Review Stuff Flashcards
paleolithic art
A very ancient period of art coincident with the Old Stone Age, before the discovery of agriculture and animal herding
neolithic art
A period of ancient art after the introduction of agriculture but before the invention of bronze. New Stone Age
petroglyphs
image or symbol carved in shallow relief on a rock surface, usually ancient
ziggurat
rectangular or squared stepped pyramid, often with a temple at its top
hierarchic scale
use of unnatural proportions or scale to show the relative importance of figures; most commonly practiced in ancient Near Easter and Egyptian art
classical art
the art of ancient Greece and Rome, particularly the style of Greek art that flourished during the fifth century BCE; emphasizes rational simplicity, order, and restrained emotion
romanesque
European architecture prevalent from the ninth to the twelfth centuries with round arches and barrel vaults
catacomb
underground burial places in ancient Rome
krater
in classical Greek art, a wide-mouthed vessel with handles, used for mixing wine and water for ceremonial drinking
gothic
architectural style in Western Europe from the twelfth through the fifteeth centuries; characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses
iconoclast
in Byzantine art, one who opposes the creation of images of holy persons, believing that they promote idolatry
kouros
an Archaic Greek statue of a standing nude young male
basilica
a Roman town hall, with three aisles and an apse at one or both ends; Christians appropriated this form for this churches
humanism
cultural and intellectual movement during the Renaissance, following the rediscovery of the art and literature of ancient Greece and Rome. A philosophy/attitude concerned with the interests, achievements, and capabilities of human beings rather than with the abstract concepts and problems of theology or science
baroque
17th century period in Europe characterized in the visual arts by dramatic light and shade, turbulent composition, and pronounced emotional expression
still life
painting of inanimate objects, such as flowers, fruit, domestic utensils
renaissance
the period in Europe from the late 14th through 16th centuries, characterized by a renewed interest in human-centered classical art, literature, and learning
genre painting
artwork that takes as its subjective everyday life, rather than civic leader, religious leaders, or heroes
rococo
a style used in interior decoration and painting in France and southern Germany in the 18th century, characterized by small-scale and ornate decoration, pastel colors, and asymmetrical arrangement of curves
bodhisattva
a Buddhist holy person who is about to achieve enlightenment but postpones it to remain on earth to teach others
taotie mask
mask of abstracted shapes commonly found on ancient Chinese bronze vessels
ukiyo-e
Japanese prints that depict scenes of the “floating world”, including landscapes, popular entertainments, and theater scenes or actors
stupa
domelike structure probably derived from Indian funeral mounds
literati painting
the work of painters not attached to the royal courts of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties in China
garba griha
sacred room of a Hindu Temple, where rituals are performed and the image of the god is kept
handscroll
long painting in ink on paper, which viewers contemplate by scrolling from hand o hand. Known chiefly in China and Japan
mihrab
a niche in the end wall of a mosque that points the way to Mecca
madrasa
a building that combines a school, prayer hall, and lodging for students
minaret
tower
iwan
a high vaulted porch to mark an important building or entrance
mana
in Oceania, spiritual power that may reside in persons, places, or things
terra cotta
earthenware that contains enough iron oxide to impart a reddish tone when fired
totem
an object such as an animal or plant that serves as an emblem of a family or clan
academic art
art governed by rules, especially works sanctioned by an official institution, academy, or school
painterly
openness of form; shapes defined by loose brushwork in light and dark color areas rather than by outline or contour
post-impressionism
general term applied to various personal styles of painting by French artists that developed from 1885-1900 in reaction to what these arts saw as the somewhat formless/aloof quality of Impressionist painting. Post Impressionist painters were concerned with significance of form, symbols, expressiveness, and psychological intensity
avant-garde
artists who work in an experimental or innovative way, often opposing mainstream standards
realism
- type of representational art in which the artist depicts what the eye sees
- mid 19th century style of Courbet and others, based on the idea that ordinary people and everyday activities are worthy subjects for art.
divisionism/pointillism
system of painting using tiny dots or “points” of color, developed by French artist Georges Seurat in the 1880s
neoclassicism
revival of classical Greek and Roman forms in art, music, and literature
salon
official art exhibition in France, juried by members of the official French Academy
expressionism
broad term that describes emotional art, most often boldly executed and making free use of distortion and symbolic or invented color
romanticism
literary and artistic movement aimed at asserting the validity of subjective experience; characterized by intense emotional excitement, and depictions of powerful forces in nature, exotic lifestyles, danger, suffering and nostalgia
impressionism
style of painting executed outdoors aiming to capture the light and mood of a particular moment and the transitory effects of light and color
fauvism
style of painting introduced in Paris in the early 20th century, characterized by areas of bright, contrasting color and simplified shapes
collage
work made by gluing various materials, such as paper scraps, photographs, and cloth, on a flat surface
cubism
art style developed in Paris by Picasso and Braque, beginning in 1907, based on the simultaneous presentation of multiple views, disintegration, and geometric reconstructions of subjects in flattened, ambiguous pictorial space
futurism
a group movement originating in Italy in 1909 that celebrated both natural and mechanical motion and speed
dada
movement in art and literature, founded in Switzerland in the early 20th century, which ridiculed contemporary culture and conventional art
readymade
concept pioneered by Dadaist Marcel Duchamp in which a common manufactured object is signed by an artist and thereby turned into an artwork
photomontage
process of combining parts of various photographs in one photograph
surrealism
movement in literature and the visual arts the developed in the mid-1920s based on revealing the unconscious mind in dream images and the fantastic
automatism
action without conscious control, as employed by Surrealist writers and artists to allow unconscious ideas and feelings to be expressed
constructivism
art movement that originated in Russia at the time of the Soviet Revolution of 1917, which emphasized abstract art, modern materials, and useful arts such as set design, furniture, and graphics
de stijl
Dutch purist art movement begun during WW1 by Mondrian and others. Stands for “The Style”, aimed at creating a universal language of form that would be independent of individual emotion. Visual form was pared down to primary hues plus black and white, and rectangular shapes
international style
architectural styled emerged in Europe between 1910-1920. International style architects avoided applied decoration, used only modern materials (concrete, glass, steel), and arranged the masses of a building according to its inner uses.
social realism
socially and politically committed form of art that become common in many countries between the two world wars and which included a retreat from the radical innovations of modern art, and the desire to communicate more readily with the public about social causes and issues
abstract expressionism
art movement, primarily in painting that originated in the U.S in the 1940s in which artists worked in many different styles that emphasized spontaneous personal expression
assemblage
sculpture made by assembling found or cast-off objects
minimalism
nonrepresentational style of sculpture and painting that came to prominence in the middle and late 1960s, usually severely restricted in the use of visual elements and often consisting of simple geometric shapes or masses
action painting
style of nonrepresentational painting that relies on the physical movement of the artist by using such gestural techniques as vigourous brushwork, dripping, and pouring
pop art
style of painting and sculpture that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Britain and the U.S, using mass-production techniques (such as silkscreen) or real objects in works that are generally more polished and ironic than assemblages
conceptual art
trend developed in late 1960s; art form in which the originating idea and the process by which it is presented takes precedence over a tangible product
color field painting
movement that grew out of Abstract Expressionism, in which large stained or painted areas, or “fields”, of color evoke aesthetic and emotional responses
performance art
dramatic presentation by visual artists in front of an audience, usually not in a formal theatrical setting
earthworks
sculptural form made from earth, rocks, or plants, often on a vast scale and in a remote location
postmodern
attitude/trend of the late 1970s-1990s; characterized in architecture by a move away from the International Style in favor of an imaginative, eclectic approach, and in the other visual arts by influence from all periods and styles and a willingness to combine elements of all
