Early American Arts: Key Terms Flashcards
Abolitionists
activist who supported the movement to end the slave trade and liberate enslaved people
Appliqué
when pieces of fabric are stitched onto a larger piece to create a picture or pattern
Art music
compositions in the Western tradition intended for concert performance or private enjoyment of the performer(s)
Art song
an art-music setting of poetic text for voice with keyboard accompaniment
Autograph
a manuscript score in the composer’s handwriting
Calico
manufactured cotton that was roller-printed with small, repeating patterns
Cameo
a hard gemstone carved in relief and projecting from a solid background; cameos often feature profile portraits
Colonnade
a long row of columns that supports a roof and/or creates an arcade
Contrapposto
an Italian term that means “counterpoise”; it is used to describe human figures standing with most of their weight on one foot, while the other leg is relaxed and bent at the knee
Corinthian columns
the most ornate columns of the three Greek orders; they are fluted and capped with acanthus leaves.
Cult of true womanhood
a 19th century American societal standard that emphasized women’s domesticity, piety, purity, and submissiveness above all other qualities.
Düsseldorf style
style of 19th century American artists who trained in Germany at the Düsseldorf Academy; they were known for their distinctive style, characterized by dynamic compositions and dramatic lighting.
Emancipation
the formal process of becoming legally free
Engraving
a printmaking technique produced by using a tool called a burin to cut into the surface of a metal plate; the printer can produce many copies from a single plate, allowing engraved prints to be sold to large numbers of people.
Expatriate
a person who live outside of their native country for a period of time.
Façade
the exterior of face of a building
Fasces
bundles of rods intended to symbolize power and authority in Ancient Rome
Foreshortening
a technique for depicting an object or figure in an artwork that creates an illusion of projection in space
Formlines
on a totem pole, the black connecting contour lines that outline either human or animal anatomy and structure for design
Functionalism
the principle that buildings should be designed based entirely on the function of the building
Grand Tour
a custom for upper-class Europeans and Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries to travel to a standardized itinerary of European cities in order to view antique and Renaissance treasures
Great house
a large, multi-storied ancestral Puebloan structure made of stone with a timber roof
Guild system
an association of craftsman that provides training and helps regulate both quality and pricing for artisans
Hierarchy of genres
a ranking of the different types of painting, established by the Royal Academy, whereby history painting is rated highest, followed by portraiture, genre painting, landscape, and finally still life
Iconography
the identification, description, classification, and interpretation of symbols, themes, and subject matter in visual arts
Itinerant
a person who travels from place to place
Kiva
circular, below-ground rooms used for ceremonial purposes or political gatherings
Lamentation
the depiction of Jesus after his body has been removed from the cross and his family and friends mourn over his body
Liberty cap
also known as a Phrygian cap, a soft, peaked cap that symbolized freedom and was associated with emancipated slaves in ancient Rome
Limner
a term for a portrait painter during the colonial period
Loyalist
a colonist who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolution
Lyrics
a poetry for a song
Manacle
a mental band used to fasten someone’s wrists or ankles together
Medallion
a large, round medal featuring a design or portrait in low relief sculpture
Melisma
a type of singing in which a string of multiple notes corresponds to a single syllable of poetry
“Memento mori”
skulls in artworks considered to be reminders that earthly existence is fleeting; it comes from the Latin phrase “remember that you will die”
Missionary
a person tasked with promoting a particular religious ideology
Moiety
each of two social or ritual groups into which a group of people is divided
Needlework
any form of decorative sewing that uses a needle, including embroidery, lace-making, crochet, and applique
Neoclassicism
a revival of the arts and architecture of classical antiquity in 18th and 19th century Europe and America
News Ballad
a “ballad” that tells of a recent (often tragic) event
Ohio River Valley style
a school of landscape painting that was centered in Cincinnati and included Robert S. Duncanson among its leaders
Ornamentation
improvised details that embellish a written melody
Palladian style
architecture influenced by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, whose architectural treatise helped popularize Ancient Greek and Roman architecture
Patronage
financial support provided to artists from a group or individual
Pendants
in art, two paintings intended to be displayed as a pair
Piecework
smaller pieces of cloth that are sewn together, often in an arrangement of geometric patterns; also known as patchwork.
Pigment
colored material, either naturally occurring or synthetic, that is insoluble in water
Pueblo
means village in Spanish, used to refer to both the region’s indigenous people and their stone or adobe dwellings
Quakerism
religious practice founded in England in the late 1640’s that advocated for nonviolence and egalitarianism; also know as the Religious Society of Friends
Relief sculpture
work in which the figures project from a supporting background; characterized as being low relief or high relief, depending on how far the figures project from the surface plane
Reposteros
paintings on animal hides
Sons of Liberty
a political organization active in the American colonies and founded to advance the rights of the colonist and to fight taxation by the British government
Sherds
a broken piece of ceramic material found on an archeological site
Totem
a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as family clan, lineage or tribe
Totem poles
large-scale public sculptures carved from red cedar trees; primarily used to document ancestry and commemorate historical events, though some recall legends as well; include house poles, memorial poles, welcome poles and shame poles
Trill
a type of ornament that alternates rapidly between two adjacent notes, usually a half- or whole-step apart
