Art History 1701 Mcad Terms

Front 1

Style

Back 1

an artist’s distinctive manner of producing an object, the way it looks

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canon of proportions

Back 2

a rule of what is considered “correct” proportions.

Front 3

composition

Back 3

the way in which an artist organized forms in an artwork, either by placing shapes on a flat surface or arranging forms in space

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form

Back 4

an object’s shape and structure, either in two dimensions or in three dimensionsan object’s shape and structure, either in two dimensions or in three dimensions

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hierarchy of scale / hieratic scale

Back 5

an artistic convention in which greater size indicates greater importance

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line

Back 6

the extension of a point along a path, made by drawing on or chiseling into a plane

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medium

Back 7

the material in which an artist works

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space

Back 8

both the actual area an object occupies or building encloses, or the illusion of space in a painting/sculpture

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technique

Back 9

the process artists employ to create form, as well as the distinctive, personal ways in which they handle their materials and tools

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texture

Back 10

the quality of a surface, such as rough or shiny

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perspective

Back 11

a method of presenting an illusion of the three dimensional world on a two dimensional surface

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foreshortening

Back 12

the use of perspective to represent the apparent visual contraction of a subject.

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additive sculpture

Back 13

a kind of sculpture technique in which the materials are built up or added to create form

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high relief

Back 14

figures project a good deal from the background which they are a part of

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low-relief (bas relief)

Back 15

where the figures are carved into the stone so that the highest part of the sculpture is no higher then the stone itself

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subtractive sculpture

Back 16

a kind of sculpture technique where the materials are built up or added to create form

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elevation

Back 17

architecture - head on view of external or internal wall

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plan

Back 18

architecture - horizontal arrangements of the parts of a building or a city

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section

Back 19

architecture - diagram or representation of a part of a structure or building

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patrons

Back 20

the person or entity that commissions an artist to create artwork

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in situ

Back 21

a work of art made specifically for a host site or takes into account the site where it will be displayed

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causality

Back 22

the relationship between cause and effect

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iconography

Back 23

the writing of images in an artwork/ the study of symbolic content in an artwork

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formal analysis

Back 24

the visual analysis of artistic form

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contextual analysis

Back 25

a strategy in which the viewer interprets the meaning of a piece of art from the context in which it appears

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brushwork

Back 26

the particular way in which paint is applied to the canvas

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impasto

Back 27

paint that is applied thickly to a canvas or panel so that it stands in relief and retains the brushmarks

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sfumato

Back 28

"smokey" a smokelike haziness that subtly softens edges in paintings

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tenebrism

Back 29

"painting in the shadowy manner" using violent contrasts or sharp lights and darks

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neolithic

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"New Stone Age"

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mesolithic

Back 31

"middle stone age"

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prehistory

Back 32

the time before written records

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mesopotamia

Back 33

an ancient region of southwest Asia in present-day Iraq

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Stele

Back 34

a carved stone slab used to mark graves or commemorate historical events

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cuniform writing

Back 35

system of writing in ancient mesopotamia with wedge shaped letters carved into clay tablets

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ziggurat

Back 36

a monumental platform for a temple in ancient mesopotamian architecture

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votive figures

Back 37

deific figures

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pharaoh

Back 38

an ancient egyptian king

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papyrus

Back 39

a plant native to egypt used to make writing surfaces

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mastaba

Back 40

ancient egyptian rectangular brick or stone structure over a subterranean burial chamber

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Ka

Back 41

in ancient egypt - the immortal life force

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Serdab

Back 42

a small concealed chamber in an Egyptian mastaba that contained a statue of the deceased

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mummification

Back 43

a technique used by the ancient egyptians to preserve the body so as to have a home for the immortal Ka

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mortuary temple

Back 44

Egyptian architecture - temple erected for the worship of a deceased pharaoh

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valley temple

Back 45

temple closest to the Nile river associated with each of the great pyramids of Gizeh in egypt

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Nemes

Back 46

(headdress) the headdress that the pharaoh wears

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Uraeus

Back 47

the serpent on top of the headdress that the pharaoh wears

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Pylon Temple

Back 48

the wide entrance gateway of an egyptian temple, characterized by its sloping walls

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hypostyle hall

Back 49

a hall with a roof supported by columns

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clerestory

Back 50

the part of a building that rises above the roofs of other parts - originated in Egypt

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Thebes

Back 51

ancient city in Egypt - destroyed by Alexander the great

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peristyle court

Back 52

an area enclosed by columns

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colonnade

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series of columns, usually spanned by lintels

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Armana period

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era of Egyptian history when Akheneton ruled during the latter half of the eighteenth dynasty - art style changed drastically

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buon fresco

Back 55

painting into wet lime plaster

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fresco secco

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painting into dry lime plaster

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citadel

Back 57

a fortress, usually on high ground

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cyclopean masonry

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a method of stone construction that uses massive irregular

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corbeled arch

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a projecting wall member used to support from some element of the superstructure

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relieving triangle

Back 60

in Mycenaean architecture, the triangular opening above the lintel that serves to lighten the weight that the lintel itself carries

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tholos

Back 61

a temple with a circular plan

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Geometric Period

Back 62

the style of Greek art during the ninth and eighth centuries BCE characterized by abstract geometric ornamentation

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Archaic Period

Back 63

the artistic style of 600 - 480 BCE in Greece, characterized by the composite view for painted and relief figures and egyptian stance for statues

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Archaic Smile

Back 64

the smile that appears on all Greek statues from 570-480 BCE - indicates that the person is alive

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cult statue

Back 65

the statue of the deity that stood in the cella of an ancient temple

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Doric Order

Back 66

characterized by capitals with funnel shaped echinus', columns with no bases, and a frieze of triglyphs and metopes

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Ionic Order

Back 67

characterized by volutes, capitals, columns with bases, and an uninterrupted frieze

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Black figure painting

Back 68

early greek pottery with black figures silhouetted against reddish clay

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red figure painting

Back 69

latter greek pottery where red figures were silhouetted against a black background

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contrapposto

Back 70

where the human figure is in part turned in a way opposing that of another part, counterbalancing the body

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tholos

Back 71

a temple with a circular plan

Front 72

Geometric Period

Back 72

the style of Greek art during the ninth and eighth centuries BCE characterized by abstract geometric ornamentation

Front 73

Archaic Period

Back 73

the artistic style of 600 - 480 BCE in Greece, characterized by the composite view for painted and relief figures and egyptian stance for statues

Front 74

Archaic Smile

Back 74

the smile that appears on all Greek statues from 570-480 BCE - indicates that the person is alive

Front 75

cult statue

Back 75

the statue of the deity that stood in the cella of an ancient temple

Front 76

Doric Order

Back 76

characterized by capitals with funnel shaped echinus', columns with no bases, and a frieze of triglyphs and metopes

Front 77

Ionic Order

Back 77

characterized by volutes, capitals, columns with bases, and an uninterrupted frieze

Front 78

Black figure painting

Back 78

early greek pottery with black figures silhouetted against reddish clay

Front 79

red figure painting

Back 79

latter greek pottery where red figures were silhouetted against a black background

Front 80

contrapposto

Back 80

where the human figure is in part turned in a way opposing that of another part, counterbalancing the body