UIowa Themes in Global Art Midterm

Aisle

A side walkway in a church running parallel to the nave.

Altar

A table or platform used for religious rituals or offerings.

Amphora

A tall ancient Greek jar with two handles used to store wine, oil, or grain.

Apse

A semicircular area at the end of a church that usually contains the altar.

Arabic

The language and writing system used throughout the Arab world and in the Qur'an.

Arabesque

Decorative pattern of flowing vines, plants, and geometric shapes common in Islamic art.

Arcade

A row of arches supported by columns or piers.

Arch

A curved structure that spans an opening and supports weight above it.

Atrium

An open central courtyard in a Roman house.

Axial path

A straight pathway that organizes movement through a building or space.

Background

The part of an artwork farthest away from the viewer.

Bible

The sacred scripture of Christianity.

Bilateral Symmetry

Balance where the left and right sides of an object or building mirror each other.

Buttress

A structure built against a wall to support and strengthen it.

Cacao

The plant whose beans are used to make chocolate; important in Mesoamerican cultures.

Calligraphy

Decorative or artistic handwriting.

Canon of proportions

A system of rules for ideal human body proportions in art.

Capital

The decorative top section of a column.

Central Plan

A building layout organized around a central circular or square space.

Closed position

A pose where a figure's arms and legs are kept close to the body.

Column

A vertical support pillar used in architecture.

Composite profile view

Showing different body parts from different angles in one figure.

Combined Perspectives

Using multiple viewpoints in one image.

Coral

A hard marine material used for jewelry or decoration.

Eben

Ebony wood, a dark hardwood often used in sculpture.

Foreground

The part of an artwork closest to the viewer.

Five pillars of Islam

The five basic practices of Islam: faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage.

Frontality

A pose where a figure faces directly forward toward the viewer.

False beard

A ceremonial beard worn by Egyptian pharaohs as a symbol of power.

Gallery

An upper level or walkway overlooking a space such as a church nave.

Gilding

Applying a thin layer of gold to a surface.

Glyph

A symbol used in a writing system.

Groin Vault

A vault formed by the intersection of two barrel vaults.

Halo

A glowing circle around the head of a holy figure in religious art.

Hieratic scale

Showing important figures larger than less important ones.

Hieroglyph

A symbol used in the writing system of ancient Egypt.

Horus

The Egyptian falcon-headed sky god.

Hypostyle hall

A large hall filled with many columns supporting the roof.

Icon

A sacred image used for religious devotion.

Ideal Beauty

The concept of perfectly balanced and harmonious human proportions in art.

Illumination

Decoration in manuscripts using gold, bright colors, and detailed designs.

Inlay

A decorative technique where materials are set into a surface.

Jade

A hard green stone often used in carvings and jewelry.

Ka

In Egyptian belief, the spiritual life force of a person.

Kaaba

The sacred cube-shaped shrine in Mecca that Muslims face during prayer.

Krater

A large Greek bowl used for mixing wine and water.

Kufic script

An early angular style of Arabic calligraphy.

Latin

The language of ancient Rome and the medieval Catholic Church.

Latin Cross Plan

A church layout shaped like a cross with a long main nave.

Linear perspective

A method of creating depth using converging lines and a vanishing point.

Low Relief

A shallow carving where figures slightly project from the background.

Ma'at

The Egyptian concept of truth, balance, and cosmic order.

Mana

A spiritual force believed to exist in people or objects in Polynesian cultures.

Middle ground

The area in an artwork between the foreground and background.

Metope

A square panel between triglyphs in a Doric frieze.

Mihrab

A niche in a mosque wall that indicates the direction of Mecca.

Minaret

A tall tower attached to a mosque from which the call to prayer is given.

Minbar

A pulpit in a mosque where the imam delivers sermons.

Monotheism

The belief in only one god.

Mosque

A Muslim place of worship.

Muhaqqaq

A flowing cursive style of Arabic calligraphy.

Nave

The central area of a church where the congregation sits.

Nose piece

Jewelry worn through the nose.

Oba

The king or ruler in the Edo culture of Benin (Nigeria).

Opening of the mouth

An ancient Egyptian ritual believed to restore the senses to a mummy.

Optical refinements

Architectural adjustments made so buildings appear visually perfect.

Outline

The outer line defining the shape of a figure or object.

Overlapping

Placing objects in front of others to create depth in art.

Ovoid

Egg-shaped.

Pediment

The triangular section above the entrance of a Greek temple.

Peristyle

A continuous row of columns surrounding a building or courtyard.

Pilgrimage

A journey to a sacred religious site.

Potlatch

A ceremonial feast involving gift giving practiced by some Pacific Northwest Indigenous cultures.

Post-and-lintel

A basic building method using vertical posts supporting horizontal beams.

Pylon

A monumental gateway of an ancient Egyptian temple.

Pythagoreans

Followers of the Greek philosopher Pythagoras who believed mathematics explained harmony in the universe.

Qibla

The direction Muslims face when praying (toward Mecca).

Quetzal bird

A brightly colored bird sacred in Mesoamerican cultures.

Qur'an (Koran)

The holy book of Islam.

Radiating Chapels

Small chapels extending outward from the apse of a church.

Register

A horizontal level used to organize scenes in art.

Relative placement of objects

A way to show depth by placing objects higher in the picture to appear farther away.

Relative size of objects

A way to show depth by making distant objects smaller.

Relic

A physical remain or object associated with a saint.

Reliquary

A container used to hold relics.

Rim text

Writing placed around the edge of an object such as pottery.

Sacrifice

An offering made to a deity.

Scarification

Decorative scarring of the skin as body art.

Shading and highlighting

Using light and dark tones to show form and depth.

Skull modification

The cultural practice of reshaping the skull.

Symmetria

The Greek idea of balanced and harmonious proportions.

Surface ornament

Decorative patterns applied to surfaces.

Tattoo/Tatau

Permanent body art created by inserting pigment into the skin.

Totem pole

A carved wooden pole representing family lineage or cultural stories.

Transept

The cross arm of a church that intersects the nave.

Transverse Arch

An arch that crosses a vault and helps support the structure.

Triglyph

A decorative panel with three vertical grooves in a Doric frieze.

Tympanum

The decorated space above a church doorway within an arch.

U-Form

A building or plaza layout shaped like the letter U.

Votive

An object offered to a deity in devotion.