15th Century Terms Flashcards
atmospheric (aerial) perspective
creates the illusion of distance by greater diminution of color intensity, the shift in color toward an almost neutral blue, and the blurring of contours as the intended distance between eye and object increases
baptistery
church structure used for baptisms
cartoon
in painting, a full-size preliminary drawing from which a painting is made
chiaroscuro
in drawing or painting, the treatment and use of light and dark, especially the gradations of light that produce the effect of modeling
contrapposto
the disposition of the human figure in which one part is turned in opposition to another part (usually hips and legs one way, shoulders and chest another), creating a counterpositioning of the body about its central axis. Sometimes called “weight shift” because the weight of the body tends to be thrown to one foot, creating tension on one side and relaxation on the other
cupola
a dome; an exterior architectural feature composed of a drum with a shallow cap
diptych
a two-paneled painting or altarpiece; also, an ancient Roman, Early Christian, or Byzantine hinged writing tablet, often of ivory and carved on the external sides
donor
pays for the piece out of some kind of benevolence or interest in art
drawing
hand-producing images on a surface, usually paper
duomo
Italian, “cathedral” (NOT DOME)
equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, c 175 AD
inspiration for Gattamelata (equestrian statue of Erasmo da Narni) by Donatello ca. 1445-53 and Bartolommeo Colleoni (equestrian statue) by Andrea del Verrocchio ca. 1481-95
formal analysis
the visual analysis of artistic form
foreshortening
the use of perspective to represent in art the apparent visual contraction of an object that extends back in space at an angle perpendicular to the plane of sight
fresco
painting on lime plaster, either dry (dry fresco, or fresco secco), or wet (true, or buon, fresco). In the latter method, the pigments are mixed with water and become chemically bound to the freshly laid lime plaster. Also, a painting executed in either method
giornata (pl. giornate)
Italian “day.” The section of plaster that a fresco painter expects to complete in one session
impasto
a layer of thickly applied pigment
intarsia
inlaid mosaic of wood; often used in panels over the backs of choir stalls and in private studies and chapels of princes
linear (one-point) perspective
all parallel lines of surface edges converge on one, two, or three vanishing points located with reference to the eye level of the viewer (horizon) and associated objects are rendered smaller the farther from the viewer they are intended to seem
oil painting
a painting technique using oil-based pigments that rose to prominence in norther Europe in the 15th century and is now the standard medium for painting on canvas
orthogonal
a line imagined to be behind and perpendicular to the picture plane; the orthogonals in a painting appear to recede toward a vanishing point on the horizon
patron
person who pays for the painting
picture plane
an imaginary transparent plane that separates the viewer from the thing being viewed; it’s usually a vertical plane perpendicular to the viewer’s line of sight
pouncing
a method of transferring a preparatory drawing for a painting from paper to another surface, such as canvas or plaster
putto (pl. putti)
a cherubic young boy (cupid)
