Renaissance Art Glossary

A work of art, typically a painting or carved relief, placed behind or above the altar in a Christian church.

A mural painting technique in which pigments are applied to freshly laid wet plaster, becoming part of the wall as the plaster dries.

The use of strong contrasts between light and dark to create the illusion of three-dimensional volume in painting and drawing.

A pose in which the human figure stands with weight on one leg, causing an asymmetrical alignment of hips and shoulders.

Italian for 'drawing' and 'design'; in Renaissance theory, the intellectual and conceptual foundation of the visual arts.

A depiction of the person who commissioned and paid for a work of art, often shown kneeling in prayer within a religious scene.

A technique for depicting an object or figure at an angle to the picture plane so that it appears to recede into depth.

A mural painting technique in which pigment is applied to dry plaster, as opposed to the wet plaster of buon fresco. Less durable but allows more detailed work.

The area of wet plaster that a fresco painter can complete in a single day's work before the plaster dries.

A painting executed entirely in shades of grey or a neutral greyish color, often used to imitate sculpture in relief.

An intellectual movement emphasizing the study of classical antiquity, individual potential, and secular as well as religious knowledge.

The study of the content and meaning of images, symbols, and subjects in works of art.

A mathematical system for representing three-dimensional space on a flat surface using converging lines and a vanishing point.

A Late Renaissance style (c. 1520-1600) characterized by elongated forms, unusual spatial arrangements, and deliberate complexity.

A technique using pigments mixed with drying oil, allowing rich color, detailed rendering, and extended working time.

Financial and social support of artists by wealthy individuals, families, the Church, or civic bodies.

A horizontal strip of small paintings forming the lower part of an altarpiece, usually depicting narrative scenes related to the main image above.

The Italian term for the 1400s (15th century), used to refer to the cultural and artistic events of the Early Renaissance.

A type of devotional painting showing the Virgin and Child with saints arranged in a unified pictorial space rather than in separate panels.

A painting technique that produces soft, imperceptible transitions between tones and colors, eliminating harsh outlines.

A reddish-brown preliminary drawing made on the rough plaster wall beneath a fresco, used as a guide for the final painting.

A painting medium using pigment mixed with egg yolk as a binder. The primary medium for panel paintings before the widespread adoption of oil.

A technique that uses realistic imagery to create the illusion that depicted objects exist in three-dimensional space.

The point on the horizon line at which parallel lines appear to converge in a perspective drawing or painting.

The studio of a master artist where apprentices trained and assisted in producing artworks, functioning as both a school and a production center.