Art History Unit 3
During which kingdom was the Great Sphinx created? What is its size and what does it depict?
Created during the Old Kingdom. Height: 65 ft Depicts the head of a pharaoh placed on the body of a reclining object
Ziggurat
A Sumerian shrine in the form of a stepped mountain made of brick covered Earth
What is a contrapposto?
A pose in which the weight of the body is balanced on one leg while the other is free and relaxed
What's was a ziggurat and what shape was its form ? Why were they built ?
A ziggurat is a stepped mountain made of brick-covered earth. The shape of its form was like a pyramid/triangle. They were built to create a monument that appeared to span the space between earthbound worshipers and their heavenly gods.
What is the purpose of a false door painted on the wall of an Egyptian's tomb?
Allows the priests ka to pass through in search of offerings
3 decorative column styles of ancient greeks
Doric order Ionic order Corinthian order
What are hieroglyphics?
Early form of picture writing
Describe the rules that egyptian artists were required to follow when painting or sculpting a figure?
Every part of the body must be shown from the most familiar point of view. All parts of the body had to be clearly shown. Head, arms, and legs were shown in profile. Eyes and shoulders were shown as seen from the front.
How are the portraits of Akhenaton different from the portraits of ealier pharaohs?
His portraits depict him realistically and they often show him in common everyday scenes
Explain why the humans of the earliest times paid homage to particularly animals by placing their images on cave walls and ceilings.
It says in the book that they were probably some sort of rituals. Cave painting was limited almost entirely to the depiction of animals probably due to to prehistoric people's dependence on animals for food. Their rituals was intended to weaken it and make it easier to hunt. The hunters probably believed that, by drawing a lifelike picture of an animal , they were capturing some of that animals strength and spirit.
Where was the Ishtar gate erected and what was its purpose? Which architecture period is it the only example of ?
It was marking a procession route that curled through Babylon. It's one of the eight gateways , the royal processions passed through this gate during the Neo-Babylonian period.
For what accomplishment is Hammurabi famous ?
King Hammurabi owes his fame to the code he published to unify legal practices in his empire.
Briefly describe the Hellenistic Period. Explain how it originated, how it ended, and describe its artists.
Originated when Philip (338 B.C.) defeated and united Greece. Alexander the Great spread culture. Sculptors were extremely skilled and confident, and lack of precise balance and harmony of classical sculptures. It ended when Greece fell under Roman control.
Which types of buildings are regarded as the highest accomplishments of the Persian architecture? What is the best example?
Palaces ex: Persepolis in Iran
The age that produced cave painting such as those of Altamira in Spain and Lascaux in France, is believed to have begun ___________
Paleolithic Art
What famous artist oversaw the work of the Parthenon frieze? What does the frieze depict? What other contribution did he make to the Parthenon?
Phidias Depicts 350 people and 125 horses taking part in a religious parade. Contributed the statue of Athena
What 3 familiar features of Greek architecture were used in the construction of the Parthenon?
Post and lintel contruction A sloping; or gabled roof A colonnde
Doric order
Principles feature is a simple heavy column w/o a base topped by a broad plain capital
Which aspects of Myron's Discus Thrower are realistic? Which are idealistic?
Realisitic: muscles Idealistic: his face is completely calm and relaxed
What are characteristics of early Greek sculptures called the Kouroi and Korai? What happened to Greek artists with each new generation?
Stiffness and solidity with very little suggestion of movement. Artists became more skillful and bold with each new generation.
Give an example of post-and-lintel construction.
Stone Henge
How did prehistoric artists give their cave paintings a three-dimensional look?
The artist filled in the lines with black or dark brown to give it a firm edge. And the Animal was filled in with different shades of reddish brown hue. That shading technique helped create the impression of a three-dimensional form.
For whom and why were the pyramids built ?
The most impressive tombs were built for the pharaohs. Each pyramid was built to house and protect the body of the pharaoh and the treasures he would take with him from this world to the next.
Describe the Paleolithic period and name the locations and countries where cave paintings from this period were found
The old Stone Age-historical period believed to have lasted from 30,000 B.C. until about 10,000 B.C. Locations : Lascaux: southern France and Altamira: northern spain.
what were the primary subjects in prehistoric cave paintings and why
The primary subjects in prehistoric cave paintings were about animals and rituals because perhaps they were ritualizing to hunt an animal.
What writing instrument was used by Sumerians for cuneiform? What made cuneiform writing very durable?
The stylus , writing instrument. When the writing was completed , the clay tablets were fired, or baked , to make them more durable.
What is a megalith?
They are large monuments created from house stone slabs, lie scattered across Europe , India , Asia, and even the Americans.
Describe how the fertile soil of the Nile river valley changed the way people obtained food in ancient Egypt. What caused them to settle in one place ?
They became food producers. They could settle in one place because they relied on the animals they raised themselves.
Which areas od the caves were the prehistoric paintings found? What does their location indicate?
They were found on rough ceilings and walls of the caves indicating where the where the magic rituals were performed
What are the three major historical periods of ancient Egypt ? What is a dynasty ?
Three periods: the old kingdom , the Middle Kingdom , and the new kingdom, or empire. A dynasty was a period during which a single family provided a succession of rulers.
Why were sculptures of pharaohs created?
To make sure the ka would still have a body to unite with incase the body was destroyed during a robbery.
When did an Egyptian civilization develop along the banks of the Nile ? How long did it continue to exist?
When an increase of population was brought. Egyptian civilization emerged along the banks of the Nile more that 3,000 years before the birth of Christ.it continued to exist another 3,000 years.
Columns
a decorative band running across the upper part of a wall
Define the term Frieze
a decorative band running across the upper part of a wall
pyramids
built to protect and house the body of the pharaoh in ancient Egypt
Corinthian order
capital is elongated and decorated with leaves
Ionic order
columns had an elaborate base and a capital carved into double scrolls that looked like the horns of a ram
The independence of Greek city-states was due to ______
economic wealth and geographic isolation
Name and describe 2 factors that contribute to keeping Greek city-states from uniting to form a nation.
pride and jealousy natural borders
In the fertile environment of the Nile River Valley, food gatherers changed into food _______________________
producers
A figure with a head of a pharaoh on the body of a reclining lion is called a
sphinx
