Art Humanities Midterm Vocabulary Study Guide

Flashcards covering key art history terms, definitions, and specific artwork applications across Classical Greek, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque art and architecture.

Relief sculpture

Sculpture that projects from a flat background rather than standing completely free. (Parthenon metopes, Parthenon frieze, Amiens Cathedral portals)

High relief

Figures project significantly from the background, sometimes appearing almost three-dimensional. (Parthenon South Metope 27)

Low relief

Figures project only slightly from the background. (Parthenon frieze / Peplos Scene)

Sculpture in the round

A freestanding sculpture that can be viewed from multiple sides. (Kouros, Kritios Boy, Doryphoros, David sculptures, Bernini's David)

Contrapposto

A standing pose in which weight rests on one leg, creating a shift in the hips and shoulders. (Kritios Boy, Doryphoros, Donatello's Davids, Michelangelo's David)

Idealization

Representing the body or face according to an ideal of beauty rather than exact individual appearance. (Kouros, Doryphoros, Parthenon sculptures, Raphael's figures, Michelangelo's David)

Naturalism

Representing figures and objects in a lifelike, believable way. (Kritios Boy, Doryphoros, Arnolfini Portrait, Caravaggio, Bernini)

Foreshortening

Making a body or object appear shorter because it extends toward or away from the viewer. (Parthenon East Pediment figures, Raphael's School of Athens)

Wet drapery

A sculptural technique where clothing appears to cling to the body, revealing its shape beneath the fabric. (Three Goddesses, Parthenon East Pediment)

Polychromy

The use of multiple colors on a sculpture. (Luisa Roldán's Jesus Carrying the Cross)

Torsion

A twisting movement of the body, often creating tension and energy. (Bernini's David)

Anatomical naturalism

Careful representation of muscles, bones, and bodily structure. (Kritios Boy, Doryphoros, Michelangelo's David, Bernini's David)

Doric order

The simplest Greek column order, usually with a plain capital and no base. (Parthenon)

Ionic order

Greek column order recognizable by its scroll-shaped capitals, called volutes. (Parthenon, which incorporates Ionic elements)

Corinthian order

Column order with elaborate capitals decorated with acanthus leaves. (Classical and Renaissance architecture; relevant to the classical architectural language of the School of Athens)

Pediment

The triangular space at the end of a classical building, often decorated with sculpture. (Parthenon East Pediment)

Frieze

A horizontal decorative band, often containing sculpted figures or patterns. (Parthenon Panathenaic Frieze)

Metope

A square panel between triglyphs in a Doric frieze, sometimes decorated with relief sculpture. (Parthenon South Metope 27)

Column

A vertical structural support, often consisting of a base, shaft, and capital. (Parthenon, School of Athens)

Pointed arch

An arch that comes to a point at its top, characteristic of Gothic architecture. (Amiens Cathedral)

Ribbed vault

A ceiling structure in which intersecting stone ribs support the vault. (Amiens Cathedral)

Flying buttress

An exterior support that transfers the outward pressure of a vaulted ceiling away from the building. (Amiens Cathedral)

Triforium

The narrow middle-level passage or arcade in a Gothic cathedral elevation. (Amiens Cathedral interior)

Clerestory

The upper level of a building's wall, containing windows that bring light into the interior. (Amiens Cathedral)

Tympanum

The sculpted or decorated space above a doorway, often within an arch. (Amiens Cathedral Central Portal)

Trumeau

The central vertical support between the two doors of a portal. (Amiens Cathedral Central Portal)

Jamb

The vertical sides of a doorway, often decorated with sculptures. (Amiens Cathedral Central Portal)

Linear perspective

A system for creating the illusion of three-dimensional depth on a flat surface through converging lines. (Marriage of the Virgin, School of Athens)

Vanishing point

The point where parallel lines appear to converge in linear perspective. (Marriage of the Virgin, School of Athens)

Orthogonals

Diagonal lines that lead the viewer's eye toward the vanishing point. (Marriage of the Virgin, School of Athens)

Pyramidal composition

Arranging figures into a triangular shape to create balance and stability. (Madonna del Granduca, Madonna of the Goldfinch, Sistine Madonna)

Symmetry

A balanced arrangement in which elements correspond across an axis. (Marriage of the Virgin, Disputa, School of Athens)

Chiaroscuro

The use of light and shadow to create volume and depth. (Caravaggio's Deposition)

Tenebrism

Dramatic contrast between deep darkness and strongly illuminated areas. (Caravaggio's Deposition)

Fresco

Painting directly onto wet plaster, allowing the pigment to become part of the wall. (Raphael's Disputa, School of Athens)

Oil painting

Painting with pigments suspended in oil, allowing blending, layering, and fine detail. (Arnolfini Portrait, Raphael's Madonnas, Sofonisba's paintings, Caravaggio)

Glazing

Applying thin, transparent layers of paint to build color, depth, and luminosity. (Arnolfini Portrait)

Icon

A sacred image used in religious devotion, particularly in Byzantine Christianity. (Salus Populi Romani)

Gold ground

A gold background representing sacred or divine space rather than ordinary physical surroundings. (Salus Populi Romani)

Hierarchical scale

Representing important figures as larger than less important figures. (Amiens Cathedral portal, Byzantine religious imagery)

Illusionism

Creating the impression that painted or sculpted elements are real or extend into the viewer's space. (Cornaro Chapel, Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa)

Tenebrism vs. chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro models volume through light and shadow; tenebrism uses especially dramatic darkness and concentrated illumination. (Caravaggio's Deposition)

Metapainting

A painting that draws attention to the act or process of making art. (Sofonisba Anguissola's Self-Portrait at the Easel)

Archaic

Early period of Greek art, often characterized by rigid poses, symmetry, and idealized figures. (New York Kouros)

Severe Style

Early Classical Greek style characterized by more naturalistic anatomy, restrained expressions, and emerging contrapposto. (Kritios Boy)

Classical ideal

Greek emphasis on proportion, harmony, balance, and ideal human beauty. (Doryphoros, Parthenon sculptures)

Humanism

Renaissance intellectual movement emphasizing human potential, education, reason, and the study of classical antiquity. (School of Athens, Raphael's Vatican frescoes)

Classical revival

Renaissance renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman art, architecture, and philosophy. (Donatello's bronze David, Michelangelo's David, School of Athens)

Patronage

Financial or institutional support that allows artists to produce works. (Medici David, Raphael's Vatican frescoes, Bernini's Cornaro Chapel)

Counter-Reformation

Catholic response to Protestant Reformation; encouraged religious art that communicated doctrine and inspired devotion. (Caravaggio's Deposition, Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, Roldán's Jesus Carrying the Cross)

Baroque

Artistic style emphasizing drama, movement, emotion, theatricality, and viewer engagement. (Caravaggio, Bernini, Roldán)

Renaissance

Period associated with classical revival, humanism, naturalism, proportion, and perspective. (Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, Sofonisba Anguissola)

Theotokos

Greek term meaning “God-bearer,” a title for the Virgin Mary as the mother of Christ. (Salus Populi Romani)

Panathenaic Festival

A major Athenian religious festival honoring Athena, including a procession represented on the Parthenon frieze. (Peplos Scene / Parthenon Frieze)

Canon of proportions

A system of ideal measurements used to establish harmonious body proportions. (Doryphoros)

Gesamtkunstwerk

German term meaning “total work of art,” where multiple artistic forms combine into one unified experience. (Bernini's Cornaro Chapel)