Venetian Renaissance

Question 1

Depictions of an idyllic place of rural peace and simplicity. Derived from Arcadia, an ancient district in Southern Greece.

Answer 1

Arcadian [ Feast of the Gods, The Tempest ]

Question 2

The Italian term for large, lavishly decorated chests made in Italy from the 14th through the 16th centuries. Usually commissioned in pairs for a bride to store her trousseau.

Answer 2

Cassone (plural cassoni) [ Venus of Urbino ]

Question 3

Color or painted. A term used to describe the application of paint, characteristic of Venetian Renaissance art. It is distinguished from disegno, which emphasizes careful design based on preliminary drawing.

Answer 3

Colorito (vs. disegno)

Question 4

A small-scale depiction of a scene or composition using figurines, often made of clay and viewed through a window or from one side. Tintoretto used dioramas for preparatory studies, as did the 20th-century American artist Thomas Hart Benton.

Answer 4

Diorama [ Last Supper ]

Question 5

The study of the symbolic meaning of objects, persons or events depicted in works of art.

Answer 5

Iconography [ Venus of Urbino ]

Question 6

When an abstract idea or object is given human form.

Answer 6

Personification [ Pastoral Symphony ]

Question 7

Non-religious subject matter, theme, or mood

Answer 7

Secular (vs. sacred) [ Feast of the Gods ]

Question 8

A glaze with a color which is lighter in value than the underlayer and is semi-transparent. Venetian artists such as Titian often began their paintings with monochromatic warm underpainting, over which they applied a velatura in translucent white to lighten the underpaint. Then they glazed over the velatura with transparent pigments, giving their works unique nuances of color.

Answer 8

Velatura (veiling) [ Venus of Urbino ]