Glossary
Annunciation Triptych
A three-paneled altarpiece, such as the Merode Altarpiece by Robert Campin, depicting the Annunciation, used for personal devotion and prayer, particularly popular in Northern Europe during the Protestant Reformation.
Example:
The small, intimate scale of the Annunciation Triptych suggests it was intended for private contemplation in a home, allowing for personal engagement with the sacred narrative.
Arabesques
Ornate decorative designs characterized by rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils, or plain lines, common in Islamic art.
Example:
The flowing, intertwined floral motifs on a Persian carpet exemplify arabesques, creating a sense of organic growth and endless repetition.
Arnolfini Portrait
A 1434 oil painting by Jan van Eyck, depicting a wealthy merchant and his wife, notable for its detailed realism, symbolism, and as a key example of a secular portrait celebrating individual status.
Example:
The intricate details in the Arnolfini Portrait, from the convex mirror reflecting the artist to the single lit candle, symbolize the couple's wealth and marital vows.
Calligraphy
The art of beautiful handwriting, highly revered in Islamic art, used to transcribe verses from the Quran and other texts, often integrated into architectural decoration and manuscripts.
Example:
A monumental inscription of a Quranic verse in elegant Kufic calligraphy might adorn the frieze of a mosque, serving as both decoration and spiritual message.
Celebration (New World)
A purpose of Colonial art that involved glorifying the discoveries, resources, and perceived opportunities of the Americas, often from a European colonial perspective.
Example:
Paintings depicting bountiful harvests or exotic animals in lush landscapes served as a celebration of the New World's perceived abundance and potential for European exploitation.
Chiaroscuro
An artistic technique using strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition, to create a sense of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects and figures.
Example:
Rembrandt's portraits often employ dramatic chiaroscuro, where a single light source illuminates the subject's face, leaving the background in deep shadow to heighten emotional intensity.
Church and Cathedral Art
Artworks, including sculptures, frescoes, and mosaics, created for religious buildings to educate and inspire the faithful, often depicting biblical scenes and saints.
Example:
The tympanum sculpture above the entrance of a Romanesque church, depicting the Last Judgment, is a powerful example of church and cathedral art designed to visually preach to arriving congregants.
Church of Sainte-Foy
A prominent Romanesque abbey church in Conques, France, located along a major pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, known for its architecture designed to accommodate pilgrims and its reliquary.
Example:
The Church of Sainte-Foy was a crucial stop for medieval pilgrims, offering both a sacred space for worship and a secure place to rest before continuing their journey.
Counter-Reformation Art
Art commissioned by the Catholic Church in response to the Protestant Reformation, characterized by dramatic, emotional, and persuasive styles (like Baroque) to reassert Catholic doctrine and inspire renewed faith.
Example:
Bernini's 'Ecstasy of St. Teresa,' with its intense emotion and theatricality, is a quintessential example of Counter-Reformation Art designed to move viewers and reinforce Catholic spirituality.
Cultural Documentation
Art that serves to record and reflect the perspectives, customs, and interests of both the colonizers and the colonized within a specific historical context.
Example:
A colonial painting depicting a Native American ceremony, even if filtered through a European lens, still functions as a form of cultural documentation, offering insights into cross-cultural encounters.
Devotion
The act of inspiring religious feeling and piety through art, a key purpose in Medieval and Byzantine periods, encouraging personal spiritual connection and worship.
Example:
An icon of the Virgin Mary and Child was often placed in homes or churches to facilitate devotion, allowing believers to focus their prayers and reverence.
Didactic
Art that is intended to teach, particularly moral, religious, or historical lessons, a primary function of art in the Medieval period.
Example:
The narrative panels on a medieval altarpiece were highly didactic, guiding viewers through the life of Christ or a saint step-by-step.
Documentation (New World)
A primary purpose of Colonial art, serving to record and illustrate the people, cultures, flora, fauna, and landscapes of the Americas for European audiences.
Example:
Early colonial maps and botanical illustrations were forms of documentation of the New World, providing European scholars and patrons with visual information about newly discovered territories.
Emotional Response
A primary goal of Baroque art, aiming to evoke strong feelings of awe, drama, and religious fervor in the viewer through dynamic compositions, intense light, and dramatic narratives.
Example:
Caravaggio's use of dramatic chiaroscuro and intense realism in 'The Calling of St. Matthew' was intended to provoke an immediate and powerful emotional response from the viewer.
Figural Representation (avoidance of)
The practice in Islamic religious art of largely avoiding depictions of human or animal forms, focusing instead on abstract patterns, calligraphy, and vegetal motifs.
Example:
Unlike Christian churches, a mosque will typically feature intricate geometric tiles and calligraphic verses on its walls, demonstrating the avoidance of figural representation in its sacred spaces.
Geometric Patterns
Repeating designs based on mathematical principles, a hallmark of Islamic art, used to decorate surfaces in religious and secular contexts, often symbolizing the infinite nature of God.
Example:
The complex star and polygon motifs on an Islamic ceramic plate showcase the mastery of geometric patterns, creating a sense of order and beauty without figural representation.
Honor God (Allah)
The central purpose of Islamic art, focusing on expressing reverence and glorifying the divine through abstract patterns, calligraphy, and architectural decoration.
Example:
The intricate geometric tiling and calligraphic inscriptions adorning the interior of a mosque are designed to honor God (Allah) and create a sacred, contemplative space.
Humanism
An intellectual movement during the Renaissance that emphasized human potential and achievement, drawing inspiration from classical Greek and Roman thought, influencing art's shift towards secular and individual subjects.
Example:
Leonardo da Vinci's 'Vitruvian Man,' which explores human anatomy and proportion, embodies the spirit of humanism by celebrating the human form and intellect.
Illuminated Manuscripts
Hand-written books, often religious texts, decorated with intricate designs, illustrations, and gilded elements, serving for personal devotion and biblical storytelling.
Example:
The Book of Kells, with its elaborate interlace patterns and vibrant evangelist portraits, is a famous illuminated manuscript that combined sacred text with stunning visual artistry.
Individualism
A Renaissance concept emphasizing the unique worth and potential of the individual, reflected in art through increased portraiture, self-portraits, and the celebration of human achievement.
Example:
The detailed and psychologically insightful portraits of wealthy merchants and nobles during the Renaissance highlight the growing emphasis on individualism in art.
Landscapes (Colonial)
Paintings depicting the natural scenery of the Americas, created during the colonial period to document the unique flora, fauna, and geographical features for European audiences.
Example:
John White's watercolors of the Carolina coast, featuring indigenous plants and animals, are early examples of landscapes that provided Europeans with their first visual impressions of the American wilderness.
Merovingian Fibulae
Decorative brooches or pins from the Merovingian period, often made of precious metals and inlaid with gems, serving as status symbols and signs of wealth rather than strictly religious objects.
Example:
A chieftain might wear a pair of intricately crafted Merovingian fibulae on his cloak, signaling his high social standing and prosperity to all who saw him.
Mosque Decorations
The intricate artistic elements found within mosques, including geometric patterns, calligraphy, and arabesques, designed to create a spiritual atmosphere and inspire devotion.
Example:
The stunning muqarnas vaulting and vibrant tilework in the Alhambra's prayer hall are prime examples of elaborate mosque decorations that elevate the spiritual experience.
Palace Art
Art created for secular rulers and their residences, often showcasing wealth, power, and luxury through elaborate designs, precious materials, and sometimes figural representations.
Example:
The opulent frescoes and fountains of the Alhambra Palace are magnificent examples of palace art, designed to impress visitors and reflect the Nasrid dynasty's grandeur.
Pilgrimage
A journey to a sacred place for religious reasons, which significantly influenced the design and function of Romanesque churches, built to accommodate and inspire large numbers of travelers.
Example:
The long naves and radiating chapels of Romanesque churches were specifically designed to manage the flow of people on pilgrimage routes, allowing them to venerate relics.
Portraits (Colonial)
Artworks depicting individuals, often colonists or Native Americans, created in the colonial period to showcase the people and cultures of the New World, primarily for European patrons.
Example:
A formal portrait of a colonial governor would not only record his likeness but also convey his authority and status within the new settlements.
Propaganda (Catholic Church)
The use of Baroque art by the Catholic Church during the Counter-Reformation to promote its ideologies, reassert its dominance, and inspire loyalty among the faithful.
Example:
The grand, awe-inspiring frescoes in Jesuit churches served as powerful propaganda for the Catholic Church, visually demonstrating its power and divine favor.
Religious Instruction
A primary purpose of art during the Late Antique, Byzantine, Gothic, and Medieval periods, where artworks were created to teach biblical stories, Christian doctrine, and moral lessons to the faithful.
Example:
A stained-glass window in a Gothic cathedral depicting the life of a saint served as a visual aid for religious instruction, making complex narratives accessible to a largely illiterate congregation.
Secular Themes
Subject matter in art that is not religious, focusing instead on everyday life, mythology, portraiture, and historical events, a significant shift during the Renaissance.
Example:
Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus,' depicting a mythological goddess, is a prime example of a Renaissance artwork embracing secular themes rather than purely religious narratives.
Shelter (for pilgrims)
A practical function of Romanesque churches, providing a place of rest, safety, and sustenance for travelers undertaking long religious journeys.
Example:
The sturdy stone construction and often fortified appearance of Romanesque abbeys offered not just spiritual solace but also literal shelter for pilgrims on their arduous journeys.