Vocabulary Flashcards
abbey
a monastery for monks, or a convent for nuns, and the church that is connected to it
abstract
works of art that may have form, but have little to no attempt at pictorial representation
academy
an institution whose main objects include training artists in an academic tradition, ennobling the profession, and holding exhibitions
acropolis
literally, a “high city,” a Greek temple complex built on a hill over a city
action painting
an abstract painting in which the artist drips or splatters paint onto a surface like a canvas in order to create the work
adobe
a building material made from earth, straw, or clay dried in the sun
agora
a public plaza in a Greek city where commercial, religious, and societal activities are conducted
‘Ahu’ula
Hawaiian feather cloaks
Aka
an elephant make of the Bamileke people of Cameroon
Altarpiece
a painted or sculpted panel set atop an altar of a church
ambulatory
a passageway around the apse or an altar of a church
amphirostyle
having four columns in the front and rear of a temple
amphora
a two-handled ancient Greek storage jar
anamorphic image
an image that must be viewed by a special means, such as a mirror, in order to be recognized
andachtsbild
an image used for private contemplation and devotion
animal style
a medieval art form in which animals are depicted in a stylized and often complicated pattern, usually seen fighting one or another
ankh
an Egyptian symbol of life
annunciation
in Christianity, an episode in the Book of Luke 1:26-38 in which Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she would be the Virgin Mother of Jesus
anthropomorphic
having characteristics of the human form, although the form itself is not human
apadana
an audience hall in a Persian palace
apocalypse
last book of the Christian Bible, sometimes called Revelations, which details God’s destruction of evil and consequent rising to heaven of the righteous
apotheosis
a type of painting in which the figures are rising heavenward
apotropaic
having the power to ward off evil or bad luck
apse
the end point of a church where the altar is
aquatint
a kind of print that achieves a watercolor effect by using acids to dissolve onto a copper plate
arabesque
a flowing, intricate, and symmetrical pattern deriving from floral motifs
arcade
a series of arches supported by columns; when the arches face a wall and are not self-supporting, they are called a blind arcade
arcadian
a simple rural and rustic setting used especially in Venetian paintings of the High Renaissance; it is named after arcadia, a district in Greece to which poets and painters have attributed a rural simplicity and an idyllically untroubled world
archaeology
the scientific study of ancient people and cultures principally revealed through excavation
architrave
a plain nonornamented lintel on the entablature
archivolt
a series of concentric moldings around an arch
ashlar masonry
carefully cut and grooved stones that support a building without the use of concrete or other kinds of masonry
assemblage
a three dimensional work made of various materials such as wood, cloth, paper, and miscellaneous objects
athena
greek goddess of war and wisdom; patron of Athens
atrium
a courtyard in a Roman house or before a christian church
avant-garde
an innovative group of artists who generally reject traditional approaches in favor of a more experimental technique
axial plan
a church with a long nave whose focus is the apse, so-named because it is designed along an axis
