This is your source for some of my art history-specific phrasing you may come across. The glossary will be updated as terms are used in blog posts. Terms will be listed in alphabetical order.
Church
(with a capital “C”) – While “church” refers to a building, “Church” refers to
the institution of the Roman Catholic Church and its position of
influence/power in society.
Didactic Art - Art meant to teach a lesson, often religious beliefs or moral expectations.
Momento Mori - "Remember you are mortal" or "Remember [that you have] to die" in Latin. Usually a tool of religious artwork to emphasize the inevitable afterlife. Skulls are often used as symbols of mortality. Other symbols include flowers (die after being cut) and bubbles (will pop - fleeting).
Neo-Platonic (in art) - The belief that outer beauty represents inner good, and so ugliness reveals evilness. This belief become popular during the European Renaissance and become a Western artistic standard.
Momento Mori - "Remember you are mortal" or "Remember [that you have] to die" in Latin. Usually a tool of religious artwork to emphasize the inevitable afterlife. Skulls are often used as symbols of mortality. Other symbols include flowers (die after being cut) and bubbles (will pop - fleeting).
Neo-Platonic (in art) - The belief that outer beauty represents inner good, and so ugliness reveals evilness. This belief become popular during the European Renaissance and become a Western artistic standard.
