Exam I - Art History

Question 1

Akropolis

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

Arabesque

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

Amphora

Answer 3

An ancient Greek or Roman jar for storing oil or wine, with an egg-shaped body and two curved handles.

Question 4

Arch

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

Archaic Smile

Answer 5

The curved lips of ancient Greek statues in the period c. 600–480 BCE, usually interpreted as a way of animating facial features.

Question 6

Amarna Style

Answer 6

revolutionary style of Egyptian Art created by Amenhotep IV, who took the name Akhenaton during his reign.

Question 7

Calligraphy

Answer 7

Handwriting as an art form

Question 8

Canon of proportions

Answer 8

A set of ideal mathematical ratios in art based on measurements, as in the proportional relationships between the basic elements of the human body.

Question 9

Capital

Answer 9

The sculpted block that tops a column

Question 10

Capstone

Answer 10

the final, topmost stone in a corbeled arch or vault, which joins the sides and completes the structure

Question 11

Catacomb

Answer 11

An underground cemetery consisting of tunnels on different levels, having niches for urns and sarcophagi and often incorporating rooms (cubicula)

Question 12

Ceramics

Answer 12

A general tern covering all types of wares made from fried clay

Question 13

Column

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Contrapposto

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Dome

Answer 15

A rounded vault, usually over a circular space

Question 16

Façade

Answer 16

The face or front wall of a building

Question 17

Fresco

Answer 17

A painting technique in which water-based pigments are applied to a plaster surface

Question 18

Hierarchic scale

Answer 18

The use of differences in size to indicate relative importance. For example, with human figures, the larger the figure, the greater their importance

Question 19

Hieroglyph

Answer 19

Picture writing, words and ideas rendered in the form of pictorial symbols

Question 20

Icon

Answer 20

An image representing a sacred figure or event in the Byzantine Church

Question 21

Iconoclasm

Answer 21

Literally means
image breaking” and refers to a recurring historical impulse to break or destroy images for religious or political reasons

Question 22

Idealization

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Iwan

Answer 23

In Islamic architecture, a large scale, vaulted chamber with a monumental arched opening on one side

Question 24

Kore

Answer 24

An Archaic Greek Statue of a young woman

Question 25

Kouros

Answer 25

An Archaic Greek statue of a young man or boy

Question 26

Crater

Answer 26

An ancient Greek vessel for mixing wine and water, with many subtypes that each have a distinctive shape

Question 27

Lost-wax casting

Answer 27

A method of casting metal, such as broze

Question 28

Menorah

Answer 28

A Jewish lampstand with seven or nine branches, the nine-branch menorah is used during the celebration of Hanukkah

Question 29

Mihrab

Answer 29

A recess or niche that distinguishes the wall oriented toward Mecca in a mosque

Question 30

Minaret

Answer 30

A tower on or near a mosque from which Muslims are called to prayer five times a day

Question 31

Mosaic

Answer 31

Images formed by arranging small colored stone or glass pieces and affixing them to a hard, stable surface

Question 32

Mosque

Answer 32

A building used for communal Islamic worship

Question 33

Narrative Image

Answer 33

A picture that recounts an event drawn from a story, either factual or fictional

Question 34

Necropolis

Answer 34

A large cemetery or burial area; literally means “city of the dead”

Question 35

Oculus

Answer 35

In architecture, a circular opening. Usually found either as windows or at the apex of a dome

Question 36

Patron

Answer 36

A wealthy or influential supporter of an artist or writer

Question 37

Pediment

Answer 37

A triangular able found over major architectural elements such as Classical Greek porticos, windows, or doors

Question 38

Polychromy

Answer 38

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

Question 39

Propoganda

Answer 39

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

Question 40

Relic

Answer 40

Venerated object or body part associated with a holy figure, such as a saint, and usually housed in a reliquary

Question 41

Relief sculpture

Answer 41

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

Question 42

Low-Relief Scultpure

Answer 42

the design project only slightly from the background, and there is little or no undercutting of outlines

Question 43

High-Relief Sculpture

Answer 43

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

Question 44

Sanctuary

Answer 44

A sacred or holy enclosure used for worship. In ancient Greek and Rome, consisted of one or more temples and an altar

Question 45

Sarcophogus

Answer 45

A stone coffin. Often rectangular and decorated with relief sculpture

Question 46

Sculpture in the Round

Answer 46

3D sculpture that is carved free of any background or block

Question 47

Stele

Answer 47

A stone slab placed vertically and decorated with inscriptions or reliefs. used as a grave marker or commemorative monuments

Question 48

Stylus

Answer 48

An instrument with a pointed end, a special writing tool for cuneiform writing with one pointed end and one triangular

Question 49

Votive Figure

Answer 49

An image created as a devotional offering to a deity

Question 50

Ziggurat

Answer 50

In ancient Mesopotamia, a tall stepped tower of earthen materials, often supporting a srhine