AP Art History - Unit 2

Stele

Upright stone slab with text/images

Terracotta

Fired clay

Lost wax process

Molten metal is poured into wax mold

Relief sculpture

Figures projecting from a supporting background:

-Shallow relief: slightly protruding

-Sunken relief: carved in shallow relief but set in sunken area so that the relief doesn't rise beyond original surface

-High relief: heavily protruding

Frieze

Continuous flat band of relief sculpture/painting (between cornice and architrave)

Ziggurat

Pyramidal stepped temple tower

Post and lintel

Horizontal beam supported two vertical posts

Megalith

Large stone used to construct structure or monument

Axial plan

Plan in which parts of building are organized around axis

Column

Vertical shaft used for structural support/decoration

Column capital

Top of column

Pediment

Triangular top of temple (fills part underneath roof)

Stylobate

Continuous horizontal course (platform/stairs)

Concrete

Lime mortar, volcanic sand, small stones (very cheap)

Arch

Curved structure spanning opening

Vault

Arched structure covering space:

-Barrel vault: opens on 2 sides

-Groin vault: opens on 4 sides

Basilica

Large public/government/religious building (usually rectangular)

Dome

Ceiling that swells upward

Hierarchy of scale

Use of size difference to show relative importance

Iconoclasm

Historical, repetitive, impulse to destroy images for religious/political reasons

Anthropomorphic

Attributing human characteristics to something that's not human

Canon

Works that are considered most important for study

Contrapposto

Pose where figure rests weight on one leg (other leg is bent at knee)

Mosaic

Small pieces of material that create a larger image

Acropolis

Fortress of ancient greek city (typically built on hill)

City-state

Community structure of ancient greece

Fresco

Mural painting technique (water on wet plaster)