ARTH 100 Key Works Flashcards
Venus of Willendorf
c. 22000 BCE, Paleolithic
- Small in size, meant to be held and transported with nomadic tribe
- Fertility icon; enlarged female sexual and reproductive characteristics
Bison
c. 12,000 BCE, Paleolithic, Cave Painting, Altamira Cave
Stonehenge
c. 2550-1600 BCE, Neolithic, Salisbury Plain, England
Standard of Ur
c. 2600 BCE, Sumerian
Stele of Naramsin
2254-2218 BCE, Akkadian
Ziggurat at Ur
c. 2100 BCE, Neo-Sumerian
- base for a religious temple, place of worship
- center of the city
- evidence of a centralized, non-nomadic lifestyle, due to farming
Great Pyramids and Sphinx
c. 2575-2450 BCE, Giza, Old Kingdom
- final stage of architectural development, from mestaba to step pyramid to the pyramids
- Sphinx is a portrait of the Pharaoh Khafre
- Pyramids are sealed tombs. Pharaohs are entombed with prized possessions to take with them in the afterlife.
- statuettes served as houses for Ka, egyptian concept of a soul
- Pharaohs were gods on earth, pyramids held religious significance. Pharaohs were both divine and political leaders.
Khafre Enthroned
c. 2520-2494 BCE, Old Kingdom
- symbols as a pharaoh, horus, pleated skirt, false beard.
- stiff posture, clenched fist in a position denoting authority
- depicted as youthful and fit, although it is a funerary statue, idealized
- diorite, expensive, strong material
- large, five foot, 6 inches tall
Menkaure and his Wife
c. 2490-2472 BCE, Old Kingdom
- idealized, nearly indistinguishable from Khafre/other pharaohs
- positioned in front of his wife, showing that she may support him but he is the leader
- pharaoh symbolism
Seated Scribe
c. 2500 BCE, Old Kingdom
- idealized for his position as a scribe, stomach paunch shows he is well fed, etc., depicted working as a scribe
- painted limestone
- 1 foot, 9 inches high
Temple of Amen-Re
15th Century BCE, Karnak, Egypt, New Kingdom
- hypostyle hall -beneath columns, space made for the living, contrary to pyramids
- axial plan - symmetrical plan grounded on a dominant line, creates a strong processional direction
- sunken reliefs carved into stone
- clerestory - allows light/fresh air without sacrificing protection from rain and other elements
- papyrus capitals
- temple constructed using high precision ashlar masonry
Akhenaton
c. 1353-1335 BCE, Armarna Period
- sandstone, from temple of Aton
- 13 foot high
- emphasizes departure from traditional egyptian art
- elongated, curvy figures
- traditional pharaoh symbols, lacking Horus. Akhenaton’s reign marked a time of monotheism, worshipping only Aton the sun god.
- large lips nose and eyes
Great Stupa
Third Century BCE to First Century CE, Sanchi, India
- Houses ashes of the buddha
- sealed, not designed for entry
- allows circumambulation; moving around a sacred object, to help meditate, etc
- buddha is represented by the image of the stupa and other symbols in the reliefs on the portal, as buddhism was aniconic
- relation to indian beliefs, symbolized by yakshi, a female fertility figure
Meditating Buddha
Second Century CE, Gandhara, Pakistan
- departure from aniconism
- ushnisha; bump on head of the buddha symbolizing enlightenment
- urna- dot on forehead
- elongated ears show the departure from a life of wealth and influence
- mudras;hand gestures. positioned with the meditation mudra
- halo emphasizes divinity and enlightenment
- stylized robes similar to greek wet drapery style
Shaka Triad
Tori Busshi, Kondo, Horyuji, Nara Prefecture, Japan, Asuka Period, 623
- depicted with east asian features
- two bodhisattva
- halos
- extremely stylized robes, almost appears as a cloud
- two mudras, protection and a form of granting wishes/blessings
Bull-leaping
from the palace at Knossos (Crete), Greece, Minoan, ca. 1450–1400 BCE
- Ancient Aegean art
- thin elongated figures
- no clear spatial distinctions, no floor
- motion emphasized through elongations of bodies, the bull and the man bull-leaping
- male depicted through red color
- fresco
Peplos Kore
from the Acropolis, Athens, Greece, ca. 530 BCE
- archaic period
- female funerary statue, equivalent of the kouros male funerary statue
- clothes, while the male statues were nude
- stiff posture, reminiscent of Egyptian art
- ‘archaic smile’ used to make the statue more life like
- although clothed, breasts shown through clothing to distinguish as female
- 4’ high, marble statue
Aphrodite of Knidos
Praxiteles, Aphrodite of Knidos. ca. 350–340 BCE, Classical
- bold step to render a goddess in the nude
- sensuous and humanizing qualities, different from cold aloof gods of high classical period
- hand position conveys modesty while drawing attention to genitalia
- contraposto used to give liveliness
- base is functional and artistic, she is holding her clothes over some pottery and pedestal
- 6’ 8’’ high, marble copy (original bronze?)
Battle of Issus (or Battle of Alexander & the Persians mosaic)
. Philoxenos of Eretia, Roman
copy, c. 100 BCE of Greek painting of c. 310 BCE, Classical
-humanistic influence, each soldier has an individual identity.
-use of foreshortening - an object is depicted on an angle such that it appears to be projecting or receding into space
-use of shadows to further define the space
Old Market Woman
Roman copy (?) of a marble statue ca. 150-100 BCE, Hellenistic
- stems from desire to emphathize more with images of common people
- almost an idealization of a woman one would see at any market at the time
- realistic proportions and facial expression
The Parthenon
Kallikrates and Iktinos,Acropolis. 447–432 BCE. Classical Period
-heavily based in mathematical proportions
-“optical refinements” designed to appear perfect
-used ashlar masonry
entasis-slight adjustments
-x=2y+1, 4:9 ratio
-peristyle porch, formed by columns surrounding building perimeter
-cella; inner chamber of the temple
Roman Patrician Carrying Busts of His Ancestors
1st century BCE, Roman Republic
-ideal as a politician, age associated with wisdom
-
Augustus of Primaporta
marble statue, c. 20 BCE, Early Empire
- idealized as a soldier, probably in his 60’s when the statue was created
- cupid symbolic of relation to venus
- depicted as a strong military leader
Mosaic of Emperor Justinian and His Attendants
S. Vitale, 547 CE, Ravenna, Italy
- mosaic
- 12 attendants, like christ
- clergy, governmental and military attendants
- lack of personalization, large eyes
- long, covered bodies lacking sense of movement, living
- not spatially oriented, no clear foreground or background
- change in style may reflect change from physical to spiritual concerns
