Nonwestern Art & Elements of Art Flashcards
The influence of which groups has led to major revisions in art history?
feminist critics
Remains of painted wares in China have been found that date as far back as
the 4th millennium BCE
Emperor of Qin
had a full army of terracotta soldiers and their equipment, including their horses, created life-size in clay and buried in his tomb
What are the dynasties after Qin noted for?
bronze statues and ceremonial vessels with unknown methods of casting
Which dynasty is often referred to as China’s Golden Age?
Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
great emphasis on ceramic sculpture and ink drawings
When was the People’s Republic of China established?
1949
Since which decade has Chinese art gradually become less political?
the 1970s
How many languages and dialects are currently spoken in India?
over 1,600
Which culture influenced the classical images of Buddha?
Greek culture
Shiva
Hindi god who dances gracefully with multiple arms
How did Japan respond to the Impressionist movement?
sending of artists to study in France
When did Japanese artists use linear perspective and other ideas from Impressionism?
at the end of the 19th century
What are Japanese artists best known in the Western world for?
printmaking
Where are some of the oldest examples of art in Africa?
cave paintings in Namibia
Where was the Nok civilization located?
present-day Nigeria
When was the Nok civilization last?
c. 900 BCE to 200 CE
Nok civilization
produced fantastically life-like terracotta sculptures of political and religious leaders
Which cultural group did the early Nok civilization later influence?
the Yoruba
When did the Benin Kingdom come first emerge?
900 CE
What event coincided with the emergence of the Benin Kingdom?
the settlement of the Edo people in the area
When did shifts in leadership occur in the Benin Kingdom?
11th century
What was the Benin king called?
the Oba
Benin Kingdom
cast bronze portrait heads were intended for ancestral altars and in association with the rich life at court
When did the British raid the Benin royal palace?
1897
Which materials used to create art in the Benin Kingdom resulted in few artifacts being perserved?
wood and fiber
Which cultural groups are known for their impressive masks?
the Dan and the Bwa
Ngil ceremony
an inquisitorial search for sorcerers that called for the use of masks
Polynesia
tattoos expressed social stature and were only preserved by engraving made by visitors
Where were the Asmat group from?
Melanesia
Asmat
engaged in head-hunting and carved wooden shields decorated with black, red, and white patterns for protection in raids
How were carved masks used in Melanesian ceremonies?
to summon the spirits of ancestors to honor the dead
Where are the Maori located?
New Zealand
Where did Islam historically emerge?
the Arabian Peninsula
Where are the revelations of Muhammad recorded?
the Koran
Islamic art
beautifully produced copies of the Koran, containers that hold the sacred text, and abstract or calligraphic decoration
What is one of the oldest examples of Islamic architecture?
Dome of the Rock
Where is the Dome of the Rock located?
Jerusalem
Which wall faces toward Mecca in a traditional mosque?
the qibla wall
What was a central feature of large cities in the Americas?
pyramids that rivaled those of Egypt
What is one of the best known pyramids from the early Americas?
the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico
How far does evidence of early people in present-day Canada and the United States date back to?
12,000 years ago
How far do the majority of artifacts from North American cultures date back to?
2,000 years ago
Pueblo complexes
dwellings that often consisted of over 100 room laid out in multiple stories
Where were pueblo complexes first constructed?
the Southwest United States
Line
the path of a point moving through space
Shape
a two-dimensional object
Form
a three-dimensional object
Positive space
occupied by the objects, shapes, or forms in an artwork
Negative space
the area around objects in a work of art
Freestanding
sculpture that is fully in the round
Relief
the sculpture projects from the surface or background of which it is part
High relief
projects significantly from surface
Bas (low) relief
only projects slightly from surface
Aerial (atmospheric) perspective
objects that are further away will appear lighter and lack contrast compared to objects in the foreground by the account that fog, smoke, and airborne particles change the appearance of things when viewed from a distance
Linear perspective
founded on the visual phenomenon that lines appear to converge and eventually vanish at a point on the horizon
Which artist’s use of linear perspective in a fresco at the Sistine Chapel help bring the Renaissance into Rome?
Pietro Perugino
Hue
the name of a color
Tertiary color
made by combining a primary and an adjacent secondary color
How many tertiary colors exist?
6
Color wheel
the organization of primary, secondary, and tertiary hues into a visual scheme
When was the color wheel invented?
the 18th century
Who developed the underlying concepts of the color wheel a century before it was invented?
Sir Isaac Newton
When did Isaac Newton develop the concept that later became the color wheel?
the seventeenth century
Value
used to discuss the lightness or darkness of a color or gray
Neutrals
black and white (NOT considered hues)
Grays
a continuum reached by mixing black and white
Intensity
the brightness or purity of a color
Which colors are considered to be the most intense?
primary colors
How is a brown tone achieved by mixing colors?
by mixing equal parts of two complements (red and green; blue and yellow; purple and orange)
When did scientists discover the relativity of color?
the 19th century
Relativity of color
a given shade of any hue will appear brighter or darker or more or less intense depending on what other colors are placed next to it
What do artists often create by using warm and cool colors?
space
What do warm colors appear to do in an artwork?
advance toward the viewer
What do cool colors appear to do in an artwork?
recede from the viewer
Local color
the “true” color of an object or area as seen in normal daylight, irrespective of the effects or distance or reflection from other objects
Optical color
the effect that special lighting (moonlight, artificial lighting, etc.) has on the color of objects
Arbitrary color
chosen for their emotional or aesthetic impact
Since which centuries have artists come to use arbitrary color more and more often?
the 20th and 21st centuries
What are the two kinds of texture?
actual and visual
What texture does the use of light and dark contrast on a surface create?
rough texture
What texture does an absence of contrast create?
smooth texture
Composition
the arrangement of the elements of art on a plane (for shapes) or in space (for forms)
Rhythm
the principle that we associate with movement or pattern
Motif
a single element of a pattern
Balance
the equal distribution of visual weight in a work of art
Which form of balance is most often used in formal styles of architecture?
symmetrical balance
Symmetrical balance
when elements of a composition are repeated exactly on both sides of the central axis
Approximate symmetry
shapes or objects are slightly varied in color, detail, position, etc. on either side of the central axis
Asymmetrical balance
visual balance that is achieved by the organization of unlike balance
Focal point
an element that contrasts with the rest of a composition
Proportion
the size relationship among the parts of a composition
What is our sense of proportion based upon?
the human scale
Scale
the dimensional relation of the parts of a work to the work in its entirety (the actual size of the artwork)
What do artists consider when determining the appropriate scale for their work?
purpose and place
How many years ago was the Greek Classical Period?
2,500 years ago
How tall was the ideal human figure in Greek terms?
7 and 1/2 heads high
Where should the corners of the eye fall on the face in terms of an ideal Greek face?
on the line halfway between the chin and the top of the head
Where should the bottom of the nose fall on the face in terms of an ideal Greek face?
halfway between the chin and the corners of the eyes
Where should the bottom of the lips fall on the face in terms of an ideal Greek face?
halfway between the chin and the bottom of the nose
What lines do hard pencils make?
thin, light lines
What lines do soft pencils make?
thicker lines that may vary considerably in value from lighter to very dark
What is the purpose of shading?
to change values
Hatching
process in which lines are closely side by side to create shading
Crosshatching
process in which lines are crisscrossed to create shading
Stippling
different values are created by making a pattern of dots
How is ink made lighter in value or translucent?
by adding water
When did colored pastels become popular?
the 1700s
Which form of art were the use of colored pastels most popular?
portraiture
How is a pastel drawing treated to reduce the risk of smearing?
the surface is sprayed with a fixative
Matrix
a printing plate
Relief printmaking
when the artist cuts away from the surface of a plate to create relief sections that will produce an image when inked
What can the matrix used in relief printmaking be made out of?
wood, linoleum, or any synthetic material
What tools might be used to cut the surface of a plate in relief printmaking?
woodcarving, linoleum knives, or gouges
What tool is used to roll ink onto the surface of a plate during relief printmaking?
a brayer
How is ink forced onto paper during relief printmaking?
the plate and press are either put into a press or rubbed with a burnisher
Intaglio printmaking
lines are incised on a wood or soft metal plate so that the etched areas will create the print
Which element is the essential element in the intaglio process?
line
Engraving
an intaglio process in which carving tools are used to cut lines into the surface of the plate
Etching
an intaglio process in which a design is incised through a layer of wax or varnish applied to the surface of a metal plate
What happens after incising the plate during the etching process?
the plate is immersed in acid, which etches, or eats away, the exposed metal
Which element is produced on the printed paper during the intaglio printing process?
dimension (the inked areas will rise above the paper)
Lithography
a printing process in which the image is drawn with a waxy pencil or crayon directly on the plate
What might the plate used in a lithograph be made out of?
stone, zinc, or aluminum
How is a lithograph print created after drawing on the surface of the plate with an oily tool?
the plate is saturated with water and ink is applied, which will only adhere to the greasy image since oil resists water
Which process is used to print most T-shirts?
screen printing
Screen printing
a photograph or other image is transferred or adhered to a fabric that has been stretched onto a frame
Which tool is used to force ink through fabric during screen printing?
a squeegee
What three materials compose paint?
pigments, binders, and solvents
Pigments
finely ground material that may be natural or synthetic
What are examples of natural pigments?
clays, gemstones, minerals, plants, and insects
Binder
holds the grains of pigment together and allows the paint to adhere to a surface
What are some examples of binders?
egg yolks, linseed oil, and wax
Solvent
added to change the consistency of a paint or alter its drying time
What are some examples of solvents?
water and oil
Fresco
pure powdered pigments are mixed with water and is applied to a wet plaster ground
Which surfaces are frescoes usually painted on?
wall and ceilings
Buon (true) fresco
a wet plaster ground is used so paint is permanently bound in the plaster
Fresco secco
a dry plaster ground is used so paint can be altered after its application
Diego Rivera
early 20th century Mexican muralist who used the technique of buon fresco for his murals in Mexico and the United States
When did oil paints become widely used?
the 1500s
Which paint was most popular before the introduction of oil paints?
tempera paint
Tempera
a water-based egg paint used that uses egg as a binder
What are the limitations of tempera paint?
tempera colors dry quickly and their tonal range is very narrow
Glazes
transparent or semi-transparent layers of thinned oil paint that are applied over another color to alter it slightly
Impasto
a surface created by oils which are applied thickly or in heavy lumps
What were grave markers painted with in ancient Egypt?
encaustic
Encaustic
colored molten wax is fused to a surface via the application of hot irons and are incredibly durable
Gouache
water-based opaque paint that is similar to school-quality tempera, but of higher quality
How does gouache compare to watercolor?
gouache has more body and dries more slowly than watercolor
Which paint is rarely used to make watercolors?
white paint
How are tints made when applying watercolor?
more water is added to the paint to lighten the value
In what order are watercolors applied?
lightest colors to the darkest, from background to foreground, then from broad areas to detailed areas
When was acrylic paint invented?
after World War II
What are acrylic paints made from?
synthetic materials, plastics, and polymers
How do acrylic paints compare to oil paints?
acrylic paints do not require the slow, careful building up of successive layers with long drying periods as do oils
Acrylics serve as a valuable alternative to artists who have built up allergies to what materials?
oil paint and turpentine
When was photography developed?
the mid-19th century
What are examples of freestanding sculptures as given by the USAD Resource Guide?
the Venus de Milo and Michelangelo’s Pieta
Carving
a subtractive process in which some of the original material is removed
Modeling
an additive process in which amounts of materials like clay, wax, plaster, etc. can be added to a surface
Cast form
a plaster is used to encase an original artwork, which is then removed for use as a mold
Alexander Calder
created mobiles with forms suspended by wire which can be moved by wind or air currents
When did Earthworks first emerge as an artistic form?
the 1960s
Mixed media
a category of artworks in which the artist uses several art media
Collage
combines various material such as photographs, unusual papers, theater tickets, or any other material that can be adhered to a surface
Which artists are credited with introducing collage as a medium to the high-art world?
Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque
When was collage introduced as an artistic medium?
1912
Joseph Cornell
20th-century artist who filled open boxes with a variety of objects that visually created symbolic and metaphoric statements
Craft and folk art
art forms that are largely utilitarian (i.e. pottery, jewelry, fibers, glass, etc.)
What is the essential material used for pottery?
clay
Slip
liquid clay used to join the edges of a slab-built pot
“Thrown”
verb used to describe when a potter’s wheel is used to create pots
Kiln
a specialized oven for permanently hardening clay pots
How are glazes used on pottery?
pots are fired for a second time after glazes are applied to the surface, forming a glassy, waterproof surface on the pots
Which woven and nonwoven arts are included in the fiber arts?
weaving and quilting
Where was glass first made?
the Middle East
When was glass first made?
the 3rd millennium BCE
What is glass most often made from?
silica
Silica
derived from sand, flint, or quartz, combined with other raw materials
When did stained glass become a dominant art form?
the medieval period
By which century did stained glass also become popular for lampshades and windows in residential homes?
the end of the 19th century
Northwest Coast Indians
carve boxes and house boards with traditional designs out of wood
Post-and-lintel constructon
technique in which a long stone or wooden beam is placed horizontally across upright posts
Which materials are now favored for post-and-lintel construction today?
steel and wood
When was the Crystal Palace built?
1851
Crystal Palace
consisted mainly of glass walls that were held in place by a framework of slim, iron rods
What was the Crystal Palace built for?
the world’s fair in London
What is the Eiffel Tower primarily made of?
wrought iron
Antoni Gaudi
created buildings of cut stone that are very organic in appearance
Where is Antoni Gaudi based?
Spain
When did Antoni Gaudi create his most prominent artworks?
the late 1800s and early 1900s
