Week 5: Art of the Middle ages Flashcards
Altar
an area where sacrifices or offerings are made (See Chapter 3.2, page 397)
Ambulatory
a covered walkway, particularly around the apse of a church (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)
Apse
semicircular vaulted space in a church (See Chapter 3.2, page 397)
Arabesque
an abstract pattern derived from geometric and vegetal lines and forms (See Chapter 3.2, page 398)
Arcade
a series of connected arches (See Chapter 3.2, page 404)
Arches
structures, usually curved, that span an opening (See Chapter 3.2, page 404)
Axis
an imaginary line showing the center of a shape, volume, or composition (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)
Calligraphy
the art of emotive or carefully descriptive hand lettering or handwriting (See Chapter 3.2, page 394)
Central-plan church
church design, often in the shape of a cross with all four arms of equal length (See Chapter 3.2, page 395)
Choir
part of a church traditionally reserved for singers and clergy, situated between the nave and the apse (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)
Column
freestanding pillar, usually circular in section (See Chapter 3.2, page 404)
Composition
the overall design or organization of a work (See Chapter 3.2, page 408)
Continuous narrative
when different parts of a story are shown within the same visual space (See Chapter 3.2, page 393)
Didactic
with the aim of teaching or educating (See Chapter 3.2, page 391)
Door jamb
vertical sections, often containing sculpture, that form the sides of a portal (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)
Flying buttress
an arch built on the exterior of a building that transfers some of the weight of the vault (See Chapter 3.2, page 406)
Form
an object that can be defined in three dimensions (height, width, and depth) (See Chapter 3.2, page 408)
Fresco
a technique in which the artist paints onto freshly applied plaster. From the Italian fresco, “fresh” (See Chapter 3.2, page 391)
Gothic
Western European architectural style of the twelfth to sixteenth century, characterized by the use of pointed arches and ornate decoration (See Chapter 3.2, page 391)
Hierarchical scale
the use of size to denote the relative importance of subjects in an artwork (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)
Icon
religious image venerated by believers (See Chapter 3.2, page 394)
Iconoclasm
the destruction of images or artworks, often out of religious belief (See Chapter 3.2, page 396)
Iconoclast
someone who destroys imagery, often out of religious belief (See Chapter 3.2, page 396)
Illuminations
illustrations and decorations in a manuscript (See Chapter 3.2, page 398)
Intercessor
one who pleads with God on behalf of others (See Chapter 3.2, page 396)
Lintel
the horizontal beam over the doorway of a portal (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)
Mandorla
an almond-shaped light that surrounds a holy person, somewhat like a halo (See Chapter 3.2, page 406)
Manuscripts
handwritten texts (See Chapter 3.2, page 398)
Mihrab
a niche in a mosque that is in a wall oriented toward Mecca (See Chapter 3.2, page 403)
Minaret
a tall slender tower, particularly on a mosque, from which the faithful are called to prayer (See Chapter 3.2, page 394)
Minbar
a platform in a mosque, from which a leader delivers sermons (See Chapter 3.2, page 403)
Mosaic
a picture or pattern created by fixing together small pieces of stone, glass, tile, etc. (See Chapter 3.2, page 393)
Nave
the central space of a cathedral or basilica (See Chapter 3.2, page 395)
Outline
the outermost line or implied line of an object or figure, by which it is defined or bounded (See Chapter 3.2, page 397)
Patron
an organization or individual who sponsors the creation of works of art (See Chapter 3.2, page 394)
Portal
an entrance. A royal portal (main entrance) is usually on the west front of a church and features sculpted forms of kings and queens (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)
Qibla
the direction to Mecca, toward which Muslims face when praying (See Chapter 3.2, page 402)
Register
one of two or more horizontal sections into which a space is divided in order to depict the episodes of a story (See Chapter 3.2, page 406)
Renaissance
a period of culture and artistic change in Europe from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century (See Chapter 3.2, page 390)
Repoussé
a technique of hammering metal from the back to create a form or surface detail (See Chapter 3.2, page 400)
Rib vault
an arch-like structure supporting a ceiling or roof, with a web of protruding stonework (See Chapter 3.2, page 406)
Romanesque
an early medieval European style of architecture based on Roman-style rounded arches and heavy construction (See Chapter 3.2, page 391)
Stained glass
colored glass used for windows or decorative applications (See Chapter 3.2, page 398)
Stylized
art that represents objects in an exaggerated way to emphasize certain aspects of the object (See Chapter 3.2, page 408)
Syncretism
the blending of multiple religious or philosophical beliefs (See Chapter 3.2, page 393)
Tesserae
small pieces of stone or glass or other materials used to make a mosaic (See Chapter 3.2, page 393)
Three-dimensional
having height, width, and depth (See Chapter 3.2, page 393)
Transept
structure crossing the main body of a Latin-cross-plan church (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)
Trumeau
within a portal, a central column that supports a tympanum (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)
Tympanum
an arched recess above a doorway, often decorated with carvings (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)
Vault
an arch-like structure supporting a ceiling or roof (See Chapter 3.2, page 404)
