Buttress
A support or brace that counteracts the outward trust of an arch or a vault
Flying Buttress
A diagonal section of masonry (stonework), supported by an arch, which transfers the outward, lateral trust to a buttress placed at a short distance from the actual body of the building
Fresco
Is a painting created on wet plaster applied to a wall; the wet plaster acts as a binder for the pigment used to create the image; this media, which dates to ancient times was used extensively from the Gothic through the Rococo, particularly in Southern and Eastern Europe
Gargoyles
Are carved or formed grotesque monsters which project from the upper portions of Gothic Cathedrals and which often acts as rain sprouts
Cathedral
The principal church of diocese, containing the bishop's throne
Gothic
Is a style which dominated from 1140-1300, particularly in France, typified by large cathedrals, pointed arches, stained glass windows, rib vaults, gargoyles, and elongated sculptural figures; these structures were not built by the Goth at all
Pointed Arch
Unlike the rounded arches of earlier architectural styles, the steeper, more vertical curves of this kind of arch, which met in a point, transferred lateral (sideways) thrust downward
Vault or Vaulted Ceiling
Is a masonry roof or ceiling constructed by placing an uninterrupted series of arches together over an elongated space; often concrete was used to cover and reinforce the masonry
Ribbed Vault
Is constructed by placing a number of intersecting, usually pointed, arches under the masonry of a vaulting
Stained Glass
Is a typical element of Gothic architecture; numerous small pieces of coloured glass were held together with lead strips and iron bars to create large multi-coloured windows
Arch
A curved masonry structure spanning an opening used extensively by ancient Roman builders
Column
A vertical, load bearing architectural element which was important in ancient Greek and Roman architecture, this kind of column has a base and a round shaft which was topped with one of four specific styles of capitals; like arches, Classical columns were resurrected by Renaissance architects and became typical of this and later periods
Aerial Perspective
Uses colour, value and intensity to show distance in a painting and is based on that fact that the farthest a landscape feature is from the viewer the paler and greyer and it looks
Linear Perspective
Is a graphic system that allowed artists to create the illusion of depth and volume on the two dimensional surface of a painting or drawing
Pieta
Is a work depicting the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of Christ
Renaissance
Is a revival or rebirth of cultural awareness, rediscovery of Classical sources, and of scientific and of technological discovery and innovation which took place during late 13th, the 14th, and early 15th centuries, mainly in Italy
Gesso
Is a mixture of glue (often made from fish bones and scales or parchment clippings or animal hides) and slaked plaster, chalk or white clay which served as a ground for painting surfaces such as wood panels or stretched canvas
Marble
A white, slightly translucent stone, often veined with grey, pink or yellow, usually metamorphic limestone which was used extensively for sculptures and buildings in Ancient Greece and Rome and, later, form the Renaissance through the Rococo; the surface can take a high polish
Bronze
An alloy of bronze and tin with the addition of various metals sometimes including nickle and silver, which was used as a material for casting sculpture in Ancient Rome and to a lesser degree Greece; casting methods were almost lost in the Middle Ages but the craft was reestablished by the 15th century; cire perdue (lost wax casting methods were used for the Renaissance and later bronze sculptures
Naturalism
Is the concept that art should adhere as closely as possible to the appearance of the natural world; a doctrine which was particularly important in the art of Ancient Greece and Rome naturalism began to reestablish itself during the late Gothic and came into full force during the Renaissance; Northern Renaissance and Baroque painters began to include not only the beautiful but also the poor and less perfect in their works
Oil Paint
A slow drying paint made by mixing pigments with a boiled oil, usually linseed, and thinned with turpentine; sometimes a varnish was added to make these brilliant but opaque paints translucent; was first used by Northern Renaissance painters over egg tempura on panels, later used on stretched canvas
Northern Renaissance
refers to the works of artists living North of Italy predominantly in Flanders (Belgium), the Netherlands, parts of France, and parts of Germany; unlike their Southern counterparts these artists were fascinated with accurately and illusionistically reproducing surfaces; developed the new medium of oil painting which they used is translucent layers called glazes over opaque, monochrome underpaintings executed in egg tempura
Tempura
A paint made of dry pigment mixed with a binder which was usually egg yolk but was sometimes a water soluble, vegetable gum or casein; was painted on gessoed wooden panels
Mannerism
A European style which developed between the 1520-1600 which reject the calm and balance of the High Renaissance in favour of emotion, distortion, and sometimes odd and disturbing juxtapositions
Protestant Reformation
In 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther lead a religious revolt which split, in protest, from the Catholic Church; this group believed the truth of the Scriptures, the ideas of justification by faith alone, the priesthood of all believers, among other religious tenets; the movement which quickly spread through Northern Europe rejected what they saw to be corruption and excesses, including these of expensive and elaborate buildings filled with rich, artistic decorations, of Catholicsim
Counter-Reformation
An effort by the Catholic Church to counteract what they as the heresies of Protestantism and to attract back believers and to regain its former power and influence; Baroque art was used to impress and entrance believers through emotional intensity and often dramatic and sometimes violent depictions; the sheer excesses of Baroque architecture made great impressions, not always positive, on many
Baroque
Is the artistic style of the Counter-Reformation in the 17th century in which the artists sought movement, contrast, emotional intensity and variety, and often excess in their works
Chiaroscuro
The use of high contrast lighting and dramatic lighting and shadow
Facade
Usually the front of a building richly embellished with numerous architectural elements
Rococo
The representation of people, scenes and subjects from everyday life; reached its greatest popularity in 17th century Holland
Aristocracy
a person of high rank and privilege which was inherited from generation to generation; usually had great power, wealth and influence and, like the monarchies which controlled much of Europe until revolutions, starting in the 18th century and continuing into the the 20th century, diminished or destroyed their power