AP Art History Ancient Mediterranean II Vocabulary

Black- Figure Painting

In early Greek pottery, this is the silhouetting of dark figures against a light background of natural, reddish clay, with linear details incised through the silhouettes.

Canon

This is a rule. For example, the ancient Greeks considered beauty to be a matter of “correct” proportion and sought a _____ of proportion, for the human figure and for buildings.

Cella

The chamber at the center of an ancient temple; in a classical temple, the room (Greek, naos) in which the cult statue usually stood.

Concrete

a building material invented by the Romans and consisting of various proportions of lime mortar, volcanic sand, water, and small stones.

Contrapposto

the disposition of the human figure in which one part is turned in opposition to another part (usually hips and legs one way, shoulders and chest another), creating a counter positioning of the body about its central axis. Sometimes called “weight shift” because the weight of the body tends to be thrown to one foot, creating tension on one side and relaxation on the other.

Encaustic

painting technique in which pigment is mixed with wax and applied to the surface while hot.

Fresco

a painting on lime plaster, either dry (dry ____or ____secco) or wet (true or buon ____). In the latter method, the pigments are mixed with water and become chemically bound to the freshly laid lime plaster. Also, a painting executed in either method.

Greek Orders

There are three distinct orders in Ancient Greek architecture: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. These three were adopted by the Romans, who modified their capitals. The three ancient Greek orders have since been consistently used in European Neoclassical architecture .

Frieze

the part of the entablature between the architrave and the cornice; also, any sculptured or painted band in a building.

Lost

wax Process (cire perdue)

Portico

a roofed colonnade; also an entrance porch.

Red-figure Painting

In later Greek pottery, the silhouetting of _______ against a black background, with painted linear details is known as _____ _____. It is the reverse of black-figure painting.