ARTH 153 Mid-Term Exam Study Guide

Ancient

3200 BC - 500 AD

Medieval

500-1500

Renaissance

1400-1600

Early Modern

1600-1800

Modern

1800-1960

Post-Modern

1960 - Present

When does “history” start?

Around 3300–3200 BC with the invention of writing, marking the transition from Prehistory (ending c. 3300 BC) to the Ancient historical period (beginning 3200 BC). The word "History" (historia, meaning "inquiry") was coined by Herodotus in 440 BC.

Prehistory

The period of human history before written records (prior to c. 3300 BC), divided by Christian Jürgensen Thomsen's Three-Age System into the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic), Bronze Age, and Iron Age.

Taxonomies

Classification systems and organizational frameworks used by historians to categorize time periods, materials, and styles; flexible and subject to change as new discoveries are made (e.g., Tutankhamun's iron dagger in a Bronze Age tomb).

Historical Periods

Broad chronological divisions of history: Ancient (3200 BC–500 AD), Medieval (500–1500), Renaissance (1400–1600), Early Modern (1600–1800), Modern (1800–1960), and Post-Modern (1960–Present).

Art Historical Periods

Sub-divisions of historical eras categorized by specific culture, religion, or style (e.g., Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, Romanticism, Realism, Modernism, Pluralism).

Johann Winckelmann

18th-century German scholar considered the founder of Art History; author of Thoughts on the Imitation of Greek Works in Painting and Sculpture (1755) and The History of Ancient Art (1764).

technique

Intrinsic quality / formal element (Inner Circle of the Analytical Donut): The specific method, skill, or process an artist uses to manipulate materials to create a work of art.

line

Intrinsic formal element (Inner Circle of the Analytical Donut): A mark or path moving through space that defines edges, contours, shapes, or movement.

color

Intrinsic formal element (Inner Circle of the Analytical Donut): The visual property of hue, value (lightness/darkness), and intensity in a work of art.

mass

Intrinsic formal element (Inner Circle of the Analytical Donut): The three-dimensional physical bulk, volume, or weight of a sculpture or building (or the illusion of 3D weight in a 2D work).

shape

Intrinsic formal element (Inner Circle of the Analytical Donut): A two-dimensional, flat enclosed area defined by lines, colors, or edges.

texture

Intrinsic formal element (Inner Circle of the Analytical Donut): How the surface of a work of art physically feels (surface texture) or visually appears to feel (implied texture).

scale

Intrinsic formal element (Inner Circle of the Analytical Donut): The relative size of a work of art (or figures within it) compared to the viewer's body or other objects.

material

Intrinsic quality (Inner Circle of the Analytical Donut): The physical substance(s) from which an artwork is made (e.g., marble, platinum, acrylic paint, gelatin silver print).

subject

Intrinsic quality (Inner Circle of the Analytical Donut): What is literally depicted or represented in the artwork (the recognizable people, figures, objects, or events).

light

Intrinsic formal element (Inner Circle of the Analytical Donut): The actual illumination of an artwork/building, or the artist's use of light and shadow values within an image.

composition

Intrinsic formal element (Inner Circle of the Analytical Donut): The overall arrangement, organization, and balance of visual elements within a work of art.

politics

Extrinsic factor (Outer Ring of the Analytical Donut): The systems of government, power, propaganda, and civic ideology that influence a work of art.

feminist

Extrinsic analytical method (Outer Ring of the Analytical Donut): Examining art through the lens of women's history, female agency, and challenges to patriarchal norms.

patrons

Extrinsic factor (Outer Ring of the Analytical Donut): The individuals, rulers, religious institutions, or groups who commission and fund a work of art.

religious beliefs

Extrinsic factor (Outer Ring of the Analytical Donut): The spiritual doctrines, sacred texts, and rituals that shape an artwork's meaning and creation.

function

Extrinsic factor (Outer Ring of the Analytical Donut): The practical, ritual, or social purpose an object or building was made to serve in its original context.

literature

Extrinsic factor (Outer Ring of the Analytical Donut): The written texts, poetry, and philosophy of a culture that inspire or inform visual art.

social structure

Extrinsic factor (Outer Ring of the Analytical Donut): The hierarchy and organization of classes or groups within the society that produced the artwork.

location

Extrinsic factor (Outer Ring of the Analytical Donut): The geographic origin or specific architectural/public setting where an artwork was created and viewed.

economic systems

Extrinsic factor (Outer Ring of the Analytical Donut): The trade networks, wealth distribution, and labor conditions that affect how art is produced and valued.

gender issues

Extrinsic factor (Outer Ring of the Analytical Donut): Cultural expectations, roles, and debates surrounding masculinity, femininity, and sexuality.

audience

Extrinsic factor (Outer Ring of the Analytical Donut): The specific viewers or public for whom the work of art was originally intended.

iconography

Extrinsic analytical method (Outer Ring of the Analytical Donut): The study and interpretation of symbols, themes, and subject matter in visual art.

mythology

Extrinsic factor (Outer Ring of the Analytical Donut): Traditional stories of gods, heroes, and cosmic origins that provide narratives and symbols for art.

Four steps in an art historical analysis

1) Assessment of physical properties, 2) Analysis of visual or formal structure (Stylistic Analysis), 3) Identification of subject matter or symbolism (Iconographic Analysis), and 4) Integration within the cultural context (Iconological Analysis).

medium

Step 1 (Assessment of physical properties): The specific material(s) or artistic type used to create the object (e.g., color photograph, oil on canvas, bronze).

size

Step 1 (Assessment of physical properties): The exact physical measurements/dimensions of the object (e.g., 20" x 13").

condition (state of preservation)

Step 1 (Assessment of physical properties): The physical state of the artwork today and how well it has survived over time.

Stylistic Analysis

Step 2 of an art historical analysis: The analysis of visual or formal structure, examining how the artist arranges formal elements (division of space, sight lines, light, modeling, overlapping, line, color, symmetry).

division of space

Element of Stylistic Analysis (Step 2): How the artist organizes and divides the composition into spatial areas or zones.

sight lines

Element of Stylistic Analysis (Step 2): Implied lines created by a figure's gaze or gestures that direct where the viewer looks.

light/light sources

Element of Stylistic Analysis (Step 2): The direction and quality of illumination in an image and how it highlights or shadows the subject.

modeling

Element of Stylistic Analysis (Step 2): Using gradations of light and shadow (shading) to give a two-dimensional figure the illusion of three-dimensional roundness and volume.

overlapping

Element of Stylistic Analysis (Step 2): Placing one object or figure partially in front of another to create the illusion of spatial depth (e.g., Ana Mendieta's body in front of the tree trunk).

line (Stylistic Analysis)

Element of Stylistic Analysis (Step 2): Analyzing how contour, vertical, horizontal, or curving lines structure the image (e.g., vertical tree bark echoing Mendieta's standing body).

color (Stylistic Analysis)

Element of Stylistic Analysis (Step 2): Analyzing how the color palette creates visual unity or contrast (e.g., earth-toned mud and bark in Mendieta's photograph).

symmetry

Element of Stylistic Analysis (Step 2): Formal balance in which elements on either side of a central vertical axis mirror one another (e.g., Mendieta's centered, raised-arm pose).

Iconographic Analysis

Step 3 of an art historical analysis: The identification of subject matter and symbolism, determining what is shown and what symbolic poses or motifs mean.

historical precedents

Element of Iconographic Analysis (Step 3): Earlier artworks or traditional motifs that an image visually references (e.g., Minoan Priestess with Snakes and Early Christian Orant figures for Mendieta's pose).

Iconography

Step 3 of an art historical analysis: The system of visual symbols, conventional poses, and subject matter in a work of art.

Iconological Analysis

Step 4 of an art historical analysis (Iconology): Integration within the cultural context, connecting the work to the social, political, and religious movements of its time (e.g., 1970s Women's Liberation and Ecology Movements).

sculpture in the round

Free-standing three-dimensional sculpture carved or modeled on all sides and not attached to a background (e.g., Jeff Koons's Michael Jackson and Bubbles).

Pop Art

An art movement drawing inspiration from popular and commercial culture, mass media, and celebrity icons (e.g., Jeff Koons's Michael Jackson and Bubbles).

Realism

The representation of subjects as they actually appear in optical/natural reality.

Egyptian art

Ancient art (3200–30 BC) characterized by conceptual representation, relief carving, registers, hieratic scale, and strict conventions to project eternal order and power.

relief sculpture

Sculpture in which carved forms project from a flat background while remaining attached to it (e.g., Palette of Narmer).

Abstraction

Art that departs from optical reality by simplifying, stylizing, or rearranging natural forms to convey conceptual or symbolic meaning.

zoomorphic

Having or representing animal forms, or depicting deities in animal form (e.g., Horus as a falcon and Hathor as a cow on the Palette of Narmer).

attributes

Characteristic objects, garments, or symbols used to identify a specific figure, deity, or office (e.g., the white crown of Upper Egypt and red crown of Lower Egypt).

symbolism

The use of visual signs, objects, or figures to represent deeper conceptual, political, or religious ideas.

hieratic scale

A visual convention in which the size of figures is determined by their social or religious importance rather than optical perspective (e.g., King Narmer towering over his attendants and enemies).

Polytheism

The belief in and worship of multiple gods.

Hathor

Egyptian cow-horned goddess of motherhood, fertility, and kingship depicted at the top of the Palette of Narmer.

Horus / Pharaoh / King

The falcon god of kingship and the sky; on the Palette of Narmer, the falcon (Horus), the bull, and the Pharaoh Narmer all symbolically represent the King unifying Egypt.

Portraits of Power

Portraits designed to project political authority, divine favor, and sovereignty (e.g., Queen Tiye, Nefertiti, Saint Maurice, Queen Elizabeth I: The Armada Portrait, Augustus of Prima Porta).

Pax Romana

"Roman Peace"—the era of stability, military triumph, and imperial propaganda initiated by Emperor Augustus (celebrated in Augustus of Prima Porta).

cuirass

Protective breastplate armor worn in antiquity, carved with relief imagery on Augustus of Prima Porta showing the Parthians returning Roman military standards alongside sky god Caelus and earth goddess Tellus.

Pictorialism

A 19th-century photographic movement using soft focus, dramatic lighting, and darkroom manipulation to emulate painting and express inner character (e.g., Julia Margaret Cameron's Portrait of Thomas Carlyle).

Expressionsim

A modernist artistic style in which color and form are distorted to convey subjective emotional experience rather than optical reality (e.g., Henri Matisse's The Green Stripe).

Corporation Portraits

Group portraits commissioned by professional guilds or civic boards in the Dutch Baroque period (e.g., Rembrandt's Syndics of the Cloth Guild and The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp).

Self- Portraits

Representations of an artist created by that artist, used to explore personal identity, status, and artistic skill.

Selfie

A contemporary photographic self-portrait of an individual taken with a smartphone or camera.

The Wefie

A contemporary group self-portrait photograph taken together with a smartphone or selfie stick.

Phidias

Classical Greek sculptor (5th century BC) who created the monumental chryselephantine statues of Athena Parthenos and Zeus, and reportedly included his own self-portrait on Athena's shield.

implied texture

The two-dimensional visual illusion of surface texture created through detailed painting on a smooth panel (e.g., Jan van Eyck's Man in a Red Turban).

impasto

Paint applied in thick, heavy, raised layers that leave visible brushstrokes and create physical texture on the surface (e.g., Rembrandt's late self-portraits).

surface texture

Actual, tactile three-dimensional texture that can be physically felt on the surface of a work of art.

academies, salons

Official state-sponsored art institutions (academies, such as the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture founded in 1648) and their juried public exhibitions (salons) that controlled artistic standards and taste.

Academic Hierarchy of Painting Typology

The official ranking of painting subjects from highest to lowest prestige: 1) History (religious, classical, mythological, literary, allegorical), 2) Portraits, 3) Genre (everyday scenes), 4) Landscapes, and 5) Still Life.

The Inner Self

Portraiture that moves beyond physical appearance to visualize psychological pain, emotion, and internal identity (e.g., Frida Kahlo's Surrealist The Broken Column).

the "gaze" - the white gaze

The colonial or Western viewing perspective that constructs, exoticizes, and exercises power over the identity of non-white "others" (subverted in Samuel Fosso's The Chief).

Fluid Identity

The concept that personal identity, gender, and physical appearance are not fixed, permanent, or static, and can be continually reconstructed.

Carnal Art

Post-Modern performance art coined by Orlan (The Reincarnation of Saint-ORLAN) in which the artist uses cosmetic surgery and her own flesh as the artistic medium.

The Paleolithic Period: 3.3 million – 10,000 BC

The "Old Stone Age" during which the earliest cave paintings (such as Chauvet, Lascaux, and Borneo) and portable body sculptures were created.

The Body Fragment

Prehistoric representations of isolated parts of the human body—such as stenciled hands, vulvae, and phalluses—rather than the complete figure.

Hand images

Paleolithic positive handprints or negative stenciled outlines created by blowing pigment around a hand placed against a cave wall (e.g., Pech-Merle and El Castillo caves).

Vulvate images

Prehistoric geometric or naturalistic engravings and reliefs representing the female vulva (and reinterpreted in modern feminist works like Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party).

Phallic objects

Prehistoric carved stone, bone, or horn objects shaped like an erect phallus, associated with fertility and procreation.

Venus sculptures

Small Paleolithic portable female figurines (such as Woman of Willendorf, Woman of Hohle Fels, and Woman of Dolní Věstonice) with exaggerated breasts, bellies, hips, and vulvae.

Center point axial analysis

A geometric analysis of Paleolithic "Venus" figurines showing that the reproductive core (belly, hips, breasts) forms a sphere at the exact center of the vertical and horizontal axes.

Closed form sculpture

Sculpture that retains the solid, compact shape of the original stone block, with arms and legs attached to the body or back slab so nothing can break off (e.g., Menkaure and a Queen).

Archaic

The Greek stylistic period characterized by rigid, frontal kouros and kore statues and the "Archaic smile."

Classical: 480 – 323 BC

The Greek stylistic period (from the defeat of the Persians to the death of Alexander the Great) marked by idealized realism, mathematical proportions, contrapposto, and stoic ethos.

Hellenistic

The final Greek stylistic period (from Alexander's death to Roman conquest) marked by heightened drama, pathos, dynamic diagonal movement, and diverse everyday subjects.

kouros

An Archaic Greek free-standing statue of a nude male youth standing in a rigid frontal pose with one foot stepping forward and clenched fists.

Archaic smile

The stylized, upturned smile carved on Archaic Greek statues to indicate that the subject is alive and vital.

contrapposto stance

A naturalistic "counterpose" introduced in Classical Greek sculpture in which weight shifts onto one engaged leg while the other leg relaxes, creating an S-curve and tilted hips/shoulders (e.g., Doryphoros).

The Canon of Proportions

Polykleitos's mathematical treatise and sculptural system of ideal anatomical ratios used to construct the harmonious human body (exemplified by his Doryphoros).