Midterm Study Guide -- Medieval Art

Terminology and Concepts in the course

paleolithic

relating to the period when humans used tools and weapons made of stone

radiocarbon dating

A method of measuring the decay rate of carbon isotopes in organic matter to determine the age of organic materials such as wood and fiber.

relief sculpture

in sculpture, any work in which the figures project from a supporting background, usually a plane surface.

high relief

raised forms that project far from a flat background 

low relief (has relief)

raised forms that project only slightly from a flat background

ocher

a naturally occurring clay pigment that ranges in color from yellow to red, brown, or white

twisted perspective (or composite view)

A convention of representation in which part of a figure is shown in profile and another part of the same figure is shown frontally

ground line

In paintings and reliefs, a painted or carved baseline on which figures appear to stand.

neolithic

relating to the period when humans used tools and weapons made of stone and had just developed farming

dry masonry

a construction technique in which stones or bricks are fitted together so tightly that no mortar is needed

stele

a carved stone slab that is placed upright and often contains commemorative imagery and/or inscriptions

registers

One of a series of superimposed bands or friezes in a pictorial narrative, or the particular levels on which motifs are placed

inlay

decoration embedded into the surface of a base material

iconoclasm

literally means “image breaking” and refers to a recurring historical impulse to break or destroy images for religious or political reasons.

ziggurat

in ancient Mesopotamian architecture, a tiered platform for a temple

necropolis

Greek, “city of the dead.” A large burial area or cemetery.

engaged column

A half-round column attached to a wall.

flutes

Vertical channeling, roughly semicircular in cross-section and used principally on columns and pilasters.

clerestory

The upper part of a wall containing windows to let in natural light to a building.

mural

a painting made directly on the surface of a wall

(true) fresco

applying paint directly to wet plaster so that it fuses with the wall

krater

a jar or vase of classical antiquity having a large round body and a wide mouth and used for mixing wine and water

amphora

a long, narrow clay container with two handles, wider at the top than at the base, that was used in ancient times especially for storing oil or wine

kouros (plural, kouroi)

In Ancient Greek art, a statue of a standing nude youth that did not represent any one individual youth but the idea of youth.

archaic smile

a conventional representation of the mouth characterized by slightly upturned corners of the lips, found esp. on Greek sculpture produced prior to the 5th century BCE

contrapposto

a standing human figure carrying its weight on one leg so that the opposite hip rises to produce a relaxed curve in the body, although it can be used more generally to describe any twisted figure.