This terms refers to the history of the artwork, including facts about the artist, region, time period, patron, its purpose, and the conditions of its commission.
What is "context"?
100
This Italian word refers to the shift of weight in Classical statues, such as the Doryphoros by Polykleitos, that causes them to appear to stand or move in a naturalistic manner.
What is "contrapposto"?
100
This building, constructed on the ruins of Emperor Nero's palace and gardens, became the most popular sports arena in the ancient world.
What is the Colosseum?
100
This type of art object was prized by the Hiberno-Saxon people of early medieval Ireland for its precious materials, intricate designs, and ability to preserve knowledge.
What is an illuminated manuscript?
100
Famous for his use of the color blue, this artist decorated the Scrovegni Chapel with innovative frescoes that helped to launch the Italian Renaissance.
Who is Giotto?
200
This term refers to the art object itself – its subject matter, style, and materials -- apart from its historical context.
What is "form"?
200
This second of the three Classical architectural orders is defined by slender columns, a plain frieze, and volute shaped capitals.
What is "Ionic"?
200
One of the most important inventions of the Romans, this sturdy and versatile building material allowed Vespasian to pierce the walls of the Colosseum with hundreds of arched windows and barrel vaults without weakening the structure.
What is "concrete?"
200
This period in Byzantine history from 723-843 AD saw the destruction of thousands of religious images due to a fear of idolatry and heresy.
What is Iconoclasm?
200
One of the key developments of the Italian Renaissance, this artistic innovation was first demonstrated by Filippo Brunelleschi in 1420 when he proved that the Baptistery in Florence could be drawn to look perfectly three-dimensional.
What is "linear perspective"?
300
This terms refers to the underlying meaning of a work of art -- its aesthetic, cultural, and personal significance apart from, but connected to, what it's "about."
What is "content"?
300
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This statue depicted a dynamic scene of a Trojan man and his sons fighting a monstrous snake and demonstrated the three most important aspects of Hellenistic art: emotion, movement, and sympathy for the enemy.
What is Laocöon and his Sons?
300
This period in Roman history produced a style of portraiture known as “verism,” which depicted the subject realistically, including baldness, scars, and missing teeth.
What is the Roman Republic?
300
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This term refers to the absence of religious images in Islamic art due to the belief that it is blasphemous for Allah (God) to be represented in art.
What is "aniconism" or "aniconic"?
300
The hero of the Flemish Renaissance, this painter was the first to use oil paint to depict every possible surface detail of objects both mundane and sacred.
Who is Jan van Eyck?
400
This two-word term refers to the story the artwork seems to tell. It is the simplest explanation to the question, “What is it about?” and is often the title of the work.
What is "subject matter"?
400
A word meaning “old,” this term refers to the period in Ancient Greece immediately before the Classical period, during which statues appeared rigid, formal, and had a creepy smile.
What is "Archaic"?
400
Everybody’s favorite “spoliator,” this late Roman emperor stole parts of imperial monuments to decorate his triumphal arch. He also was the first Roman emperor to legalize Christianity in 313 AD.
Who is Constantine?
400
This 9th century Holy Roman Emperor was coronated on Christmas Day, 800 AD and began an intellectual revolution known as the Carolingian Renaissance. His Latin name, Carolus Magnus, means Charles the Great.
Who is Charlemagne?
400
One of the most celebrated High Renaissance artists in Italy, he painted the School of Athens fresco for Pope Julius II's office between 1509-1511.
Who is Raphael?
500
This two-word term refers to an interpretation of visual evidence. It involves both description of the work of art and an explanation of how those visual facts function within the composition as a whole.
What is "formal analysis" or "visual analysis"?
500
Built between 447-438 BC, this Doric temple is the most famous on the Athenian Acropolis and is revered for the sculptural decoration of its pediments and metopes.
What is the Parthenon?
500
One of the first Christian buildings to make use of this longitudinal architectural form, Old St. Peter’s was torn down in the late 15th century for a new structure built by Bramante and Michelangelo.
What is the "basilica"?
500
This ancient Roman architectural invention became popular again in the cathedral craze of the 12th century Romanesque period. It simplicity and ingenuity allowed Christian churches to soar higher than ever before.
What is the barrel vault?
500
Michelangelo’s extensive cycle of Old Testament frescoes for this building endlessly frustrated both the artist and his papal patron, Julius II.