Introduction to the Visual Arts: Architecture, Painting, Sculpture, and Theory

Comprehensive practice flashcards defining foundational terms, structural engineering systems, media, sculptural techniques, and art historical concepts across all five lectures.

Architecture

The art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction, employed to fulfill both practical and expressive requirements.

Shell System

A structural system in architecture where one building material provides both the structural support and the sheathing.

Skeleton-and-Skin System

A structural system in which the outer sheathing is supported by an internal load-bearing frame.

Tensile Strength

The ability of an architectural material to span horizontal distances without continuous support from below.

Load-Bearing Construction

The simplest method of building, in which walls are constructed by piling layers upon layers, starting thick at the base, thinning as they rise, and typically tapering inward at the top.

Post-and-Lintel

A structural configuration composed of two vertical uprights (posts) supporting a horizontal beam (lintel) to carry weight down to the ground.

Round Arch

A curved architectural structure formed of wedge-shaped stones spanning an opening, which becomes stable only when its topmost wedge, the keystone, is locked in place.

Barrel Vault

A continuous architectural vault formed by extending a half-round arch in depth.

Groin Vault

A masonry vault formed by the intersection of two identical barrel vaults at right angles.

Rib Vault

A framework of arches or crossing ribs supporting a roof or ceiling, characteristic of medieval Gothic architecture, which channels weight along reinforced structural points.

Flying Buttress

An exterior masonry structure featuring an inclined bar that extends from the upper part of a wall to a distant exterior pier, helping brace and support vaulted ceilings.

Gargoyle

A waterspout carved in the form of a grotesque human or beast projecting from a roof gutter to direct rainwater clear of masonry walls.

Dome

A hemispherical or pointed architectural structure geometrically produced by rotating an arch 360 degrees around its vertical axis.

Steel-Frame Construction

A construction method where builders erect a complete steel skeletal cage capable of bearing the entire structure's weight before hanging an exterior skin upon it.

Reinforced Concrete (Ferroconcrete)

A composite building material combining embedded iron rods or steel mesh with concrete that behaves structurally like a rigid, self-sustaining shell.

Geodesic Dome

A lightweight, self-supporting curved architectural bubble created from a geometric network of metal rods arranged into triangles and tetrahedrons.

Painting

The process of applying pigment to a smooth surface—such as paper, cloth, canvas, wood, or plaster—to create an arrangement of forms, lines, and colors.

Pigment

Finely ground, powdered coloring matter used as the base substance in making paints.

Vehicle

The liquid medium in paint that holds pigment particles together in suspension without dissolving them.

Binder

The ingredient in paint that adheres the dispersed pigment particles permanently to a surface when the paint dries.

Support

The physical surface upon which an artist paints, such as stretched canvas, wood panel, paper, or plaster wall.

Ground (Primer)

A preliminary sealing coat applied directly to a support surface to prepare it to receive paint.

Encaustic

A painting method utilizing pigments blended with molten wax and resin, fixed after application through heat in a process called burning in.

Fresco Secco

A mural painting technique, meaning 'dry fresco,' in which pigments mixed with water are brushed onto dry plaster.

Buon Fresco

The true fresco technique where pigments ground in pure water are applied directly onto wet lime plaster, fusing chemically into the wall as the plaster cures.

Tempera

An aqueous paint medium whose vehicle is an emulsion (traditionally egg yolk), which dries swiftly to a tough, insoluble, non-yellowing film.

Oil Paint

A painting medium consisting of pigment compounded with a drying oil (most commonly linseed oil) that dries slowly, facilitating seamless color blending.

Watercolor

A paint medium composed of pigment suspended in water with gum arabic binder, characterized by its transparent washes.

Gouache

An opaque watercolor paint created by adding inert white pigment, designed to dry flat, fast, and completely conceal underlying surfaces.

Acrylic

A synthetic paint employing plastic resin as its binder, creating a flexible, tough, and water-resistant film upon drying.

Sculpture

An artistic practice in which hard or plastic materials are shaped into three-dimensional art objects possessing physical mass and occupying space.

Subtractive Process

A method of sculpting, such as carving, in which the artist removes material from a larger initial block until the desired form emerges.

Additive Process

A sculpting method in which an artist builds a work up from nothing by continually adding material, as seen in modeling, construction, or assemblage.

Relief

A sculptural mode where forms and figures remain attached to and project outward from a solid background plane.

Sunken Relief

A relief sculpting technique in which figure outlines are carved into a flat stone slab and interior details are modeled entirely beneath the original plane.

Sculpture in the Round

A freestanding three-dimensional sculpture meant to be viewed from all sides, detached from any back wall or background slab.

Installation

A spatial, room-sized artwork arranged in a gallery or public setting that surrounds the spectator so that the entire environment is experienced.

Earthwork

A large-scale environmental work constructed outdoors that utilizes natural landscape elements and interacts directly with its setting.

Lost-Wax Process

A classic metal casting procedure where a sculpted wax model within an investment casing is melted away by heat and replaced with molten metal.

Assemblage

A sculptural technique in which identifiable, preexisting found objects are joined into novel configurations with new collective meanings.

Kinetic Sculpture

A three-dimensional artwork that incorporates physical mechanical motion initiated by motors, air currents, water, light, or viewer contact.

Art

The use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences intended for shared human reception.

Ars

The Latin root word of 'art,' meaning 'skill.'

Fine Arts

An 18th-century European classification uniting painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and poetry on the premise that they stem from imagination and genius to provide pleasure rather than utility.

Aesthetics

The branch of philosophy derived from the Greek 'aisthētikós' that examines sensory perception, the philosophy of taste, and the nature of beauty and art.

Disinterested Contemplation

The aesthetic posture of setting aside all personal, practical, and utilitarian interests when perceiving and reflecting on an artwork.

Subject

The literal, visible person, thing, event, or scene depicted within an artwork.

Naturalistic

An approach in representational art that prioritizes objective observation and accurate imitation of real-world appearances.

Abstract

Representational art that intentionally distorts, fragments, or simplifies observed visual forms.

Stylized

Representational art that adheres to established conventional patterns or standardized representational rules rather than naturalistic imitation.

Nonrepresentational Art

Artistic work that makes no reference to or depiction of recognizable objects or figures from the visible external world.

Style

A coherent, recognizable, and recurring cluster of formal traits associated with an individual creator, art movement, culture, or historical epoch.

Form

The total physical and visual layout of a work of art, encompassing materials, composition, lines, color, texture, and shapes.

Content

The expressive meaning, message, or subject matter of an artwork as interpreted by a viewer.

Iconography

The study, identification, and interpretation of visual symbols, subject matter, and religious motifs in artworks.

Context

The surrounding personal, cultural, political, economic, and religious environment in which an artwork is created and interpreted.

Directly Functional Art

Art forms created with practical utility and intended daily use, including architecture, furniture design, and textile weaving.

Indirectly Functional Art

Art forms that possess no physical utility but fulfill mental, emotional, or sensory functions such as amusement or contemplative escape.

Magic (Frazer Definition)

Sir James George Frazer's concept defining the attempt by human societies to coerce or compel supernatural beings and cosmic forces to act in specific ways.

Tribal Art

Ceremonial, spiritual, and utilitarian objects—including masks, ancestor figures, and totems—produced in preindustrial or preagricultural societies to serve functional roles in rituals and rites.

Idealization

An aesthetic method seen in ancient Greek sculpture wherein figures are depicted conforming to a concept of perfected physical beauty rather than individual human reality.