grotesque

grotesque
grotesquely, adv.grotesqueness, n.
/groh tesk"/, adj.
1. odd or unnatural in shape, appearance, or character; fantastically ugly or absurd; bizarre.
2. fantastic in the shaping and combination of forms, as in decorative work combining incongruous human and animal figures with scrolls, foliage, etc.
n.
3. any grotesque object, design, person, or thing.
[1555-65; < F < It grottesco (as n., grottesca grotesque decoration such as was appar. found in excavated dwellings), deriv. of grotta. See GROTTO, -ESQUE]
Syn. 1. distorted, deformed, weird, antic, wild. See fantastic.

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In architecture and decorative art, a mural or sculptural decoration combining animal, human, and plant forms.

The word derives from the Italian grottesco, in reference to the grottolike underground rooms (grotte) where such ornaments were found during the excavation of Roman buildings с 1500. The grotesque was revived in the Renaissance, and a fashion for it in 16th-century Italy quickly spread to the rest of Europe; it was used most frequently in fresco decoration (painted, carved, or molded) until the 19th century.

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 in architecture and decorative art, fanciful mural or sculptural decoration involving mixed animal, human, and plant forms. The word is derived from the Italian grotteschi, referring to the grottoes in which these decorations were found c. 1500 during the excavation of Roman houses such as the Golden House of Nero. Grotesque decoration was common on 17th-century English and American case furniture.

      First revived in the Renaissance by the school of Raphael in Rome, the grotesque quickly came into fashion in 16th-century Italy and became popular throughout Europe. It remained so until the 19th century, being used most frequently in fresco decoration. Although the animal heads and other motifs sometimes have heraldic or symbolic significance, grotesque ornaments were, in general, purely decorative.

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  • grotesque — [ grɔtɛsk ] n. et adj. • 1532; it. grottesca, de grotta « grotte » → grotte I ♦ N. m. ou f. pl. Arts 1 ♦ Ornements fantastiques découverts aux XVe et XVIe s. dans les ruines …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • grotesque — Grotesque. adj. Il se dit des figures imaginées par le caprice du Peintre, dont une partie represente quelque chose de naturel, & l autre quelque chose de chimerique. Figures grotesques. En ce sens on l employe plus ordinairement au substantif, & …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Grotesque — (Жешув,Польша) Категория отеля: Адрес: Przesmyk 4, 35 065 Жешув, Польша Описание …   Каталог отелей

  • Grotesque — Gro*tesque (gr[ o]*t[e^]sk ), a. [F., fr. It. grottesco, fr. grotta grotto. See {Grotto}.] 1. Like the figures found in ancient grottoes; grottolike. [1913 Webster] 2. Hence: Wildly or strangely formed; whimsical; extravagant; of irregular forms… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • grotesque — [grō tesk′] adj. [Fr < It grottesca (pittura), orig., (picture) in a cave < grotta, GROTTO: from resemblance to designs found in Roman caves] 1. in or of a style of painting, sculpture, etc. in which forms of persons and animals are… …   English World dictionary

  • grotesque — (adj.) c.1600s, originally a noun (1560s), from M.Fr. crotesque (16c., Mod.Fr. grotesque), from It. grottesco, lit. of a cave, from grotta (see GROTTO (Cf. grotto)). The usual explanation is that the word first was used of paintings found on the… …   Etymology dictionary

  • grotesque — ► ADJECTIVE 1) comically or repulsively ugly or distorted. 2) shockingly incongruous or inappropriate. ► NOUN 1) a grotesque figure or image. 2) a style of decorative painting or sculpture consisting of the interweaving of human and animal forms… …   English terms dictionary

  • Grotesque — Gro*tesque, n. 1. A whimsical figure, or scene, such as is found in old crypts and grottoes. Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. Artificial grotto work. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Grotesque — Grotesque, Schriftgattung, s.u. Schrift …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • grotesque — index odious, prodigious (amazing) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • grotesque — bizarre, *fantastic, antic Analogous words: baroque, rococo, flamboyant (see ORNATE): *weird, eerie, uncanny: extravagant, extreme (see EXCESSIVE): preposterous, absurd (see FOOLISH): ludicrous, ridiculous, comical, comic, droll (see LAUGHABLE) …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

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