| Key to Art History |
Vocabulary
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architectual: having or conceived of as having a single unified overall design, form, or structure
artifact: an ornament, tool, or other object made by a human being.
epidemic: a disease affecting many persons at the same time, and spreading from person to person
famine: extreme and general scarcity of food, as in a country or a large geographical area
Mesolithic: comes from the word meaning in-between (meso) and stone (lith)
megalithic: a stone of great size; usually applied to neolithic architecture
misconception: an erroneous conception; mistaken notion
monumental: having the quality of being larger than life; of heroic scale
Neolithic: comes from the word meaning new (neo) and stone (lith)
Paleolithic: comes from the word meaning old (paleo) and stone (lith)
prejudice: an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason
remnant: a small part of something that is left when the main part has disappeared or been destroyed.
representational: representing or depicting an object in a recognizable manner: representational art.
ritual(ize) to make into a ritual: an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite
Ancient Egypt
bas-relief: a type of sculpture in which images are carved into and project out from a flat surface
Canon: a set of rules
entity(entities): something that has a real existence
Formalism: the practice of scrupulous adherence to prescribed or external forms
Hellenism: developed during the time of Alexander the Great as the conquering Greeks spread their culture and absorbed oriental styles. It was an international style that continued well into rise of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by wild and exotic imagery.
murals: paintings directly applied to an interior or exterior
wall
mummification: to make into a mummy (the dead
body of a human being or animal preserved by the ancient Egyptian process or some similar
method of embalming.)
Necropolis
: A name given by the ancients to their cemeteries, and sometimes
applied to modern burial places; a graveyard.
mystical: obscure, impossible to understand
Naturalism: In Art- A state of nature; conformity to nature.
predecessor: something succeeded or replaced by something else
subsistence agriculture: subsistence agriculture: farming whose products are intended to provide for the basic needs of the farmer, with little surplus for marketing.
synthesis: combining separate elements of different material or abstract styles into a single or unified work
wane(d): to decline in power, importance, prosperity
Anthropomorphized: attributing human qualities to non-human things (e.g. animals)
During the Archaic period the Greeks developed a style heavily influenced by the great nations of the ancient world. It was characterized by three ways of sculpting the human form: the standing nude youth (kouros), the standing draped girl (kore), and the seated woman.
diversified: distinguished by various forms or by a variety of objects: diversified activity.
Humanism: a view of the world that emphasized the dignity and worth of the individual
Mannerism: a term that came into being after the Renaissance to describe art that exaggerates form, gesture, and emotion.
maritime: connected with the sea in relation to navigation, shipping, etc.
severely stratified: a social condition in which the various classes are separated with little or no mobility between the levels or "strata"
tempered: restrained, held back
anarchy: political and social disorder due to the absence of governmental control
conceptualization: the act of making a concept (a general notion or idea)
decadence: the act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; deterioration; decay
disarray: disorder; confusion
derogatory: expressing a low opinion
dogma: a system of principles or tenets, as of a church.
Feudalism: a system of military and political relationships among the lords only.
Flying Buttresses: exterior arched supports transmitting the thrust of a vault or roof from the upper part of a wall outward to a pier or buttress.
Frieze: a sculptured or richly ornamented band on a building.
Gothic: originally a derogatory term derived from the Goths, a Germanic people that overran the Roman Empire, but now describing a style of art and architecture that flowered at the end of the Middle Ages.
inevitably: unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped; certain; necessary
monotheism: the doctrine or belief that there is only one God.
plundered: to rob of goods or valuables by open force, as in war, hostile raids, brigandage, etc
Seignorialism: a system of political, economic, and social relations between seigneurs, or lords, and their dependent farm laborers
tumultuous: highly agitated, as the mind or emotions; distraught; turbulent
Vaulted ceilings: arched structures, usually of masonry and forming a ceiling or roof.
Italian Renaissance
antithesis: an opposite idea
austere: without excess, luxury, or ease; simple; limited
decimate: to destroy a great number or proportion of
excavation: digging for scientific or architectural purposes
Feudal (system): the political, military, and social system in the Middle Ages, based on the holding of lands in fief or fee and on the resulting relations between lord and vassal.
illiterate: unable to read and write
Inquisition: a former special religious tribunal, engaged chiefly in combating and punishing heresy
parody: a humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of art
proportional accuracy: the depiction of aspects of the human form in proper relationship to one another. (e.g. the head is approximately one seventh the length of the entire body, eyes are located in the center of the head and so forth.
sacrilegious(sacrilege): the violation of anything sacred or held sacred
scriptoria: rooms in monasteries where monks copied ancient manuscripts (books and documents)
scientific perspective: the process by which artists use optics to determine the size of objects in a two dimensional work of art.
secular: of or pertaining to worldly things
tenet: any opinion, principle, doctrine, dogma
allegory: a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms
aristocrat(aristocracy): a member of the wealthiest and most powerful elements of society
austere: without excess, luxury, or ease; simple; limited
decadence: the act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; deterioration; decay
democratization: pertaining to or characterized by the principle of political or social equality for all: democratic treatment
depict(ion): to represent by or as if by painting; portray; delineate
entrenched: to place in a position of strength; establish firmly or solidly
ecstasy: mental transport or rapture from the contemplation of divine things.
frivolity (frivolous): characterized by lack of seriousness
homogeneous: composed of parts or elements that are all alike
linearity: (linear) of or pertaining to the characteristics of a work of art in which forms and rhythms are defined chiefly in terms of line.
patronage: the financial support or business provided to an artist
prolific: producing in large quantities or with great frequency; highly productive
oligarchy: a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.
proliferation: a spreading out
sumptuous: luxuriously fine or large; lavish; splendid
superficial(ity): shallow; not profound or thorough
disseminate: to spread widely or disperse
guillotine: the device developed during the French Revolution for beheading a person convicted of a capital crime.
florid: flowery; excessively ornate; showy
orthodox(y): conforming to beliefs, attitudes, or modes of conduct that are generally approved
permeated: to be diffused through; pervade; saturate
propaganda(ists): information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.
proponent: a person who argues in favor of something; an advocate.
utopian: a society founded upon idealized perfection
Impressionism & Post-impressionism
academic: conforming to set rules, standards, or traditions; conventional: academic painting.
apprenticeship: a person who works for another in order to learn a trade
code (codified): a systematically arranged collection or compendium of laws, rules, or regulations.
transitory: lasting only a short time; brief; short-lived; temporary.
abstract: apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances; an abstract idea
authoritarian: exercising complete or almost complete control over the will of another or of others
avant-garde: the advance group in any field, especially in the visual, literary, or musical arts, whose works are characterized chiefly by unorthodox and experimental methods.
bourgeois: a person whose political, economic, and social opinions are believed to be determined mainly by concern for property values and conventional respectability
dilemma: a situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives.
espoused: to make one's own; adopt or embrace, as a cause
Fascism: a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism
manifesto: a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, as one issued by a government, sovereign, or organization.
unprecedented: without previous instance; never before known or experienced; unexampled or unparalleled
volatile: explosive, evaporating quickly
affinity: a natural liking for or attraction to a person, thing, idea, etc.
genre: paintings in which scenes of everyday life form the subject matter. A realistic style of painting using such subject matter.
indigenous: native to a particular region or country
Modern(ism): characteristic of present and recent time; contemporary; not antiquated or obsolete; modern character, tendencies, or values; adherence to or sympathy with what is modern.
monumental: having the quality of being larger than life; of heroic scale.
nomad(ic): a member of a people or tribe that has no permanent abode but moves about from place to place
pre-Colombian: pertaining to the Americas before the arrival of Columbus
primitive: simple; unsophisticated
sophisticated: world-wise; not naive
symbol(ic): something regarded as representing something else, an object representing something
transcendentalists (ism): philosophy based upon the doctrine that the principles of reality are to be discovered by the study of the processes of thought, or a philosophy emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical: in the U.S., associated with Emerson
utilitarian: having regard to utility or usefulness rather than beauty, ornamentation, etc.