Smarthistory – Important terms

Learn some of the basic terms that art historians use when they describe works of art.

Naturalism is resemblance to the “real world,” as we see it around us.

Don’t stand so straight! Relax. Shift your weight. Bend a knee. Just respond to the world, like this spear-bearer.

Renaissance artists relied upon this strategy to render the natural world. Get a tutorial at the School of Athens.

This technique captures transitions from light to dark. As Titian knew, it creates the illusion of volume and mass.

No Photoshop! Just a vanishing point, a horizon line, and some orthogonals—that’s the magic formula for reality.

As we look into the distance, we lose visual clarity. The specificity of color also decreases.

These decorative systems once adorned Greek temples. It’s an ancient language, but we still speak it today.