Paintings Flashcards
Chiaroscuro
The contrast of light next to dark
Abstract
Communicates meaning through lines, shapes, colours, forms and textures rather than imitating real world objects
En plein air
(With reference to painting) in the open air
Delineating
Describing something precisely e.g. drawing using line to create a crisp, hard-edged finish
Foreshortening
A technique that helps to allude a two dimensional surface into a receding or preceding extension in space
Golden section
A proportional ratio, believed to be ideal or perfect
Impasto
Thickly applied paint (usually oil)
Istoria
A term used to describe a generally complex and uplifting figure composition that conveys a biblical, mythological or historical narrative
Maesta
Italian word for majesty which refers to paintings of the Madonna enthroned as the queen of heaven
Modelling
The way artists achieve volume and a sense of three dimensional realism by shading from light to dark in two dimensional work
Painterly
Brushstrokes that are clearly visible
Picture plane
The plane of a picture from which the illusory three dimensional space seems to recede
Verisimilitude
Extreme realism and meticulous attention to detail
