Art History, Exam 1

Front 1

Gilding

Back 1

applying thin sheets of gold to a piece of work

Front 2

transubstantiation

Back 2

The doctrine stating that the body and blood of Christ is truly contained within the bread and wine of the Eucharis

Front 3

foreshortening

Back 3

Rendering a figure or object from an unusual point of view, so that its length appears compressed

Front 4

contrapposto

Back 4

weight shift in stance of figure of a piece of work

Front 5

atmospheric perspective

Back 5

A means of creating the illusion of depth in a painting by reducing the contrast between light and dark on objects that one wishes to suggest are further away

Front 6

sfumato

Back 6

a subtle transition from light to dark that creates an appearance of softness

Front 7

symbolic scale

Back 7

scaling of figures in a composition according to their relative importance, rather than their actual relative size.

Front 8

colossal (or gigantic) order

Back 8

Columns or pilasters that rise from their base through several stories of a building. This type of column or pilaster creates lines that continue upward without being stopped at each horizontal cornice; thus an impression of height or monumentality is created by the use of the colossal order.

Front 9

glazing

Back 9

A method of painting in oils which involves the application of a transparent layer of dark paint on top of an opaque layer of light paint.

Front 10

naturalism

Back 10

A style term used to describe art that presents the world in accordance with optical reality.