Art History

Get some perspective on painting, sculpture, and more by reviewing these terms related to the history of art. This list will give you the vocabulary you need to understand artistic styles and movements from classical architecture to abstract expressionism. You'll finally see why a picture is worth a thousand words!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abstract
    not representing or imitating external reality
  2. abstraction
    a painting not representing or imitating external reality
  3. acrylic
    used especially by artists
  4. allegory
    a style in which characters and events are symbolic
  5. altarpiece
    a painted or carved screen placed above and behind an altar or communion table
  6. amphora
    an ancient jar with two handles and a narrow neck
  7. apse
    a projecting semicircular section of a building
  8. arabesque
    an intricate ornament that interlaces simulated foliage
  9. arcade
    a structure composed of arches supported by columns
  10. arch
    a curved masonry construction for spanning an opening
  11. architrave
    the lowest part of an entablature
  12. art deco
    a style of design that was popular in the 1920s and 1930s
  13. art nouveau
    a French school of art and architecture popular in the 1890s
  14. Ashcan school
    early 20th-century American painting portraying city life
  15. atelier
    a studio especially for an artist or designer
  16. background
    the part of a scene behind objects in the front
  17. balance
    harmonious arrangement or relation of parts within a whole
  18. balustrade
    a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony
  19. baroque
    relating to an elaborately ornamented style of art and music
  20. barrel vault
    the simplest form of vault; a single continuous arch
  21. basilica
    an early Christian church designed like a Roman basilica
  22. bas relief
    sculpture that projects only slightly from the background
  23. Bauhaus
    a German style of architecture begun by Walter Gropius in 1918
  24. buttress
    a support usually of stone or brick
  25. camera obscura
    a darkened enclosure in which images of outside objects are projected through a small aperture or lens onto a facing surface
  26. canon
    a body of rules established as valid and fundamental
  27. capital
    the upper part of a column
  28. caricature
    a representation of a person exaggerated for comic effect
  29. caryatid
    a supporting column carved in the shape of a person
  30. cast
    form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a mold
  31. chiaroscuro
    the arrangement or interplay of light and dark in an artwork
  32. classical
    characteristic of the ancient Greek and Roman cultures
  33. clerestory
    part of an interior wall rising above the adjacent roof with windows admitting light
  34. cloisonne
    enamelware in which colored areas are separated by thin metal strips
  35. collage
    a paste-up of pieces to form an artistic image
  36. colonnade
    structure consisting of a row of evenly spaced columns
  37. column
    a tall vertical cylindrical structure standing upright
  38. complementary color
    either one of two chromatic colors that when mixed together give white (in the case of lights) or grey (in the case of pigments)
  39. composition
    the spatial property resulting from the arrangement of parts
  40. constructivism
    an abstractionist artistic movement in Russia after World War I; industrial materials were used to construct nonrepresentational objects
  41. convention
    orthodoxy from conforming with accepted standards
  42. corbel
    a triangular bracket of brick or stone
  43. Corinthian order
    the last Greek order
  44. cornice
    the topmost projecting part of an entablature
  45. crenellation
    a notched rampart around the top of a castle or city wall
  46. cromlech
    a prehistoric megalithic tomb typically having two large upright stones and a capstone
  47. crosshatch
    shade with multiple crossing lines
  48. cruciform
    shaped like a cross
  49. cubism
    an artistic movement featuring surfaces of geometric planes
  50. cuneiform
    an ancient wedge-shaped script used in Mesopotamia
  51. dadaism
    a nihilistic art movement (especially in painting) that flourished in Europe early in the 20th century; based on irrationality and negation of the accepted laws of beauty
  52. daguerreotype
    an early type of photograph produced on a silver plate
  53. diptych
    a painting or carving on two panels
  54. dolmen
    a prehistoric megalithic tomb typically having two large upright stones and a capstone
  55. dome
    a hemispherical roof
  56. Doric order
    the oldest and simplest of the Greek orders and the only one that normally has no base
  57. echinus
    ovolo molding between the shaft and the abacus of a Doric column
  58. effigy
    a representation of a person
  59. enamel
    any smooth glossy coating that resembles ceramic glaze
  60. encaustic
    a paint consisting of pigment mixed with melted beeswax
  61. engrave
    carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface
  62. engraving
    a block or plate or other hard surface that has been engraved
  63. entablature
    (architecture) the structure consisting of the part of a classical temple above the columns between a capital and the roof
  64. entasis
    a slight convexity in the shaft of a column
  65. etch
    carve or cut a design or letters into
  66. etching
    an impression made from an etched plate
  67. expressionism
    an art movement focused on representing inner emotions
  68. facade
    the front of a building
  69. fauvism
    an art movement launched in 1905 whose work was characterized by bright and nonnatural colors and simple forms; influenced the expressionists
  70. figure
    a model of a bodily form
  71. flute
    a groove or furrow, especially on the shaft of a column
  72. fluting
    a groove or furrow in cloth etc
  73. flying buttress
    a supportive arch standing apart from the main structure
  74. focal point
    the concentration of attention or energy on something
  75. folio
    a book consisting of large sheets of folded paper
  76. foreground
    the part of a scene that is near the viewer
  77. foreshorten
    shorten lines in a drawing so as to create an illusion of depth
  78. formalism
    the doctrine that formal structure rather than content is what should be represented
  79. freestanding
    standing apart; not attached to or supported by anything
  80. fresco
    a mural done with watercolors on wet plaster
  81. frieze
    an ornament consisting of a horizontal sculptured band
  82. futurism
    an artistic movement in Italy around 1910 that tried to express the energy and values of the machine age
  83. genre painting
    a genre depicting everyday life
  84. geometric
    characterized by shapes and lines in design and decoration
  85. gesso
    a substance used to prepare a surface for painting
  86. golden section
    the proportional relation between two divisions of line or two dimension of a plane figure such that short : long :: long : (short + long)
  87. gold leaf
    a very thin form of gold foil
  88. Gothic
    a style of architecture developed in northern France that spread throughout Europe between the 12th and 16th centuries; characterized by slender vertical piers and counterbalancing buttresses and by vaulting and pointed arches
  89. graphic design
    visual communication by a skillful combination of text and pictures in advertisements, magazines, books, etc.
  90. grisaille
    chiaroscuro painting or stained glass etc., in shades of grey imitating the effect of relief
  91. ground
    the surface prepared to take the paint for a painting
  92. guild
    a formal association of people with similar interests
  93. Hellenistic
    relating to or characteristic of the classical Greek civilization
  94. Hudson River school
    the first coherent school of American art
  95. icon
    a conventional religious painting in oil on a small panel
  96. iconoclasm
    the orientation of an iconoclast
  97. iconography
    the system or use of familiar images as symbols
  98. idealized
    exalted to an ideal perfection or excellence
  99. illumination
    painting or drawing included in a book
  100. impasto
    painting that applies the pigment thickly so that brush or palette knife marks are visible
  101. Impressionism
    a school of late 19th century French painters who pictured appearances by strokes of unmixed colors to give the impression of reflected light
  102. in situ
    in the original or natural place or site
  103. intaglio
    a printing process that uses an etched or engraved plate
  104. Ionic order
    the second Greek order
  105. kylix
    a shallow drinking cup with two handles
  106. landscape
    painting depicting an expanse of natural scenery
  107. Lascaux
    a cave in southwestern France that contains Paleolithic paintings
  108. linear
    involving a single dimension
  109. lithograph
    a print made with a stone or metal plate
  110. loggia
    a roofed arcade or gallery with open sides stretching along the front or side of a building; often at an upper level
  111. luminism
    an artistic movement in the United States that was derived from the Hudson River school; active from 1850 to 1870; painted realistic landscapes in a style that pictured atmospheric light and the use of aerial perspective
  112. manuscript
    handwritten book or document
  113. mastaba
    an ancient Egyptian mud-brick tomb with a rectangular base and sloping sides and flat roof
  114. megalith
    memorial consisting of a very large stone forming part of a prehistoric structure (especially in western Europe)
  115. mimesis
    imitative or realistic representation in art and literature
  116. miniature
    painting or drawing included in a book
  117. minimalism
    an art movement in sculpture and painting that began in the 1950s and emphasized extreme simplification of form and color
  118. modeling
    sculpture produced by molding
  119. modernism
    genre that makes a self-conscious break with previous genres
  120. molding
    a decorative strip used for ornamentation or finishing
  121. monolith
    a single great stone, often in the form of a column
  122. mosaic
    design made of small pieces of colored stone or glass
  123. motif
    a design that consists of recurring shapes or colors
  124. movement
    a group of people who try together to achieve certain goals
  125. mural
    a painting that is applied to a wall surface
  126. naturalism
    an artistic movement emphasizing realistic description
  127. nave
    the central area of a church
  128. neoclassicism
    revival of antiquity art, literature, architecture, or music
  129. neoexpressionism
    an art movement based on expressionism
  130. neoromanticism
    an art movement based on a revival of Romanticism in art and literature
  131. obelisk
    a stone pillar tapering towards a pyramidal top
  132. oeuvre
    the total output of a writer or artist
  133. order
    style of Greek architecture distinguished by column type
  134. palette
    range of color characteristic of a painting, artist, etc.
  135. Palladian
    referring to or relating to or having the style of architecture created by Andrea Palladio
  136. papyrus
    paper made from a plant by cutting it and pressing it flat
  137. parchment
    skin of a sheep or goat prepared for writing on
  138. patron
    someone who supports or champions something
  139. patronage
    the act of providing approval and support
  140. pediment
    a triangular gable between a horizontal entablature and a sloping roof
  141. peristyle
    a colonnade surrounding a building or enclosing a court
  142. perspective
    appearance as determined by distance from the viewer
  143. pier
    a vertical supporting structure
  144. pieta
    a representation of the Virgin Mary mourning over the dead body of Jesus
  145. pilaster
    a flat, decorative, rectangular column attached to a wall
  146. plinth
    an architectural support or base, as for a column or statue
  147. pointillism
    a painting technique characterized by applying paint in dots
  148. Pop Art
    a school of art that emerged in the United Kingdom in the 1950s and became prevalent in the United States and the United Kingdom in the 1960s; it imitated the techniques of commercial art (as the soup cans of Andy Warhol) and the styles of popular culture and the mass media
  149. portrait
    any likeness of a person, in any medium
  150. post and lintel
    a structure consisting of vertical beams (posts) supporting a horizontal beam (lintel)
  151. Post-impressionist
    an artist of the Postimpressionist school who revolted against Impressionism
  152. postmodernism
    genre of art and literature and especially architecture in reaction against principles and practices of established modernism
  153. potsherd
    a shard of pottery
  154. prehistoric
    belonging to or existing before recorded times
  155. Pre-Raphaelite
    of or relating to or characteristic of the Pre-Raphaelites
  156. printmaking
    artistic design and manufacture of prints as woodcuts or silkscreens
  157. proportion
    relation with respect to comparative quantity or magnitude
  158. prostyle
    marked by columniation having free columns in a portico only across the opening to the structure
  159. provenance
    where something originated or started
  160. quattrocento
    the 15th century in Italian art and literature
  161. realism
    artistic movement that represents the world accurately
  162. relief
    sculpture consisting of shapes carved on a surface
  163. representational
    depicting objects, figures, or scenes realistically
  164. rococo
    fanciful but graceful ornamentation in art and architecture
  165. Romanesque
    an architectural style of 11th- and 12th-century Western Europe
  166. Romanticism
    a movement in literature and art during the late 18th and early 19th centuries that celebrated nature rather than civilization
  167. rustication
    the construction of masonry characteristic of the country
  168. sand painting
    a painting done by Amerindians
  169. sarcophagus
    a stone coffin, usually bearing sculpture or inscriptions
  170. sculpture
    a three-dimensional work of art
  171. shade
    a representation of the effect of shadows in a picture or drawing (as by shading or darker pigment)
  172. shading
    graded markings that indicate light or shaded areas in a drawing or painting
  173. shaft
    upright consisting of the vertical part of a column
  174. spandrel
    a triangular area between two arches and a horizontal plane
  175. stained glass
    glass that has been colored in some way
  176. stele
    an ancient upright stone slab bearing markings
  177. still life
    a painting of inanimate objects such as fruit or flowers
  178. style
    a mode of expression typical of a person, group, or period
  179. stylized
    using artistic forms and conventions to create effects
  180. stylus
    a pointed tool for writing, drawing, or engraving
  181. surrealism
    an artistic movement using fantastic and incongruous images
  182. symbolism
    artistic movement expressing ideas through the use of images
  183. symmetry
    balance among the parts of something
  184. synthetic cubism
    the late phase of cubism
  185. tapestry
    a wall hanging of heavy fabric with pictorial designs
  186. technique
    a practical method or art applied to some particular task
  187. tempera
    paint made of pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder like egg yolk
  188. terra cotta
    clay fired for pottery and building material, or the finished object
  189. tessera
    a small square tile of stone or glass used in making mosaics
  190. totem
    emblem consisting of an object such as an animal or plant
  191. tracery
    decoration consisting of an open pattern of interlacing ribs
  192. transept
    structure forming the transverse part of a cruciform church
  193. triptych
    art consisting of a painting or carving on three panels
  194. triumphal arch
    a monumental archway
  195. trompe l'oeil
    a painting with so much detail that it looks real
  196. Tudor
    of or relating to a style of architecture in England in the 15th century
  197. unity
    the quality of being fused into one
  198. value
    relative darkness or lightness of a color
  199. vault
    an arched brick or stone ceiling or roof
  200. vellum
    fine parchment prepared from the skin of a young animal
  201. volute
    ornament consisting of a curve on a plane that winds around a center with an increasing distance from the center
  202. votive
    dedicated in fulfillment of a vow
  203. watercolor
    water-soluble pigment
  204. woodcut
    engraving consisting of a block of wood with a design cut into it; used to make prints
Created on Tue Feb 14 09:57:42 EST 2017 (updated Fri Mar 31 11:38:30 EDT 2017)

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