grotesque | Art History Glossary

1) Characterized by ludicrous or repulsive distortion; ugly or outlandish in appearance.

Leonardo da Vinci. Studies of grotesque heads. Ca. 1490.

2) A decorative painting style invented in ancient Rome–and rediscovered in Renaissance Europe–in which foliage and imaginary human and animal figures are combined in fanciful, extravagant designs.

Left: Grotesque ceiling decoration in fresco. Nero’s Golden House, Rome. 64-68 CE. Right: Nicoletto da Modena. Design for a Panel of Grotesque Ornament. Engraving on paper. Second quarter of the 16th century. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

A free resource for students and teachers, created by Dr. James Terry. Art History Glossary by James Terry is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 .