Week 6: Art of Renaissance and Baroque Europe Flashcards
Altarpiece
an artwork that is placed behind an altar in a church (See Chapter 3.6, page 465)
Arches
structures, usually curved, that span an opening (See Chapter 3.6, page 471)
Atmospheric perspective
use of shades of color and clarity to create the illusion of depth. Closer objects have warmer tones and clear outlines, while objects set further away are cooler and become hazy (See Chapter 3.6, page 463)
Balance
a principle of art in which elements are used to create a symmetrical or asymmetrical sense of visual weight in an artwork (See Chapter 3.6, page 476)
Baroque
European artistic and architectural style of the late sixteenth to early eighteenth century, characterized by extravagance and emotional intensity (See Chapter 3.6, page 461)
Chiaroscuro
the use of light and dark in a painting to create the impression of volume (See Chapter 3.6, page 463)
Column
freestanding pillar, usually circular in section (See Chapter 3.6, page 473)
Composition
the overall design or organization of a work (See Chapter 3.6, page 463)
Continuous narrative
when different parts of a story are shown within the same visual space (See Chapter 3.6, page 464)
Contrapposto
a pose in sculpture in which the upper part of the body twists in one direction and the lower part in another (See Chapter 3.6, page 464)
Deposition
a scene showing the removal of Christ’s body from the cross (See Chapter 3.6, page 471)
Dissonance
a lack of harmony (See Chapter 3.6, page 47)
Dome
an evenly curved vault forming the ceiling or roof of a building (See Chapter 3.6, page 462)
Enlightenment
an intellectual movement in eighteenth-century Europe that argued for science, reason, and individualism. Challenging received ideas passed down by tradition, the Enlightenment also promoted the notion of equal rights for all men (See Chapter 3.6, page 486)
Facade
any side of a building, usually the front or entrance (See Chapter 3.6, page 473)
Focal point
the area in a composition to which the eye returns most naturally (See Chapter 3.6, page 463)
Foreground
the part of a work depicted as nearest to the viewer (See Chapter 3.6, page 483)
Fresco
a technique in which the artist paints onto freshly applied plaster. From the Italian fresco, “fresh” (See Chapter 3.6, page 461)
Genre
in painting, scenes that depict everyday life (See Chapter 3.6, page 479)
Geometric
predictable and mathematical (See Chapter 3.6, page 479)
Glazing
in oil painting, adding a transparent layer of paint to achieve a richness in texture, volume, and form (See Chapter 3.6, page 464)
Hemispherical
having half the form of a spherical shape divided into identical, symmetrical parts (See Chapter 3.6, page 473)
Humanism, humanist
the study of such subjects as history, philosophy, languages, and literature, particularly in relation to those of ancient Greece and Rome (See Chapter 3.6, page 460)
Iconoclasm
the destruction of images or artworks, often out of religious belief (See Chapter 3.6, page 474)