tempera
pigments in egg yolk binder (usually mixed with water, vinegar, or white wine); not a flexible medium so must be applied on stiff surface, such as wood panel; not applied directly but on layer of gesso
gesso
chalk and white pigment in glue-size binder
fresco
describes the method of painting in which color pigments are mixed solely with water (no binding agent used) and then applied directly onto freshly laid lime-plaster ground (surface); surface is typically a plastered wall or ceiling; liquid paint is absor
giornata
the area of the fresco painted in one day, on fresh intonaco; any intonaco not painted that day must be chiseled off, and new intonaco laid down at the beginning of the next working day
intonaco
a thin layer of wet, fresh, lime mortar or plaster; used to make buon fresco
buon fresco
most common fresco method, involves the use of pigments mixed with water (without a binding agent) on a thin layer of wet, fresh, lime mortar or plaster (intonaco)
cartoon
a type of illustration, possibly animated, typically in a non-realistic or semi-realistic style; first described a preparatory drawing for a piece of art, such as a painting, fresco, tapestry, or stained glass window
oil painting
a mixture of pigment, binder, and thinner; may also contain a number of other additives, to promote drying, appearance, and other actions; dries by oxidation; making this before it was mass produced was messy and time-consuming; used extenders to make exp
glaze
thin transparent or semi-transparent layer on a painting which modifies the appearance or underlying paint layer; can change the chroma, value, hue, and texture of a surface; a lot of binding, little pigment; oil painting glaze: thin, oily, transparent la
sfumato
smoked" or "smokey" technique of applying oil paint by blurring hard outlines to make shapes look hazier
alla prima
application (AKA wet-on-wet, not waiting for a glaze layer to fry before applying the next one)
relief techniques
types of prints; techniques: woodcuts, linocuts, rubber stamps, etc.***
woodcuts
type of relief technique used in prints; Developed in China as early as 3rd c. CE; transmitted to Europe where it begins to be used c. 1400; oldest technique in fine art printmaking; woodcut printing is sometimes referred to as xylography or a xylographic
intaglio
used in prints; techniques: engraving, etching, etc.; intaglio is where the image is incised into a surface and the incised line or sunken area holds the ink; opposite of relief print; normally done in copper or zinc; used today for currency, passports
engraving
Intaglio technique; Develops as a printing technique in 15th c. Europe; a burin or graver is used to make the engravings; historically important in printmaking and mapmaking; has long been replaced by photographic methods because engraving was so hard to
etching
Intaglio technique; develops as a printing technique in the 16th c., improved by the innovations of Jacques Callot (1592-1635); popular technique among European artists beginning in the 17th c.; easier than engraving; variations of this: aquatint, soft gr
sculpture
additive, subtractive, casting***
additive
type of sculpture; modeling, e.g. in clay
subtractive
type of sculpture; carving, e.g. in marble sculpture (carving)
scientific one-point perspective
perspectival system with only one principal vanishing point
vanishing point
point at which, in linear one-point perspective, all lines perpendicular to the picture plane seem to converge
horizon line
horizontal line at the height of the implied viewer's eyeline; vanishing point lies on it
ideal station point
point along the (real) axis perpendicular to the picture plane, the meets the picture plane at the vanishing point, where the perspectival illusion is perfect; point from which the image is intended to be seen
quadratura
painting that renders architectural elements so that, seen from an ideal station point, they seem to continue, and belong in the same geometric space as, the actual architecture of the room; a type of trompe l'oeil painting
trompe l'oeil
painting that can "deceive the eye" to make us believe that the objects or figures painted are actually in our space; are not painted, but real
di sotto in su
from below up"; ceiling painting that, in trompe l'oeil fashion, seems to continue the space of the room
anamorphosis
the distortion of trompe l'oeil paintings on surface not perpendicular to the viewer's line of sight, when not seen from ideal station point
contrapposto
most common stance for showing standing figures at rest in the Classical period and in European art of the Renaissance and after. All weight placed on one leg; the other leg relaxed (and often stretched out). Hip corresponding to the weight-bearing leg is
idealization
the tendency in art to present figures, landscapes, or objects as more beautiful or more perfect than in real life; as closer to ideal beauty
iconographic attribute
specified type of iconographic detail; an object, piece of clothing, etc. that is associated with a figure and that can be seen in all or most representations of that figure, helping us identify them
marble
probably the most popular material used in sculpture; metamorphic rock; sculptors like it because it's relatively soft and easy to work with, and becomes extremely hard and dense with age; available in a variety of shades and patterns; drawbacks: rarer an
bronze
has a high degree of tensile strength, gives the sculptor a greater freedom of design; nearly all the ancient civilizations used this in their art
linear perspective
perspective refers to the attempt to depict (on a two-dimensional surface) an image as it is viewed by the eye; lends depth to a painting or drawing; based on how the human eye sees the world