black-figure painting
black-figure painting
In early Greek pottery, the silhouetting of dark figures against a light background of natural, reddish clay, with linear details incised through the silhouettes.
burin
A pointed tool used for engraving or incising.
composite view
A convention of representation in which part of a figure is shown in profile and another part of the same figure is shown frontally
composition
The way in which an artist organizes forms in an artwork, either by placing shapes on a flat surface or arranging forms in space.
cromlech
A circle of monoliths. Also called henge.
found objects
found objects
Images, materials, or objects as found in the everyday environment that are incorporated into works of art.
ground line
In paintings and reliefs, a painted or carved baseline on which figures appear to stand.
henge
henge
A circle of monoliths
relief
relief
In sculpture, figures projecting from a background of which they are part. The degree of relief is designated high, low (bas), or sunken.
incise
To cut into a surface with a sharp instrument; also, a method of decoration, especially on metal and pottery.
landscape
landscape
A picture showing natural scenery, without narrative content.
lintel
lintel
A beam used to span an opening.
medium
medium
The material (for example, marble, bronze, clay, fresco) in which an artist works; also, in painting, the vehicle (usually liquid) that carries the pigment.
megalith
megalith
Greek, "great stone." A large, roughly hewn stone used in the construction of monumental prehistoric structures.
Mesolithic
The "middle" Stone Age, between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic ages
monolith
monolith
A column shaft that is all in one piece (not composed of drums); a large, single block or piece of stone used in megalithic structures.
mural
mural
a wall painting
Neolithic
Neolithic
The "new" Stone Age.
Paleolithic
Paleolithic
The "old" Stone Age, during which humankind produced the first sculptures and paintings.
radiocarbon dating
Method of measuring the decay rate of carbon isotopes in organic matter to provide dates for organic materials such as wood and fiber.
red-figure painting
In later Greek pottery, the silhouetting of red figures against a black background, with painted linear details; the reverse of black-figure painting.
terracotta
terracotta
Hard-baked clay, used for sculpture and as a building material. It may be glazed or painted.
trilithons
trilithons
A pair of monoliths topped with a lintel; found in megalithic structures.
twisted perspective
A convention of representation in which part of a figure is shown in profile and another part of the same figure is shown frontally; a composite view.