mural painting
a large painting or decoration, done either directly on the wall or separately and affixed to it
fresco
a painting technique in which water-based pigments are applied to a surface of wet plaster
still life
a type or genre of painting;
a type of painting that has as its subject inanimate objects (such as food, dishes, fruit, or flowers)
basilica
a large rectangular building;
used in Roman times as centers for administration or justice and later adapted to Christian church use
aqueduct
a trough to carry flowing water, if necessary, supported by arches; under the Romans, built over long distances at a gradually decreasing incline
podium
a raised platform that acts as the foundation for a building
temple
a building dedicated to the worship of a deity
engaged or embedded columns
columns that are attached to a background wall
catacomb
an underground cemetery
atrium
a room without a roof; had a shallow indoor pool for drinking, cooking, and bathing fed by rainwater
arch
in architecture, a curved structural element that spans an open space
pier
a masonry support made up of many stones, or rubble and concrete, often square or rectangular in plan and capable of carrying heavy architectural loads
jamb
in architecture, the vertical element found in pairs on both sides of an opening in a wall, such as a door or window
spandrel
the area of wall adjoining the exterior curve of an arch between its springing and the keystone, or the area between two arches, as in an arcade
keystone
the topmost voussoir at the center of an arch, usually the last block to be placed; the pressure of this block holds the arch together
bay
one unit of a construction system of a building; bays divide the space of a building into regular spatial units marked by elements such as columns, piers, buttresses, windows, or vaults
vault
an arched masonry structure covering that spans an interior space
barrel vault
a continuous semicircular vault
groin vault
a vault created by the intersection of two barrel vaults of equal size
buttress
a type of architectural support; usually consist of massive masonry with a wide base built against an exterior wall to brace the wall and strengthen the vaults; acts by transferring the weight of the building from a higher point to the ground
ground line
the solid baseline that indicates the ground plane of an image on which the figure stands
veristic
a style in which artists concern themselves with capturing the exterior likeness of an object or person, usually by rendering its visible details in a finely executed, meticulous manner
idealized
a process in art through which artists strive to make their forms and figures attain perfection, based on pervading cultural values or their own mental image of what the ideal is
concrete
a building material invented by the Romans, which is easily molded when wet and dries into a strong and durable stone-like substance; make primarily from lime, sand, cement, and rubble mixed with water
attic story
the top story of a building; in classical architecture, the level above the entablature, often decorated or carrying an inscription
pilasters
an engaged columnar element that is rectangular in format and used for decoration in architecture
Doric
the column shaft of the Doric order can be fluted or smooth-surfaced and has no base; the capital consists of an undecorated echinus and abacus; its entablature has a plain architrave, a frieze with metopes and triglyphs, and a simple cornice
Tuscan Doric
a variation of Doric characterized by a smooth-surfaced column shaft with a base, a plain architrave, and an undecorated frieze
Ionic
the column of the Ionic order has a base, a fluted shaft and a capital decorated with volutes; the entablature consists of an architrave of two panels and moldings, a frieze usually containing sculpted relief ornament, and a cornice with dentils
Corinthian
the most ornate of the orders, includes a base, a fluted column shaft with a capital elaborately decorated with acanthus leaf carvings; its entablature consists of an architrave decorated with moldings, a frieze often containing sculptured reliefs, and a
composite
a combination of the Ionic and the Corinthian orders; the capital combines acanthus leaves with volute scrolls
elements of the orders
volute, plinth, dado, pedestal, entablature, architrave, frieze, cornice, capital
tondo
a painting or relief of circular shape
mosaic
images formed by small colored stone or glass pieces, affixed to a hard, stable surface
tesserae
the small piece of stone, glass, or other object that is pieced together with many others to create a mosaic
grout
a soft cement placed between the tesserae of a mosaic to hold the design together
trompe l'oeil
French for "fool the eye," pronounced "tromp loy
forum
the central square of a Roman town, often used as a market or gathering area for citizens; site of most community temples and administrative buildings
apse
a large semicircular or polygonal niche protruding from the end wall of a building; in the Christian church, it contains the altar
clerestory
the topmost zone of a wall with windows, when it extends above any abutting aisles or secondary roof- provides direct light into the central interior space
rotunda
any building constructed in a circular shape; usually producing a large open space crowned by a dome
oculus
in architecture, a circular opening, usually found either as window or at the apex of a dome; when at the top of a dome, an oculus is either open tot he sky or covered by a decorative exterior lantern
coffers
a recessed decorative panel that, with many other similar ones, is used to decorate ceilings or vaults
lintels
a horizontal element of any material carried by two or more vertical supports to form an opening