AH Exam 2: Key Terms

Genre Painting: History Painting

History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than artistic style; usually depict a moment in a narrative story, rather than a specific and static subject, such as a portrait. The genre includes depictions of moments in religious narratives, above all the Life of Christ, as well as narrative scenes from mythology, and also allegorical scenes. Considered the highest form of Western painting and the most prestigious in the hierarchy of genres.

Intaglio Process: engraving

...

Intaglio Process: etching

...

Relief Process: woodcut

...

Intaglio Process: drypoint

...

Diptych

A pair of carvings or panel paintings, usually hinged together. E.g. Durer's "The Apostles"

Genre Painting: Still life

A still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural (e.g. flowers) or man-made (e.g. vases, jewelry or drinking glasses). Still life gives the artist more freedom in the arrangement of elements within a composition than do paintings of other types of subjects such as landscape or portraiture. Considered the lowest genre; cannot 'imitate god' in the creation of human figures. Still lifes flourished in Early Netherlandish painting as images of religious devotion were forbidden post-Reformation. This continued the Northern tradition of detailed realism and hidden symbols appealed to the growing Dutch middle classes.

Polyptych

An altarpiece of devotional work of art made of several panels joined together, often hinged.

Triptych

An altarpiece or devotional picture, either carved or painted, with one central panel and two hinged wings. E.g. Bosch: Garden of Earthly Delights 1515

Influence of Laocoon

Laocoon and his sons has been considered one of the most influential Greek sculptures. The group has been "the prototypical icon of human agony" in Western art; every part of the body/psychology is in a dynamic act of struggle. The discovery of the Laocoön made a great impression on Italian artists and continued to influence Italian art into the Baroque period. e.g. Michelangelo's ignudi which then influenced Peter Paul Rubens.

Pope Urban VIII Barberini

Pope Urban VIII was the last pope to expand the papal territory by force of arms, and was a prominent patron of the arts and reformer of Church missions. Urban VIII practiced nepotism on a grand scale; various members of his family were enormously enriched by him. Resulted in his funding of various substantial works by the sculptor and architect Bernini who was particularly favored during Urban's reign. Commissions included the family palace in Rome, the Palazzo Barberini.

Genre Painting: Portraiture

Portrait painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to depict the visual appearance of the subject. The term is usually applied to the depiction of human subjects. During the Baroque and Rococo periods (17th and 18th centuries, respectively), portraits became even more important records of status and position. In a society dominated increasingly by secular leaders in powerful courts, images of opulently attired figures were a means to affirm the authority of important individuals. Portrait painters such as Van Dyck excelled in this genre.

Genre Painting

Refers to a category of style or subject matter. Refers to depictions of common activities performed by contemporary people, often of the lower of middle classes. This contrasts with grand historical themes or mythologies, narratives or portraits.

Influence of Farnese Hercules

The Farnese Hercules is an ancient statue of Hercules. The heroically-scaled Hercules is one of the most famous sculptures of antiquity,[4] and has fixed the image of the mythic hero in the European imagination. Caught in a moment of repose, leans on his large club. Idealized, muscular, enormous; seen in the paintings of Farnese ceiling by Carracci.

Genre Painting: Landscape

The depiction of landscape. Dutch Golden Age painting of the 17th century saw the dramatic growth of landscape painting, in which many artists specialized, and the development of extremely subtle realist techniques for depicting light and weather. Art in Northern Europe was commodified as to be sold in an open market. Most buyers in the Dutch Republic preferred works that were suitable for a middle class home and that thus suited their experiences. This included landscapes, architectural views and still lives that were familiar but also imaginative.

Baroque

The exuberant, expressive style associated with the 17th Century. Refers to a grand, turbulent, dynamic and overwhelming style of art; a distinct era which returns to naturalism after Mannerist exaggeration. Qualities that characterize Baroque are grandeur, sensual richness, emotional exuberance, tension, movement and the successful unification of various artist. The Baroque has been called a style of persuasion, as the Catholic Church attempted to use art to express the spirit of the Counter-Reformation. The reinvigoration of the Catholic Church began a wave of increasingly monumental artworks that inhabited dramatic spaces; reflected political and economic power.

Rococo

The ornate, elegant style mostly associated with early 18th Century France, and which later spread throughout Europe, generally using pastel colors and the decorative arts to emphasize the notion of fantasy.