Exam 1
Henge
A circle of megaliths, usually with lintels placed on top
Civilization
A culture with evidence of laws, significant artistic creations and a social structure
Subject Matter
A focused value or topic in an artwork; what the work is about
Culture
A group of people living together with common needs and values
Chauvet Cave in France, Lascaux Cave in France, and Altamira Cave in Spain
A large quantity of cave painting have been found created in various types and in excellent condition
Earth-Dominating Structure
A large, massive structure which demands attention and dominates the view; rare in small towns but often in cities
Abbot Sugar
A medieval abbot and architect who first thought of using colored (stained) glass for spiritual inspiration
Pictograph
A prehistoric system of writing with pictures and symbols
Earth Rooted Architecture
A structure that draws attention to the site of the building; the building can often be seen from a distance and appears to be firmly rooted in place
Earth- Resting Architecture
A structure which uses the earth like a platform; the earth does not appear as an organic part of the building but as a stage
Axis Mundi
A vertically placed pole used by some primitive peoples to center their world. The term also references a structure that symbolized the center of a culture
Saint Denis
Abbot Sugars church, the first Gothic church with stained glass added
Akhenaton / Nefertiti
Akhenaton was the first monotheistic pharaoh, and the brother or father of Tutankhamen; Nefertiti was his wife and considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world
Fantasy Architecture
Also called visionary architecture; usually futuristic and is normally drawn and rarely built
Piazza
An Italian plaza with a central focus
Votive
An offering for a God or Goddess
Sagrada Familia (Church of the Holy Wisdom of God), Istanbul. Fig. 6-15
Antonia Gaudi, Sagrada Familia (Church of the Holy Family, Interior), Barcelona, Spain. 1883-Present. --- Gaudi famously relied on organic forms to create an idiosyncratic style. The Sagrada Família is famous for being one of the most iconic examples of Antoni Gaudí's unique style, combining elements of Art Nouveau, Catalan Modernism and Spanish Late Gothic design. Its Height is Remarkable When La Sagrada Familia is completed, it will be tallest religious building in all of Europe. The central tower in the middle will reach 170 meters tall. Despite having a powerful height, Gaudí believed that nothing man-made should ever be higher than God's work.
East Wing of the National Gallery of Art. Washington, D.C. Fig. 6-21
I.M. Pei, East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. 1974-1978. --- The East Wing contains modern and contemporary art. Pei's design features powerful geometric forms.
Symmetry
Balance and order; harmony
Polytheism
Belief in Many Gods
Monotheism
Belief in One God
Mesopotamia
Birthplace of civilization, located in present day Iraq and Iran
High - rises and Skyscrapers
Both use modern materials including structural steel and glass; High Rises are tall buildings with all floors usable for living or office use: Elevators are incorporated; Skeyscrapers are over 40 floors and th top is not usable and is ornamental
Humanities
Broad areas of human creativity and study including the arts, literature, philosophy, history, and music
Protagonist
Character around whom most of the action is centered and who thrusts the action forward
Saint Peters Basilica
Church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City; features a significant piazza and sculpture
The Nile River
Considered sacred to the ancient Egyptians because it floods once a year to nourish the land and it flows north
Post - and - Lintel
Earliest form of structure, 2 posts and a horizontal top
Hieroglyph
Egyptian picture writing, originated in Egypt
Tutankhamen
Famous because his tomb was discovered unopened in 1922; we have learned much about ancient Egypt because of the tomb contents
Florence Cathedral. Florence, Italy Fig. 6-18
Filippo Brunelleschi, dome of the Cathedral of Florence. 1420-1436. --- One of the great architectural achievements of the Renaissance, the cathedral still dominates the landscape of modern Florence.
Fallingwater. Mill Run, PA Fig. 6-11
Frank Lloyd Wright, Edgar J. Kaufmann House, Known as Fallingwater, 1937-1939. --- Fifty miles southeast of Pittsburgh, it was described by Time magazine as Wrights "most beautiful Job". Excellent example of the combined use of manufactured and raw materials that helps set forth the earth.
Guggenheim Museum, New York City Fig. 6-7
Frank Lloyd Wright, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City, 1957-1959. --- This was the last great commission for Wright, whose cast concrete design was instantly controversial. Guggenheim Museum is arguably the most important building of Wright's late career. A monument to modernism, the unique architecture of the space, with its spiral ramp riding to a domed skylight, continues to thrill visitors and provide a unique forum for the presentation of contemporary art.
Bank of China Tower. Hong Kong Fig. 6-29
I.M. Pei, Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong. 1982-1990. --- At 72 stories high, this is Hong Kong's tallest building. One of Pei's challenges was to satisfy the needs of fen shui, the proper positioning of the building and its angles. It was the tallest building in Asia until the year 1992, and was the first built outside the United States in overcoming the height of the 305 meters. The building consists of four triangular towers of glass and aluminum, all of varying heights, emerging from a triumphal podium of beautiful granite.
Guggenheim Museum. Bilbao, Spain Fig. 6-24
Frank O. Gehry, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Bilbao, Spain. 1991-1997. View from across the river. Gehry's titanium clad free flowing forms have been made possible by the computer and have become his signature style. Designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the Guggenheim is a concrete masterpiece, featuring a top-heavy spiraling form that certainly makes for a unique space for displaying art—the ultimate goal of Solomon R. Guggenheim himself, and of his art adviser Hilla Rebay Guggenheim Museum is arguably the most important building of Wright's late career. A monument to modernism, the unique architecture of the space, with its spiral ramp riding to a domed skylight, continues to thrill visitors and provide a unique forum for the presentation of contemporary art.
Dionysus
God of wine, revelry and theatre
Ionic Order
Greek architectural style featuring a scroll shaped capital called a volute, and thinner columns - this is the style typically used for smaller temples, monuments and structures
Doric order
Greek architectural style featuring a squared or cushion shape capital and large substantial columns - This is the sole typically used for large sacred temples (in the ancient world) and government buildings (in the modern world)
Sophocles
Greek playwright who introduced the 3rd actor and complex plots
Hagia Sophia (Church of the Holy Wisdom of God), Istanbul Fig. 6-19
Hagia Sophia (Church of the Holy Wisdom of God), Istanbul. 532-537, restored 556,975. --- Isadore and Anthemius were nonprofessional architects who used light materials to create a huge well-lighted interior Built 1,500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453. In 1934 it became a museum and is now a Unesco World Heritage site He built four massive columns at the corner of each square. On top of the columns, he built four arches. He then filled the spaces between the arches with masonry to create curved triangular shapes called pendentives. The pendentives and the tops of the arches combine to form a strong base for the dome.
Participative experiences
Immersion in an artwork, alone or with a group, to fully experience the work; undivided and sustained attention to an object or event
Centered Space
Is the arrangement of things around a significant structure, and the place at which other things seem to converge
Radcliffe Camera, Oxford University, UK Fig. 6-9
James Gibbs, Radcliffe Camera, Oxford University, Oxforshire, UK, 1737-1748. --- A library for Oxford University, the building does not have a long vista. It sits amid the many colleges of the university. It was inspired by a sixteenth-century tempietto (little temple) by Donato Bramante. Like the Radcliffe Camera, it was enclosed by other buildings
The Taj Mahal. Agra, India Fig. 6-27
The Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. 1653. --- Shah Jehan, the Mughal emperor, built The Taj in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. One of the most visited buildings in the world, it is in some danger because of the subsidence of a nearby river. It's architect, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, was one of thousands of craftsmen and designers who finished the primary building in a little more than 15 years.
Corinthian Order
Late Greek, early Roman architectural style featuring an acanthus leaf capital, thin, and short columns - This is the style used on late Greek structures and many Roman buildings and arches, as well as monuments and ornamental structures
Palace of Versailles. Versailles, France Fig. 6-12
Louis e Vau and Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Palace of Versailles, France. 1661-1687. --- France was governed from this palace from 1682 until the French Revolution of 1789. Its immensity was designed to house the entire Royal Court in a place several miles from Paris, the official capital of France
The Seagram Building, New York City Fig. 6-6
Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe and Philip Johnson, architects, the Seagram Building, New York City. 1954-1958 --- An Example of the International style popular in mid century, the building was designed so that the structure of the building would be visible. Without decoration, and with replication of floor upon floor, this building reveals a clear function for "doing business"
Farnsworth Residence. Plano, Illinois. Fig. 6-20
Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, Farnsworth Residence. Plano, Illinois. 1950. --- Mies insisted on building with the interior structure visible from all angles. Its interior and furnishings were all designed to provide a sense of connection to the landscape outside. Farnsworth House is an icon of modernist architecture. The housewas designed to be a serene island, a place of quiet reflection. The significance of the Farnsworth House was recognized even before it was built.
Ziggurat
Mesopotamian stepped platform built to hold a temple
Hearst Tower. New York City Fig. 6-32
Norman Foster, Hearst Tower, New York City. 2006. --- The project was to build on top of a 78 year old limestone building whose interior was essentially gutted to accommodate the tower, which rises sharply and suddenly above the conventional lower section.
Structure
Overall organization of an artwork
Petronas Twin Tower. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Fig. 6-28
Petronal Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Casar Pelli, 1993-1996. --- The tallest twin towers in the world, these buildings are influenced by the traditional Buddhist temples that were common in Southeast Asia. The influence links temples of spiritual contemplation with temples of business.
Tragedy
Play that ends badly for the protagonist, usually in death
Theme
Point or message that the playwright is trying to convey to the audience
The Pantheon
Roman temple to honor the seven planetary deities, featuring a hemispherical dome
Architecture
Structures designed and built by humans for use by humans and animals
Participation
Studying and giving attention and focus to a work of art
The Court of the Lions. The Alhambra, Granada, Spain. Fig. 6-35
The Court of the Lions, the Alhambra. One of the largest open courts in the Alhambra, the space was for large receptions. The fountain was fed through a hydraulic system, with the lions spewing the fountain's water. Today all 12 lions spew water, but originally each lion took a turn each hour. The Palace of the Lions was the architectural pinnacle of the Alhambra. ... Its celebrated fountain was a symbol of its decorative richness and an example of the complex water system. In addition to its symbolic function the fountain also had a practical purpose. The architectural pattern of the Palace of the Lions was similar to that of the Palace of Comares, although with the traditional design of the Spanish-Moorish houses, i.e. a central open air courtyard as the centre of family life was flanked by a number of polyvalent rooms consisting of a ground floor and at least one
Ka
The ancient Egyptian term for a humans life force and essence
Parthenon
The Greek temple built to honor the goddess Athena
Neolithic
The New Stone Age, people settled in villages, and controlled their environment; an example of an art work would be Stonehenge
The Pantheon. Rome, Italy Fig. 6-14
The Pantheon, Rome, Exterior - 117-125 CE. --- The Greek facade, eight Egyptian marble Corinthian pillars, hides the dreamlike structure of the building, which was used as a Christian church starting the seventh century. Pantheon Dome important - Made primarily from bricks and concrete, the Pantheon consists of three sections: a portico with granite columns, a massive domed rotunda and a rectangular area connecting the other two sections. Measuring 142 feet in diameter, the domed ceiling was the largest of its kind when it was built
Pantheism
The belief that divinity is inherent in all living things
Animism
The belief that every element of nature has a living spirit
Urban Planning
The branch of architecture dealing with the design and organization of city spaces and activities
Chartres Cathedral. Chartres, France Fig. 6-2
The cathedral, built starting in 1140 and continuing into the fifteenth century, dominates the city scape. Chartres is considered the greatest of the Gothic cathedrals
Antagonist
The character or thing that provides the most conflict for the protagonist
Cuneiform Script
The first written language, originated in Mesopotamia
Gothic
The late medieval building style featuring starting heights, light colored stone, and stained glass windows
Paleolithic
The old Stone Age, people were nomadic and were controlled by their environment; an example of an art work would be the cave painting or the Woman of Willendorf
Artistic Form
The organization of an artwork that clarifies or reveals a subject matter
The Parthenon, Athens. Fig. 6-4
The parthenon was dedicated to Athena, the patron of Athens. To give its proportions a sense of perfection, a number of imperfections were built into the columns to accommodate the way people must look up to the building
Chartres Cathedral
The prototype of the Gothic Cathedral
Plot
The series of events or actions which relate the story to the audience
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, Valley of the Kings, Egypt... 15th century BCE. Fig. 6-1.
The temple was designed by Senmut, an architect and Hatshepsut's visor and, according to legend, her lover. Hatshepsut (1508-1458 BCE) Was the most successful of Egypt's female pharaohs. This is one of the greatest examples of symmetry in early architecture
Personal Responses (emotions)
The way a viewer or participant in the arts feels about or reacts to a work of art
Prehistoric
before recorded history
Megalith
Upright roughly cut stone slab
Sky-Oriented Architecture
a structure focused on accenting the sky, sunlight and horizon, making a building appear to defy gravity; more focused on heaven than earth