Western Art History Midterm Exam Terms

Petroglyphs

Rock Carvings

Pictographs

Rock Painting

Parietal Art

Prehistoric imagery created on walls ceilings or floors of caves (including graffiti)

Paleolithic

Old of Stone - old period of the stone age

Mesolithic

Middle period of the stone age

Neolithic

New period of the stone age

Çatalhöyük

A neolithic town that flourished

7500 BCE

Modern day Turkey

Mudbrick

Henge

Prehistoric monument consisting of a circle of stone or wooden uprights

Post and lintel construction

Tongue and groove joints

Megalith; Trilithon

Mesopotamia

Historical Region of West Asia stretching between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

Hippopotamus

Animal

Sumer/ Sumerian

First Major civilization of Mesopotamia

Akkadia/ Assyria/ Babylon

Ancient City within southern Mesopotamia

Fell in 539 BCE

Cuneiform

Earliest known writing system developed by Sumerians around 3200 BCE

Votive/ Votive Sculptures

an object offered in fulfillment of a vow such as a candle or statue

Registers

Horizontal Bands or levels that divides a composition

Hieratic Scale

Art technique where the size of a figure indicates its importance

Relief Carving

sculptural technique where a design is carved into a flat surface

Iconoclasm; Looting

Iconoclasm - destruction of religious images or monuments

Looting - unlawful taking of property often during unrest conflict or protest

Stele

Stone ot wooden slab erected as a monument in the ancient world

Lamassu

Human headed winged bull

Tombs

tombs in ancient Egypt were designed as spaces to house the soul, protect the body and ensure immortality in the afterlife

Necropolis

a large planned cemetery with monumental tombs - city of the dead

Sarcophagus

Large stone coffin often made of granite, limestone or quartzite used to protect a mummified body

Old Kingdom

early period of Ancient Egypt

2649-2150 BCE

Middle Kingdom

2040 - 1640 BCE

Middle period of ancient Egypt

New Kingdom

1550 -1070 BCE

New Kingdom of ancient Egypt

hieroglyphs

Complex writing system combining pictorial symbols with phonetic ideographic elements

Pyramid

monumental tombs built for Pharaohs

Papyrus

a versatile plant central to ancient egyptian life

Mummification

sacred practice to preserve the body in the afterlife

Pharaoh

political and religious leaders of ancient Egypt

Orientalism

The imitation or depiction of aspects of the Eastern world by writers, designers and artists from the western world

King Djoser

Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh buried in a famous step pyramid

Khufu, Khafra, Menkaure

Pharaohs who were all buried in the Pyramids of Giza

imhotep

Ancient Egyptian Architect, physician, and high priest

Thutmose

Ancient Egyptian Sculptor

Ra

God of the Sun

Osiris

God of fertility, death and resurrection

Isis

Goddess of motherhood, magic and kingship

Horus

Son of Osiris

God of Sky, kingship and protection

Anubis

Egyptian god of funerary rites, mummification, cemeteries and the guide of souls to the afterlife

Hatshepsut

Powerful female pharaoh of the 18th dynasty known for her prosperous reign

Akhenaten and Nefertiti

Royal couple that led Amarna religious revolution promoting exclusive worship

promoted the reshaping of Egyptian art politics and culture

Tutankhamun

Son of Akhenaten and Nefertiti and Pharaoh of Egypt

Napoleon Boneparte

French general and emperor who reshaped Europe through military conquest

Archaic

refers to the period of Greek history from around 800-480 BCE marked by the rise of city states and widespread colonization

Amphora, Krater

Amphora - Two handled Jar with a neck narrower than the body

Krater - Large two handled bowl

kourus/kouroi | kore/korae

Kourus: free standing ancient Greek sculptures that depict idealized male youths

Kore/ Korae: Free standing ancient Greek sculptures depicting idealized women

Classical Period

500-323 BCE - pinnacle of Greek culture, politics, philosophy and art

Persian Sack of Athens

Second Persian Invasion of Greece - Persian Empire captured and destroyed Athens

Canon of Proportions

Mathematical and artistic system that defined the ideal human form through precise ratios

Ideal proportions

ideal distribution of weights within the human body defined by the canon of proportions

Contrapposto

Sculptural pose developed in early 5th century Ancient Greece - figure stands with more weight on one leg creating tilted hips and shoulders

Relief sculpture

figures from varying depths from a flat background

Sculpture in the round

Free-standing three-dimensional works most often marble or bronze

Perikles

A Greek Statesman, general and orator who led Athens during its Golden Age

Pheidias

5th Centruy BC greek sculptor painter and architect

Kallikrates

Prominent Athenian architect of Mid - 5th Century BCE known for Co Designing the Parthenon

Iktinos

Architect known for Co Designing the Parthenon

Doric

order of architecture

Doric Columns

• No base

• typically 20 flutes (indents in columns)

• Simple design

Ionic

More complex columns

has Volutes/ rosettes that are like spirals

24 flutes

Frieze

Corinthian

Most complex form of column

Has a caulicolum which has detailed carvings

Panathenaic Procession

Religious parade of Athens

Acropolis

ancient location renowned for its monumental architecture especially the Parthenon

temple

homes for the deities and gathering spaces for worshippers

Sculptural Program

Planned and coordinated set of statues or architecture designed to convey a theme

Pediment

Triangular gable at the top of a Greek temple often filled with sculptures and decoration

Optical Refinements: entasis

Subtle convex and swelling of a columns shaft introduced to counter the optical illusion that columns are concave or thinner when viewed from a distance

Stylobate

Continuous base supporting a row of columns in Greek architecture

Triglyphs and Metopes; Frieze

Triglyph: A rectangular block in the doric frieze featuring 2 vertical channels and two half channels at the edges

Metopes: Square or rectangular panel between two triglyphs in the doric frieze

Frieze: the alteration between Triglyphs and Metopes creates a distinct rhythm within a doric frieze

Caryatids

Sculpted female figure used as an architectural support rather than a column or pilaster

Attribute

object that is usually sculpted with a god or goddess that allows them to be identified

Alexander the Great

Ancient king and military commander

Gigantomachy

mythological battle between the Olympian gods and the giants

Theatricality; Naturalism

Theatricality - Subjective, symbolic, stylized

Naturalism - realistic, representing something as it is

Spoils

rob of goods by force or violence

round arch

Semicircular curve

Barrel vault

continuous series of round arches extending in one direction

Groin Vault

intersection of two barrel vaults at right angles

Concrete

the romans perfected the creation of concrete and used it in their construction

Verism, Veristic Portraiture

Art that prioritized hyper-realism and often exaggerations of age like more wrinkles and sagging skin

Syncretism

the fusion of different cultural, religious or stylistic elements to produce a new hybrid artistic expression

Mosaic, Tesserae

Mosaics - decorative art form that arranges small colored pieces of material (tesserae) to form images and designs

Egyptomania; Cleopatra

Sustained fascination with ancient Egypt. Cleopatra’s death marked the turning point in this and allowed several romans to gain access to Egyptian culture

Propaganda

art created to persuade an audience towards a certain political viewpoint

Deification; apotheosis

artistic representation of a subject’s deification or glorification to a divine level

Forum; Fora

forum refers to the central public plaza or open space in ancient Roman cities, surrounded by temples, basilicas, markets, and other public buildings

Dome; oculus

Oculus is a circular opening at the apex of a dome

Liturgy

art created specifically for use in public worship and religious ceremony

Roman Republic

Ends when Julius Caesar dies and is assassinated on the ides of march

battle of Actium 31 BCE

Battle between the fleets of Octavian of Ancient Rome against the fleets of mark Antony and cleopatra

Roman Victory over Judea 71 BCE

Roman forces won in the Jewish-Roman war and caused the destruction and seize of Jerusalem