Understanding terminology that describes Ancient Grecian and Roman sculpture - AP Art History

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Question

The difference between a bas-relief and a high relief in a carved sculpture is that __________.

Answer

A relief is a sculpture that is carved into a large slate of stone or metal, with its figures raised above a flat background. A bas-relief is a form of relief with very little depth between the carving and the background, while a high relief has much more depth. Neither term indicates any level of how ornate the carving actually is.

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Question

Roman sculpture distinguished itself from Greek sculpture by

Answer

Most Roman sculpture, and art of all kinds, was heavily based on Greek examples, and oftentimes it can be hard to distinguish between a Roman original and a Roman copy of a Greek sculpture. However, one major distinguishing feature of Roman sculpture is in its portraiture. Roman portraits depicted their subjects in a "warts and all" manner that showed every imperfection, as it was seen to exhibit worldliness and wisdom.

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Question

Pictured above is the Boxer at Rest. It is a public domain image and can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer\_at\_Rest

The sculpture was created by a process that involves molds of the body made of wax and molten bronze casting, which is known as the _____________.

Answer

The lost wax process involves carving first the wax in the shape of a limb or head, and then using that as a moulding for the hot bronze so it is both lighter as well as more realistic. Encaustic is also a process that involves wax, but it is wax paint and not wax sculpture. This process is now considered lost because after the Greeks stopped using it it fell out of fashion and was never properly replicated.

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Question

The "Archaic smile" found on many human images originating in Greece's Archaic Period was meant to be a sign of what?

Answer

The "Archaic smile" characteristic of faces from sixth century BCE art was probably mean to imbue unmoving stone faces with life and distinguish them from the unmoving faces of the dead.

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Question

Which of the following characteristics best describe the Hellenistic period of Ancient Greek sculpture?

Answer

Hellenistic Greek sculptures are often describes as naturalistic, emotional and dynamic. These pieces were a reflection of the diversity of cultures the Ancient Greeks and their culture interacted with after following the conquests of Alexander the Great. No longer did Ancient Greek sculpture represent ideal beauty and perfection the way it had during the Classical period. The Archaic period of Greek Sculpture was known for its stiff, expressionless subjects. Lastly, Hellenistic sculptures were also known for their increasingly large size.

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Question

Archaic Greek sculpture is known to have predominately consisted of three types of figures. These types of figures are known as the seated woman, the standing draped girl, and __________.

Answer

The three types of figures are known as the seated woman, the standing draped girl, and the standing naked youth. The standing naked youth is often portrayed standing with one foot forward with a frontal stance.

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Question

This dominant style of ancient Roman sculpture developed from the ancient Roman concept of the importance of family and ancestors. Busts created in this style were often displayed in the atria of the houses of powerful Roman families. These busts often captured the physical flaws of their subjects, as it was considered a sign of good character to recognize and display them with pride.

To which style of ancient Roman sculpture is the above excerpt referring?

Answer

Portraiture was a dominant, important part of Ancient Roman culture. It involved creating a bust (shoulders-up, or simply the head and neck) of the subject, who was more often than not the patriarch of the family.

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Question

Ancient Roman sarcophagi were often decorated with what type of ancient Roman funerary art?

Answer

Although Portraiture and divine statues were indeed part of Ancient Roman art, they were not used to decorate sarcophagi, due to their size. While many statues and busts were painted, elaborate paintings were not a big part of ancient Roman art. Intricate reliefs were very commonly seen on sarcophagi. They often depicted day-to-day life as a Roman.

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Question

In sculpture, the term ______________ describes a human figure who stands with its weight on one leg, creating a distinctive S-curve shift in the hips and shoulders.

Answer

"Contrapposto," Italian for "counterpose," refers to the shift in weight in the figure's pose.

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Question

A ____________ statue takes the form of a pillar with a head on top.

Answer

The name "Herm" comes from this type of sculpture's original subject, the god Hermes. These sculptures were first made to protect places like crossroads and doorways, but by the Hellenistic and Roman periods, their subject matter expanded to include a wide range of portraits, including famous people and the god Dionysos.

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Question

The nude male figures produced during the Archaic period of Greek art are known as _________________.

Answer

Male sculptures produced during the Archaic period are known as kouroi (sing. kouros). Female figures in this style are known as korai (sing. kore). Archaistic or Archaizing statues are objects produced after the end of the Archaic period (c. 480 BCE) in an Archaic style. Anthemia (sing. anthemion) refers to the decoration carved on the top of a stela, usually in the form of a palmette.

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Question

The term _______________ refers to sculptures carved in the Archaic style after the end of the Archaic period, c. 480 BCE.

Answer

Sculptures that intentionally emulate the older Archaic style are known as Archaistic.

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Question

_________________ portraits attempt to show the subject as realistically as possible, even capturing features like wrinkles or baldness.

Answer

"Verism" is the term used to describe very realistic Roman portraits specifically.

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Question

A __________________ is a common type of Roman sculpture which depicts a male citizen wearing a toga.

Answer

"Togatus" is the general term for a statue of a male Roman wearing a toga. A "paludamentum" is a general's cloak sometimes worn by subjects in Roman sculptures. "Kouros" refers to a type of male sculpture produced in the Greek Archaic period. "Equestrian" statues depict their subjects mounted on a horse.

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Question

Encaustic refers to a process of painting with _______________.

Answer

"Encaustic" painting uses hot wax and pigment. It was commonly used for both panel paintings and painting stone sculpture.

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Question

In a clipeus portrait, the subject projects forward from a ________________.

Answer

The term "clipeus" means round shield in Latin. This type of portrait was sometimes used to depict rulers or notable figures in Hellenistic and Roman art.

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Question

A _____________ is the base of a statue.

Answer

The plinth is the "floor" or bottom of a state, which might then be set into a separately carved statue base.

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Question

Etruscan art has a strong relationship to Greek and Mediterranean cultures. The majority of Etruscan art was created out of _________________.

Answer

The Etruscans preferred terra cotta over other forms because of the importance to tombs and funeral markers which were made from terra cotta (baked clay). This art form emphasized ornament and display, which was important in their culture along with signifying the importance of the dead.

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Question

Banditaccia sarcofago degli sposi

The work of art shown here was sculpted in _______________.

Answer

Etruscan funerary monuments, such as this Sarcophagus of the Spouses, often featured couples and even whole families that represented the subjects in the afterlife. In order to last eternally and powerfully represent those whose remains were stored inside, these sarcophagi would be created from the earthenware material known as terra cotta. Terra cotta was not only immensely strong, but could also be easily painted to represent the subject of the work of art.

Image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Louvre-Lens\_-\_Les\_Étrusques\_et\_la\_Méditerranée\_-\_191\_-\_Paris,\_musée\_du\_Louvre,\_DAGER,\_Cp\_5194\_(Sarcophage\_des\_Époux)\_(A).JPG

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Question

Roman sculpture distinguished itself from Greek sculpture by __________.

Answer

Most Roman sculpture, and art of all kinds, was heavily based on Greek examples, and oftentimes it can be hard to distinguish between a Roman original and a Roman copy of a Greek sculpture. However, one major distinguishing feature of Roman sculpture is in its portraiture. Roman portraits depicted their subjects in a "warts and all" manner that showed every imperfection, as it was seen to exhibit worldliness and wisdom.

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