Exam1 key terms Flashcards
What is Buon fresco?
A technique of painting on wet plaster where pigments are applied directly to the wet surface, becoming part of the wall as it dries.
What is Fresco secco?
A technique of painting on dry plaster, where pigments are applied to the surface after the plaster has dried.
What is Bole?
A red clay used as an underpainting layer, often in gilding processes for gold leaf application.
What is Tempera?
A painting medium made from pigments mixed with egg yolk and water, creating a fast-drying paint with a matte finish.
What is Gesso?
A white paint mixture of chalk, gypsum, and glue used as a preparatory ground for painting surfaces, especially in tempera painting.
What is Hierarchy of scale?
The use of size to indicate the importance of figures or objects, where larger elements represent higher status or significance.
What is Hierarchy of place?
The arrangement of figures or objects in a painting to reflect their relative importance, often placing the most important subjects in prominent locations.
What is Chiaroscuro modeling?
The technique of using light and shadow to create a sense of volume and three-dimensionality on a two-dimensional surface.
What is Contrapposto?
A pose in sculpture where the figure’s weight is shifted onto one leg, creating a sense of movement and naturalism.
What is Linear perspective?
A system of creating an illusion of depth on a flat surface, where parallel lines appear to converge at a single point on the horizon.
What is Aerial (atmospheric) perspective?
A technique that uses color and clarity to suggest depth by making distant objects lighter in color, less detailed, and hazier.
What is a Vanishing point?
The point in a perspective drawing where parallel lines appear to converge, creating the illusion of depth.
What is Quattrocento?
The 15th century (1400s) in Italian art history, often associated with the early Renaissance period.
What is an Altarpiece?
A religious artwork placed on or above an altar, often a multi-panel piece depicting biblical scenes or figures.
What is a Predella?
The lower section of an altarpiece, often containing smaller scenes related to the main panels.
What is a Diptych?
A two-panel artwork, usually hinged, that can be opened and closed, often containing religious or narrative scenes.
What is a Triptych?
A three-panel artwork, often used for altarpieces or religious subjects, where the central panel is flanked by two side panels.
What is a Polyptych?
A multi-panel artwork, usually an altarpiece, that includes more than three panels.
What is the Renaissance?
The period of European history (14th–17th centuries) characterized by a renewed interest in classical antiquity, humanism, and advances in art, science, and culture.
What is Simultaneous narrative?
A narrative technique where multiple events or scenes from a story are depicted within the same frame.
What is Humanism?
A cultural and intellectual movement that emphasized the study of classical antiquity, individual potential, and the human experience as a central theme.
What is Naturalism?
The artistic aim to represent the world and human figures in a realistic, lifelike manner, focusing on accurate depictions of nature.
What is Sfumato?
A technique, especially used by Leonardo da Vinci, where transitions between colors and tones are blurred, creating soft edges and a smoky effect.
What is Disguised symbolism?
The use of subtle or hidden symbols in artwork, often related to Christian or moral themes.
What is Microcosm?
The representation of the human body or the individual as a miniature reflection of the larger universe or cosmos.
What is Macrocosm?
The larger universe or the cosmos, sometimes depicted in art to emphasize the relationship between humans and the broader world.
Who is Dante?
Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet famous for his epic work Divine Comedy, which influenced Renaissance thinking about the afterlife and the human condition.
What is a Condottiere?
A leader or mercenary captain in Italy during the Renaissance, often hired by city-states for military purposes.
What is an Equestrian statue?
A sculpture depicting a rider on horseback, often symbolizing power and leadership.
What is a Profile portrait?
A portrait where the subject is shown in side view, typically used in ancient and Renaissance art for formal representations.
Who is The Medici family?
A powerful Italian family from Florence known for their patronage of the arts, their wealth from banking, and their influence on Renaissance culture.
Who is The Gonzaga family?
A prominent Italian family that ruled Mantua and were also patrons of the arts during the Renaissance.
What is the concept of prefiguring in the pairing of the Old Law and the New Law?
A theological idea where elements or figures in the Old Testament are seen as prefigurations or foreshadowings of events or figures in the New Testament.
