Art Vocabulary: Chapter 7-8

Acropolis

“high city” – a hilltop setting such as that reserved for the temple complex in ancient Athens associated with Classical Greece, including several temples to Athena and other sacred sites and structures. The elevated location is associated with greater proximity to the gods who were believed to reside in the celestial realms.

Aesthetics

the branch of philosophy that concerns itself with the definition of beauty and with considerations of the purposes and value of art.

Aisle

one of the longitudinal divisions of a basilica building. Basilica form churches usually have either three or five aisles, the central one being called the nave.

Amphitheater

a round or oval building with tiers of seats around a central area used for performances and sport events.

Arcade

a colonnade with arched spaces between the columns.

Art Functionalists

believe that form follows function and that the value of art consists in its function or performance.

Avatar

an embodiment of a deity on earth.

Avant-garde

new, original, and experimental.

Basilica

a building of longitudinal plan, originally designed for Roman law courts and public meetings, later adopted for Christian usage because of its suitability for accommodation of large congregations and processional ritual.

Bodhisattva

a Buddha-to-be; a being who has achieved enlightenment but has postponed Nirvana in order to help fellow seekers in their spiritual quests.

Cantilever

a long beam or other horizontal prop projecting from a wall to support a balcony, stairs, or similar structure.

Castrum

a Roman military encampment or fortress, specifically designed on a grid plan, with specific zones related to activities/uses.

Colonnade

row of columns supporting a roof or entablature.

Deity

a religion’s god or goddess.

Form

the structural components of a work of art or architecture.

Forum

open public space in Roman cities that served social, commercial, religious, and political needs of the residents.

Function

the meaning or purpose a work of art.

Gallery

a balcony or upper floor of a church or hall.

Garba Griha

Literally, the “womb” or most sacred precinct in a Hindu temple -- the sanctuary.

Gothic

a late medieval (12th-14th centuries) architectural style that may include pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttress. Gothic churches have very tall structures, high interior spaces and, increasingly, the walls are filled with stained glass windows that filter mystical colored light into the interior.

Hypostyle hall

structure consisting of a “forest of columns” arranged in numerous rows that support a flat roof.

Iconography

the subject matter and/or symbolism of an artwork, including reference to religious or other narrative meaning.

Insula

an apartment building in the ancient Roman civilization.

Logo

a design used by an individual or organization to identify itself or its products.

Mandapa

an audience hall in Indian architecture, often a porch-like ante-room to a temple, but also a free-standing gathering hall.

Mausoleum

a building containing one or more tombs.

Middens

refuse heaps, often of kitchen waste, but also for other discarded materials.

Minaret

a tower, usually tall and slender, associated with a mosque and signifying Islamic presence in a location.

Oculus

“eye”; an opening in an architectural structure, to let in light, located in a ceiling, a dome, or on a wall.

Peristyle

a row of columns that surrounds a space such as a courtyard.

Post-and-lintel

basic architectural means of creating an opening in a wall by placing two vertical members (posts) to either side of the opening and spanning the upper part of the space with a horizontal member.

Propaganda

biased, and sometimes misleading or hidden, information intended to influence views, beliefs, or behavior.

Qibla

a wall in an Islamic mosque that is situated so that prayer is oriented towards Mecca.

Rammed earth

dampened earth mixed with sand, gravel, or clay that is compacted into a temporary frame to create a wall.

Sphinx

a hybrid human/animal sculpture.

Stele

an upright stone slab often serving as a grave marker or public monument.

Stoa

a covered walkway in a public area, often fronting market stalls or other commercial spaces.

Stupa

a domed, hemispherical structure that functions as a Buddhist shrine. The conception is of a burial mound, designed for ritual circumambulation.

Tympanum

the semicircular area above a doorway, often decorated with sculptural artwork, especially as noted in Romanesque and Gothic church portals.

Wattle and daub

branches intertwined with twigs and straw, then coated with a substance such as plaster or clay to create a wall.

Ziggurat

a man-made mountain, designed to be the platform for a temple, raising it closer to the heavens where the gods were believed to reside.

Baroque

a style of architecture and art that originating in Italy in the early seventeenth century

Bottari

Cloth wrapped and tied around clothes , fabric, or/and items into a bundle for carry

Grave stele

is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected usually in Greek cemeteries as a monument, for funerary or commemorative purposes.

Hypogeum

an underground prehistoric burial site

Impressionism

nineteenth-century art movement that developed in France during the late nineteenth century by a group of artists called the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors

Impressionist

painter whose painting have characteristics of the impressionism movement, emphasizing accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities, uses small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition,

Individualism

emphasizes potential of man and self development own beliefs. The Individualism during the Renaissance period became a prominent theme in Italy

Industrial Revolution

period during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in western Europe and United States when industry quickly developed due to the invention of steam- powered engines and the growth of factories. Fundamental changes occurred in agriculture, textile and metal manufacture, transportation, economic and policies, and had a major impact on how people lived

Obas

The title of “oba,” or king, is passed on to the firstborn son of each successive king of Benin, Africa at the time of his death

Renaissance Period

a period of time from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century in Europe. The era bridged the time between the Middle Ages and modern

Tableau

is an incidental scene, as of a group of people

Tower tomb

are mausoleums, built in 1067 and 1093