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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 355 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Art Terms
Atelier. The word atelier comes to us from the French word 'astelier' meaning woodpile. Maybe I'll do a 'B' quiz if there's any interest...let me know!
| What is the term for an egg white, often used for photographic prints in the 19th century?
| An 'A' in Art Terms?
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Albumen . Photographic negatives were exposed on egg-white coated paper and then toned to that familiar sepia tone that we are used to seeing when we view photos from the 19th century.
| A two-handled ancient Greek vase with a large, oval body and a rather narrow neck is called?
| An 'A' in Art Terms?
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Amphora. The Greeks painted these vessels red and black with lovely, and sometimes lascivious, scenes.
| Which term was invented to describe the European version of American Abstract Expressionism?
| An 'A' in Art Terms?
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Art Informel. Informel does not mean 'informal', but rather 'without form'...a good word to desribe these abstract works. Fautrier, Riopelle (a Canadian!) and Soulages could fall within this category.
Art Deco. The name 'art deco' is derived from the 'Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes' held in paris in 1925. Borrowing some decorative elements of later art nouveau, art deco employs plastic and metal in geometric forms.
| Like a 3-D collage, this art form employs non-traditional elements such as metal, wood and cloth to create works of art that are not necessarily representational. What is the term for such a work?
| An 'A' in Art Terms?
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Assemblage. Artists like Louise Bourgeois create sometimes nightmarish looking assemblages. I would think that Marcel Duchamp's ready-mades could be considered a pre-cursor to this art form.
| Often found in Roman or Greek houses, its a central open patio around which the house was built. What do we call this heart-like space?
| An 'A' in Art Terms?
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Atrium. In churches, the atrium was found before the nave in early Christian basilicas, and was surrounded by columns. Now it's called the vestibule. The 'heart' comment was a reference to the fact that your heart contains a left and right atrium.
| Surrealist artists like Jean Miro practised this style, which involved uncontrolled brush or pencil strokes on canvas or paper. This style is known as...?
| An 'A' in Art Terms?
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Automatism. Automatism or automatic drawing became a popular idea among the surrealists, as they continued to look for ways of stretching their imaginations beyond what would be considered the artistic norm. I often practise automatic quiz question writing...can you tell?
| What is the two part, hyphenated term used to describe artists who are on the cutting edge of their craft?
| An 'A' in Art Terms?
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Avant-garde . Derived from the French, it implies that these artists are on the front lines (vanguard) of the art or literary world, experimenting with new techniques and shocking as many conservatives as possible!
| Just below the entablature on a column you will find the capital, but was is the uppermost portion of the capital called?
| An 'A' in Art Terms?
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Abacus. A capital of the Greek Doric order consists of the abacus and the echinus.
| Eventually the term for an ancient Christian church, this word was derived from an Ancient Greek term for king. To which term am I referring?
| 'B'-ware: The Art Terms are Back!
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Basilica. The ancient Greek term -- Basileus. Originally this term was meant to describe a public Roman building, it was co-opted by the early Christians and became the basis for their early churches. I hope you have enjoyed this quiz, please stay tuned for number 3, aka C!
| A style of art that became widespread in the 1960s and 1970s, and was employed by artists such as Nitsch, Mendieta and Acconci is called what?
| 'B'-ware: The Art Terms are Back!
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Body Art. Very constroversial! Hermann Nitsch gained fame for this style of performance art which involves the artist's, or someone else's, body. For example, Nitsch might butcher an animal carcass, smearing the innards upon a subject's naked flesh. Quite disgusting, it's meant to display the cruelty of human-kind toward the animal kingdom. Acconci's most famous contribution, called 'Seedbed', is a little bit more lascivious in nature, so I shan't attempt to describe it here.
Byzantine. Constantinople (formerly, Byzantium) was the capital of the Byzantine empire and center of Byzantine style beginning around 5th Century AD. The Turks finally brought the Byzantine period to an end with their sack of Constantinople (now, Istanbul) in 1453. However, Byzantine art still lives on in its influence of western art...despite having been superseded by Renaissance art styles.
| The floating nymphs that can be found throughout Asian art, from India to China to Cambodia, are referred to by what Sanskrit name?
| Asian 'A' Art Terms
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Asparas. The name Asparas means 'those who glide over water', a fitting name for nymphs I would think! In China, they are called 'feitian' (aka flying spirits) and can be seen most vividly in the Mogao caves at Dunhuang.
| A Japanese term, it refers to semi-erotic pictures depicting lovers. What would we call this?
| Asian 'A' Art Terms
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Abuna-e. Abuna-e, aka 'dangerous pictures', should not be confused with ukiyo-e (floating world) pictures which did not contain the risque content. However, some of the practicioners of ukiyo-e, for example Utamaro, also produced Abuna-e prints. Abuna-e prints were not lascivious by any means, but were considered risque vis-a-vis the conservative establishment.
| Mother-of-pearl is provided from the shells of what sea creature whose name begins with A?
| Asian 'A' Art Terms
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Abalone. Mother-of-pearl is used for a variety of purposes in Asian art, for example as inlays on lacquer-ware...which the Vietnamese especially prize.
| What is the Sanskrit term for a Luohan, an enlightened and wise monk of Theravada Buddhism?
| Asian 'A' Art Terms
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Arhat. Luohan is the Chinese term, while arhat is he Sanskrit term for these enlightened individuals whose next step will be into nirvana. In Chinese art you usually see 16 to 18 arhats depicted together.
| If you were looking at ancient Chinese vessels called dings, lis, gus and zuns, you would be viewing items made from what metal alloy?
| 'B' the Asian Art Terms!
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bronze. Shang and Zhou bronzes have given historians and anthropologists a wealth of information about ancient Chinese culture. Many of the bronzes have been engraved with thousands of ancient Chinese characters, telling us stories about individuals, culture and myth. These and 'oracle bones' made from ox shoulder blades and tortoise shells are our primary sources of information from ancient China. I hope you have enjoyed this quiz and please stay tuned for 'C'!
Bot. A bot...not to be confused with Baht, the Thai currency, or the wat, which is the term for the entire temple complex. I highly recommend taking a trip to Thailand in order that you might see some of the beautiful Buddhist temples there...you won't be disappointed.
Bonsai . Japanese bonsai trees have become very popular in the United States, but did you know that the art of bonsai was originally imported to Japan from China, where they call it 'penjing', which means 'scenery in a basin'?
| For the inhabitants of a certain Indonesian island life is religious art and there are plenty of places to practice, the island has around 20,000 temples, the largest being Besakih. What is this primarily Hindu island called?
| 'B' the Asian Art Terms!
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Bali. The temple of Besakih (Mother of all temples) may be found at the foot of Mt. Agung, a volcano and largest mountain on the island. While there you will want to enjoy the beautiful sounds of the Gamelan (a musical ensemble), the Barong dance and the Goa Lawah, a cave. Then again, you might want to skip the cave...it's full of bats (lawah)!
| Bodhisattvas are individuals of the Buddhist faith who have achieved enlightenment but have chosen to remain on Earth to help others. They are ubiquitous in Buddhist art, being found in places as diverse as Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Japan. Speaking of Japan, what is the Japanese term for a Bodhisattva?
| 'B' the Asian Art Terms!
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Bosatsu. Perhaps the most famous Boddhisattva, Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin in China), is called Kannon Bosatsu in Japan.
| An item frequently found in ancient Chinese graves, it is circular with a hole in the center. What is the term for this item?
| 'B' the Asian Art Terms!
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Bi disks. Bi disks can be found in neolithic graves of ancient China. They are made of jade and are quite a bit larger the coins we are familiar with in China that have holes in the center. Some people have surmised that the bi disks were used as coins, but no one really knows why they were created.
| The Buddha is often represented in Asian art sitting underneath a tree. Under which tree will you often find the Buddha meditating?
| 'B' the Asian Art Terms!
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Bodhi tree. The Bodhi tree naturally is a symbol of enlightenment in Buddhist art, as it is under this tree that the Buddha achieved his 'waking up'. The Bodhi tree is a type of fig tree and has the scientific name 'Ficus religiosa'...sacred!
| This is a patterning and dyeing process practiced in Indonesia wherein the designer employs wax to permanently imprint a design on fabric. What is this popular dyeing process called?
| 'B' the Asian Art Terms!
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Batik. The Indonesian style sarongs that are so commonly warn by the inhabitants of that country are often produced using the batik process. For a multi-colored design, the process must be repeated with the wax covering the fabric several times.
Talbot. William Henry Fox Talbot first patented this process in 1840, the first photographic process that utilized a negative to produce an image on paper. Please stay tuned...more art terms are coming to 'D'-light you. (Also, Asian art terms beginning with 'C' for those who want something more exciting still!)
Camera obscura. A camera obscura employed a lens or small hole to throw an image upon a flat surface. A camera lucida was an innovation on the camera obscura, employing a prism rather than a lens.
Collage. Schwitters, a German artist, was a member of the Dada movement. He was not the originator of the collage, but he did develop variations on it using discarded rubbish in order to create pictures.
Column. A classical column consists of a Capital, Shaft and Base, and rests on a Stylobate.
Charlemagne. 'Carolingian' also refers to the dynasty founded by Charlemagne which ruled the Holy Roman Empire from the 8th to the 10th centuries. Carolingian art was basically a classical revivalist movement...with a German touch.
Daguerre . Daguerre, together with Joseph Niépce, produced what are widely considered to be the first photographs, called 'Daguerreotypes'. I hope there weren't too many toughies here...and that you 'E'lect to take my 'E' art terms quiz...coming soon (not to mention my 'D'aring Asian 'D' art terms quiz!)
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