KW Ch. 5 (1-35)

Acanthus

the leaves on the Corinthian capital

Acropolis

high city, a scared hill on which the Parthenon was built

Aesthetic

a perception of beauty

Agora

a marketplace

Amphora

a two handled Greek storage jar

Archaic Period

the period of Greek art from 900-500 BC. the earliest period of great vase painting and the beginning of monumental stone sculpture

Architectural Order

a rigid and precises system for the elevation of a Greek Temple. The Greeks never tampered with this internal consistency which gave the temple its organic unity

Architrave

the lowest member of the entablature. It is a series of stone blocks which directly on the columns

Black-Figure Painting

a style in which the entire design is painted in black silhouette against the red clay. The internal design is scratched in with a needle.c

capital

the cushoin at the top of a column

caryatid

a female figure which functions as a column

centaur

a mythological beast, half man half horse

classical age

500-400 BC, the beginning of this age was determined from a historical event, the end of the Persians wars. “classical” refers to the art produced in general which is based on the type of art

Colonnade

a series of regularly spaced columns supporting a lintel

Contrapposto

It is the graceful arrangement of the body based on titled shoulders and hips, one knee bent, and all the weight of the body placed on the “engaged” leg. Alternating parts of the body flexed and relaxed. It is a method developed by the Greeks to represent freedom of movement

Corinthian

a classic Greek order. It has a tall, slender column with a capital formed from acanthus leaves. It is the most elaborate of the architectural orders

Cornice

the projecting, crowning member of the entablature

Democracy

is the direct rule of the people (demos)

Dipteral

a double row of columns

Doric

is a classic Greek order. It is a simple form with heavy fluted columns and a plain capital

Drum

a section of shaft or a column

Entrablature

the entire structure above the columns

Entasis

a swelling in the middle of the shafts on a column

Erechtheion

temple on the Acropolis (caryatids porch)

Facade

is a face of a building

Flutes

ornamental vertical grooves cut into a column

Frieze

a continuous band of painted or sculptural decoration on Ionic or Doric temple. It is usually decorated with relief sculpture

Funerary Vase

a vase with a hole placed at the bottom for a libation (a liquid used as a sacrifice to a diety) so it could seep out into the grave

Geometric Period

the formative period of Greek art

Gorgon

in Greek mythology a hideous female demon or monster with snake hair capable of turning anyone who gazed at her into stone

Hellenistic Period

23-30 BC this period is usually reckoned from the death of Alexander. It was melodramatic, ornate and filled with dynamic energy

Hubris

arrogance leading to downfall

Humanism

the exploration of individual potential and a desire to excel, and a commitment to civic responsibility and moral duty

Hydria

a tall vase with two handles and a cover

Ideal

the quest for the representation of things according to a preconception of an aesthetic perfection