GLOSSARY

CONCEPT DEFINITION
Aerial perspective
Leonardo da Vinci, among others, observed
that as a landscape recedes from the viewer its
colours and tones alter due to the nature of the
atmosphere. The pictorial equivalent of this
phenomenon is called aerial or atmospheric
perspective. This effect can be achieved in a
painting by establishing gradual tonal changes
between foreground and background, so
creating an impression of space which
approximates to that seen in nature.
Because of the subtle gradation of colour
required, the oil medium was best suited to
achieving this illusion.
Applied Art
Distinctions have in the past been made
between the fine and applied arts. Painting is
usually seen as 'fine', while the making of
jewellery or porcelain, for example, is seen as
'applied'. This division is to some extent derived
from the older categorisation of arts and crafts
Attribution
It is not always known who painted a picture. An
attribution is an assessment of who was
responsible for creating a particular work.
Attributions are made with different degrees of
certainty, depending on factors such as style
and documentary and scientific evidence:
-'by Caravaggio' shows reasonable certainty
about the attribution.
-'attributed to Caravaggio' intimates a degree of
doubt about the authorship of the picture.
-'by the Studio of Caravaggio' means painted by
a pupil of the named artist, probably under his
direction.
-'a Follower of Caravaggio' is someone who
admired the artist's style, but was not
necessarily a pupil of his.
-'an Imitator of Caravaggio' is one who slavishly
admired the artist, but may have worked at a
much later date.