15th Century Terms

Question 1

atmospheric (aerial) perspective

Answer 1

creates the illusion of distance by 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

Question 2

baptistery

Answer 2

church structure used for baptisms

Question 3

cartoon

Answer 3

in painting, a full-size preliminary drawing from which a painting is made

Question 4

chiaroscuro

Answer 4

in drawing or painting, the treatment and use of light and dark, especially the gradations of light that produce the effect of modeling

Question 5

contrapposto

Answer 5

the disposition of the human figure in which one part is turned in opposition to another part (usually hips and legs one way, shoulders and chest another), creating a counterpositioning of the body about its central axis. Sometimes called “weight shift” because the weight of the body tends to be thrown to one foot, creating tension on one side and relaxation on the other

Question 6

cupola

Answer 6

a dome; an exterior architectural feature composed of a drum with a shallow cap

Question 7

diptych

Answer 7

a two-paneled painting or altarpiece; also, an ancient Roman, Early Christian, or Byzantine hinged writing tablet, often of ivory and carved on the external sides

Question 8

donor

Answer 8

pays for the piece out of some kind of benevolence or interest in art

Question 9

drawing

Answer 9

hand-producing images on a surface, usually paper

Question 10

duomo

Answer 10

Italian, “cathedral” (NOT DOME)

Question 11

equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, c 175 AD

Answer 11

inspiration for Gattamelata (equestrian statue of Erasmo da Narni) by Donatello ca. 1445-53 and Bartolommeo Colleoni (equestrian statue) by Andrea del Verrocchio ca. 1481-95

Question 12

formal analysis

Answer 12

the visual analysis of artistic form

Question 13

foreshortening

Answer 13

the use of perspective to represent in art the apparent visual contraction of an object that extends back in space at an angle perpendicular to the plane of sight

Question 14

fresco

Answer 14

painting on lime plaster, either dry (dry fresco, or fresco secco), or wet (true, or buon, fresco). In the latter method, the pigments are mixed with water and become chemically bound to the freshly laid lime plaster. Also, a painting executed in either method

Question 15

giornata (pl. giornate)

Answer 15

Italian “day.” The section of plaster that a fresco painter expects to complete in one session

Question 16

impasto

Answer 16

a layer of thickly applied pigment

Question 17

intarsia

Answer 17

inlaid mosaic of wood; often used in panels over the backs of choir stalls and in private studies and chapels of princes

Question 18

linear (one-point) perspective

Answer 18

all parallel lines of surface edges converge on one, two, or three vanishing points located with reference to the eye level of the viewer (horizon) and associated objects are rendered smaller the farther from the viewer they are intended to seem

Question 19

oil painting

Answer 19

a painting technique using oil-based pigments that rose to prominence in norther Europe in the 15th century and is now the standard medium for painting on canvas

Question 20

orthogonal

Answer 20

a line imagined to be behind and perpendicular to the picture plane; the orthogonals in a painting appear to recede toward a vanishing point on the horizon

Question 21

patron

Answer 21

person who pays for the painting

Question 22

picture plane

Answer 22

an imaginary transparent plane that separates the viewer from the thing being viewed; it’s usually a vertical plane perpendicular to the viewer’s line of sight

Question 23

pouncing

Answer 23

a method of transferring a preparatory drawing for a painting from paper to another surface, such as canvas or plaster

Question 24

putto (pl. putti)

Answer 24

a cherubic young boy (cupid)

Question 25

quatrefoil

Answer 25

a shape or plan in which the parts assume the form of a cloverleaf

Question 26

relief sculpture

Answer 26

the subjects project from the background but remain part of it

Question 27

sacra conversazione

Answer 27

Italian, “holy conversation.” A style of altarpiece painting popular after the middle of the 15th century, in which saints from different epochs are joined in a unified space and seem to be conversing either with one another or with the audience

Question 28

vanishing point

Answer 28

used in linear perspective; point on horizon line (usually in the center of the work) that all orthogonal lines extend from

Question 29

tempera

Answer 29

a technique of painting using pigment mixed with egg yolk, glue, or casein; also, the medium itself

Question 30

terracotta

Answer 30

hard-baked clay, used for sculpture and as a building material. It may be glazed or painted

Question 31

triptych

Answer 31

a three-paneled painting, ivory plaque, or altarpiece. Also, a small, portable shrine with hinged wings used for private devotion