Ap Art History Terms, Gothic And Renaissance Art

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Ile-de-France

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the French king’s domain around metropolitan Paris, where Gothic first emerged as a distinctive new architecture in the middle of the twelfth century.

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Abbot Suger

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historian and first patron of Gothic architecture; rebuilt church of Saint Denis in Paris, France, which he presided over as Abbot. Inspired departure from traditional building practice in attempting to achieve a truly radiant architecture, leading to widespread use of large stained-glass windows.

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flying buttress

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a free-standing pier attached to the main structure by an arch or half-arch that supports the weight of a wall.

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compound pier

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large column with cluster of shafts, pilasters, or colonnettes attached to it on one or all sides

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rib vault

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masonry roof or ceiling constructed on the principle of the arch decorated or reinforced by projecting molding

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fan vault

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decorative pattern of vault ribs that arch out or radiate from a central point on the ceiling

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tympanum

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the semicircular area enclosed by the arch above the lintel of an arched entranceway often decorated with sculpture in the Romanesque and Gothic periods.

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trumeau

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vertical architectural member between the leaves of a doorway, often highly decorated.

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archivolt

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bands or moldings surrounding an arched opening.

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jamb

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vertical element of a doorway or window frame.

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lancets

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a slender, pointed window.

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mullions

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the vertical element that separates the lancets of a window.

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rose window

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a circular window composed of patterned tracery arranged in petal-like formation.

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grisaille

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a term for painting executed entirely in monochrome, usually in shades of gray or brown, where variations are used to define form; particularly used in decoration to represent objects in relief (the photographic equivalent would be sepia tone).

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Book of Hours

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a private prayer book, having a calendar, services for the canonical hours, special prayers, and illustrations; each is unique in one way or another, but all form a reference for Catholic Christian worship and devotion.

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picture plane

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theoretical spatial plane corresponding with the actual surface of a painting.

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foreground

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area of a picture or field of vision, often at the bottom, that appears to be closest to the viewer.

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middle ground

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a compromise position between extremes of foreground and background that includes horizon.

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background

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area of artwork that appears furthest from viewer behind principal subject and extends to infinity.

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“hidden” symbolism

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subtle representation attributed to ordinary objects embedded within a piece of art; also known as disguised or secondary symbolism.

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woodcut

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technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed.

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engraving

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process in printmaking in which design is cut into a metal plate and then filled with ink to transfer onto paper.

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Medici

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family powerful and influential within Florentine (13th to 17th century); produced three popes, numerous rulers of Florence (notably Lorenzo the Magnificent, patron of some of the most famous works of Renaissance art), and later members of French and English royalty. commissioned Michelozzo for construction of Palazzo Medici-Riccardi.

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sacristy

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room housing ritual attire and vessels

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pilaster

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a rectangular support resembling a flat column that slightly projects from the wall.

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pietra serena

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gray Sandstone from Italy known as marble.

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impost block

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slab imposed between capital of a column and the springing of an arch above

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rustication

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in building, the rough, irregular, and unfinished effect deliberately given to the exterior facing of a stone edifice; often used for decorative emphasis around doors or windows or across the entire lower floors of a structure.

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loggia

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Italian term for a roofed open-air gallery, usually having arcades or colonnades.

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linear (mathematical) perspective

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method for creating illusion of space and distance on a flat surface, where lines – horizon and orthogonal – meet at one (or more) vanishing point.

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atmospheric perspective

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system of rendering effect of spatial distance by subtle variations in color and clarity of representation; as distance between object and viewer increases, contrast of details decreases as colors begin to shift towards those of the background.

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intuitive perspective

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process of giving impression of recession by visual instinct, not the use of an overall system or program.

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orthogonal

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any line running back into the represented space, often converging at a vanishing point.

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vanishing point

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a point in perspective drawing at an infinite distance on the horizon at which all receding lines appear to converge.

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fresco

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painting in medium of watercolor on plaster; one of the most permanent forms of decoration (often murals) when pigment is applied while plaster is still damp.

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Neoplatonism

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philosophy characterized by a sharp opposition of the spiritual (the ideal or idea) and the carnal (matter that can be overcome by severe discipline and aversion to the world of the senses).

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panel painting

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any painting executed on a wood support; usually a smooth surface which can consist of several boards joined together.

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diptych

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two panels of equal size, usually decorated with paintings or reliefs, and hinged together.

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triptych

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artwork divided into three panels, hinged together so that the side segments may be folded over the central area.

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trompe l’oeil

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(pronounced trump-LOY) French for "fool the eye;" decorative painting that creates the illusion of reality.

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putti

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a figure of a pudgy human baby, almost always male, naked and having wings especially found in Italian Renaissance art.

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balustrade

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row of repeating small posts (balusters) that support the upper rail of a railing.

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Humanism

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attitude that gives priority to human endeavors, their values, capacities, worth, interests, needs, and welfare rather than to those of gods, spirits, animals, or any non-human thing.

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Vitruvius

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a Roman writer, architect, and engineer active in the 1st century BC who determined ideal human body.

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chiaroscuro

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an Italian word designating the contrast of dark and light in a painting, drawing, or print; creates spatial depth and volumetric forms through gradations in the intensity of light and shadow.

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sfumato

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in painting, the smokey effect of haze in an image.

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Colossal Order

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system of proportions in architecture built on a large scale, with columns or pilasters rising through two or more stories in height.

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aedicule

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decorative architectural frame usually found around a niche, door, or window; made of a pediment and entablature supported by columns or pilasters.

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Sacra Conversazione

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English translation: “Sacred” or “Holy Conversation”; refers to a depiction of the Madonna with infant Jesus enthroned amidst saints, angels, and sometimes patrons.

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chateau

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French country house or residential castle.

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Jesuits (Society of Jesus)

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Roman Catholic religious order founded during the Catholic Reformation; active in politics, education, and missionary work; sponsored missions to South America, North American and Asia; members are called Jesuits, Soldiers of Christ, and Foot soldiers of the Pope because the founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a knight before becoming a priest.

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Martin Luther

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German monk, theologian, university professor, and church reformer known as the Father of Protestantism whose ideas influenced the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western civilization.

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Reformation

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religious movement of the 16th century that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches.

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cycle

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series of images depicting a story or theme intended to be displayed together and forming a visual narrative.

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figure triangle

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triangular formation that a subject or group of subjects may be portrayed in (exemplified in works by Raphael).

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terribilita

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frightening passion; applied to Michelangelo’s personality

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Arcadian / pastoral

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used with regard to idealized country life; "rustic tranquility" (exemplified in Feast of the Gods and Pastoral Concert)