Art Test 1 Flashcards
Venus of Willendorf
Represents a specific woman or a generic ideal woman. Limestone carving of nude woman. The emphasis on the reproductive features suggest she may have been a fertility object.
Cave of Lascaux
The setting of complex of caves in southwestern France famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings. The original caves are located near the village of Montignac. They contain some of the best known upper Paleolithic art. These paintings are estimated to be 17,300 years old. Primarily consist of images of large animals.
Stonehenge
The prevalent arrangement in Britain. Megalithic structure on the Salisbary Plain. Result of 4 construction phases. By about 2100 BCE the Stonehenge had grown into a horseshoe shaped arrangement. It signified to those who constructed them as a tantalizing mystery. Prehistorians believed it marked the passing of time. Also had ritual and burial functions. It’s circular arrangement supports this as the circles are central to rituals in many societies. These qualities led ppl to believe that king Arthur’s magician Merlin created the Stonehenge
Statues from the Abu temple, Tell Asmar
Illustrates a type of limestone, alabaster, and gypsum figure that artist began to make about 500 years after carving the Uruk head
Stele of Naram-Sin
It’s an upright marker stone. The stele commemorates Naram Sins over the Lullibi. The intended view of the portrait was from the front,& this frontality makes it appear unchanging and eternal.
Stele of Hammurabi
The stele reached over 7 feet tall. It had text that consisted of 3500 lines of Akkadian cuneiform,& begins with an account of the temples of Hammurabis restored. The largest portions concerns commercial and property law, rulings on domestic issues,& questions of physical assault detailing penalties for nonconpliers
Pallete of Narmer
Dated to around 300 BCE, visually expressed the concept of the king as a unifier. Shallow relief carvings decorate both sides of the palette. At the top of each side, in the center, spell out Narmers name, with an abstract rendering of the Kings palace.
Funerary Complex of Djoser at Saqqara
On the west side of the Nile, Saqqara was the necropolis(cemetery of the dead) of the capital city of Memphis in Egypt. Encircling the entire complex is a rectangular stone walls stretching a mile high and 33 feet high
Pyramids of Giza
The pyramids are best known for commemorating the Snefurus son Khufu(the first & largest pyramid) Khafara(a somewhat smaller one) and Menukaure (the smallest one). They’re best known for their sheer monumentality and their extraordinary simplicity
Aten
The disk of the sun in ancient Egyptian mythology
Ra
The Egyptian sun god and chief diety
Necropolis
Greek for “city of the dead”. A burial ground or cemetery.
Buon fresco
The technique of painting on wet plaster
Megaron
A rectangular hall, fronted by an open, two columned porch, and a more or less central open hearth vented through an oculus in the roof above it surrounded by 4 columns
Stele
From the Greek word “standing block”. An upright stone slab or pillar, sometimes with a carved design or inscription
