Art as a World Phenomenon - Exam 2 Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key periods, movements, terminology, and specific illustrated artworks included in the Exam 2 Study Guide for Art as a World Phenomenon.

Woman of Willendorf

Paleolithic sculpture from Austria, dating to 24,000-22,000 BCE; made of oolitic limestone with a height of 4% in. (11.1 cm); housed in the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna.

Pantheon (Entrance Porch)

Ancient Roman architectural monument located in Rome, Italy, dating to c. 118-25 CE, featuring an entrance porch with Corinthian columns and the inscription MAGRIPPA L F COS TERTIVM FECIT.

Seated Buddha

Stone sculpture from India dating to the Gupta period (5th century CE), depicting the Buddha seated in a cross-legged meditative position against an intricately carved halo.

Terra Cotta Army

Thousands of life-sized terracotta figures buried c. 210 BCE in the mausoleum complex of Qin Shi Huangdi in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China, specifically housed within pit number 1.

Paracas Funerary Mantle

First century CE woven cloth with embroidered decoration from Paracas, Peru, measuring 55⅞ in. × 7 ft. 10⅞ in. (1.42 × 2.41 m); housed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts.

Great Mosque, Djenné

Monumental adobe religious structure located in Djenné, Mali, shown with its weekly Monday market gathered outside.

Trinity (Masaccio)

Fresco painted c. 1425–26 by Masaccio in Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy (measuring 21′10½″ × 10′4⅞″), demonstrating the systematic, mathematical application of linear perspective with an orthogonally aligned vanishing point and horizon line.

The Swing (Fragonard)

1766 Rococo oil on canvas painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard (32 × 25¼″) housed in the Wallace Collection, London, England, depicting a whimsical, frivolous outdoor garden scene with delicate brushstrokes and pastel colors.

Liberty Leading the People (Delacroix)

1830 Romantic oil on canvas painting by Eugène Delacroix (8′6″ × 10′8″) housed in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, France, representing revolution, dramatic emotion, and the allegorical figure of Liberty raising the French flag.

Birth of Venus (Cabanel)

1863 Academic painting by Alexandre Cabanel (oil on canvas, 51 × 88½″) housed in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France, depicting a nude Venus reclining on the surface of ocean waves beneath floating putti.

Olympia (Manet)

1863 oil on canvas painting by Édouard Manet (6′9″ × 8′8¼″) housed in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France, depicting a reclining nude woman gazing directly at the viewer alongside an attendant presenting a bouquet and a black cat.

Romanesque Art

Medieval artistic and architectural style inspired by the forms of ancient Rome; characterized by barrel vaults, round arches, and sculpture integrated directly into architecture.

Gothic Architecture

Architectural style emerging around the 12th century, characterized by soaring heights, pointed arches, large cathedrals, and stained glass windows.

Byzantine Art

Artistic tradition of the Eastern Roman Empire centered on Christian themes, featuring grand churches decorated with static forms and shimmering, luxurious gold mosaics.

The Renaissance

Artistic and cultural movement meaning 'rebirth', defined by a renewed interest in the Classical world of Ancient Greece and Rome, Humanism, and the development of linear perspective.

Humanism

Core Renaissance intellectual and philosophical movement grounded in the revived study of Classical Greek and Roman ideas, values, and cultural achievements.

Linear Perspective

A mathematical drafting system developed during the Renaissance that creates the illusion of three-dimensional depth on a two-dimensional surface using converging orthogonal lines, a horizon line, and a vanishing point.

Mannerism (Late Renaissance)

Art style emerging around 1527 featuring more chaotic compositions with greater emotional intensity, exaggerated poses, emotional nature, and interesting color combinations; an art style eventually condemned by the Church.

Italian Baroque

Art movement linked to the Counter-Reformation and Protestant Reformation, emphasizing theatrics, dynamic movement, intense emotion, interactivity, split-second moments, and Catholic themes meant to inspire devotion.

Rococo

Art style marked by extravagance among wealthy European elites; an extension of Baroque naturalism, opulence, and drama characterized by whimsical, frivolous subjects, curved lines, organic forms, delicate brushstrokes, pastel colors, and described as a 'vacuous, pink, pleasure-fest'.

Neoclassicism

Movement meaning 'new classical' renewing interest in Classical cultures to focus on morality; used historical or mythological narratives to convey moral lessons while emphasizing civic responsibility, rational thought, stability, balance, and order.

Romanticism

Nineteenth-century movement reflecting the turmoil of European and American revolutions; emphasized individuality, emotion, drama, the power and beauty of nature, and the concept of the Sublime.

The Sublime

An aesthetic concept prominent in Romanticism reflecting the immense power, grandeur, and awe-inspiring beauty of nature that stirs deep emotional reactions.

Realism

Artistic movement aimed at representing appearances as accurately as possible, depicting people in modern society and conveying underlying political commentary regarding the inequality of the poor.

Impressionism

Art movement that rejected the formal teachings of the Paris Academy, focusing instead on fleeting moments, light, colors, and sensations of nature; influenced by photography and characterized by visible brush strokes and sketchy forms that appeared almost unfinished.

En plein air

French phrase meaning 'in the open air'; describes the Impressionist technique of painting outdoors to directly capture natural atmospheric light and sensations.

Dada

Anti-war, anti-capitalism, and anti-authority movement and attitude arising during World War I (WWI) that deliberately rebelled against established cultural and artistic conventions in Europe.

Surrealism

A highly organized and optimistic movement inspired by Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theories and Karl Marx's political ideas, aimed at expressing psychic states and the inner operations of the unconscious mind.

Pop-Art

Art movement emerging in the 1950s that blurred the boundary between 'low' visual mass culture and 'high' museum culture by incorporating subjects from pop culture and mass-media.