Art Appreciation Vocabulary

Flashcards key vocabulary terms, humanities disciplines, art assumptions, and art expression forms from the lecture notes.

Ars (Ancient Latin)

An ancient Latin word meaning a "craft of specialized form of skill" such as carpentry, smithying, or surgery (Collingwood, 1938).

Ars (Medieval Latin)

A medieval Latin term meaning "any special form of book-learning such as grammar or logic, magic or astrology" (Collingwood, 1983).

Aesthetics

The study of beauty that began to unfold distinctly in the 17th Century, separating the notion of beauty from technical workmanship.

Fine Arts

Arts primarily created for aesthetic and intellectual purposes which can be judged according to their beauty and meaning, addressed to the senses (sight and hearing), emotions, and aesthetics.

Useful Arts

Arts addressed to human utility, labor, and physical function, such as manufacturing, machinery, craftsmanship, and chemical processes (Buccafusco, 2012).

Humanities

Derived from the Latin word "Humanus", it is the study of how humans have expressed themselves through the form of arts throughout history.

Language and Linguistics

A core discipline of humanities focusing on the study of specific languages, their histories, structures, and how they shape human communication and thought.

Literature

A core discipline of humanities involving the analysis of written, oral, or dramatic creative works (poetry, novels, drama) to explore themes, cultural contexts, and aesthetics.

Philosophy

A core discipline of humanities dedicated to the investigation of fundamental questions regarding existence, knowledge, ethics, reason, mind, and values.

History

A core discipline of humanities focusing on the study and interpretation of the human past, tracking cultural, political, and social changes over time.

Archaeology

A core discipline of humanities involving the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and physical remains.

Jurisprudence

Also known as Philosophy of Law; a core discipline of humanities studying the principles, theories, and history underlying legal systems.

Comparative Religion

A core discipline of humanities involving the analytical and cross-cultural study of religious beliefs, practices, histories, and texts.

Ethics

A core discipline of humanities focusing on the philosophical study of moral values, right and wrong conduct, and the principles that guide human behavior.

The Arts (Theory and History)

A core discipline of humanities encompassing the history, criticism, and theory of art, music, theater, and cinema.

Art is Universal

An assumption of art stating that art is timeless, spanning generations and continents, and is continuously liked and enjoyed by people regardless of age, origin, time, or place.

Art is Cultural

An assumption of art stating that art serves as a means of expressing feelings, exchanging ideas, and transferring knowledge across generations, playing a significant role in social and cultural lives.

Art is Not Nature

An assumption of art emphasizing that art is man's expression and interpretation of nature, created by man, whereas nature is given around us.

Art Involves Experience

An assumption of art asserting that art must be known through actual doing, sensing, seeing, and hearing, rather than abstracted data.

Art as Expression

The communication of personal thoughts, emotions, intuitions, desires, and intimate concepts that cannot be faithfully portrayed by words alone.

Creativity

An element of art used to solve problems, conflate function and style, make life a unique experience, and set apart one artwork from another.

Imagination

An element of art not constrained by norms that allows individuals to craft something bold, new, and better beyond reality to stimulate change.

Visual Arts

An art category appealing to the sense of sight, including paintings, drawings, letterings, printing, sculptures, and digital imaging.

Films

The art of putting together successions of still images to create an illusion of movement, focusing on aesthetic, cultural, and social value as both an art and an industry.

Performance Arts

A live art form where the primary medium is the human body used to perform, often employing visual art, props, or sounds (e.g., opera, theater, magic, mime, spoken poetry).

Poetry Performance

An art form where the artist expresses emotions through the emotional, musical, and spatial values of words to narrate, emphasize, argue, or convince.

Architecture

The art or science of building; specifically the art and/or practice of designing and building structures, especially habitable ones.

Dance

A creative art form consisting of a series of movements following rhythm or music accompaniment to express oneself through bodily movements.

Literary Art

Writing in prose or poetry (fiction or non-fiction) displaying the beauty of speech and language to convey artistic and cultural meaning.

Theater

An art form using live performers to present accounts or imaginary events before a live audience, usually following a script and incorporating acting, gestures, lighting, sound effects, scenery, and props.

Applied Arts

An art field incorporating elements of style and design into everyday items to increase their aesthetic value, bringing beauty, charm, and comfort into useful life (Collins & Riley, 193).