(and definitions!) in English and Italian for students and lovers of Italian Renaissance art. If you are a professor and find this useful to distribute to your class, credit (or a link) to arttrav.com [..]

The semicircular or polygonal far end (usually East) of a church, at which the high altar is placed.

a structure that spans a space and supports weight. In gothic art, pointed arch; in Renaissance art, rounded arch.

the “head” of a column, has a decorative function.

a consecrated space containing an altar, freestanding or within a larger church

An Italian word meaning “light-dark”, used to describe the dramatic contrast of light and dark in painting to create effects of three-dimensionality.

a courtyard, usually in a monastic setting, with a covered collonade that goes around it. (Similar to a loggia, but square or rectangle, like 4 loggie combined.)

a round, freestanding architectural element that functions to support a structure above it. (see also pilaster)

Voluntary association of men who unite for religious and/or social purposes.

Italian for “set against”. Bodily posture in which most of the weight is placed on the “engaged” leg, causing the upper body to turn and fall off axis. Makes representations of the body to look more n [..]