Define 'Illuminated Manuscript'.
Handwritten book with painted decorations, used for personal devotion and biblical storytelling.
What is 'Chiaroscuro'?
The use of strong contrasts between light and dark, often used in Baroque art.
Define 'Arabesque' in Islamic art.
An ornamental design consisting of intertwined flowing lines.
What does 'didactic' mean in the context of art?
Art that is intended to teach or instruct, often with a moral or religious message.
What is 'Humanism'?
A Renaissance cultural movement that emphasized human potential and achievement.
Compare the purpose of art in the Late Antique/Byzantine period with that of the Gothic period.
Both periods used art for religious instruction, but the Gothic period saw a broader reach to a growing lay audience.
Compare and contrast the use of figural representation in Islamic art versus Renaissance art.
Islamic art generally avoids figural representation in religious contexts, while Renaissance art increasingly embraced it, even in religious works.
Compare the purpose of art before and after the Protestant Reformation.
Before, art was primarily used for religious expression and devotion. After, art became a tool for religious debate and personal devotion.
Compare the audience of art in the Renaissance and the Baroque periods.
Renaissance: wealthy patrons with growing accessibility to the wider public. Baroque: general population, specifically Catholic communities, aimed at emotional persuasion.
Compare the primary purpose of Romanesque churches to Gothic cathedrals.
Romanesque churches served as pilgrimage shelters and places of worship, while Gothic cathedrals, while also religious, emphasized grandeur and spiritual aspiration.
What was the context behind illuminated manuscripts?
Served for personal devotion and biblical storytelling in the absence of widespread literacy.
What was the context behind the Church of Sainte-Foy?
Located along pilgrimage routes, designed to accommodate large numbers of travelers and pilgrims.
What was the context behind the Arnolfini Portrait?
A secular portrait commissioned by a wealthy couple, reflecting individual status and wealth during the Renaissance.
What was the context behind Baroque art commissioned by the Catholic Church?
Used to promote religious ideologies and reassert dominance during the Counter-Reformation.
What was the context behind colonial art?
To document and celebrate the New World, commissioned by European patrons interested in the Americas.
What is the significance of Merovingian Fibulae?
Served as status symbols and signs of wealth in the Merovingian period, showing that not all art was strictly religious.
