Art History at Loggia | Exploring Art Speak in Renaissance Art

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Art Speak - Renaissance Art

chiaroscuro | this term refers to effects of light (chiaro) and dark (oscuro) in a painting; the technique of chiaroscuro was used by Renaissance artists such as Leonardo da Vinci to achieve a sense of modeling in figures

contrapposto | contrapposto is used to describe a type of pose popular first in ancient Greek (and Roman) art, and then during the Renaissance; in this pose, the weight of a body rests on one leg, while the other leg is relaxed, giving the figure a distinctive "S" curve appearance

fresco | a painting technique in which pigments are applied directly to a plaster wall

grisaille | painting done in monochrome - usually shades of grey; often, these paintings were created to resemble works of sculpture

ignudi | ignudi are images of male nudes (ignudo is used to refer to a single nude); the artist Michelangelo, for example, painted ignudi on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

loggia | a loggia is a gallery formed by a colonnade open on one or more sides

putti | putti - singular putto - are images of winged babies or cherubs, and they were especially popular in Italian Renaissance art

sfumato | this word describes a poetic, hazy effect used by painters to soften the outlines of figures, etc.; artist Leonardo da Vinci perfected the technique of sfumato in the Renaissance

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From Abacus to Zeus

Another useful reference book for information about art terms and techniques. It is described as an "illustrated glossary and iconographical guide [that] presents a wealth of information bearing on the history of the visual arts."

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