Western Art Flashcards
The people of Greece have been making art
for just about their entire history, from the
earliest civilization to the present day
(Rasmussen & Spivey , 1991).
Western Art (Greek Art)
when historians use the term Greek art, they are, in fact, referring to a
period following the ________
Dark Age
It begun in 1200 BC and destroyed earlier
populations, including the ___________
Minoans and
Mycenaeans.
This _____________ lasted from 900 to
700 BC.
Geometric Period
Art from this period, as the period’s
name implies, are mostly geometric, mainly
representations and repetitions of shapes
rather than the more realistic work of the
earlier periods.
Geometric Period
Emerging from the Dark Age and the
traces of the Geometric period were the Greek artists who began to use a number of new methods and tools in their work.
Archaic Period
For the first time in almost 800 years, artists
began working to recreate more realistic human forms. New technologies enabled pottery to be more colorful and ornate than ever before.
Archaic Period
This period of innovation is
known as the Archaic period, and lasted roughly from ___________.
700 BC to 480 BC
Common notion of the Greek art are images of
the _____________, when the Greeks achieved
their highest level of craftsmanship roughly from
_________________.
Classical Period
510 BC to 320 BC
During this time, the Greeks
continued to explore more art forms and
perspectives in art way beyond its predecessors.
Classical Period
The new art was termed ______, because while it
was very similar to art made by the Greeks (who called their homeland Helles), it was combined with other cultures and not purely Greek, hence a term that
means ‘Greek-like.’
Hellenistic
The Hellenistic period is said to have begun around 320 BC and lasted until around 30 BC, when the Roman empire began its emergence.
320 BC
30 BC
The most famous work from the Hellenistic period is the __________ . It is a
sculpture by an unknown artist that has inspired numerous copies during the ancient world and even today, which offers perfect study of a round sculpture
intended to be viewed from all angles.
Venus de Milo
Historians call this era the “Hellenistic period.” (The
word “Hellenistic” comes from the word Hellazein,
which means ____________ It lasted from the death of Alexander in
323 B.C. until 31 B.C., when Roman troops
conquered the last of the territories that the
Macedonian king had once ruled.
“to speak Greek or identify with the
Greeks.”
One of the most famous examples of ancient Greek sculpture, the Venus de
Milo is immediately recognizable by its missing arms and popularly believed to represent __________, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, who was
known to the Romans as Venus.
Aphrodite
ROMAN ART
_______ owes nearly the entirety of its artistic
achievement to the Greeks. The elements
of Greek art held a great appeal to the
Romans, but then, most historians tend to
describe Roman art as a copy of Greek art
(Strong, et. Al, 1988).
Rome
Some say the Romans loved Greek sculptures — they either bought or borrowed vast quantities of sculpture from Greece and copied a lot of it in _________
bronze or in
marble.
Even if this is the case, the
Romans also made this art their own, in the
form of __________
portrait sculptures and narrative reliefs.
MEDIAVAL PERIOD
Early Medieval art had three major influences:
(1) Christianity, (2) the classical world of Rome, and (3) the pagan North.
___________ greatly influenced the subject matter of early Medieval art, which, most of the time,
depicts religious figures and scenes.
Christianity
It also
determined artistic form, as evident in the
illuminated manuscripts, liturgical vessels and
High Cross sculptures. Many artistic forms, like
relief sculptures, frescoes, mosaics and
freestanding sculptures, came from Roman
traditions as did architectural forms, like the
basilica, and details, like columns and arches.
Medieval Art
Medieval Art was made up of various artistic mediums, such as __________________.
sculpture,
illuminated manuscripts, stained glass,
tapestries,
mosaics, and
metalworks
Numerous artworks were made using these different styles, which went on to have a higher survival rate than other mediums like ________
fresco wall paintings.
__________ is said to have been founded on the
philosophy of humanism, or the belief in the
independence and value of man.
Renaissance Art
Renaissance is a
period beginning in the ___________, where
people started to become interested in learning the
earlier times, particularly the cultures of ancient
Greece and Rome.
late 14th century
Art, during this period, became centered on the _____________________ the heavenly realms, or the magical.
human individual and the earthly experience rather than the ethereal,
In short,
artworks are more _________ and look more _____ —
more like perfect figures and classical figures.
proportional
natural
Give examples of renaissance art
Madonna and Child in Glory Painting
Da Vinci’s The Last Supper painted in the
1490s
Derived from the French word, renaissance, and the Italian word _________, both meaning ‘________’, the Renaissance was a period when scholars and artists began to
investigate what they believed to be a revival of classical learning, literature and art.
rinascità
rebirth
The revival of classical styles and ideas (specifically humanism), return to the
__________ (3D objects and space), and the rising status of the individual (both
artist and patron)
naturalistic style
_________ is the 16th-Century Italian
rejection of Renaissance formality (Hall,
2001).
Mannerism
____________ rejected their
perfectly classical symmetry.
Mannerism Art
Mannerist painters wanted to draw attention to the artificial nature of a painting wherein they made _________ to force the viewer to think about the fact it is a painting and
nothing more .
unnatural figures
Mannerist artists were _____________ when illustrating both life and nature. Most notably
figures became elongated and thin, often non-weight bearing.
free to be expressive
Mannerist artist used _____________. The color palette was vividly artificial.
figura serpentina of twisted poses that appeared unnatural
Derived from the Italian _______________ mannerism is sometimes defined as
the “stylish style” for its emphasis on self-conscious artifice over realistic depiction.
maniera, meaning simply “style,”
A new form of art arose in Western Europe towards the end of the 16th century. This new style, called the ______, had a powerful impact on all forms of art, including architecture and sculpture, although more evident in painting (Gardner,
et. Al, 2005).
Baroque
____________ can be seen
as the peak of realism in European art. In the Renaissance age, the focus was more on the importance of form and anatomy in representing accurate human figures.
Baroque painting
Baroque painters made use of
_____, instead of form and
figure.
light
The Baroque style is characterized by exaggerated motion and__________ in sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, dance, and music.
Baroque iconography was direct, obvious, and dramatic, intending to
appeal above all to the senses and the emotions.
clear detail used to produce drama, exuberance, and grandeur
Give examples of baroque art
Caravaggio, “The Calling of
Saint Matthew,” 1599–1600
Caravaggio, “David with the
Head of Goliath,”
1609–1610
This art movement intends
to restore and renew the influences of
Greek and Roman arts, emulating the
mathematical harmonies, exact proportions, and the aesthetic concept of the ancient world.
Neo-Classical
__________ were defined by
clear and intentional lines, proportional harmony, and above all, a sense of rational logic.
Neoclassical arts
The primary Neoclassicist belief was that art should__________ and could ____________.
express the ideal virtues in life
improve the viewer by imparting a moralizing message
NEO_CLASSICAL
It had the power to ___________, as society itself was being transformed by new approaches to government and the rising forces of the Industrial
Revolution, driven by scientific discovery and invention.
civilize, reform, and transform society
____________ historical paintings
predominantly made female subjects
from Classical mythology and history
the focus. Kauffmann’s interpretation
of Classical idealism and heroism
ensured that women were included in
the narrative and gave them a central
role. She undermined the
predominant conventions that made
up the genre of historical painting and
provided her audience with a new
lens through which to experience
history and its various
representations.
Kauffmann’s
__________, who is the seated
woman in red on the right side of
the painting, has shown her
exquisite gems and jewelry to
Cornelia. When the visitor asks
Cornelia to present her prized
treasures in return, Cornelia
humbly presents her children
instead of showing her jewels and
gems. Kauffmann skillfully depicted
the visitor’s embarrassment and
dismay with her furrowed eyebrow
and slightly gaping mouth.
Cornelia’s visitor
Give examples of neo-classical art
The Death of General
Wolfe (1770) by Benjamin
West
Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to her
Children as Her Treasures (c. 1785) by Angelica
Kauffmann
