Exam #1
Study Guide

Be prepared to define or recognize or apply the definition of any of the following terms:

Book of Hours
pediment
vanishing point
orthogonal
aerial or atmospheric perspective
chiaroscuro
contrapposto
memento mori
triptych
iconography

Be prepared to explain or recognize the explanation of any of the following media/techniques:

tempera
fresco
lost wax technique

Be prepared to answer any of the following essay questions:

1.  How did changes in religious thought, such as new ideas introduced by St. Francis, influence the development of early Italian Renaissance art?  Explain how we see these changes reflected in Giotto's Arena Chapel.

2.  Explain the basic steps in producing a traditional egg tempera on wood panel painting.  What were the aspects of this technique that are challenging?

3. Contrast and compare the early Italian Renaissance with the early "Renaissance" (15th century Netherlandish painting) of Northern
Europe, using Robert Campin's Merode Altarpiece (1425-30) and Masaccio’s The Holy Trinity (1425) as your reference points.  In what ways were the interests and approaches of these artists different and in what ways similar? (Discuss medium, format of the works, representation of human form/anatomy, background/setting, use of perspective, and patronage).

Be prepared to discuss how any of the following works of art we have viewed in class are representative of their time and place. What have you learned about the medium used to create this work? Is the artist using techniques newly developed at this time? What have you learned about the style and the way the artist has interpreted his subject matter? What influences have impacted this artists/work (Classical models? Religious changes, such as those introduced by St. Francis?) What do you know about the patron's role in the work (the person(s) who paid for this piece)?

Cimabue's Madonna Enthroned
Ghiberti's North and East Doors for the Florence Baptistry
Giotto's Arena Chapel
Masaccio's The Holy Trinity
Piero Della Francesco's Battista Sforza and Federico da Montefeltro (Duke of Urbino)
Donatello's David
Robert Campin's Merode Altarpiece