Art History Midterm #2

  • Key Architectural Terms

    • Axis Mundi: The world center or connecting point between heaven and earth.

    • Shikhara: The towering structure over the sanctum of Hindu temples.

    • Garbhagriha: The innermost sanctum of a temple.

    • Mandapas: Pillared halls or porches.

    • Vimana: The temple tower that provides a vertical axis representing the cosmos.

    • Plinth: The base or platform upon which a statue or structure rests.

  • Notable Temples

    • Kandariya Mahadeva Temple

    • Location: Khajuraho, India

    • Era: Chandella Dynasty (9th-14th centuries)

    • Approx. Date: c. 1000 CE

    • Dedicated to: Vishnu

    • Rajarajeshvara Temple

    • Location: Thanjavur, India

    • Era: Chola Dynasty (9th-13th centuries)

    • Period: 1003-1010 CE

    • Height: 216 feet

  • Sculptures

    • Shiva Nataraja

    • Period: Chola Dynasty, 11th Century CE

    • Material: Bronze

    • Dimensions: Approx. 44 x 40 inches

    • Location: Cleveland Museum of Art

    • Eternal Shiva

    • Description: Rock-cut relief from cave-temple at Elephanta, mid-6th century CE

    • Height: Approx. 11 feet

  • Aztec and Inca Artifacts

    • Aztec Sun/Calendar Stone

    • Date: c. 1500

    • Location: Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City

    • Description: Depicts four previous suns destroyed before the current one, featuring a central god's face and Earth symbolism.

    • Inca Llama Sculpture

    • Date: 15th century

    • Material: Cast silver with gold and cinnabar

    • Approx. Dimensions: 9 x 8 ½ x 2 in

    • Location: Museum of Natural History, New York

  • 19th and 20th Century Art

    • Kente Cloth

    • Origin: Ghana (Asante, people), c. 1980

    • Material: Rayon

    • Approx. Size: 10 x 7 ft

    • Location: Fowler Museum of Cultural History, UCLA

    • Nkisi Nkondi

    • Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo, 19th century

    • Material: Wood, nails, raffia, and organic materials

    • Height: 44 inches

    • Location: The Field Museum, Chicago

  • Key Definitions and Figures

    • Terms to Know include:

    • Superstructure: The part of a building above the foundation.

    • Shikara, Vimana, Mandapa: Elements of temple architecture.

    • Abhaya Mudra: A gesture of fearlessness in Buddhist iconography.

    • Florentine Art: Reflects linear perspective, notably by artists like Masaccio and Filippo Lippi.

    • Important figures:

    • Masaccio: Known for his frescoes, including "Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise".

    • Fra Filippo Lippi: Renowned for portraits, such as "Portrait of a Woman and Man".