Final Flashcards
A religion based on the teachings of the Buddha
Buddhism
- Achieve enlightenment by renouncing all worldly desires.
- Attempt to break the karmic cycle of rebirth (aka human suffering)
- Break the suffering through rescinding all desire and ultimately of the “self” with meditation or yoga
3 core ideas of Buddhism
They are the Buddhist writings concerned with the cycle of rebirth
Upanishads
The reincarnation of human/animal forms according to how beings conduct in a previous life which is dependent on their morality in the previous life
Karma in Buddhism
Rigorous self denial and active self restraint of earthy pleasures, (ex. Starring oneself)
Asceticism
3 bends, involves a “serpentine” type pose, appears throughout Indian art in both figures and designs
Tribhanga pose
A dome shaped structure erected as a Buddhist shrine, often containing his ashes
Stupa
What did the architectural structure of the Stupa symbolize?
A representation of cosmology, a symbol of the heavens surrounding the earth, a way of depicting a shrunken down form of the universe
Why night the Buddha not be represented in art?
If Buddhism is about physical transcension, the representation of his body is not important and there was no appropriate way to represent him. (Ex. Architrave on the great stupa)
How was the Buddha represented in early Buddhist art?
As “the wheel of law”, as wheels were associated with the sun, the cosmos, and the supreme/divine law
- Hiyana/theravada: Buddha as a historical human figure
- Mahayana: Buddha as an eternal god, anyone can become a Buddha in process
2 main paths for Buddhism
- Unhnisha (bumb atop of head)
- Big ear lobs
- Right hand raised
- Monastic robe
Key visual aspects of the Buddha in Mahayana Buddhist art
Representation of the Buddha influenced by Hellenistic art (seen through the folds of the dress)
Gandharan Buddha
In Hindu art, depiction of shiva as a phallus or cosmic pillar demonstrating the power of sexual organs in relation to god.
Linga
An act of prayer/meditation in creating the object itself and for the viewer gazing at it was also meditation
The artist’s process in the making of Hindu art
Artists were like “agents” of a deity, responsible for communicating the mystical power of the deity to humanity following the conventions of representation, individual artistic willer vision is not the objective of their artistic creation
The role of an artist in Hindu art
What is the point of depicting mortal figures in states of sexual congress in Hindu art?
Meant to communicate the joy of divine uniting with humanitylex. Ratha structures)
A temple complex built in the Khmer empire and dedicated to the Hindu God vinshu
Angkor wat
Buddhist architects and artists used what as a teaching tool?
Ornamentation
Refers to Greek art after the classical period
Hellenistic Art
The conquering of the Grecian empire and consequently the culture (art and architecture) was the result of?
The Romans expanding across Europe
A stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription and associated with the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece.
Sarcophogus
What is the difference between Hellenistic art and its Roman copies
Roman copies are more muscular, wider in figure and stiffer in pose in comparison to Hellenistic figures
What represents the shift from classical to Hellenistic art?
The shift to more allegoric/symbolic representations of gods/goddesses
What is the appropriation of roman/grecian style art/architecture representative of in contemporary culture?
Used to reflect a sense of authority/power alike to the Roman Empire
Represented the power and authority of the state all throughout the Roman Empire, an image of propaganda
The image of Augustus
The period between about 250 and 600, which bridged the classical world and the Middle Ages
Late antiquity
Constantine won a battle due to a vision of a cross in the sky and converted Christianity, normalizing across Roman society
Normalization of Christianity in late antiquity
Standardization of visual and linguistic symbols the alpha and the omega, the Christian fish, the Shepard, a new visual language, telling staples with pictures
Christian iconography
A semi-circular space that sits at the back of the church
Apse
A short flight of steps used as a platform by a preacher in a mosque
Minbar
An ornament or pattern resembling a rose
Rosette
Why aren’t figurative images allowed inside sacred spaces and texts in Islam?
Considered a form of idolatry
The holy book of Islam thought to offer protection from evil
Qur’an
Why weren’t artists credited a many Muslim artworks?
Because they want to focus on the divine, as putting the name of an individual artist may be an act of idolatry or pride
A niche in the wall of a mosque, at the nearest point to Mecca, toward which the congregation faces to pray
Mihrab
Scroll like twisting form that looks like beak or wings
Rumi pattern
The direction toward Mecca which Muslims face in prayer
Qiblah
The name for a chapter of the Quran
surah
Decorative element added to architecture often in corners, 3D and made from many varied materials - (earthenware, wood, and stone)
muqarnas
How does the Quran influence Islamic art?
Calls for a deep reverence of the natural world, hence the references to plants/animals and the garden of paradise (jannat)
What is the point of Islamic art?
A vehicle to bring us to a state of mind to focus on God (rather than the artisan) and evoke a feeling of mysticism
The conflict over the veneration of religious images of Christ and the saints in the Byzantine empire (icons vs. Idols)
Iconoclastic controversy
Eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived the fall of the western half
Byzantine empire
Visual imagery that communicates its meaning through symbols that may be interpreted in relation to its contemporary social and cultural values
Icon
How can an icon be religious?
Believed to be a material gateway to the spiritual world, a means of communion with divine power
What can an icon represent?
Icons reflect the relationships between the material world, human beings, and divine power believed to have created them all (the 3 realms)
The role of the artist is to reflect divine beauty and not to imitate nature but refer to archetypal forms present in the spiritual world
Neoplatonism
What did light represent in iconography?
A source of goodness because god was pure light
What are some characteristics of the representation of the human form in Byzantine icons?
Long hands, long noses, small mouth, and large eyes
W hat is the point of inverse perspective?
It invites and holds back the onlookers gaze to the image itself rather than on the depths of the picture
The visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these
Iconography
Seen by historians as the “dark ages” between the end of the Roman Empire until the renaissance period
Medieval/Middle Ages
A community of monks, became centres of authority in the British isles
Monastery
Why were monasteries important to the medieval art world?
Places where a lot of religious art was created such as the lindisfarne gospels
How is the style of Early medieval art developed?
A mixing of classical/late antiquity with new celtic/germanic traditions
A mass phenomenon in the middle ages, a literal religious journey
Pilgrimage
- Finely rendered geometric designs
- Repeated rumi patterns/scrolls
- Arabesques/plant forms
Key qualities of Islamic ornamentation
Signifying “show”, to show off the commodities represented in the piece
Prank
A Dutch word designating a type of still-life painting that portrays expensive objectives, painted with great attention to detail with dark or shadowed backgrounds
Pronkstilleven
What was the role of the artist in 17th century Northern Europe
The artists depict and are directly involved in the new market/merchant dealings
What was a major shift in the artist’s role once entering the northern Renaissance?
Since regular people could afford to buy paintings due to their new economy, many people bought art for their private homes, a shift from most images being public religious arts
The economic evolution of northern Europe, nativity of capitalism symbolize what? H
Still lives
A Dutch still-life that includes bread and fruit, a moment of simplicity
Breakfast pieces
What is the difference between a pronkstilleven and a breakfast piece?
Pronkstillevens present a scene of confusion while breakfast pieces display simplicity
Valuable product
Commodity
A collectors cabinet where a collection of curiosities and rarities is exhibited
Wunderkammer
A catalog of an artist collector’s works in a single painting
Konstkammer
What distinguishes Zen Buddhism from other forms of Buddhism?
- Buddha was not a historical figure but something within one
- Believed the ritual and warship aren’t vehicles for enlightenment rather it is through meditation (can be achieved through art)
What caused there to be a consistency in aesthetic trends in eco Japan?
Japan’s policy of isolation
- Rise of humanism
- Increase in education and universities
- a new class of the rich that aren’t nobility
- Court based system developed in Italy
The factors that shifted the European sphere into the Italian Renaissance
Why was the Protestant Reformation important to the role of the artist?
Caused there to be less of an importance for artists to be solely dedicated to creating religious art
A renaissance intellectual movement recognizing that a man has free will and capacity for intellectualism
Humanism
A recognition not one’s capacity for intellect, is a recognition of god’s given gifts and is reflective of living a good virtuous life
How the belief system works so it doesn’t contradict the ideal of Catholicism at the time
The temporal, mortal realm
Microcosm
The divine universe
macrocosm
How did the Humanists justify studying the natural world without going against their religion?
Believed that discovering reason illuminates the Christian faith and truth
Pigment that is applied to wet plaster on the wall creating a slightly chalky effect of colour.
Fresco
Why was there a revival of Greek and pagan mythology in art
The Greeks were symbols of divine truth, as they believed God gave them divine wisdom specially
What did churches symbolize in the west?
The symbol of divine presence on earth (house of God)
Perspective engorging the viewer to move into the painting rather than the painting coming out at the viewer
Linear perspective
The highlights and shadows with an even lighting that creates the illusion that the object has three dimensional volume.it creates a sense of depth and believability in the forms as actually bodies that exist in space
Chiaroscuro shading
A symbol of divine order, the rational, humanist understanding of the natural world, and man’s place within
The renaissance period’s focus on mathematical ratios within art
What’s the difference between Byzantine inverse perspective and Renaissance linear perspective?
Byzantine inverse perspective emphasizes the separation of mortal and divine
Renaissance linear perspective emphasizes the entrance of the mortal into the pictorial space
Symbolizes the world as created in the vision of God, perfect and the epitome of divine grace, capturing and individuals inner beauty
Why Renaissance painters capture their subjects in an idealized representation
Not only limited to kings, bishops, saints but to merchant, wives of prominent figures, young women
Why renaissance portraiture was so distinct from previous eras
He was releasing the eternal divine from the corrupt shell that it had trapped within. So it is easy to understand that he believed his sculpture was the symbol of the eternal and divine grace of God
Michelangelo’s thought process in sculpting a work out of Mable
A symbol of one’s faith, as your faith runs so deep you do not need clothes because you are protected by God, a symbol of the soul
Nudity in renaissance art.
Their role was to creat art for their patrons and commissioners
Role of an artist in the renaissance era
An artistic style of the seventeenth century characterized by complex forms, bold ornamentation, and contrasting elements
Baroque
Caused the counter reformation by the Catholic Church to reaffirm the necessity of religious art
The impact of the protestant reformation on the baroque era
Set into motion by Martin Luther against the Catholic Church
Protestant reformation (1517)
- Edifying (educational)
- Persuasive
- Appealing to the emotions
What the church believed are should be.
- Painterliness
- Expansivenessartwork glues impression that it continues beyond borders
3.Pictor a effects over legibility of form - Tenebrism
Qualities of baroque Art
The use of strong chiaroscuro and artificially illuminated areas to create a dramatic contrast of light and dark in a painting
Tenebrism
A movement in the 18th century that advocated the use of reason to understand the world, believed they could rationally govern themselves
The enlightenment
Through the creation of Royal academic such as the Royal academy of Art, patronizing the enlightenment philosophers
How Louis XIV brought the enlightenment to France
Symbolizes The decadence of the aristocracy and the court
Rococo Art
How did rococo style differ from baroque style?
Baroque stressed grandeur and power, rococo emphasized grace, charm, and gentle action
Louis XIV called for more light-hearted and youthful work (the swing, Fragonard)
How rococo Art was formed
