Week 5: Art of the Middle ages

Question 1

Altar

Answer 1

an area where sacrifices or offerings are made (See Chapter 3.2, page 397)

Question 2

Ambulatory

Answer 2

a covered walkway, particularly around the apse of a church (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)

Question 3

Apse

Answer 3

semicircular vaulted space in a church (See Chapter 3.2, page 397)

Question 4

Arabesque

Answer 4

an abstract pattern derived from geometric and vegetal lines and forms (See Chapter 3.2, page 398)

Question 5

Arcade

Answer 5

a series of connected arches (See Chapter 3.2, page 404)

Question 6

Arches

Answer 6

structures, usually curved, that span an opening (See Chapter 3.2, page 404)

Question 7

Axis

Answer 7

an imaginary line showing the center of a shape, volume, or composition (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)

Question 8

Calligraphy

Answer 8

the art of emotive or carefully descriptive hand lettering or handwriting (See Chapter 3.2, page 394)

Question 9

Central-plan church

Answer 9

church design, often in the shape of a cross with all four arms of equal length (See Chapter 3.2, page 395)

Question 10

Choir

Answer 10

part of a church traditionally reserved for singers and clergy, situated between the nave and the apse (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)

Question 11

Column

Answer 11

freestanding pillar, usually circular in section (See Chapter 3.2, page 404)

Question 12

Composition

Answer 12

the overall design or organization of a work (See Chapter 3.2, page 408)

Question 13

Continuous narrative

Answer 13

when different parts of a story are shown within the same visual space (See Chapter 3.2, page 393)

Question 14

Didactic

Answer 14

with the aim of teaching or educating (See Chapter 3.2, page 391)

Question 15

Door jamb

Answer 15

vertical sections, often containing sculpture, that form the sides of a portal (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)

Question 16

Flying buttress

Answer 16

an arch built on the exterior of a building that transfers some of the weight of the vault (See Chapter 3.2, page 406)

Question 17

Form

Answer 17

an object that can be defined in three dimensions (height, width, and depth) (See Chapter 3.2, page 408)

Question 18

Fresco

Answer 18

a technique in which the artist paints onto freshly applied plaster. From the Italian fresco, “fresh” (See Chapter 3.2, page 391)

Question 19

Gothic

Answer 19

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)

Question 20

Hierarchical scale

Answer 20

the use of size to denote the relative importance of subjects in an artwork (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)

Question 21

Icon

Answer 21

religious image venerated by believers (See Chapter 3.2, page 394)

Question 22

Iconoclasm

Answer 22

the destruction of images or artworks, often out of religious belief (See Chapter 3.2, page 396)

Question 23

Iconoclast

Answer 23

someone who destroys imagery, often out of religious belief (See Chapter 3.2, page 396)

Question 24

Illuminations

Answer 24

illustrations and decorations in a manuscript (See Chapter 3.2, page 398)

Question 25

Intercessor

Answer 25

one who pleads with God on behalf of others (See Chapter 3.2, page 396)

Question 26

Lintel

Answer 26

the horizontal beam over the doorway of a portal (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)

Question 27

Mandorla

Answer 27

an almond-shaped light that surrounds a holy person, somewhat like a halo (See Chapter 3.2, page 406)

Question 28

Manuscripts

Answer 28

handwritten texts (See Chapter 3.2, page 398)

Question 29

Mihrab

Answer 29

a niche in a mosque that is in a wall oriented toward Mecca (See Chapter 3.2, page 403)

Question 30

Minaret

Answer 30

a tall slender tower, particularly on a mosque, from which the faithful are called to prayer (See Chapter 3.2, page 394)

Question 31

Minbar

Answer 31

a platform in a mosque, from which a leader delivers sermons (See Chapter 3.2, page 403)

Question 32

Mosaic

Answer 32

a picture or pattern created by fixing together small pieces of stone, glass, tile, etc. (See Chapter 3.2, page 393)

Question 33

Nave

Answer 33

the central space of a cathedral or basilica (See Chapter 3.2, page 395)

Question 34

Outline

Answer 34

the outermost line or implied line of an object or figure, by which it is defined or bounded (See Chapter 3.2, page 397)

Question 35

Patron

Answer 35

an organization or individual who sponsors the creation of works of art (See Chapter 3.2, page 394)

Question 36

Portal

Answer 36

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)

Question 37

Qibla

Answer 37

the direction to Mecca, toward which Muslims face when praying (See Chapter 3.2, page 402)

Question 38

Register

Answer 38

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)

Question 39

Renaissance

Answer 39

a period of culture and artistic change in Europe from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century (See Chapter 3.2, page 390)

Question 40

Repoussé

Answer 40

a technique of hammering metal from the back to create a form or surface detail (See Chapter 3.2, page 400)

Question 41

Rib vault

Answer 41

an arch-like structure supporting a ceiling or roof, with a web of protruding stonework (See Chapter 3.2, page 406)

Question 42

Romanesque

Answer 42

an early medieval European style of architecture based on Roman-style rounded arches and heavy construction (See Chapter 3.2, page 391)

Question 43

Stained glass

Answer 43

colored glass used for windows or decorative applications (See Chapter 3.2, page 398)

Question 44

Stylized

Answer 44

art that represents objects in an exaggerated way to emphasize certain aspects of the object (See Chapter 3.2, page 408)

Question 45

Syncretism

Answer 45

the blending of multiple religious or philosophical beliefs (See Chapter 3.2, page 393)

Question 46

Tesserae

Answer 46

small pieces of stone or glass or other materials used to make a mosaic (See Chapter 3.2, page 393)

Question 47

Three-dimensional

Answer 47

having height, width, and depth (See Chapter 3.2, page 393)

Question 48

Transept

Answer 48

structure crossing the main body of a Latin-cross-plan church (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)

Question 49

Trumeau

Answer 49

within a portal, a central column that supports a tympanum (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)

Question 50

Tympanum

Answer 50

an arched recess above a doorway, often decorated with carvings (See Chapter 3.2, page 405)

Question 51

Vault

Answer 51

an arch-like structure supporting a ceiling or roof (See Chapter 3.2, page 404)