Art of the Western World II Notes
Vocabulary
Visual arts - expressive human creation appreciated principally by the eyes
Medium - the material of a work of art
Renaissance - the revival of Greek and Roman art and learning
Fresco - painting in plaster on a wall (a type of mural painting)
Egg tempera paint - a fast-drying painting medium made by mixing pigments with egg
yolk
Oil paint - a slow-drying painting medium made by suspending pigments in oil, allowing
for blending and rich color depth
Carving - to create a sculpture by cutting away with a chisel or other tool
Modeling - to create a sculpture by working with a soft material
Contropossto - the standing human body in a relaxed pose
Lost wax casting - a sculptural technique in which a wax model is covered in clay or
plaster, then melted away to create a mold for metal casting
Perspective - a technique used to create the illusion of depth and space on a flat
surface
Atmospheric perspective - a technique that creates the illusion of depth by reducing
contrast, detail, and color saturation in distant objects
Linear perspective - a mathematical system for creating the illusion of depth using
converging lines that meet at a vanishing point
Sfumato - a painting technique characterized by soft, imperceptible transitions between
colors and tones, often used to create a hazy, dreamlike effect, particularly known for its
use in the works of Leonardo da Vinci
Allegory - the representation of a concept by symbolic figures
Late Medieval Art
Cimabue, Madonna Enthroned with Angels, ca. 1280, egg tempera and gold leaf on
wood, altarpiece, today in Uffizi Gallery
- Late Medieval, Italo-Byzantine style
, Giotto and the Proto-Renaissance in Italy
Giotto, Madonna Enthroned (Ognissanti Madonna), ca. 1310, tempera and gold on
wood
Giotto, Arena Chapel (Cappella Scrovegni), Padua, Italy, ca. 1305, building and
frescoes
- Including → Lamentation and Last Judgement
Early Renaissance Art in Italy
Donatello, David, ca.1450, bronze
- Statue originally located in Michelozzo di Bartolomeo
- Helmet → eros figures (Cupid) triumphal procession of love
Masaccio, Tribute Money, Brancacci Chapel, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, Italy,
ca. 1425, fresco
- Perspective → Christ’s head is at the vanishing point
- 31 Giornata
Masaccio, The Holy Trinity, Santa Maria Novella, Florence, ca. 1425, fresco
- Figures arranged in a triangular form
- Realistic architecture
- Barrel vault drawn in perspective and divided into squares with rosettes that
diminish and are foreshortened
Paolo Uccello, Battle of San Romano, ca. 1455, tempera on wood
- Orange fruit on trees is a tribute to the Medici family (patron)
- Mela medica → medicinal apples
Andrea Mantegna, Camera Picta (Painted Room), Palazzo Ducale, Mantua, 1474,
fresco
Vocabulary
Visual arts - expressive human creation appreciated principally by the eyes
Medium - the material of a work of art
Renaissance - the revival of Greek and Roman art and learning
Fresco - painting in plaster on a wall (a type of mural painting)
Egg tempera paint - a fast-drying painting medium made by mixing pigments with egg
yolk
Oil paint - a slow-drying painting medium made by suspending pigments in oil, allowing
for blending and rich color depth
Carving - to create a sculpture by cutting away with a chisel or other tool
Modeling - to create a sculpture by working with a soft material
Contropossto - the standing human body in a relaxed pose
Lost wax casting - a sculptural technique in which a wax model is covered in clay or
plaster, then melted away to create a mold for metal casting
Perspective - a technique used to create the illusion of depth and space on a flat
surface
Atmospheric perspective - a technique that creates the illusion of depth by reducing
contrast, detail, and color saturation in distant objects
Linear perspective - a mathematical system for creating the illusion of depth using
converging lines that meet at a vanishing point
Sfumato - a painting technique characterized by soft, imperceptible transitions between
colors and tones, often used to create a hazy, dreamlike effect, particularly known for its
use in the works of Leonardo da Vinci
Allegory - the representation of a concept by symbolic figures
Late Medieval Art
Cimabue, Madonna Enthroned with Angels, ca. 1280, egg tempera and gold leaf on
wood, altarpiece, today in Uffizi Gallery
- Late Medieval, Italo-Byzantine style
, Giotto and the Proto-Renaissance in Italy
Giotto, Madonna Enthroned (Ognissanti Madonna), ca. 1310, tempera and gold on
wood
Giotto, Arena Chapel (Cappella Scrovegni), Padua, Italy, ca. 1305, building and
frescoes
- Including → Lamentation and Last Judgement
Early Renaissance Art in Italy
Donatello, David, ca.1450, bronze
- Statue originally located in Michelozzo di Bartolomeo
- Helmet → eros figures (Cupid) triumphal procession of love
Masaccio, Tribute Money, Brancacci Chapel, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, Italy,
ca. 1425, fresco
- Perspective → Christ’s head is at the vanishing point
- 31 Giornata
Masaccio, The Holy Trinity, Santa Maria Novella, Florence, ca. 1425, fresco
- Figures arranged in a triangular form
- Realistic architecture
- Barrel vault drawn in perspective and divided into squares with rosettes that
diminish and are foreshortened
Paolo Uccello, Battle of San Romano, ca. 1455, tempera on wood
- Orange fruit on trees is a tribute to the Medici family (patron)
- Mela medica → medicinal apples
Andrea Mantegna, Camera Picta (Painted Room), Palazzo Ducale, Mantua, 1474,
fresco
