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Definitions - Key terms relevant to my work

Chiaroscuro

This is an Italian term which literally means 'light-dark'. In paintings the description refers to clear tonal contrasts which are often used to suggest the volume and modelling of the subjects depicted.Artists who are famed for the use of chiaroscuro include Leonardo da Vinci andCaravaggio. Leonardo employed it to give a vivid impression of the three-dimensionality of his figures, while Caravaggio used such contrasts for the sake of drama. Both artists were also aware of the emotional impact of these effects.

(National Gallery definition:

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/glossary/chiaroscuro)

Memento Mori

Memento Mori is Latin for reminder of death. Skulls which are represented in Northern European portraits and still lifes, and South European depictions of saints, of the 16th and 17th centuries are perhaps the most obvious examples of such subjects (see for example the anamorphic skull which is depicted in the foreground of Holbein's 'Ambassadors' and the precisely painted example in Steenwyck's 'An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life').Such elements are painted as a reminder that death is the great leveller, which puts an end to all worldly achievements. (See entry for Vanitas.)

(National Gallery definition:

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/glossary/memento-mori/*/chooseLetter/M)

Pointillism

Pointillism is an Impressionist painting technique developed by Georges Seurat, based on colour theory and the use of complementary colours in particular. The painting is created using countless tiny dots of pure colour, placed in close proximity to each other. When viewed at a distance, the human eye is meant to fuse the individual dots together into areas of solid colour.

(National Gallery definition:

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/glossary/pointillism)

Vanitas

Vanitas is the Latin for vanity, in the sense of emptiness or a worthless action. ‘Vanity of Vanities, saith the preacher, all is vanity’ (Ecclesiastes 12: 8). The implication of these words from the Old Testament is that all human action is transient in contrast to the everlasting nature of faith.A vanitas is a particular type of still life painting in which objects symbolically refer to such a theme. For example, in Steenwyck’s ‘Allegory’ in the Collection, objects which suggest human achievements, like the book and instruments, are related to reminders of mortality: the lamp which has been snuffed out and the skull. (See the entry for Memento Mori.)

(National Gallery definition:

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/glossary/vanitas)