Renaissance Art Techniques and Terms Explained
Renaissance Art Techniques and Terms
Depth: A painting technique used in the Renaissance (15th century) to create the illusion of distance. It refers to the perceived distance of an element relative to a reference plane.
Composition: A technique used during the Renaissance (15th century) where figures were arranged in relation to the viewer’s eye level, often in a triangular formation.
Patrons: Individuals who financially supported artists, providing spiritual and material assistance. This practice re-emerged during the Renaissance, offering artists food, housing, and money.
Quattrocento: Italian for ‘400,’ referring to the 15th century (the 1400s). It marks the first phase of the Renaissance, primarily located in Florence. Also known as the Early Renaissance.
Cinquecento: Italian for ‘500,’ referring to the 16th century. It represents the second phase of the Renaissance, primarily located in Italy. Also known as the High Renaissance.
Mannerism: An artistic style that emerged in Italy at the end of the High Renaissance (around 1530) and lasted until the beginning of the Baroque period (around 1600). It originated in Venice.
Classicism: An aesthetic and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries inspired by the philosophical and aesthetic patterns of classical Greece. It influenced all forms of art.
Fresco: A painting technique applied to a smooth surface covered with a layer of plaster. The paint is applied to the wet, freshly laid plaster. It was commonly used during the Renaissance.
Oil Painting: A technique using oils mixed with other chemicals to create a suitable painting medium. Oil paints were widely used by Renaissance painters.
Aerial or Atmospheric Perspective: A method used to create a sense of depth in a painting. Italian painters, particularly those from Leonardo da Vinci’s time, employed this technique extensively in the 15th century.
Perspective and Form
Foreshortening: Reducing the length of objects according to the rules of perspective. It refers to representing a body at an angle or perpendicular to the viewer’s eye level. The effect is present in all three-dimensional objects.
Chiaroscuro: An artistic technique that uses strong contrasts between light and shadow to emphasize certain elements in a painting. It was initially developed by Flemish painters.
Architecture
Villa: A rural property, exemplified by the Palladian villas of Andrea Palladio in the 15th century.
Palace: A Renaissance building characterized by a cubic structure, a cornice, horizontal moldings separating the three stories, numerous windows, and pads on the bottom floor. It typically features a central patio, such as the Palazzo Rucellai.
Church: Renaissance churches often featured a Latin cross plan, a cupola, three naves, thick walls, and a triangular pediment crowning the center.
Sculpture and Art Elements
Contrapposto: An Italian term referring to the harmonic opposition of different body parts in a human figure, creating a sense of movement and breaking the frontal pose. It was used and influenced by Polykleitos in Renaissance sculpture.
Altarpiece: An artwork placed behind an altar, often made of wood, marble, alabaster, or metal. It can feature sculptures, reliefs, or paintings, often combining both.
Serpentinata: A traditional art concept describing a line or shape resembling a serpentine or ‘S’ form.
Portico: An architectural space consisting of a gallery of columns attached to a building, open to the outdoors, and typically located at the main entrance.
Transept: The transept in a church is the main cross orthogonally. It typically falls between the chancel and the nave and aisles, separating the two spaces longitudinally.