|
| Ancient
Greece and Rome |
| Acropolis |
The fortified upper part of a Greek city;
literally, city on a hill. Highest Point |
| Amphitheater |
A round or oval open-air theater with an arena
that is surround by rising tiers of seats. |
| Aqueduct |
A bridge like structure that carries a canal
or pipe of water across a river or valley. From Latin roots
meaning to carry water. |
| Archaic period |
A period of Greek art dating roughly 660-480
bce. The term archaic means old and refers to the art
created prior to the Classical period. |
| Architecture |
The art and science of designing aesthetic
buildings, bridges, and other structures to help people meet
their personal and communal needs. |
| Athena |
The Greek goddess of wisdom, skills, and war.
|
| Canon of proportions
|
A set of rules governing the proportions of
the human body as they are to be rendered by artists. |
| Capital |
In architecture, the area at
the top of the shaft of a column, which provides a solid base
for the horizontal elements above. Ionic, Doric, and Corinthian
|
| Classical Art |
Art of the Greek Classical period, spanning
roughly 480-400 bce; also known as Hellenic art, after Hellas,
the Greek name for Greece. |
| Coffer |
A decorative sunken panel. A recessed element
to reduce weight in a dome |
| Equestrian portrait
|
A portrait on horseback. |
| Forum |
An open public space, particularly in ancient
Rome, used as a market and a gathering place. Early Shopping
Mall |
| Frieze |
In architecture, a horizontal band between
the architrave and the cornice which is often
decorated with sculpture. |
| Golden section |
Developed in ancient Greece, a mathematical
formula for determining the relationship of the parts of a work
to the whole. |
| Humanism |
A system of belief in which mankind is viewed
as the standard by which all things are measured. |
| Idealism |
In art, the representation of forms according
to a concept of perfection. |
| Kore figure |
A female clothed figure of the Greek Archaic
style that is often adorned with intricate carved detail. A
counterpart to the male kore figure. |
| Kouros figure |
The male figure as represented in the sculpture
of the geometric and Archaic styles. The Greek word meaning
youth. |
| Naturalism |
Art that strives to imitate nature rather
than express intellectual theory. |
| Nave |
The central aisle of a church constructed
for use by the congregation at large. |
| Neoclassical style
|
An eighteenth-century style of art that revived
the Classical character of Greek and Roman art and is characterized
by simplicity and straight lines. |
| Oculus |
In architecture, a round window, particularly
one placed at the apex of a dome. Latin for eye. |
| Venus |
The Roman goddess of beauty; a prehistoric
fertility figure such as the Venus of Willendorf. |
| Weight shift principle
|
The situating of the human figure so that
the legs and hips are turned in one direction and the chest
and arms in another. This shifting of weight results in a diagonal
balancing of tension and relaxation. |
