the door of a church to show his complaints about the catholic church

Humanism

showing humans in a realistic way, physically but also sometimes hinting at emotional realism as well

Iconography

the specific symbols used in an artwork to convey its message, Jesus is probably the most familiar icon

Linear perspective

a method of creating perspective in a mathematical way

David

the boy/shepard who beat goliath in a biblical fight, he was a subject of many sculptures

Proto-renaissance

the time when gothic and byzantine art styles were changing into more renaissance art styles. This change was mostly spearheaded by Giotto and his choice to make more realistic artwork

Late ren

the time when renaissance styles were bleeding into manneristic styles. The body was manipulated more and there was less of a tie to strictly mathematical perspective or perfect environments

Printing press

an invention that aided in the reformation, and that allowed artists to become independent if they wanted (didnt have to rely on a family like the medici to commission works, sold prints) 

Early ren

realism, more static poses than later in the renaissance

Mannerism

more manipulated “strange” artworks compared to the renaissance, bodies were manipulated more and scenes were often filled with easter egg details or strange happenings

Northern ren

more focus on small details and the realistic portrayal of gore/negativity than the south, they also focused less on a strictly linear perspective

Oil Paint

there was use of oil paint before, but northern painters like Jan van Eyck popularized it through the use of thin glazes

Merchant class

middle class, independent but not as wealthy as prestigious families, sold their works independently for profit

Medici

an italian family that came to banking power in Florence, they became frequent art commissioners

Classical

in reference to artworks from classical greece and rome (think idyllic bodies and marble statues) 

Fresco

true/wet fresco is when pigments are applied directly to wet plaster, dry fresco is when pigments are mixed with a binder and applied to dried plaster