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glossary
of art history terms |
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a french phrase describing artists who's ideas and artworks are in opposition with what currently established principles define art to be. for example, the work of edourd manet was often seen as avant garde because he chose to paint subjects and themes that were contrary to the classical ideals upheld by the art institutions of his time. avant garde also refers to artists who's ideas and artworks are constantly at the head of a new movement. |
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initially
the baroque movement grew out of the catholic church's counter reformation
program. in attempting to bring in more worshippers, the church requested
dramatic artworks that would instill a sense of mysticism and faith
in the church's connection with God. the artists responded with works
full of movement and infused with a sense of the theatrical. to showcase
the church's wealth, many of these works were ornately carved statuary
or richly decorated objects and buildings. later, as the counter-reformation
passed, the word baroque came to describe art showing movement,
curves, and heavy ornate decoration.
the baroque movement in the italy focused mainly on creating theatrical religious art for the catholic church while baroque art in the northern europe often focused on genre paintings of home-life, town-life and still-life. |
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this
is the art style named after the eastern roman empire of its origin.
this period style reached its peak during the reign of the emperor constantine.
it is most often characterized by lots of gold leaf decorative elements,
an iconic approach to depicting human figures, and highly stylized elements
such as mandorlas. there is no sense of weight or mass in any figure
nor any sense of the proportion of each figure relative to its background
environment.
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an
italian word that has come to describe the use of contrasting light
and dark to show volume and form. this technique was first applied successfully
to achieve three dimensionality by the italian painter giotto.
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these
words mean different things when applied to different eras. ancient
greek and roman art is often called classical art. in later years after
the renaissance, works based on the ideals of greek and roman art culture
were also described as being classical (see neoclassicism).
in the modern era, classical is used to describe any work that is the
epitome of its style, one that represented all the ideas of the movement
that inspired it.
for the purposes of this website, classical refers to works of art that were created based on the ideas of ancient greek and roman art, ideas, and philosophies. |
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a
type of painting popular during the roccoco period that showed wealthy
cizitizens of that time engaged in pleasureable activities. happy couples
were usually depicted enjoying themselves (or each other) in a very
pastoral setting.
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a
trend of thought popular during the renaissance that placed the importance
of any single man's worth, intellectually and emotionally, above all
else. self-achievment and belief in the value of one's existence was
highly encouraged.
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this
refers to a group of artists who, during the mid 1800s, found a new
way to see the world and placed enormous emphasis on the effects of
color in their works. they were highly influenced by such foreign art
as japanese prints and sought to portray a new way of seeing the world.
the word was initially an insult coined by a critic who belittled the
roughness of their canvases (most impressioninsts used broad, textured
brushstrokes) and their use of disorganized line arrangement and space
(they preferred to capture candid moments). the artists later adopted
the term because they felt that it described their artistic purposes
rather accurately.
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a
technique used by artists to portray believable spatial depth on a two-dimensional
surface by arranging objects and figures around lines converging into
a vanishing point. italian renaissance artists were the first to use
this system to believable effect in their artworks.
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an
art movement that sought to revive the classical ideas of the greek
and roman republics and inject them into society. artists in this movement
used classical characters and idealized forms to express such formal
ideas as self-sacrifice and loyalty for country.
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a
landscape that is usually situated in the countryside or in an equally
rustic setting.
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a
method of painting developed by the french painter georges seurat. pointlilism
juxtaposes dots of complimentary or contrasting colors on a canvas to
form lines and shapes that are visible only when the viewer stands a
distance away from the canvas.
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a
movement in the 19th century that sought to represent everyday people
and things exactly as how they appeared to be. historically, it stemmed
from an opposition against the themes and theatricality of neoclassic
and baroque art.
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this
refers to a period that revived the classical greek and roman ideas
regarding self-worth and learning and spanned the 14th and 15th centuries.
it emphasized man's worth in regards to his environment and encouraged
the study of philosophy and science. it is during this period that artists
first rose above the status of mere craftsman and came to be respected
as great thinkers in their own right.
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an
18th century art style that preferred to portray the pleasant activities
of wealthy, aristocratic living rather than depicting noble characters
and themes. (see feté
galantes). artists used light, feathery brushstrokes to imply
gentle movement and delicately bright colors to evoke a light-hearted
atmostphere.
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a
movement in the early 19th century that sought to instill and inspire
dramatic emotions and feelings in artwork. romantic artists rejected
the classical themes of in the neoclassical style and instead focused
on contemporary subjects. their artworks are often infused with a sense
of tragedy, loss or melancholy.
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symbolism
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representation
of ideas or feelings through objects. for example, the dog is often
seen as a symbol of fidelity and is thus frequently included in paintings
depicting a married couple. the single lit candle can symbolize the
presence of God or the fleeting quality of human life.
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a
type of still-life painting with objects that symbolized the briefness
of human life and the transience of earthly pleasures. objects painted
often included flowers, peeled oranges, skulls, and a single lit candle.
this type of artwork was very popular during the 16th and 17th centures
in northern europe.
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a
group of artists who focused on the use of color and form in their art.
works from these artists are characterized by brilliant colors and softer
forms. the founder of this group was italian painter giovanni bellini.
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WWW
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a
shorthand acronym i made up to stand for What, Where, Why: the three
questions art historians attempt to answer when formulating a theory
about a piece of artwork. What should explain both the subject depicted
and techniques used, Where should explain the locational history of
the work, and Why would be the historian's theory on the artist's original
intent to create as well as the reaction of the viewer.
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2003 jhk, redbean