Art and Culture of
The Renaissance Vocabulary –
Part 1 (K-3)

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Renaissance – a French word meaning “rebirth”

statues – sculptures or carvings of figures such as religious Saints which decorated the Cathedrals

tradesmen –  skilled workers like carpenters, goldsmiths, or weavers.

stone-mason – one who prepares and lays stones in a building

goldsmith – an artisan who makes objects out of gold

weaver – a person who makes fabric by interweaving yarns

patron – a person or group who pays for a work of art to be produced

portrait –  is a picture of a person, especially one showing the face

shepherd – a person who watches over sheep

apprentices – or students, who learned under a Master, who taught them a trade, art, or business

perspective – a way of showing distance between people in relationship to their surroundings in a painting, showing things that are close or far away

naturalism/naturalistic – a drawing that looks realistic, like that which we see in nature.

emotion – the expression of the feelings such as love, sadness and joy on faces in a painting

Halley’s Comet – a small bright celestial or heavenly body that develops a cloudy tail when near the sun

species – A group of similar plants or animals. In this case Giotto painted many types of plants from his time.

architecture – art and science of planning and building structures

architect – one who designs or supervises the construction of buildings or other large structures

carpenter – one who works in making, finishing, and repairing wooden objects and structures

altarpiece – a work of art that decorates an altar

tempera paint – is water color pigments thickened with egg yoke

panel – a separate painting done on a wooden board by using tempera paint

frescoes – are paintings where the paint is applied to wet plaster and sometimes waxed over to give them a shiny protective coating

voyage – a long journey or trip

aristocrats – or noblemen are upper class people

sculptor – a person who carves wood, stone, or clay

sculpture – an object made by carving, cutting, molding, or shaping of wood, stone, or clay

self-esteem – is that nice feeling you get inside when you do something good

analogy – a way of explaining an idea by using something you already understand