Exam II - Art History

Question 1

Abbey Church

Answer 1

an abbey is a monastic religious community headed by an abbot or abbess. An abbey church often has an especially large choir to provide space for the monks or nuns

Question 2

Absolute Dating

Answer 2

a method, especially in archeology, of assigning a precise historical date at which, or span of years during which, an object was made

Question 3

Abstract

Answer 3

of art that does not attempt to describe the appearance of visible forms but that to transform them into stylized patterns or to alter them in conformity to ideals

Question 4

Adobe

Answer 4

sunbaked blocks made of clay mixed with straw. Also: buildings made with this material

Question 5

Aisle

Answer 5

passage or open corridor of a church, hall, or other building that parallels the main space, usually on both sides, and is delineated by a row, or arcade, of columns or piers. Called side aisles when they flank the nave of a church

Question 6

Apartheid

Answer 6

a political system in South Africa that used race as grounds for the segregation, discrimination, and political disenfranchisement of nonwhite South Africans. Officially ended in 1994

Question 7

Bas-relief

Answer 7

another term for low relief

Question 8

Basilica

Answer 8

a larger rectangular building. Often built with a clerestory, side aisles separated from the center nave by colonnades, and an apse at one or both ends

Question 9

Bodhisattva

Answer 9

in Buddhism, a being who has attained enlightenment but chooses to remain in this world in order to help others advance spiritually. Also defined as a potential buddha

Question 10

Buddha

Answer 10

the term literally means enlightened one

Question 11

Cartoon

Answer 11

a full-scale drawing of a design that will be executed in another medium, such as a wall painting, tapestry, or stained glass

Question 12

Chacmool

Answer 12

in Mayan sculpture, a half-reclining figure probably representing an offering bearer

Question 13

Chaitya

Answer 13

a type of Buddhist temple found in India. Often built in the form of a hall or basilica, a chaitya hall is highly decorated with sculpture and usually is carved from a cave or natural rock location

Question 14

Codex

Answer 14

a book, or group of manuscript pages, held together by stitching or other binding along one edge

Question 15

Coiling

Answer 15

a technique in basketry. In coiled baskets a spiraling coil, brain, or rope of material is held in place by stitching or interweaving to create a permanent shape

Question 16

Dogu

Answer 16

small human figurines made in Japan during the Jomon period. Shaped from clay, the figurines have exaggerated expressions and are in contorted poses

Question 17

Earthwork

Answer 17

usually very large-scale, outdoor artwork that is produced by altering the natural environment

Question 18

Embroidery

Answer 18

stitches applied in a decorative pattern on top of an already woven fabric ground

Question 19

Enamel

Answer 19

powdered, then molten glass applied to a metal surface, and used by artists to create designs

Question 20

Fang Ding

Answer 20

a square or rectangular bronze vessel with four legs. The Fang Ding was used for ritual offerings in ancient China during the Shang dynasty

Question 21

Garbhagriha

Answer 21

from the Sanskrit word meaning “womb chamber”, a small room or shrine in a Hindu temple containing its principal holy image

Question 22

Geoglyph

Answer 22

earthen design on a colossal scale, often created in a landscape as if to be seen from an aerial viewpoint

Question 23

Guild

Answer 23

An association of artists or craftspeople. Medieval and
Renaissance guilds had great economic power, as they controlled the marketing
of their members’ products and provided economic protection, political solidarity,
and training in the craft to its members.

Question 24

Handscroll

Answer 24

A long, narrow, horizontal painting or text (or combination
thereof ) common in Chinese and Japanese art and of a size intended for
individual use. A handscroll is stored wrapped tightly around a wooden pin and is
unrolled for viewing or reading

Question 25

Haniwa

Answer 25

Pottery forms, including cylinders, buildings, and human figures, that were placed on top of Japanese tombs or burial mounds during the Kofun period (300–552 c.e.)

Question 26

Illumination

Answer 26

A painting on paper or parchment used as an illustration and/or decoration in a manuscript or album. Usually richly colored, often supplemented by gold and other precious materials. The artists are referred to as illuminators. Also: the technique of decorating manuscripts with such paintings

Question 27

Joined-Block-sculpture

Answer 27

Large-scale wooden sculpture constructed by a method developed in Japan. The entire work is made from smaller hollow blocks, each individually carved, and assembled when complete. The joined-block technique allowed production of larger sculpture, as the multiple joints alleviate the problems of drying and cracking found with sculpture carved from a single block

Question 28

Lacquer

Answer 28

A type of hard, glossy surface varnish, originally developed for use on objects in East Asian cultures, made from the sap of the Asian sumac or from shellac, a resinous secretion from the lac insect

Question 29

Lantern

Answer 29

(p. 476) A turretlike structure situated on a roof, vault, or dome, with windows that allow light into the space below.

Question 30

Linga

Answer 30

shrine (p. 319) A place of worship centered on an object or representation in the form of a phallus or column (the linga), which symbolizes the power of the Hindu god Shiva.

Question 31

Mandala

Answer 31

An image of the cosmos represented by an arrangement of circles or concentric geometric shapes containing diagrams or images. Used for meditation and contemplation by Buddhists

Question 32

Mudra

Answer 32

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

Question 33

Pagoda

Answer 33

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

Question 34

Pictograph

Answer 34

A highly stylized depiction serving as a symbol for a person or object. Also: a type of writing utilizing such symbols

Question 35

Piece-mold casting

Answer 35

A casting technique in which the mold consists of several sections that are connected during the pouring of molten metal, usually bronze. After the cast form has hardened, the pieces of the mold are disassembled, leaving the completed object

Question 36

Prostration

Answer 36

to put oneself in a submissive posture or state, very often laying out face down in reverence. Usually done in a religious manner

Question 37

Putto

Answer 37

A plump, naked little boy, often winged. In Classical art, called a cupid; in Christian art, a cherub

Question 38

reliquary

Answer 38

A container, often elaborate and made of precious materials, used as a repository for sacred relics

Question 39

Rose Window

Answer 39

A round window, often filled with stained glass set into tracery patterns in the form of wheel spokes, found in the façades of the naves and transepts of large Gothic churches

Question 40

Samurai

Answer 40

The term samurai was originally used to denote the aristocratic warriors (bushi), but it came to apply to all the members of the warrior class that rose to power in the 12th century and dominated the Japanese government until the Meiji Restoration in 1868

Question 41

scarification

Answer 41

Ornamental decoration applied to the surface of the body by cutting the skin for cultural and/or aesthetic reasons

Question 42

Scriptorium

Answer 42

A room in a monastery for writing or copying manuscripts

Question 43

Stained glass

Answer 43

Glass stained with color while molten, using metallic oxides. Stained glass is most often used in windows, for which small pieces of different colors are precisely cut and assembled into a design, held together by lead cames. Additional details may be added with vitreous paint

Question 44

Stupa

Answer 44

In Buddhist architecture, a bell-shaped or dome-like religious monument, made of piled earth, brick, or stone, and containing sacred relics

Question 45

taotie

Answer 45

A mask with a dragon- or animal-like face common as a decorative motif in Chinese art

Question 46

tessera

Answer 46

A small piece of stone, glass, or other object that is pieced together with many others to create a mosaic

Question 47

The Game

Answer 47

A ritual ballgame that was one of the defining characteristics of Mesoamerican society. It was generally played on a long, rectangular court with a large, solid, heavy rubber ball. Using their elbows, knees, or hips but not their hands – the losers were sacrificed

Question 48

Toron

Answer 48

In West African mosque architecture, one of the wooden beams that project from the walls. Torons are used as support for the scaffolding erected annually for the replastering of the building

Question 49

ushnisha

Answer 49

In Asian art, a round cranial bump or bun of hair symbolizing royalty and, when worn by a buddha, enlightenment

Question 50

axis mundi

Answer 50

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 South Asian art, the axis mundi can be marked by monumental free-standing decorative pillars