Art History 1

mural

Wall-like;" A large painting or decoration, created either directly on the wall, or created separately and affixed to the wall

sculpture in the round

three-dimensional sculpture that is carved free of any background or block

attribute

the symbolic object or objects that identify a particular deity, saint, or personification in art

shades

any area of an artwork that is shown through various technical means to be in shadow; "shading

engraving

an Intaglio printmaking process of inscribing an image, design, or letters onto a metal or wood surface from which a print is made. It is usually drawn with a sharp implement (burin) directly onto the surface of the plate.

relief sculpture

a sculpted image or design whose flat background surface is carved away to a certain depth, setting off the figure(s)

modeling

in painting, the process of creating the illusion of three-dimensionality on a two-dimensional surface by the use of light and shade. In sculpture, the process of molding a three-dimensional form out of a malleable substance

ceramics

wares made of baked clay

dolmen

a prehistoric structure made up of two or more large (often upright) stones supporting a large, flat, horizontal slab or slabs

capstones

the final, topmost stone in a corbel arch or vault, which joins the sides and completes the structure

cairn

a pile of stones or earth and stones that served both as a prehistoric burial site and as a marker of underground tombs

passage grave

a prehistoric tomb under a cairn, reached by a long, narrow, slab-lined access passage or passageways

corbel

a roofing and arching technique in which each course of stone projects inward and slightly beyond the previous layer (a corbel) until the uppermost corbels meet, creating a nearly pointed arch or vault

henge

a circular area enclosed by stones or wood posts set up by Neolithic peoples. It is usually bounded by a ditch and raised embankment

hieratic scale

the use of different sizes for significant or holy figures and those of the everyday world to indicate relative importance. The larger the figure, the greater its importance

hieroglyphs

picture writing; words and ideas rendered in the form of pictorial symbols

form

in speaking of a work of art or architecture, the term refers to purely visual components: line, color, shape, texture, mass, spatial qualities, and composition- all of which are called "formal elements" and are explored through formal analysis

pictographs

a highly stylized and simplified depiction serving as a symbol for a person or object

scribes

a professional who wrote texts or maintained written records

stylus

an instrument with a pointed end (used for writing and printmaking), which makes a delicate line or scratch. Also: a special writing tool for cuneiform writing with one pointed end and one triangular wedge end

ziggurat

in Mesopotamia, a tall stepped pyramidal structure of earthen materials, often supporting a shrine

alabaster

a soft, fine, translucent, white stone

register

a device used in systems of spatial definition

votive figure

an image created as a devotional offering to a god or other deity

convention

a traditional way of representing forms

cylinder seal

a small cylindrical stone decorated with incised patterns. When rolled across soft clay or wax, the resulting raised pattern or design (relief) served as an identifying signature

veneer

in architecture, the exterior facing or a building often in decorative patterns of fine stone or brick. In decorative arts, a thin exterior layer of finer material laid over less valuable material

crenellated

notched

rosette

a round or oval ornament resembling a rose

palmette

a fan-shaped petal design used as a decoration on classical Greek vases

grid

a system of regularly spaced horizontally and vertically crossed lines that gives regularity to an architectural plan or in the composition of a work of art

palette

a handheld support used by artists for the storage and mixing of paint during the process of painting - In ancient Egypt, a flat stone used to grind and prepare makeup

ground line

the solid baseline that indicates the ground plane on which the figure stands. In ancient representations, such as those of the Egyptians, the figures and the objects are placed on a series of ground lines to indicate depth (space in registers)

facade

the face or front wall of building

mastaba

a flat-topped, one-story building with slanted walls over an ancient Egyptian underground tomb

necropolis

a large cemetery or burial area, literally "city of the dead

monumental

a term used to designate a project or object that, whatever its physical size, gives an impression of grandeur

inlay

a decorative process in which pieces of one material are set into the surface of an object fashioned from a different material

colonnade

a row of columns, supporting a straight lintel or a series of arches

hypostyle hall

a large interior room characterized by many closely spaced columns that supports its roof

sanctuary

a sacred or holy enclosure used for worship

pylon

a massive gateway formed by a pair of tapering walls or oblong shape. Erected by ancient Egyptians to make the entrance to a temple complex

capitals

sculpted blocks at the top of columns

clerestory

the topmost zone of a wall with windows in a basilica, extending above the aisle roofs. Provides direct light into the central interior space (the nave)

hue

pure color

enamel

a technique in which powdered glass is applied to a metal surface in a decorative design. After firing, the glass forms an opaque or transparent substance that is fixed to the metal background

encaustic

a painting medium using pigment suspended in hot wax

terracotta

a medium made from clay fired over a low heat and sometimes left unglazed

stupa

in Buddhist architecture, a bell-shaped or pyramidal religious monument, made of piled earth or stone and containing sacred relics

relics

venerated objects or body parts associated with a holy figure, such as a saint, often housed in a reliquary

axis mundi

a concept of an "axis of the world" which marks sacred sites and denotes a link between the human and celestial realms. For example, in Buddhist art, the axis mundi can be marked by monumental free-standing decorated pillars

torana

in Indian architecture, an ornamented gateway, usually leading to a stupa

pagoda

an East Asian reliquary tower built with successively smaller, repeated stories. Each story is usually marked by an elaborate, projecting roof (round)

mudra

a symbolic hand gesture in Buddhist art that denotes certain behaviors, actions, or feelings

bodhisattva

sacred beings on the brink of buddhahood who have achieved enlightenment but choose to remain on earth to help others attain emancipation from the world (nirvana)

kiln

an oven designed to produce the high temperature necessary for the baking, or firing, of clay, as well as the fixing of painting on glass

mausoleum

a monumental building used as a tomb. Named after the tomb of Mausoios erected at Halikarnassos around 350 BCE

calligraphy

handwriting as an art form

bracket

an architectural element that projects from a wall and that often helps support a horizontal part of a building, such as beams or the eaves of a roof

bay

a unit of space defined by architectural elements such as columns, piers, and walls

haniwa

pottery forms (cylinders, building, and human figures) that we placed on top of Japanese tombs or burial mounds in the Kofun period

lacquer

a type of hard, glossy surface varnish first developed for use on objects in East Asian art, made from the sap of the Asian sumac or from shellac, a resinous secretion from the Iac insect. Lacquer can be layered and manipulated or combined with pigments and other materials for various decorative effects