Terms

Question 1

ariccio

Answer 1

the relatively coarse plaster that forms the first layer applied to the wall in the making of a fresco

Question 2

fresco

Answer 2

Italian word meaning fresh, referring to a painting made on wet plaster with pigments suspended in water so that the plate absorbs the colors and the painting becomes part of the wall

Question 3

linear perspective

Answer 3

a system of creating an illusion of depth on a flat surface. All parallel lines (orthogonals) in a painting or drawing using this system converge in a single vanishing point on the composition’s horizon line.

Question 4

orders (architecture)

Answer 4

a series of greek and roman architectural motifs that aesthetic definition and decoration to the post-and-lintel system. doric, ionic, corinthian, tuscan, composite

Question 5

contrapposto

Answer 5

a series of greek and roman architectural motifs that aesthetic definition and decoration to the post-and-lintel system. doric, ionic, corinthian, tuscan, composite

Question 6

bottega

Answer 6

Italian for ‘shop’, used to describe both the group of assistants who worked with an artist and the place where they worked

Question 7

chiaroscuro

Answer 7

in painting, the contrast of light and shade - from the Italian chiaro (light) and oscuro (dark)- to enhance modeling

Question 8

duecento

Answer 8

Italian word for two hundred, used to refer to the 1200’s- the 13th century

Question 9

giornata

Answer 9

a patch of intonaco of sufficient size for an artist to complete one day’s work on a fresco

Question 10

guilds

Answer 10

independent associations of businessmen, bankers, and artisan manufacturers with 7 major guilds in Florence

Question 11

humanism

Answer 11

based on the studies of ancient texts and their praise of deeds of great figures from antiquity, this philosophy stressed the dignity of an individual and the human potential for achievement.

Question 12

iconography

Answer 12

the identification and study of the subject matter of a work of art, inclusive the identification of symbols

Question 13

intonaco

Answer 13

the layer of smooth plaster on which a fresco is painted

Question 14

maestà

Answer 14

Italian term meaning ‘virgin in majesty’ used to refer to a large altarpiece of the virgin enthroned, adored by saints and angels

Question 15

mandorla

Answer 15

From the Italian word for almond, an oval or almond shaped halo that surrounds a figure to indicate divinity or holiness

Question 16

patron

Answer 16

the person or group who commissions and pays for work of art or architecture and is sometimes represented in the artwork itself.

Question 17

quattrocentto

Answer 17

Italian word for four hundred used to refer to the 1400s- the 15th century

Question 18

silverpoint

Answer 18

a drawing made with a slender silver rod or wire on paper coated with a colored, slightly grainy preparation

Question 19

tempera

Answer 19

ground colors mixed with egg yolk

Question 20

trecento

Answer 20

Italian word for three hundred, used to refer to the 1300s -the 14th century

Question 21

triptych

Answer 21

Italian word for three hundred, used to refer to the 1300s -the 14th century