proto-renaissance
pre-Renaissance period in Italy
renaissance
�rebirth.� The term used to describe the history, culture, and art of
14ththrough 16th-century western Europe during which artists
consciously revived the classical style
italo-byzantine
combines characteristics of byzantine, italian, and medieval
theotokos
Mary, mother of Jesus
naturalism
style of painted or sculpted rep- resentation based on close
observation of the natural world that was at the core of the classical tradition.
maesta
master in art
polyptych
An altarpiece composed of more than three sections
triptych
three-paneled painting, ivory plaque, or altarpiece
diptych
A two-paneled painting or altarpiece
intercessor
a person who intervenes on behalf of another, especially by prayer
chiaroscuro
treatment and use of light and dark, especially the gradations of
light that produce the effect of modeling
humanism
emphasis on education and on expanding knowledge (especially of
classical antiquity), the explo- ration of individual potential and a
desire to excel, and a commit- ment to civic responsibility and moral duty.
linear perspective
all parallel lines or surface edges converge on one, two, or three
vanishing points located with reference to the eye level of the viewer
(the horizon line of the picture), and associated objects are rendered
smaller the farther from the viewer they are intended to seem.
baptistery
the part of a church used for baptism
valve
...
annunciation
...
grisaille
A monochrome painting done mainly in neutral grays to simulate sculpture
sfumato
�smoky.� A smokelike haziness that subtly softens outlines in painting
trompe l'oeil
�fools the eye.� A form of illusionistic painting that aims to
deceive viewers into believing that they are seeing real objects
rather than a representation of those objects.
memento mori
�reminder of death.� In painting, a reminder of human mortality,
usually represented by a skull
illustrated manuscript
A luxurious handmade book with painted illustrations and decorations
book of hours
A Christian religious book for private devotion con- taining prayers
to be read at specified times of the day
foreshortening
use of perspective to repre- sent in art the apparent visual
contraction of an object that extends back in space at an angle to the
perpendicular plane of sight
lamentation
...
engraving
process of incising a design in hard material, often a metal plate
(usually copper); also, the print or impression made from such a plate.
lost wax casting
bronze-casting method in which a figure is modeled in wax and covered
with clay; the whole is fired, melting away the wax and hardening the
clay, which then becomes a mold for molten metal
atmospheric perspective
creates the illusion of distance by the greater diminution of color
intensity, the shift in color toward an almost neutral blue, and the
blurring of contours as the intended distance between eye and object increases
deposition
...