Honors Art History Midterm Exam

-looking off to the side: intensity and paranoia (he was assassinated 6 years after his rule) -not fully clothed, more exposed than usual roman portraits -face detailed: very individualized - nose, carved hair, chin, eyebrows furrowed -instantaneousness -static, frontal portrait bust gone

caracalla (late empire, rome, marble)

-sarcophagus held ashes, cremation most used to dispose of the dead for etruscans (different from greeks, who used simple graves marked by vases)

cerveteri sarcophagus - etruscan funerary art

-black figure technique - image created on black vase and details of figures carved out (can be very detailed) -frontal eye -archaic period

achilles and ajax playing a board game (ancient greece) -include the specific painting technique used on this vase and the time period it occurred in

-shift from pantheistic to monotheistic -iconoclast - destroyer of images - purged temples of representations of other gods -physically different - fullness and roundness - androgynous, sexless

akhenaten (the amarna period, ancient egypt) -major shift -what was he known for doing? -physical differences?

-no spiritual representation of animals or humans -commemorating something fleeting and personal

akhenaten, nefertiti, and their daughters (ancient egypt)

-baked clay -unlike greek sculptures, less detailed and proportionate -archaic smile

apollo of veii (temple, etruscan)

-detail -defeat, loss, pain very clear - emotional expression -broken nose, cuts on skin

apollonius, seated boxer (hellenistic, greece)

takes inspiration from greece: -outer room and inner room -pilasters (pillar) engaged into the walls -parallel friezes similar to panathenaic and parthenon friezes in subject (procession) -consistent ground line -low to high relief -similar clothing showing unified people different from greece: -depicting children to encourage the creation of families -altar not for god or city; meant to commemmorate victory of peace for augustus, the roman ruler -greek art was about all athenians, this roman art was individualized in form -celebrating augustus, victorious warrior and bringer of peace

ara pacis - 'altar of peace' (rome) (south side shown here) -how does it both take inspiration and differ from greece?

-emperor (Titus) using public monument to commemorate a victory -spoils of jerusalem etched inside, depicts people with spoila marching through the arch

arch of titus (early empire, rome)

-use of bronze, much of which has been melted down so there aren't many bronze art examples left -bronze allows lighter pieces to shine and reflect; allows foot to lifted - sculpture has not crumbled or been destroyed over time -marble was used more, but bronze was used for larger, more important commissions -hollow eyes

artemesion zeus (bronze, ancient greece)

creates illusion of distance by decreasing color intensity and blurring contour lines

atmospheric (aerial) perspective

-art illustrated on battle armor inspired by greek battle/victory scenes -powerful stance, active, arm outstretched - gesture coded to mean something to public -cupid at his feet represents closeness to divinity

augustus of primaporta (early empire, rome)

while the image of augustus is meant to communicate something to the viewer (his hand gesture would have been coded to mean something to the public), shows his closeness to divinity with the cupid, and commemorates battle; the statue of aurelius seems to be more natural - caught in a moment. the inclusion of the horse adds an element of naturalism to the sculpture.

augustus of primaporta and equestrian statue of marcus aurelius

-pole going into the earth and into the heavens underworld --> earth --> heavens -belowground of temple connects to underworld, top of pyramid connects to heavens -the people have to connect to the underworld and the heavens to make sure the sun rises again after it sets and goes into the underworld -temple thought to be the center of the world

axis mundi -how did the pyramid of the sun (teotihuacán) serve as the axis mundi for that culture?

-depicts when alexander the great met/fought with king of persia (darius ii) in decisive battle -hellenistic and alexander the great go hand-in-hand -congested, dramatic -dynamic horses, fallen horses -great control of space, narrative, not static like a scene of a funeral -modeling - not just lines; highlighting, shading, dimension, depth

battle of issos (hellenistic)

-fresco style -bulls sacred at this time -females have lighter skin, males have darker skin -overly emphasized small waists -no consistent ground line

bull leaping fresco from knossos (minoan, ancient greece)

one side shows wartime, other shows peacetime; made with lapis lazuli and gold; kinglike figure in the center; used as military standard

bull lyre and standard

-monumental tombs for the dead, which were not common for the greeks -estruscan temples no longer stand because of their materials, but etruscan tombs remain permanent -underground burial chambers decorated with mural paintings for the very rich

cerveteri tumuli (etruscan) - how does this highlight the differences between the greeks and etruscans?

-people began living in settled communities, creating monumental architecture -megaliths - buildings - 'made of big stones' -stones had significance, representing the permanent and eternal; because of this monuments to the dead were usually stone so they would endure forever -people have rooted themselves and create monumental structures

characteristics of neolithic period

-no consistent common line in chauvet cave, but shown on vase very tightly -movement: overlap + multidirectional motion in chauvet; static, directional in vase -just a scene in chauvet; multiple subjects, clear narratives on vase

chauvet cave and warka vase

-individualistic, naturalistic portraits -depict olmec rulers who have power -likely hereditary rulers -fleshy features, cross-eyed irises -crossed eyes represent elitism -body modification: if you are cross-eyed, you can see the world differently from everyone else and you can see the gods -some evidence that portraits were funerary for past rulers; could be sons commissioning portraits for their passed father when they become king

colossal heads (basalt, olmec, ancient mesoamerica)

-propagandistic -sell usefulness of individual users to the populace -narrative spirals up and up, different vignettes of different landscapes

column of trajan (high empire, rome)

-new york kouros is not lifelike; his stance is stiff and would be hard to maintain in real life -kritios boy evidences contrapposto, the technique of the greeks meant to be a natural way of depicting the human body

compare new york kouros and kritios boy (both ancient greece)

continuous line that defines the outer edge of a form

contour line

when a figure stands with one leg holding its full weight and the other leg relaxed. this classic pose causes the figure's hips and shoulders to rest at opposite angles, giving a slight s-curve to the entire torso. considered the perfect pose for the human figure. at rest, but prepared to take movement at a moment's notice

contrapposto

-segmented body of defeated goddess -warrior woman, killed by brother because she and 400 brothers killed their mother -people sacrificed and thrown onto stone, insulting to these sacrificed men because she was a woman

coyolxauhqui stone (aztec)

-used plentiful marble and stone of greece -only nose shown/sculpted - rest was low relief -feet pointed, they couldn't stand on their own -once painted -ritualistic, found in graves

cycladic figurines (ancient greece)

-red figure technique - figure traced out and black painted around it, black used to paint details on figure - easier than carving out from black -late archaic to classical period

death of the children of niobe (ancient greece) -what was the specific painting technique used on this vase, and what time period did it occur in?

-aurelius appears too large in comparison to the horse -hand gesture out -detail of hair similar to depictions of zeus -no longer depicted as young -contrapposto: caught in a moment - horse

equestrian statue of marcus aurelius

creates illusion of a figure receding strongly into the distance or background

foreshortening

-long-necked vase -hierarchy and registers - not an ascending level of importance -geometric because of the patterning/shapes, mirrored symmetry directs focus in towards the middle (where a dead body is shown) -geometric style because actual shapes are used to make up the characters -form matches function: portrays the function it is meant to fulfill - portays burial rites, used as marker for grave

geometric amphora

-painted -curvalinear: lines used to make up her body are more rounded -frontal eye: eye looked at from the front and placed on her profile

goddess (mycenaean, ancient greece)

-appears to be coming out of the earth -jade face mask (very valued material) -welcoming gesture -headdress with owl, hearts, and intestines possibly symbolically represents sacrifice -found in apartments of regular people -it was everyone's job to take care of the gods and goddesses -conceptual and symbolic

goddess mural (teotihuacán apartments)

-romans cremated, christians buried because they believed in resurrection, leading to emergence of catacombs and sarcophagi housing earliest christian art -depicts story of jonah and the whale -christ depicted in the center as good shepherd tending to his flock -surrounded by four sections of jonah's story -four orants with arms raised, in between jonah sections -not only displayed for christians, but for jews as well -both communities were underground at this time -important at this phase of early christian art that it depicted connections to both the old testament and the traditional imperial art of rome -jonah's story (stuck in a whale for three days) parallels the story of jesus' resurrection -this prefiguration was a way to claim historical legitimacy -dome of early christian spaces significant

good shepherd, orants, and the story of jonah (early christian) -what was significant about early christian funerary practices? -describe

-conquered etruscans and greeks -when conquering, they imposed language, laws, and religion; they were flexible: local gods could have a place in the roman religion, local customs could continue -rome beecause center of art, culture, and rule - "caput mundi" is capital of the world -highly influenced by greek philosophy, literature, pantheon, and governance

hallmarks of ancient rome -characteristics of their conquering

-islands of greece -needed trade with other islands to succeed -maritime cultures -- sailors, fishers

hallmarks of cycladic civilization (ancient greece)

-rome not governed by senate or dictator, but emperors -absolutely expansive builders, inflected more for public good -emphasis on individual emperors, increase in individualization in art - more ruler portraits than ever seen before

hallmarks of early empire in rome

-not as united, hundreds of sites with some more powerful than others -rainforest area -two biggest maya cities were rivals with one another -hieroglyphic system of writing -developed additional specific calendear -very interested in history and the deeds of their rulers

hallmarks of maya culture

-culturally united by calendar, polytheistic tradition -different languages -cliche of sacrifice cultures believed their gods had sacrificed themselves for them, so they practiced human sacrifice to give back to the gods

hallmarks of mesoamerica

-island of crete -twisting, elongated figures; movement, motion, dynamism

hallmarks of minoan civilization (ancient greece) -where is it? -what are the main characteristics of art here?

-fanciest were on walls of rooms backed up to central courtyard -very repetitive -made with stencils, which could be bought at markets -vibrant, use of red -symbolic, not narrative

hallmarks of murals in teotihucán apartments

-transition between ancient greece and ancient rome -consortium or loose city states (like romans) -worked economically in tandem, trade nation -shared italian peninsula with ancient greece for 700 years peacefully -written language that hasn't been decoded -buildings haven't survived because they were made of organic material

hallmarks of the etruscans

-drama -emotion -bodies became vehicles for emotional expression -began with alexander the great's death

hallmarks of the hellenistic period

-face more distinctive -polychromy gives life to the work -more open composition

how does the seated scribe differ from menkaure and his queen? (ancient egypt)

name of color

hue

-rock temple carved into mountainside -4 enthroned statues of ramses all the same -bilateral symmetry

temple of ramses ii (ancient egypt)

corinthian order: much larger capital, much larger pieces; a lot more going on in the capital (leaves, rosettes that cover/overtake the ionic volute); more complex, took more carving; also identified as more feminine

identify and describe this method of architecture

doric order: simplest, no decorative base, included only fluted shafts and capital, identified as more masculine, used chiefly in the parthenon

identify and describe this method of architecture

ionic order: has decorative base and includes flute; known for its volutes (ram-horn curlicues); identified as more feminine

identify and describe this method of architecture

brightness or dullness

intensity/saturation

biomorphic

irregular shapes

-closed composition -bilateral symmetry shows an eternal stillness

khafre enthroned (ancient egypt)

lion hunting, pleasure scene, would have been found on walls of castle/palace

king assurnasirpal ii hunting lions, nimrud (assyria)

-first use of contrapposto -identifiably greek

kritios boy (early classical, ancient greece)

-giant animal statue -shows how animals functioned within new urban centers -5 legs depicted to show motion (mentally edit out static leg)

lamassu (assyria)

-lady xoc performing ritual with her husband -day after her husband had a son with another woman; statement that she is the main woman and she is the one doing the ceremonies for the gods -bloodletting ceremony: piercing her tongue -her husband stands above her -gift to the gods -having sacred vision through smoke

lintel 24 (maya)

-abstractions used to convey more animals (more horns with rhinos) in a limited space -layering, which conveys movement

lion panel, chauvet cave (paleolithic)

-neolithic are super settled, paleolithic were nomadic -paleolithic created art on walls as they constantly moved, neolithic were settled and created monumental art

major differences in culture and art between paleolithic and neolithic periods

-no longer thought to be agamemnon -repoussé: sheet of metal hammered -sharp nose, almond eyes -gold largely imported in mycenaean civilization

mask of agamemnon (mycenaean, ancient greece)

-precursor to pyramid -single story stepped space with funerary purposes

mastaba

-'made of big stones' -neolithic monumental architecture buildings -religious in nature

megaliths

-woman is slightly behind him -menkaure walking forward, foot slightly outstretched -closed composition

menkaure and queen khamerernebty (ancient egypt)

-pantheism, pagan reliefs move to monotheism -head is colossal scale -draws together roman imperial propaganda + individualism and the next era

monumental head of constantine

-made from glass tesserae - cubes -depicted with haloes, taking on divine properties -gold sky as background to show scene of heaven -includes important symbols and components of christianity - eucharist, bible, incense -wearing color purple, same as christ -also predates christ, roman caesar wore purple, connection to imperial kingdom

mosaics depicting king justinian and wife theodora inside church of san vitale (byzantine)

-mainland greece -warrior group (fought troy)

mycenaen civilization

spear bearer has an open composition (negative space carved out between legs and arms), idealization, and canonical proportions. aphrodite of knidos shows a goddess portrayed as nude, s-curve of body, and idealization

name two ways in which each of these sculptures were revolutionary for their times using specific observations and visual evidence. depicted are polykleitos, spear bearer; and praxiteles, aphrodite of knidos. (both are greek)

painting, but contains some of the same conventions of registers, such as hierarchy of scale

nebamun hunting birds (ancient egypt)

agriculture

neolithic period is greatly associated with _________________.

-similar posing to egyptian art (menkaure) with foot forward -flatness -nudity in male figure significant -free/open, not attached to block -stylization, lines to represent hair

new york kouros (ancient greece)

-maritime interests of island culture -formal interest in dynamism - movement -form of octupus emphasizes form of vase

octupus vase (minoan, ancient greece)

-inspired by roman basilicas (meant for public use) not greco-roman temples -plain on outside (different from greco-roman temples) but magnificent on inside -altar in apse, location of transubstantiation -axial organization emphasizes altar -built on where st peter died, first head of church

old saint peter's basilica (early christian)

composition

overall plan or structure of a work of art - how the formal elements are arranged

-king depicted larger than everyone else -cats intertwined necks represent intertwining or the two egyptian regions (lower and upper) -pharaoh wears a different crown on each side, each representing upper/lower kingdom) -tiers are called registers -composite/twisted perspective portraying all body parts of figures, including face -lines on ruler's legs = technique of stylization to indicate the musculature and anatomical structure of the legs -each section has multiple levels of ground lines

palette of narmer -description -what are the tiers called? -what illusion is portrayed in the figures? -technique used on legs?

-ancient world's biggest dome -temple to all the gods -oculus topping rotunda (big round space) that opens up to the sky and lets in the sun

pantheon (rome)

-column of idealized women -knee popping out, impression of nonchalance/effortlessness -capital made to look like headwear to blend natural with the manmade -sculpture of drapery looks like fluting of column

patio of caryatids - south portico of the erechthion

-smiling indicates that she is alive - vitality - rather than emotion - archaic smiles -painted -votive figure (offering to god or goddess)

peplos kore (ancient greece)

-gods battle with dragons -relief: different levels, writhing in different directions -pieces move off the picture plane -no single ground line - we are seeing just a part of the scene. more is happening beyond what we can see

pergamon (altar of zeus)

-polykleitos wrote canon, saying there should be set proportions (mathematical) for sculptures -contrapposto

polykleitos, poryphoros (spear bearer) -what was significant about the artist?

-shows odysseus defeating cyclops (from the odyssey) -takes influences from near east + egypt (orientalizing style - orient = to the east) -frontal eye -triangular body shape -filled negative space -one larger figure - everything is proportioned relative to the main figure

polyphemos painter amphora

aqueducts built to ensure irrigation

pont du gard (southern france) -what important function were things like this built for?

-s curve to give sway to the body -first time a goddess depicted fully nude -erotic -hand covering genitalia

praxiteles, aphrodite of knidos

a time before the invention of writing

prehistory

-graphic -society is starting to collapse; rulers want to go to war to get sacrificial victims to please the gods -distinguished captives from captors -captives: stripped of clothing, messy hair, humiliated -differences in stance; captives begging for their lives -could have been used as propaganda

presentation of captives (maya)

-sculpture of fire god inside -faces the west, sunset -meant to be ascended, not for people to go inside -restricted access - only for the elite -rituals and performances occurred on top -manmade tunnel found underneath, evidence of torches and ceramics indicating rituals performed there -served as axis mundi

pyramid of the sun (teotihuacán)

-depicted with male pharaoh clothing -captioned "his majesty" -funerary temple cut into side of mountain

queen hatshepsut (ancient egypt)

geometric

regular shapes

-figures marching and processing along wall - people and representatives from all lands processing to make offerings to persepolis -it blends what came before and what came concurrently (ancient greece)

royal guard relief, apadana (audience hall), (achaemenid persia)

-found at temple -temples and pyramids often had nine levels because there were nine levels of the underworld -indicates funerary function -imagery relates to ruler's death -skeletal face with Sun and ruler lying on top, like he is joining with the sun and going into the afterlife -cranial deformation - nose grown into forehead - another example of body modification - again symbolizes beauty and closeness to gods

sarcophagus lid (maya) -what was a significant detail of temples at this time?

-depicts nudity as embarrassment -mixture of old and new testament imagery -roman official who had recently converted to christianity -stylistic strategies: -columns on sarcophagus adapts architectural language of the roman empire -stance, proportion, modeling of face (very similar) not individualistic; similar to that of 4 tetrarchs statues of roman empire -not as obvious/hard of a break as tetrarchs

sarcophagus of julius bassus (early christian)

-the characters in both have similar stances, proportions, very similar faces (not individualistic) but tetrarchs have a more obvious/hard break -sarcophagus figures have contrapposto, tetrarchs do not

sarcophagus of julius bassus (early christian) and four tetrarchs (late roman)

-pediments were triangular, so sculptures were shaped to fit that -new meanings for animals -depictions of regular athenians rather than just of gods

sculptures from the east pediment (parthenon, greece)

-no longer hunting/gathering; instead using agriculture because they were settled -forming governments, getting education and jobs -irrigation, made possible in fertile crescent between tigris and euphrates rivers

significance of agriculture for the neolithic

-high relief -tension, drama

south metopes

VA: small hands, large eyes, looking up CA: found at temple, used for worship; temples were not just monuments, but actually used to await god (proxy for humans)

statues from esh-nunna

-empire had to maintain all the territories it had conquered through large architectural creations -colosseum was used for fight-to-the-death games for public entertainment (unlike greek arenas, which weren't explicitly public spaces) -prisoners/enslaved/fighters held in middle -circuses and colissea existed everywhere in the roman empire, not just here

the colosseum (concrete and marble, early empire, rome)

-push to establish four rulers throughout roman empire because the conflicts were so far flung across the empire -power shifting from rome to constantinople -collaboration and unity -scary time: they are all clutching each other and their swords

the tetrarchs (late empire, porphyry)

-banqueting couples celebrate the good life, joyful celebration rather than a somber contemplation of death -exaggerated gestures and large hands are hallmarks of etruscan art -men are dark skinned, women are light skinned

tomb of the leopards wall painting (etruscan burial chamber)

-twisted or inaccurate perspective in order to include elements that you cannot see but are important -bull horns in cave have twisted perspective to enforce the concept that they are bulls

twisted/composite perspective - paleolithic art - include example

-animal subjects that were not a food source, could be ritualistically/ceremonially important -built into rocky outcrop, giving sense of setting, placement, and ground line (bison sculpture) heavy contour lines to give shape, no setting or ground line (spotted horses)

two bison; spotted horses mural (paleolithic)

degree of lightness or darkness

value

VA: disproportionate, closed form, exaggerated, no face CA: exaggerated proportions in breasts, hips, pubic triangle, stomach represent fertility; no face = not human, icon; female form ceremonial

venus of willendorf (VA/CA)

-accurate description is the most important thing -a way to communicate a lack of vanity -what's on the inside is more important than what's on the outside -direct opposition of past art - Egyptian pharaohs always look similar - they had to be idealized

verism (used in sculpture, roman)

-icons (portable, healing) rather than narrative images -church became afraid people were praying to objects (idolatry) and not the ideals the objects were supposed to represent -period of iconoclasm begins, where icons are destroyed

virgin and child between saints theodore and george

-she represents the resurgence of icons after iconoclasm

virgin of vladimir (byzantine) -how does this piece represent a major shift?

VA: top to bottom - 1. priest king, goddess inanna, and presentation of offerings; 2. cornucopias filled by inanna; 3. rams and ewes; 4. crops -tight common lines, movement (directional), hierarchy of scale (deity largest) CA: deity provides message of fertility and abundance; multiple subjects, clear narrative

warka vase (VA/CA)

vase: progression into offering, showing cultivation of offering, rank, and hierarchy victory stele: dominance, hierarchy of scale, people kneeling before leader, hierarchy between gods and ruler (under the sun), relationship between ruler and his forces

warka vase and victory stele

-capacity of wax used in bronze casting to take detail -period of stylization gone in greece (no lines used to represent hair, etc) -instantaneous/caught in a moment -different chromatic effects (silver teeth, copper eyelashes)

warrior from riace (bronze, classical, ancient greece)

eye bags, wrinkles in the brow, lines by the mouth make him much more distinguishable and individualized than khafre enthroned

what details of senusret iii make him differ from khafre enthroned? (ancient egypt)

verism

what important roman illusion is represented here?

twisted perspective

what is the name of the illusion used on the horns of the bull?

-coffering: little squares covering wall that have recessions inside, serve as decor and get smaller the farther up they go to manipulate your eye into thinking they're farther up than they are and making the dome appear to soar

what specific architectural illusion, shown here, was used inside the pantheon of rome?

first style - illusionistic, wall paintings meant to imitate greek marble

what style of roman painting is shown here? describe.

fourth style - illusionistic, box/window/extension of space; things are crowded and packed, no ground line or cohesion (point of distinction from second style, which does have cohesion), fragmented

what style of roman painting is shown here? describe.

second style - looking through a window, makes room feel like it is looking into a space, could also be a box extension of a room

what style of roman painting is shown here? describe.

third style - no illusion, decoration on a flat wall

what style of roman painting is shown here? describe.

hierarchy of scale, composite perspective

what two main illusions do these pieces, found in the tomb of ti, portray? (ancient egypt)

they began using white ground rather than black, allowing more artistic freedom

what was a significant change in painting technique during the classical to hellenistic style?

-represented something important/message

what was important about a portrait in ancient egypt?

-manifesting the idea of a heavenly jerusalem here on earth -almost always with emphasis up to the heavens or straight forward to the altar

what was the emphasis of christian church spaces?

-nomadic hunters and gatherers -lived communally (in groups) lived in 'rock shelters' built at caves/rocky overhangs -mud huts, animal skin tents -ice age, needed fires to stay warm

what were the characteristics of the paleolithic (old stone age) people?

-colossal civilization -aztecs created a mythology around the site, which was abandoned when they found it -aztecs said it was where the gods had sacrificed themselves for the people -street going from north to south called "street of the dead" -pyramid of the sun, pyramid of the moon -idea of duality: opposites create a whole -most different from other mesoamerican cultures -strictly organized, everyone had to live on grid -we don't know who the rulers were, likely a socialist city -rulers not depicted in art

what were the hallmarks of teotihuacán culture?