art in the ancient world midterm

three characteristics of paleolithic art

small portable objects, painting/drawings of animals, female sculptures

three characteristics of neolithic art

larger object architecture, paintings/drawings of humans, itsems symbolizing ancestory worship

what does woman of willendorf form emphasize that relates to its symbolic nature

she is curved in the round, can see all her angles, fertility indication

what is a relief sculpture

not curved all the way around

what was the point of depicting animals in Paleolithic cave paintings

animals were in control of humans, seen as power figures may have a spiritual purpose

ex Bison of Altamira

what are two functions of the stonehenge monument

be an astrological calendar and a place for people to be healed

how does the newgrange monument reflect important characteristics of neolithic society

reflects important characteristic of neolithic ideologies, come to bring offerings to ancestors, remember people that are connected to you

what is hierarchy of scale

largest figure is the most important or focal point

ex running hroned woman

which mesopotamian civilization developed cuneiform and why is a system of writing important

the sumerians and it created a system of order and laws

what is a ziggurat and why did they use mud instead of stone to build them

a platform with a temple on top. Trapezoidal form stacked on top of one another. Used mud brick because they didn’t have access to stone

formal properties of Eshnunna Statues

the eyes are emphasized and they are blue in color

what is the twisted perspective

when the head is in profile and the legs are in profile and the eye is frontal

what is a register

lines that organize a scene or multiple scenes

what does the relief sculpture communicate about the Hammurabi and his authority? Why is it important to have both?

Stele communicated laws through cuneiform inscriptions. He is seated in front of the sun god and the god is handing him a staff, which is a symbol of authority. Important to have both because some people couldn’t read

Why were Assyrian palaces and other major structures often heavily fortified with thick walls, towers, and guarded entrances. What does Assyrian civilizations?

Assyrian palaces were heavily fortified because they were very wealthy, and were there to protect themselves. Goes to war a lot and has a lot of enemies

Why do the Lamassau sculptures from the palace of Sargon II have five legs

They have 5 legs to give them a naturalistic viewpoint from the front and the back

What symbolic purposes did the animal protomes that crowned the tops of Persian columns serve?

Symbolic purposes of animal protomes to represent power

how did egyptian artists use a twisted perspective of figures and animals in paintings and relief sculptures

head in profile, legs in profile, twisted torso that is frontal, frontal eye. Animals are usually in profile

what do the registers on the Palette of Narmer reveal about the history of ancient Egypt?

reveals that narmer unified upper and lower Egypt

what is the function of a mastaba? what is the form?

Mastaba is a tomb and the form is trapezoidal

Describe the hybrid nature of the Great Sphinx, what does it symbolize?

the hybrid nature is the body of a lion and the head of a human, symbolizes strength

why were the Egyptian sculptures of pharaohs often carved from hard stone such as diorite or granite

Were carved from hard stone to show the connection to permanence and eternity. they wouldn’t be destroyed just remembered

Compare and contrast the artistic style of Khafre Enthroned with a sculpture of Akhenaten produced during the Amarna Period

Akhenaton vs menkaure, both are very stiff and rigid, akhenaten is very elongated, naturalistic looking. Similar is that they are frontal and symmetrical

how did the portrait head of tiye show the shift from a polytheistic to a monotheistic religion during the reign of Akhenaten

He took the statue of his mother and hid the elements on her head of any other God

describe how the painting Fowling scene from the tomb of Nebamun shows movement using line

the painting shows movement by having curved lines to show that he is moving, the animals are curved to show their movement, water has zig zag lines to show the flow of water

what is a hypostyle hall

hall filled with columns, huge columns

what happened to Egyptian architecture after Roman conquest

the architecture became very symmetrical and harmonize

describe the form of cycladic marble folded arm figures

form is very abstract

What aegean civilization produced linear A

myonians

What aegean civilization produced linear B

mycians

Name 3 characteristics of Minoan painted figures

Flat of imagery of humans, curly hair, pinch waist, and frontal eye

Know the difference between Kamares Ware and Marine style ware from the Minoan civilization

Kamares ware has a black background and marine has a white

How is movement depicted in the Bull Leaping Fresco

The elongation of the body of the bull, curved contour lines

Name 3 formal properties of the Spring Fresco from Akrotiri

color, rhythm, movement (curved lines)

What is a relieving triangle? What were they used for in ancient aegean architecture

a triangular space above an archway to get rid of the weight. Inside the triangles there were sculptures

How were Mycenaeans influenced by minoan architecture?

Mycenaeans had very narrow columns toward the bottom, like the Minoans

How would you describe the geometric style of the greeks?

Geometric shapes make up figures and the shapes around the pottery, very geometric in form

Describe the three major Greek pottery painting techniques

black figure, white background, red figure

Describe the contrapposto pose in Classical greek Sculpture? How does it differ from Kore figures?

identify the three Greek architectural orders by their capitals: doric, Ionic, and Corinthian?

Doric is bell shaped, ionic is scroll like, and corinthian is basket like

What narrative scenes are represented in the east and the west pediments of the Parthenon?

West represented the competition between athena and poseidon, the east showed the birth of athena

what is the wet-drapery technique, and why did Greek sculptors use it

wet drapery technique, shows the anatomy of the female body without being exposed

what is a carytaid, and what was its architectural function?

what were the key characteristics of hellenistic sculpture, and how do they compare with the characteristic of classical and high classical sculpture

focus on the classical, hellenistic shows drama and movement. classical and high classical does not show any movement or emotions