Studied by 1 person
archaic period
early period of Greek history, c. 600 - 480 BCE
apoxyomenos
a man scraping oil off his body
canon
the title of Polykleitos’ treatise on statue proportions
caryatid
clothed female figure used to hold up architecture instead of columns
catenary
the curve that an idealised chain or cable forms when hanging freely from two fixed points, used to described u-shaped folds in drapery
chiton
a rectangular piece of unisex clothing which is sewn and buttoned along the shoulders to make sleeves
classical period
middle period of Greek history, spanning 490 - 323 BCE
early classical period
490 to 450 BCE
high classical period
450 to 400 BCE
late classical period
400 - 323 BCE
contrapposto
pose where the figure’s shoulders and hips are angled in different directions because the weight is on one foot
cult statue
a statue which embodies a specific deity
diskobolos
an athlete throwing a discus
doryphoros
a spear-bearer
egyptian grid block technique
a sculptural technique used in the archaic period where a grid was drawn onto a stone block to determine the figure’s proportions
free-standing
statues carved in the round and so detached from any background
frontal
when a sculpture has a definite orientation towards the prospective viewer
geometric style
a style from 8th - 7th BCE where geometric techniques were employed
himation
a unisex cloak made of heavy fabric, usually worn draped diagonally from one shoulder
iliac crest
the v-shaped crest of muscle which separates the groin from the hips, often exaggerated in Greek sculpture
in the round
a sculpture meant to be viewed from all sides that is three-dimensional with all parts fully rendered
kore
a draped female archaic sculpture
kouros
a male archaic sculpture
lost wax casting method
a sculptural technique where wax is used to create a large space between inner and outer clay moulds, allowing the creation of large-scale hollow bronze statues, used from the late archaic period onwards
modelling lines
a sculptural technique in which ridges of stone in sweeping curves at right angles to a rounded surface model the forms
motion lines
long, double curving lines in drapery suggesting movement
orientalising
a transitional period, c. 750 - 650 BCE, where Greek artists were heavily influenced by Near Eastern art, causing human and animal figures to become more prominent, and widespread use of stone for monumental sculpture
peplos
a sleeveless piece of rectangular women’s clothing, which was pinned at the shoulders and belted at the waist, and could be worn with or without a chiton
plinth
slab-like section beneath the feet of a marble statue
planes (flat or rounded)
the area of a two-dimensional surface, which in sculpture can be flat or rounded
ploychromy
the multicoloured painting of sculpture, using mainly blue and red, but also yellow, green, brown, black and white, regardless of material
severe style
the transitionary period between the archaic and classical, c. 490 - 450, characterised by thick eyelids, simple, heavy drapery, and an increase in characterisation
tensile strength
the resistance of a material to sideways stress and its liability to break
torso
the trunk of the human body
transparency/the wet drapery technique
sculptural technique which leaves ridges standing up on otherwise nude forms to suggest thin drapery
volute
a spiral, scroll-like pattern often seen in the hair of sculptures
Note 
Flashcard (46)