Chapter 21 Renaissance in Quattrocento Italy

Anachronism

something from a former time which is out of place in the present

Appropriation

refers to the practice of artists using pre-existing objects or images in their art with little transformation of the original

Canonization

adding of a person to am approved list of saints

Chiaroscuro

the shading with light and dark to achieve a sculptural effect

Colossal Order

an architectural element which runs through three stories uninterrupted

Contrapposto

human stance in which the hips and the legs are one way, the shoulders and chest another-it results in a shift in weight which creates tension on one side and relaxation on the other

Di Soto in sù

Italian term meaning “from below upward”

Emulation

involved modeling one’s work after another artist

Endowments

gift of money by a wealthy family to build a chapel as expressions of piety and devotion

Equestrian Statue

featured a person riding horseback (a moveable throne)

Foreshortening

the diminishing of certain dimensions of an object or figure in order to depict it in correct spatial relationship

Humanism

for the Italians this embrace an emphasis on education and expanding knowledge (especially classical antiquity) and an exploration of individual potential and a desire to excel, as well as commitment to civic responsibility and moral duty

Imitation

copying the works of the masters

Linear Perspective

a technique which made it possible to represent three dimensional objects on a flat surface in a systematic way, so that all the lines receding at right angles on the picture plane converge at a vanishing point on the horizon

Martyrs

those who have suffered and died for Christianity

Patrons

wealthy individuals who commissioned numerous art works and buildings. They were heads of princely courts who often hired court artists and their courts were centers of power and culture.

Portrait

a likeness of the person being painted or sculpted

Princely Courts

the prince was in essence the lord of a territory. He could often have been a duke, marquis, cardinal, pope, tyrant or papal vicar

Purgatory

a way station between heaven and hell where persons could atone for their sins before Judgment Day

Renaissance

rebirth of interest in the art, literature, architecture and life of the Greco-Roman world

Saint

person who has demonstrated a dedication to God’s service

Spatial Illusion

an attempt to show three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface

Tactile Value

the painting evokes the memory of the sensation felt from the texture on the painting

Trompe L’oeil

“fool the eye”