Essential Art Vocabulary I
What is the purpose of a work of art as a unit of analysis?
Function
What are the actual physical substances that make up a work of art (i.e. paper, wood, marble, etc.)?
Materials or media
What is the representation of three-dimensional forms in artwork?
Modelling
In Mesopotamian or Sumerian architecture, what is a tall, stepped tower or platform that supports a temple or shrine?
Ziggurat
What are the rules or standards for representing figures according to a system of measurement?
Canon of proportions
What is the manner of representation that we often associate with a particular artist or culture as a unit of analysis?
Style
What is a large-scale painting that covers the expanse of a wall?
A wall painting or mural
What is a type of representation that willfully simplifies, fragments, or distorts forms and figures?
Abstraction
What is a self-contained band in painting and relief sculpture used to illustrate stories or narratives?
Register
Which Egyptian tomb type is rectangular in shape, with sloping sides and a flat roof?
A mastaba
What is the subject matter of a work of art as a unit of analysis?
Style
What is a three-dimensional sculpture that is carved free of any background or block?
Freestanding or in-the-round
What is a manner of representation that seeks or aims to depict the natural world as it is?
Naturalism
What is the use of different sizes for powerful or holy figures to indicate relative importance?
Hieratic scale
What kind of Egyptian temple is preceded by a massive gateway formed by a pair of oblong-shaped tapering walls?
A pylon temple
What are the circumstances surrounding the making, viewing, and interpretation of a work or art (as a unit of analysis)?
Context
What is a sculpted image or design whose flat background surface is carved away to a certain depth to offset the figures?
Relief or relief sculpture
What is the term for combining different viewpoints within a single representation of a subject?
Composite pose or composite view or twisted perspective
What is an image created as a devotional offering?
Votive offering
What is the large interior room characterized by many closed-spaced columns that support its roof in the plan of an Egyptian temple?
A hypostyle hall
What is the identification and study of subject matter and traditional motifs or symbols in works of art?
Iconography
What is an architectural system of construction with two or more vertical elements supporting a horizontal element?
Post and lintel
What is a circular formation, usually around a ceremonial mound or precinct?
A cromlech or henge
What is guardian figure or protector of Ancient Near East palaces and throne rooms?
A lamassu
What is the pictographic language developed by the ancient Egyptians?
Hieroglyphs