Art History: Ancient Civilizations to 19th-Century Movements

What characterizes ancient Egyptian art?

Highly stylized, formulaic figures (composite view), hierarchical scale showing importance, and strong ties to religion and the afterlife

What is hierarchical scale?

A convention where the size of a figure indicates its importance/status, rather than actual physical proportion

What characterizes ancient Greek art?

Idealized human proportion, balance, and increasing naturalism over time (Archaic to Classical to Hellenistic periods)

How did Hellenistic Greek sculpture differ from earlier Classical Greek sculpture?

Hellenistic work showed more dramatic emotion, movement, and realistic detail compared to the calm idealism of the Classical period

What characterizes ancient Roman art?

Realistic portraiture, engineering feats (arches, domes, concrete), and art often used for political propaganda

What is post-and-lintel construction?

A structural system using two vertical posts supporting a horizontal beam (lintel); seen in ancient architecture like Stonehenge and Greek temples

What characterizes Byzantine art?

Flat, stylized religious imagery (icons), gold backgrounds, and mosaics emphasizing spiritual rather than naturalistic representation

What is iconoclasm in Byzantine art history?

A period of destroying or banning religious images/icons due to theological objection to their veneration

What characterizes Romanesque art/architecture?

Thick walls, rounded arches, and relatively simple, sturdy church architecture in medieval Europe

What characterizes Gothic art/architecture?

Pointed arches, ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, and tall stained-glass windows allowing more light into cathedrals

What is illuminated manuscript art?

Hand-decorated medieval books/texts featuring elaborate borders, initials, and small paintings (illuminations)

What characterizes Renaissance art?

Revival of classical Greek/Roman ideals, linear perspective, humanism, and anatomical accuracy

What distinguishes the Northern Renaissance from the Italian Renaissance?

Northern Renaissance artists emphasized minute realistic detail and oil painting technique, often with religious/domestic themes, while Italian Renaissance emphasized classical idealism and monumental composition

What characterizes Mannerism?

A style following the High Renaissance using elongated figures, unusual proportions, and intentional artificiality/tension

What characterizes Baroque art?

Dramatic use of light/shadow (chiaroscuro/tenebrism), intense emotion, movement, and grandeur

What characterizes Rococo art?

Light, playful, ornate style with pastel colors and romantic/aristocratic themes, following the Baroque

What characterizes Neoclassicism?

A return to classical Greek/Roman order, symmetry, and moral seriousness, reacting against Rococo excess

What characterizes Romanticism?

Emphasis on emotion, individualism, nature, and the sublime, often reacting against Neoclassical rationalism

What characterizes Realism (mid-1800s)?

Depicting everyday life and working-class subjects accurately, rejecting idealized or romantic subject matter

What is the Hudson River School?

A 19th-century American landscape painting movement celebrating the grandeur of the American wilderness

What is Orientalism (19th century art)?

A Western artistic movement depicting Middle Eastern and Asian subjects, often through an exoticized or romanticized outsider lens