a system of writing/communicating using pictures and/or sounds; could be used horizontally or vertically; meant to communicate with the gods

• system for determining the sizes of figures and/or objects in a work of art, relative to the sizes of figures and objects in the real world 

• one system for determining the sizes of figures and/or objects in a work of art used consistently throughout; if a one-foot figure in the work of art stands for a six-foot man in the real world, this size relationship is consistently applied throughout the work (thus, all objects and/or figures “make sense” in comparison to one another)

• more than one system for determining the sizes of figures/objects in an artwork, often based on the importance of certain figures; some will appear unnaturally smaller or larger than others

the open or empty space enclosed by positive mass; most associated with sculpture

• things as they “should be”; perfection according to the standards of a given time period

• things as they really are; when an artist tries to capture, to the best of his ability, what something actually looks like, including its flaws and imperfections

a mural painting technique involving permanent (limeproof) pigments on a freshly dried lime plaster wall

• a two-handled jar used for general storage purposes, usually for wine or oil

• involves the technique/style of decorating Greek ceramic vases where the design was painted in black glaze directly on the clay, which was usually reddish-brown in color; inner details were drawn by scratching (incising) through the black glaze

refers to the technique/style of Greek vase painting (developed after black-figure vase painting) where black glaze was painted around the forms and figures of the reddish-brown clay, with inner details painted in; characteristic of the finest Greek vases

describes a type of terracotta pottery that uses a dual “language” or technique where one side features the old black-figure painting style and the other side features the new red-figure style, sometimes showing the same scene

“sculpture in the round,” carved or modeled in three dimensions so that, if desired, it can be viewed from all sides

mixing pigments with wax, applied hot for binding strength

• often called weight shift because the weight of the body tends to be thrown to one foot, creating tension on one side of the body and relaxation on the other; the disposition of the human figure in which one part is turned in opposition to another part (e.g. hips and legs one way, shoulders and chest another), creating a counter positioning of the body about its central axis

• the ancient Greeks considered beauty to be a matter of correct proportions (or parts of the body related to the whole); Polykleitos wrote a system of rules for this (now lost), the most noted rule of which was a head-to-body ratio of 1:7

• refers to a building with a single row of columns (a peristyle) surrounding it

• refers to a portico with eight columns across the front

a relationship of building parts thought to be the most beautiful: 2x+1 to x        

the covered entrance to a building, containing columns and a pediment (as in a temple front)

the main body of a classical temple (containing the cult image), as distinct from the portico, etc

n upright member, circular in plan and usaually tapering slightly; in classical architecture it consists of base, shaft, and capital; it is usually designed to carry an entablature 

• the trunk of a column, between the base and capital

shallow concave grooves, running vertically, usually on the shaft of a column or pilaster

shallow concave grooves, running vertically, usually on the shaft of a column or pilaster

• capital consists of a double row of acanthus leaves from which tendrils and flowers grow around a bell-shaped crown (strictly speaking there is no Corinthian order; rather, this style of capital can be used on the Ionic order)

the part of a building above the columns and below the roof; it contains three parts: architrave, frieze, and cornice

• the part of the entablature between the architrave and the cornice; may also refer to any sculpted or ornamented band in a building or on furniture

• contains a continuous (uninterrupted) block of stonework that may be plain or sculpted

• the projecting, crowning member framing the pediment; also any crowning projection

in classical architecture, the triangular space (gable) at the end of a building, formed by the ends of the sloping roof above the colonnade; also an ornamental feature having this shape

• very subtle curves and spacing differences used to make the Parthenon (and some subsequent structures) look perfect: the stylobate and entablature are convex; and the columns tilt inward, are not uniformly spaced (closer at the corners), are not the same diameter (slightly larger at the corners), and have entasis

• a slight convex tapering (an apparent swelling) in the shaft of a column; used on Greek and later columns to correct the optical illusion of concavity which would result if the sides were straight 

a real event which took place every four years, where Athenians gathered in the agora (market place) and, among other things, carried a robe to the statue of Athena

a technique of sculpting where the drapery almost appears to be wet and clings to reveal the various shapes of the body underneath

• an exaggerated version of weight shift (contrapposto) where the curve or sway of the body resembles an “S” from the frontal view

in drawing and painting, the treatment of the use of light and dark, especially dealing with the gradations of light and dark to produce the effect of modeling    

• refers to a temple with a front portico of freestanding columns and a series of engaged columns or pilasters surrounding the sides and back to give the appearance of a peripteral colonnade

• a flat, rectangular, or semi-circular vertical member projecting from a wall of which it forms a part (it usually has a base and capital, and is often fluted); a half-round column attached to a wall; it is decorative rather than structural

• when the horizontal arrangement of the parts of a building (as in the floor plan) radiate from a central point, often the building is round or polygonal, and domed

a vertical wall supporting a dome or cupola; it may be circular, square, or polygonal in plan