Renaissance Flashcards
Renaissance
“Rebirth”; The term used to describe the history, culture, and art of 14th-16th century Western Europe
Altarpiece
A panel situated above and behind an Altar
Buon Fresco
A painting technique in which water-based pigments are applied to a surface of wet plaster
Stigmata
The wounds Christ received at his crucifixion that miraculously appears on the body of a saint
Giornata
“Day”; The section of plaster that a fresco painter expects to complete in one session
Triptych
A 3-paneled Altarpiece; Small, portable shrine with hinged wings used for private devotion
Pulpit
A raised platform in a church where a priest stands while leading the religious service
Mystery Plays
A dramatic enactment of the Holy mysteries of the Christian Faith; performed at city squares
Secular Art
Art that has no religious theme
Humanism
focus on the value and potential of individual humans
Prefiguration
early indication of something, in biblical usage the coming of Jesus Christ as the Messiah
Linear Perspective
All parallel lines converge on one vanishing point
Vanishing Point
A single point on the horizon line where parallel lines seem to meet
Horizon Line
The visual boundary where the sky meets the land or water; the height of the viewer’s eye
City-State
An independent, self-governing city
Dome (Architecture)
A hemispherical vault; arch rotated on its vertical axis
Altar
A table for the presentation of religious offerings
Nave (Architecture)
The central area of a church
Lantern (Architecture)
A small towerlike structure, usually with windows, capping the tip of a dome and admitting light to the interior
Cinquecento
“500”; 16th century (1500s) in Italy
Tempera
A technique of painting using pigment mixed with egg yolk
Maniera Greca
“Greek Manner”; The Italo-Byzantine painting style of the 13th century
Gold Leaf
Gold beaten into tissue-paper-thin sheets that then can be applied to surfaces
Cartoon
a full-size drawing used to transfer a design to a finished work
Feudalism
People work and fight for nobles who give them protection and the use of land in return.
Byzantium
A continuation of the Roman Empire in the Middle East after its division in 395
Donors
Someone who commissions and pays for a work of art
Iconography
“The writing of images”; Refers both to the subject of an artwork and the study of content in art
Quattrocento
“400”; The 15th century (1400s) in Italy
Renaissance Man
A person with many talents/areas of knowledge
Contrapposto
A graceful arrangement of the body based on titled shoulders and hips and bent knees
Equestrian
A rider or performer on horseback
Neo-Platonism
A philosophical school that reinterpreted Plato’s ideas and combined them with other ideas to create a comprehensive understanding of the universe
Foreshortening
show an object or view as closer than it is or as having less depth or distance, as an effect of perspective
Sfumato
“Smokey”; A smokelike haziness that subtly softens outlines in paintings
Pyramidal Composition
Subjects organized in a triangle
Trompe l’oeil
“Fools the eye”; Illusionistic painting that aims to deceive viewers into believing that they are seeing real objects rather than a representation of those objects
Basilica (Architecture)
A public building for legal proceedings
Pieta
A painted or sculpted representation of the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of the dead Christ
Oil Painting
A painting technique using oil-based pigments that rose to prominence in Northern Europe in the 15th century
