Art Exam 2

Humanism

(Ren) a philosophy that tries to balance religious faith with an emphasis on individual dignity and an interest in nature and human society

Mannerism

(Ren) artistic movement against the Renaissance ideals of symmetry, balance, and simplicity; went against the perfection the High Renaissance created in art. Used elongated proportions, twisted pose and compression of space

Guild

(Ren) association of merchants or artisans who cooperated to protect their mutual interests and maintain standards

TITIAN, Venus of Urbino

(Ren) emergence of the female nude genre; image of sensuality, gazing, naked;

MICHELANGELO, David

(Ren) high renaissance art; depicts motion; understood mechanics of body; moment he's just saw Goliath; symbol of republic of Florence, flourishing of Democratic ideals

PONTORMO, The Deposition

(Ren) no earthly setting; motion in all different directions, constant movement; symbols of emotions, like masks

DURER, Adam and Eve

(Ren) picture tells us primarily about the Renaissance, about Germany, and about Dürer himself rather than the text of Genesis, from which it departs most strikingly. The poses of the two human figures are contrived to show off this German artist's knowledge of classical (Greco-Roman) proportions. Dürer sacrifices naturalism to showcase his mastery of Vitruvian ideals.

DONATELLO, David

(Ren) reclaims the ancient Greek and Roman interest in the nude human body. Of course, artists in the middle ages, a period when the focus was on God and the soul, rarely represented the nude. Donatello does so here with amazing confidence, in fact, this is the first free-standing nude figure since classical antiquity; there's an undeniable sensuality here that almost makes us forget that we're looking at an old testament subject

JAN VAN EYCK, Arnolfini Wedding Portrait

(Ren) symbolism in image: candle - god's presence, dog - fidelity, no shoes - special occasion; miniature detail; love of texture, not paying attention to being anatomically correct, hence elongated bodies

Voltaire

(Bar) French philosopher. He believed that freedom of speech was the best weapon against bad government; spoke out against the corruption of the French government and the intolerance of the Catholic Church

Versailles

(Bar) a magnificent example of French Baroque architecture; most famous royal chateau in France; gigantic scale of Versailles exemplifies architectural theme of 'creation by division' - a series of simple repetitions rhythmically marked off by the repetition of the large windows - which expresses the fundamental values of Baroque art and in which the focal point of the interior, as well as of the entire building, is the king's bed. Among its celebrated architectural designs is the Hall of Mirrors

Rousseau

(Bar) believed that society threatened natural rights and freedoms. Wrote about society's corruption caused by the revival of sciences and art instead of it's improvement

VERMEER, A Lady Drinking with a Gentleman

(Bar) characterized by its great drama, deep color, intense light and dark shadows

POUSSIN, Holy Family on the Steps

(Bar) considered a masterpiece of 17th-century art and the pinnacle of the artists refined classical style

FRAGONARD, Happy Accidents of the Swing

(Bar) considered to be one of the masterpieces of the rococo era, which developed in the early 18th century in Paris, France as a reaction against the grandeur, symmetry, and strict regulations of the Baroque

PIETRO DA CORTONA, Triumph of Divine Providence

(Bar) created an astounding trompe l'oeil illusion of the ceiling being a vast open sky in which the painted figures hovered like celestial beings in the heavens; embodying this idea of divine investiture in pictorial terms, created a picture to serve absolutism

GENTILESCHI, Judith beheading Holofernes

(Bar) depicted strong women taking charge; painting is physical, from the wide spurts of blood to the energy of the two women as they perform the act; effort of the women's struggle is most finely represented by the delicate face of the maid, who is younger than in most paintings, which is grasped by the oversized, muscular fist of Holofernes as he desperately struggles to survive; painting depicts a classic scene from the Bible but Gentileschi drew herself as Judith and her mentor Agostino Tassi, who was tried in court for her rape, as Holofernes.

PETER PAUL RUBENS, Susanna and the Elders

(Bar) intense fear, forward movement=more violent motion, raised hand theatrical gesture of fear, lit nude body

CARAVAGGIO, The Conversion of St. Paul

(Bar) light focused, dramatic, motion; jagged shapes and irrational light licks out details for dramatic impact; creates "a sense of crisis and dislocation in which Christ disrupts the mundane world

REMBRANDT, A Scholar

(Bar) painted genre scenes; everyday life, portrait

VELSAQUEZ, Las Meninas

(Bar) realism; work's complex and enigmatic composition raises questions about reality and illusion, and creates an uncertain relationship between the viewer and the figures depicted.

CARAVAGGIO, The Cardsharps

(Bar) realistic scenes of street life; little details such as the split fingers on the older man's gloves, or the teenage cheat's anxious glance at his master; psychological insight is equally striking, the three figures bound together by the common drama, yet each with his own unique part within the larger play - for if the innocent is being duped, the other boy is no older, another innocent being corrupted even as he cheats his gull.

BERNINI, Ecstasy of St. Teresa

(Bar) sensual? spiritual? or both? effects are theatrical; illustrates a moment where divinity intrudes on an earthly body; melding of sensual and spiritual pleasure in the "orgiastic" grouping as both intentional and influential on artists and writers of the day; aims to express the facial and bodily equivalents of a state of divine joy

BERINI, DAVID

(Bar) shows motion, space, and time; sculpture broke new ground in its implied movement and its psychological intensity.

Theotokos

(Byz) "God-bearer" or "Mother of God"

Pantocrator

(Byz) "ruler of the world", a term that alludes to a figure of Christ placed above the alter or in the center of a dome

Rabbula Gospels

(EC) one of the earliest Christian manuscripts with large miniatures; distinguished by the bright colors, movement, drama, and expressionism; came from a period from which little art survives and depicts great development in Christian iconography

Virgin (Theotokos) & Child between Sts. Theodore and George, icon

(Byz) Byzantine icons continued the Roman tradition of painting on wood panels but their style as well as the Christian subjects broke sharply from classical models; frontal manner of the saints is Byzantine but the angels heads and personalization of the Virgin's head is Greco-Roman; has a pendulum relationship with Byzantine and classical art

Barberini Ivory

(Byz) Byzantine ivory leaf from an imperial diptych dating from Late Antiquity; depicts Emperor Justinian triumphant; made to show the greatness of Justinian and the Byzantine Empire and their ability to overcome obstacles; carving depicting strength and virtue would make commoners to be proud to be a part of such a great and powerful empire; has Christ like reference; placed in capital which allowed the Byzantine Empire to strongly influence their people and surrounding areas

Theodora & attendants, mosaic, San Vitale, Ravenna

(Byz) Theodora is depicted with the same halo and purple robe as Christ and Justinian, providing chromatic unity among all three mosaic panels; it's remarkable that a woman was memorialized like this; Not only were 4th century women not considered on par with men in nearly every respect, but Theodora had a decidedly unroyal background (prostitute)

Ascension of Christ, Rabbula Gospels

(Byz) Virgin Mary occupies central position among the apostles; serves as an important example of Mary's role in standard Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox depiction

St. Mark's Basilica, Venice

(Byz) a grand Greek cross-plan church that is richly decorated in marble revetment, pattern stone floors, and a detailed and extensive program of mosaics

Icon(s)

(Byz) a painting of Jesus Christ or another holy figure, typically in a traditional style on wood, venerated and used as an aid to devotion

pendentive

(Byz) an inverted concave, triangular piece of masonry serving as the transition from a square support system to the circular base of a dome

Visigoths/Ostrogoths

(Byz) member of the western Goths that invaded the Roman Empire in the fourth century A.D. and settled in France and Spain, establishing a monarchy that lasted until the early eighth century//established a kingdom in Italy in the late 5th and 6th centuries

Interior of the Katholikon, Hosios Loukas, Greece

(Byz) mosaics found represent the early Byzantine style that is just beginning to change at the time of the decoration; these mosaics depict figures in a more schematic manner and on flat, gold backgrounds with little hints at setting; faces are dominated by large eyes, while the proportions of the bodies and the treatment of drapery reveal a departure from a conventional realism

Justinian, Bishop Maximianus, and attendants, mosaic, San Vitale, Ravenna

(Byz) one of the most famous images of political authority from the Middle Ages; authority of the emperor in the Christian plan of history is depicted; image implies that Justinian is God's earthly representative

Iconoclasm

(Byz) opposing or even destroying images, especially those set up for religious veneration in the belief that such images represent idol worship

Hagia Sophia, Constantinople (architects: Anthemius of Tralles & Isidorus of Miletus)

(Byz) pendentive construction made possible Hagia Sophia's lofty dome, which seems to ride on a halo of light; dome seemed to be suspended by "a gold chain from Heaven"; architects succeeded in fusing two previously independent architectural traditions: the vertically oriented central-plan building an the longitudinally oriented basilica; most important monument of Byzantine art; Architecture is supposed to symbolize the vastness and glory of God; light is the mystical element; it seems to dissolve material substance and transform it into an abstract spiritual vision.

Christ as Pantocrator, Church of the Dormition, Daphni

(Byz) shows Christ in the role of Pantocrator; combines 2 parts of the holy trinity (judge & savior); powerful reminder of his promised judgment, to reward the faithful, & punish sinners; focus is on essential elements of a scene, looking to convey message & mood; compositions used were trying to achieve an intellectual ideal, not a physical ideal

Virgin (Theotokos) and Child enthroned, mosaic, Hagia Sophia

(Byz) statement that says no more iconoclasm; resurgence of patronage of religious art after iconoclasm; ; reaffirms importance of images and condemn of those who destroy it; power of image to inspire and teach

Sarcophagus with philosopher, orant, Old & New Testament scenes

(EC) Most Christians rejected cremation and favored impressive marble sarcophagi for burial; from the church of Santa Maria Antiqua; displays the story of Jonah on the left one-third, heads of a praying woman and a seated man reading from a scroll which are unfinished (intended to be portraits of the deceased) in the center, and continuing on, Christ as Good Shepherd, and the baptism of Christ.

Woman sacrificing at an altar, diptych of the Nicomachi & the Symmachi

(EC) a Late Antique ivory diptych from the late fourth or early fifth century; panels depict scenes of ritual pagan religious practices; style and content reflect a short-lived revival of traditional Roman religion and Classicism at a time when the Roman world was increasingly turning to Christianity and rejecting the Classical tradition.

orant

(EC) a figure with both arms raised in the ancient gesture of prayer

Old St. Peter's, Rome

(EC) built at the behest of the Emperor Constantine soon after the introduction of Christianity as the official state religion in the early fourth century; Commemorating the reputed site of the tomb of the apostle St Peter, the first pope, it was one of the largest and most prestigious churches in the Empire and it became a focus for patronage of many successive popes and emperors

Synagogue, Dura Europos

(EC) changed the art historical approach toward both synagogue architecture and the faith of Judaism itself; demonstrates the lack of wealth of the Jewish community in a hierarchy dominated by the Romans themselves and a need among Roman Jews to conceal their religion from the rest of the community as those of Jewish faith were victims of persecution during the course of the Roman Empire

GIOTTO, Madonna Enthroned

(Ren)

Christian community house, Dura Europos

(EC) provides a large scale example of the earliest Christian images; worship site used by the Christians prior to the legalization of their faith; private homes served as the location for worship and other activities of the local Christian community; particular site was modified slightly to serve solely as a worship place; largest room was reserved for the Eucharistic Liturgy or Mass.

Christ as the Good Shepherd, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

(EC) representative of Christian art at this time period in late antiquity; Christ depicted as more regal than prior depictions of him as good shepherd; Rather than carrying a lamb over his shoulder, Jesus sits amongst his flock, haloed and robed in gold and purple; mosaic represents a transition period between the naturalistic depictions of the classical period in art history and the stylized representations of medieval period; forms still have three-dimensional bulk, but shading such as in folds of robes is less refined than in the past, and figures are not very grounded. Elements of realism have been sacrificed for a focus on the spiritual elements. Indifference to accurate representation of the world is perhaps epitomized by the anatomically incorrect tails of the sheep

cubicula

(EC) small underground rooms in catacombs serving as mortuary chapels

Mosaic in the ambulatory of Sta. Constanza

(EC) the mausoleum was built in the 4th century for Costanza, one of the daughters of Emperor Constantine; mausoleum was decorated opulently—as would befit the daughter of an emperor; mosaics that decorate the church's ceiling and walls are some of the most important early Christian art in the world; illustrates the shift from pagan to Christian art, and how heavily the early Christians were still leaning on pagan traditions (major part of Constantine's policy was adapting pagan traditions to the new, Christian ideas; a fitting symbol of the empire's politics at the time)

Christ before Pilate, Rossano Gospels

(EC) written following the reconquest of the Italian peninsula by the Byzantine Empire; one of the oldest surviving illuminated manuscripts of the New Testament; famous for its prefatory cycle of miniatures of subjects from the Life of Christ, arranged in two tiers on the page, sometimes with small evangelist portraits below, pointing up to events they describe in their gospels.

Chartres Cathedral

(ME)

Chi-rho-iota (XPI) page, folio 34 recto of the Book of Kells, Scotland

(ME)

Monte Cassino, Italy

(ME)

Notre-Dame , Paris

(ME)

Saint James, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

(ME)

Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, France

(ME)

Saints Martin, Jerome, and Gregory, (jamb statues) Porch of the Confessors, Chartres Cathedral

(ME)

St.Denis

(ME)

Virgin with the Dead Christ (Röttgen Pietà), from the Rhineland, Germany

(ME)

Rose Window

(ME) a circular window with stained glass and stone tracery used on the facades and the ends of the transepts in Gothic cathedrals

Reliquary

(ME) a container where religious relics are stored or displayed, especially relics of saints

Flying Buttress

(ME) a free-standing support attached to the main vessel (nave, choir, or transept wall) by an arch

Apse

(ME) a recess, usually semicircular, in the wall of a Roman basilica or at the east end of a church

Abbot Suger

(ME) abbot of Saint-Denis; set the stage for the heavy decoration of costly stained-glass windows and sculptures in the cathedrals of the Gothic age; marked the beginning of Gothic architecture

Zoomorphism

(ME) applying animal characteristics to gods

St. Benedict

(ME) founded a community of monks that established the basic form of monasticism in the Catholic Church

Tympanum

(ME) half-round panel that fills the space between the lintel and arch over the doorway of the church.

Trumeau

(ME) in church architecture, the pillar or center post supporting the lintel in the middle of the doorway

Pilgrimage

(ME) journey to a sacred shrine by Christians seeking to show their piety, fulfill vows, or gain absolution for sins

Scriptorium

(ME) large room in a monastery dedicated to the copying and maintaining of texts

Ambulatory

(ME) passageways surrounding the central part of the choir, which is often a continuation of the side aisles

Radiating Chapel

(ME) places where holy relics were housed, "bumps" on the outside of the church so people could tell Holy relics were housed there

Aisle

(ME) portion of a church or basilica that parallels or encircles the major sections of the structure, such as the nave, choir, or apse

Nave

(ME) the central area of a church

Man (symbol of Saint Matthew), Book of Durrow, Scotland

(ME) the early Hiberno-Saxon Book of Durow includes four pages devoted to the symbols of the Four Evangelists; the cloak of saint matthew's man resembles a cloisonné brooch filled with abstract ornament

CIMABUE, Madonna Enthroned

(Ren)

DUCCIO, Virgin & Child Enthroned with Saints (Maesta)

(Ren)

Florence Cathedral (Duomo)

(Ren)

GIOTTO, Arena Chapel, Padua

(Ren)