Exam I - Art History Flashcards
Akropolis
The citadel of an ancient Greek city, located at its highest point and housing temples, a treasury, and sometimes a royal palace. The most famous is the Akropolis in Athens.
Arabesque
European term for a type of linear surface decoration based on foliage and calligraphic forms, thought by Europeans to be typical of Islamic art and usually characterized by flowing lines and swirling shapes.
Amphora
An ancient Greek or Roman jar for storing oil or wine, with an egg-shaped body and two curved handles.
Arch
In architecture, a curved structural element that spans an open space. Built from wedge-shaped stone blocks called voussoirs placed together and held at the top by a trapezoidal keystone.
Archaic Smile
The curved lips of ancient Greek statues in the period c. 600–480 BCE, usually interpreted as a way of animating facial features.
Amarna Style
revolutionary style of Egyptian Art created by Amenhotep IV, who took the name Akhenaton during his reign.
Calligraphy
Handwriting as an art form
Canon of proportions
A set of ideal mathematical ratios in art based on measurements, as in the proportional relationships between the basic elements of the human body.
Capital
The sculpted block that tops a column
Capstone
the final, topmost stone in a corbeled arch or vault, which joins the sides and completes the structure
Catacomb
An underground cemetery consisting of tunnels on different levels, having niches for urns and sarcophagi and often incorporating rooms (cubicula)
Ceramics
A general tern covering all types of wares made from fried clay
Column
An architectural element used for support and/or decoration. Consists of a rounded or polygonal vertical shaft placed on a base and topped by a decorative capital
Contrapposto
Italian term meaning “set against”, used to describe the Classical contention of representing human figures with opposing alterations of tension and relaxation on either side of a central axis to give figures a sense of the potential for movement
Dome
A rounded vault, usually over a circular space
Façade
The face or front wall of a building
Fresco
A painting technique in which water-based pigments are applied to a plaster surface
Hierarchic scale
The use of differences in size to indicate relative importance. For example, with human figures, the larger the figure, the greater their importance
Hieroglyph
Picture writing, words and ideas rendered in the form of pictorial symbols
Icon
An image representing a sacred figure or event in the Byzantine Church
Iconoclasm
Literally means
image breaking” and refers to a recurring historical impulse to break or destroy images for religious or political reasons
Idealization
A process in art through which artists strive to make their forms and figures attain perfection, based on pervading cultural values and/or their own personal ideals
Iwan
In Islamic architecture, a large scale, vaulted chamber with a monumental arched opening on one side
Kore
An Archaic Greek Statue of a young woman
Kouros
An Archaic Greek statue of a young man or boy
Crater
An ancient Greek vessel for mixing wine and water, with many subtypes that each have a distinctive shape
Lost-wax casting
A method of casting metal, such as broze
Menorah
A Jewish lampstand with seven or nine branches, the nine-branch menorah is used during the celebration of Hanukkah
Mihrab
A recess or niche that distinguishes the wall oriented toward Mecca in a mosque
Minaret
A tower on or near a mosque from which Muslims are called to prayer five times a day
Mosaic
Images formed by arranging small colored stone or glass pieces and affixing them to a hard, stable surface
Mosque
A building used for communal Islamic worship
Narrative Image
A picture that recounts an event drawn from a story, either factual or fictional
Necropolis
A large cemetery or burial area; literally means “city of the dead”
Oculus
In architecture, a circular opening. Usually found either as windows or at the apex of a dome
Patron
A wealthy or influential supporter of an artist or writer
Pediment
A triangular able found over major architectural elements such as Classical Greek porticos, windows, or doors
Polychromy
Multicolored decoration applied to any part of a building, sculpture, or piece of furniture. This can be accomplished with paint or by the use of multicolored materials
Propoganda
the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person - art is often used for this
Relic
Venerated object or body part associated with a holy figure, such as a saint, and usually housed in a reliquary
Relief sculpture
Also called relievo, in sculpture, any work in which the figures project from a supporting background, usually a plane surface. Reliefs are classified according to the height of the figures’ projection or detachment from the background
Low-Relief Scultpure
the design project only slightly from the background, and there is little or no undercutting of outlines
High-Relief Sculpture
the design projects at least half or more from their natural circumference from the background and may in parts be completely disengaged from the ground, thus approximating sculpture in the round
Sanctuary
A sacred or holy enclosure used for worship. In ancient Greek and Rome, consisted of one or more temples and an altar
Sarcophogus
A stone coffin. Often rectangular and decorated with relief sculpture
Sculpture in the Round
3D sculpture that is carved free of any background or block
Stele
A stone slab placed vertically and decorated with inscriptions or reliefs. used as a grave marker or commemorative monuments
Stylus
An instrument with a pointed end, a special writing tool for cuneiform writing with one pointed end and one triangular
Votive Figure
An image created as a devotional offering to a deity
Ziggurat
In ancient Mesopotamia, a tall stepped tower of earthen materials, often supporting a srhine
