Development of Art & Ideas Exam 1 Vocab

Figurative

Art that represents real-world forms (people, animals, objects), as opposed to abstract or non-representational work

Incised

Mark or decorate with a series of cuts, engrave

Low relief

a sculpting technique where the figures/designs are slightly raised from a flat background

High Relief

a sculpting technique where the figures/designs are significantly raised from the background

Full Relief

Sculpture free-standing, viewable from all sides

Sunken Relief

Carving where figures are cut into the surface rather than raised

Bust

Sculpted representation of a person's head, neck, and sometimes shoulders/chest

Post and Lintel

The simplest architectural system: vertical posts support a horizontal beam

Mortise and Tenon Joint

A construction technique where a projection (tenon) fits into a hollow slot (mortise) to join two pieces

Megalith

A large stone used in prehistoric architecture or monuments

Trilithon

A structure of three stones: two uprights supporting a horizontal lintel

Registers

Horizontal bands or levels that organize imagery in a composition

Zoomorphic

Art that gives animal forms to objects, deities, or designs

Canon of Proportions

Standardized system of mathematical ratios for depicting the human body

Hierarchical Scale

Artistic convention where size indicates importance (larger figures = more important)

Composite Image

A figure depicted with combined perspectives

Inlay

Decorative technique where materials are set into a surface (stone, ivory, shell)

Foreshortening

A technique that distorts proportions to create the illusion of depth or perspective

Gilding

Applying a thin layer of gold leaf or gold paint to a surface

Chevron

A V-shaped decorative motif

"Black-Figured" Technique

Greek vase painting style with black figures against red clay background

"Red-Figured" Technique

Later Greek style with red figures against a black background (allowing more detail)

Lost Wax Technique

Bronze casting method where a wax model is melted out and replaced with molten metal

Fresco

Mixing water-based paint with lime and painting it on top of wet plaster so the pigments bond with the wall

Verism

Roman portrait style emphasizing hyper-realism and imperfections

Constrapposto

Pose where the body shifts weight onto one leg, creating a naturalistic stance

Votive

An offering (often a statue or object) dedicated to a deity

Stele

Upright stone slab with inscriptions or carvings, often funerary or commemorative

Obelisk

Tall, slender stone monument with a pyramidal top, often inscribed

Facade

The exterior front face of a building

Coffer

Sunken decorative panel in ceilings

Oculus

Circular opening at the top of a dome

Pediment

The triangular top of a temple that contains sculpture

Cyclopean Masonry

Stone construction using huge, rough boulders without mortar (Idea was that "only a cyclops could make it")

Column Base/Shaft/Capital

Parts of a column: base (bottom), shaft (long vertical body), capital (decorative top)

Engaged Column

A column partly embedded in a wall, decorative rather than structural

Caryatid

Sculpted female figure used as a supporting column

Entablature

Horizontal structure above columns

Pier

Vertical support, usually massive and square/rectangular

Buttress

Support structure built against a wall to resist outward thrust

Relieving Triangle

Open triangular space above a lintel to reduce weight

Corbel Arch

Overlapping stone blocks that gradually meet to span a space

True Arch

An arch constructed with wedge-shaped stones (voussoirs) meeting at a keystone

Rounded Arch

Semicircular arch

Keystone

Central stone locking the arch in place

Voussoirs

Wedge-shaped stones forming the arch

Pylon

Monumental gateway with sloping walls at an Egyptian temple entrance

Pyramid

Smooth-sided monumental tomb (Giza pyramids)

Stepped Pyramid

Series of stacked mastabas (Djoser's pyramid)

Ziggurat

Mesopotamian stepped temple platform, supporting a shrine at the top

Mastaba

Flat-roofed, rectangular tomb with sloping sides

Basilica

A huge marble government building in ancient Rome, later adapted as a Christian church

Necropolis

A large ancient cemetery ("city of the dead")

Tholos

Beehive-shaped tomb (Mycenaean)

Dromos

Long passageway leading to the tholos

Domus

Roman house

Impluvium

Sunken pool in atrium to collect rainwater

Apotheosis

Raising to god status

Patina

Discoloring surface film on bronze due to oxidation over a long period of time