Understanding Art – Visual analysis terms & key images (VOCABULARY flashcards)

A comprehensive set of vocabulary-style flashcards covering key art terms from Page 2 and essential information about each artwork listed in Pages 3–22.

bust length

A portrait showing only the head and shoulders.

half length

A portrait showing the figure from the head to roughly the mid-body/thighs.

full length

A portrait showing the entire figure from head to feet.

profile

A depiction of the subject seen from the side.

3/4 pose

A portrait angle between profile and frontal, often revealing more of the face.

frontal

A portrait facing directly forward.

contrapposto

A figure with weight shifted onto one leg, creating a naturalistic pose.

akimbo

An arm resting on the hip, often with one elbow outward.

balanced

A composition with even distribution of visual weight.

symmetrical

Elements arranged in mirror-like balance around a central axis.

pyramidal

A composition forming a triangle, with the primary mass at the apex.

stacked

Vertical arrangement of elements in layers.

layered

Overlapping planes or elements in a composition.

diagonal

Elements aligned along a diagonal axis to suggest movement.

in the round

Sculpture that is three-dimensional and viewable from all sides.

relief

Sculpture attached to a background plane and not fully free-standing.

smooth

Gentle, refined brushwork with even surfaces.

refined

Carefully controlled, precise brushwork.

expressive

Brushwork that conveys emotion through deliberate marks.

gestural

Loose, dynamic brushwork capturing movement.

impasto

Thick, textured paint laid on the surface for a sculptural effect.

sfumato

Soft shading with gradual transitions between tones.

modelling

Three‑dimensional treatment of space or body, often with shading.

naturalistic treatment of anatomy

An accurate, life-like representation of the human body.

strong outlines

Distinct contour lines defining forms.

heavy shadows

Prominent dark areas to create depth and volume.

chiaroscuro

Modeling of forms through strong contrasts of light and dark.

flat

Lack of depth; two-dimensional appearance.

shallow

Limited depth perspective.

one point perspective

A perspective system where lines converge at a single vanishing point.

atmospheric perspective

Distant objects appear lighter, bluer, and less defined to create depth.

foreshortening

Distortion of an object or figure to fit perspective when viewed from an angle.

palette

The color palette or color scheme used by the artist.

iconography

Subject matter and symbolic meanings within an artwork.

patron

Person or organization that commissions, orders, or buys artwork.

context

Original location or environment of an artwork.

scale

The size of an artwork relative to others or to life.

circa (c.)

Approximately; around this date.

Cecilia Gallerani (Lady with an Ermine) – Leonardo da Vinci

Oil on panel; 38 × 37 cm; Milan, 1489–91; sitter Cecilia Gallerani, mistress to Ludovico Sforza.

Expulsion from the Garden of Eden

Masaccio; fresco; 213 × 89 cm; Brancacci Chapel, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence; c. 1425.

Old Testament boy hero, David

Donatello; bronze with gilding; 158 cm; centre of Medici Palace courtyard, Florence; 1430–40.

Judith and Holofernes

Donatello; bronze; 236 cm; originally a garden statue in the Medici Palace, Florence; 1457–64.

The Procession of the Magi

Benozzo Gozzoli; fresco with gilding; Medici private chapel, Florence; c. 1459.

Ginevra de Benci

Leonardo da Vinci; oil on panel; 38 × 37 cm; back has emblem and inscription Virtue Adorns Beauty; Florence; 1474–78.

Giuliano de Medici

Botticelli; tempera on canvas; 75.5 × 52.5 cm; Florence; c. 1478–80; painted after assassination; the bird is a mourning dove.

The Birth of Venus

Botticelli; tempera on canvas; 1.72 m × 2.78 m; Florence; 1485–86; domestic context.

Jonah (Sistine Ceiling)

Michelangelo; fresco; Sistine Ceiling, Rome; c. 1508–12.

The Dying Slave

Michelangelo; marble; 215 cm; originally for Pope Julius II’s tomb; Rome; 1513–16.

Portrait of a Man (Self-Portrait?)

Jan van Eyck; oil on wood panel; 26 × 19 cm; Bruges; 1433; inscription bottom ‘Jan van Eyck made me on 21 October 1433’; Als Ich Can.

The Portinari Altarpiece (Adoration of the Shepherds)

Hugo van der Goes; oil on wood panel; 253 × 304 cm; originally in Santa Maria Nuova, Florence; Portinari sponsorship; Bruges; 1475–76.

Transfiguration

Raphael; Rome; 1516–20; tempera; 410 cm × 279 cm.

Cupid (Amor Vincit Omnia)

Caravaggio; oil painting; 1.56 m × 1.13 m; owned by Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani; kept under a curtain to reveal; Rome; 1601–02.

Madonna and Child (Madonna of Loreto)

Caravaggio; oil on canvas; 292 × 211 cm; Cavalleti Chapel, Sant’Agostino, Rome; 1604.

Baldacchino

Bernini; bronze with gilding; 28.74 m high; canopy under the dome of St. Peter’s; commissioned by Pope Urban VIII; Rome; 1623–34.

Ecstasy of St Theresa

Bernini; marble, stucco & gilt bronze; life-size; Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome; 1647–52.

The Night Watch (Militia Company of Frans Banning Cocq)

Rembrandt; oil on canvas; 3.63 m × 4.37 m; musketeers’ guild hall, Amsterdam; 1642.

Self-Portrait (Rembrandt)

Rembrandt; Amsterdam; 1665; oil on canvas; 53 × 43 cm.

Lady Standing at a Virginal

Vermeer; oil on canvas; 52 × 45 cm; Delft; 1670–72.