Art History 206 Mid-Term

Humanism- a Renaissance cultural movement which turned away from medieval scholasticism and revived interest in ancient Greek and Roman thought.

Mysticism- the desire for direct, unmediated experience or union with the Universal or the Divine

Intercessor- someone such as a priest, saint or other holy figure who acts on behalf of a supplicant through prayer or petition; someone who communicates prayers from a supplicant to Christ or God.

Picture Plane- the transparent division between this fictive internal space and the real space outside, in which the viewer is placed.

Ground Plane- the imaginary plane on which objects and figures stand and which seems to recede into the distance.

Realism of Particulars- depicting objects with minute attention to details

Rising Perspective- a type of perspective where the horizon line is placed high on the picture plane (often giving the impression that the ground plane is tilted sharply upwards).

Simultaneity of Interior and Exterior- a scene where both the interior of closed structures and the exterior environment are depicted.

Soft Modeling of Forms- a mix of iconography and realism, most often shown in religious works as religious symbolism

Penchant for Storytelling- the meaning found in a work of art from the inclusion of different objects and symbols

Diptych- two panels of equal size with paintings and reliefs hinged together.

Triptych- an artwork made up of three panels, usually hinged together so the wings fold over the center.

Wing (of Altarpiece)- The side panels on an open altarpiece

Sibyls- ancient, pagan prophetesses whose oracles were reinterpreted by Christians in the middle ages as prophesying events in the New Testament of the Bible.

Tatum Simul- all at the same time; all of contingent time comprehended in one moment, the contingent subsumed by the eternal.

Intuitive Perspective- use of the eye as the observational skill to create a sense of perspective.

Single-Point Linear Perspective- a system representing three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface by delineating a horizon-line and multiple orthogonal lines that recede to meet at one point.

Orthogonal- lines are those that move towards a vanishing point in linear perspective, creating the illusion of realistic spatial depth.

Vanishing Point- a point on the image plane of a perspective rendering where the two-dimensional perspective projections of mutually parallel lines in three-dimensional space appear to converge.

Focal Point- the most visually interesting area of the composition.

Foreshortening- depicting an object or human body in a picture so as to produce an illusion of projection or extension in space.

Di Sotto in Sú- extreme foreshortening of figures painted on a ceiling or other high surface so as to give the illusion that the figures are suspended in air above the viewer.

Chiaroscuro- designating the contrast of light and dark in a painting, drawing, or print; creates spatial depth and volumetric forms through gradations in the intensity of light and shadows.

Sfumato- "smokey," soft, and mellow; the effect of haze in an image.

Colorito- the act of applying color in a way that appears swift, sure and full of vitality.

Desingo- the structure of a composition, to the overall arrangement of forms, gesture, and posture.

Tenebroso/Tenebrism- used to describe a certain type of painting in which significant details such as faces and hands are illuminated by highlights which are contrasted with a predominantly dark setting.

Woodcut- a type of print made by carving a design into a wooden block; the ink is applied to a block with a roller, which is then pressed onto the surface area, the blank areas creating the image

Engraving- a printmaking process of inscribing an image, design, or letters onto a metal or wood surface from which a print is made; engravings are typically made with sharp instruments directly on the surface of the plate

Dry Point- a printmaking process by which a metal plate is directly inscribed with a pointed instrument; resulting design of scratched lines is inked, wiped, and printed

Pietra Serena- a gray Tuscan sandstone used in florentine architecture

Pendentive Dome- a constructional device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room

Transept- a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building; an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building within the Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architectural traditions

Sacra Conversatione- a genre developed in Italian Renaissance painting, with a depiction of the Virgin and Child amidst a group of saints in a relatively informal grouping

Stigmata- the five marks of Christ's crucifixion- one on each hand and foot and one on the right side of the body.

Staffage- figures in a painting that set the mood, tone, character, or theme of a painting, used especially in relationship to landscapes

Baptism- the religious rite of sprinkling water onto a person's forehead or of immersion in water, symbolizing purification or regeneration and admission to the Christian Church

Annunciation- the scene in which the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she is the mother of Christ

Nativity- the scene of the birth of Christ, typically portrayed as being in a manger Visitation the Virgin Mary's visit to her cousin, Elizabeth.

The Passion- the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross

The Last Supper- the final meal held by Christ and his twelve apostles at which he announces he will be betrayed by one of them.

Crucifixion- the execution and death of Jesus

Lamentation/The Deposition- the removal of Jesus from the cross where he is then mourned

Resurrection- the revival of Christ on the third day