Dictionary
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M
N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
-
ABACUS
- The plaque located at the topmost element of the column capital, on which the ARCHITRAVE rests.
- ACADEMIC ART
- Art created according to the prescriptions of the official ACADEMIES of painting and sculpture that flourished in Europe from the 17th through the 19th centuries.
- ACADEMY
- An institution whose origins lie in the many associations formed during the Renaissance, with the aim of establishing painters and sculptors as highly educated professionals equipped with a comprehensive theory of art as well as with technical skill.
- ACROPOLIS
- A naturally occurring steep hill that is the geographic and cultural center of a city. The Athenians covered their Acropolis with several important architectural structures, including the Parthenon about 438 B.C.
- ACROTERIA
- Floral decorations at the apex of the roof on the east and west ends of the Parthenon.
- AEGIS
- Athena's breastplate, given to her by her father Zeus. The aegis made Athena invulnerable.
- AMAZON
- Fearless women warriors that descended from Ares and a Naiad. They supported Troy in the Trojan War and fought Heracles, preventing him from taking their Queen.
- AMAZONOMACHY
- The battle between the Greeks and the Amazons. The Amazonomachy is carved on the outside of Athena’s shield in Nashville’s Parthenon.
- ANTEFIX
- Floral roofline ornaments fixed at regular intervals on the north and south sides of the Parthenon.
- ARCHITRAVE
- The lowest part of the ENTABLATURE. The beam resting just above the CAPITALS of the columns on a classical temple.
- ATHENA
- Mythological goddess of warfare, wisdom, and the useful crafts. Athena was also the patron goddess of the city of Athens.
- back to top
- BARBIZON SCHOOL
- A group of French landscape painters who lived and worked in the village of Barbizon from around 1835 to 1870.
- back to top
- CAPITAL
- In architecture, a capital sits on top of a column. It provides additional support for the ENTABLATURE and can be highly decorative.
- CELLA
- Body or central structure of the building. The cella does not include the porches or the COLONNADE.
- CENTAUR
- A mythological creature composed of half horse, half man.
- CHRYSELEPHANTINE
- A process in which the core of a statue is covered with gold and ivory. Two examples of chryselephantine statuary from the ancient world are Athena Parthenos and the statue of Zeus at Olympia.
- CLASSICAL
- 1. Strictly, of the art and architecture of Greek and Roman antiquity, especially Greek work of the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. and faithful Roman copies. 2. More generally, of art and architecture which conform to Greek and Roman models.
- COLONNADE
- A row of columns supporting an ENTABLATURE.
- COLUMN
- A supporting pillar consisting of a base, a shaft and a capital.
- CORNICE
- Part of the ENTABLATURE, the cornice is a strip of molding around the top of the Parthenon and other CLASSICAL structures that prevents water from hitting the walls of the CELLA.
- back to top
- DOCENT
- A trained volunteer museum guide. A docent is at once a volunteer, a teacher, and a guide.
- DORIC
- The Doric style of architecture dates to the 7th century B.C., originating from people who spoke the Dorian dialect of Greek. It is the oldest and simplest of the three orders of Greek architecture.
- DORIC FRIEZE
- The Doric frieze adorns the exterior of the Parthenon. It is a series of rectangular panels (METOPES) separated by TRIGLYPHS. Each panel of the frieze features a scene sculpted in high relief.
- back to top
- ELGIN MARBLES
- The original pediment figures on the ancient Parthenon, removed from the Acropolis by Lord Elgin in 1801 and now on display at the British Museum.
- ENTABLATURE
- In architecture the entablature is the upper part of a building including the CORNICE, FRIEZE and ARCHITRAVE. The entablature sits between the roofline and the CAPITALS of a building.
- ENTASIS
- Architectural term for the slight bulge 1/3 of the way up each column of the Parthenon.
- ERECTHEUS/ERECHTHONIUS
- Erechtheus was a legendary King of Athens. He is represented in the Athena statue and on the West Pediment as a serpent. As a serpent, he represents the people of Athens and symbolizes rebirth.
- back to top
- FRIEZE
- A decorative horizontal band. A frieze can be carved in relief or painted and is typically found at the highest point of a wall, or may be part of the entablature.
- FLUTES
- Architecturally, flutes are thin grooves cutting vertically down the length of columns.
- back to top
- GIGANTOMACHY
- The battle between the gods and the titans. The gigantomachy is painted on the interior of Athena’s shield in Nashville’s Parthenon.
- GILD
- To cover with or as if with a thin layer of gold.
- GRYPHON
- A mythological beast composed of half lion and half eagle.
- back to top
- HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL
- A group of American painters active from around 1820 to 1850. Their chief subject matter was the scenery of the Hudson River Valley and the Catskill Mountains of New York state. They were influenced by the transcendental writings of Emerson and Thoreau.
- back to top
- ICTINUS AND CALLICRATES
- Designers of the Parthenon in the 5th century B.C.
- IMPRESSIONISM
- French 19th century art movement that tried to use contemporary scientific research into the physics of color to achieve more exact representation of color and tone. They also believed in painting out of doors or "en plein air," trying to capture a particular fleeting impression of color and light rather than making a synthesis in the studio. There were a number of American artists who were influenced by the Impressionist movement in France.
- IONIC
- The architectural order developed by ancient people that spoke the Ionian dialect of Greek. The most distinctive element of the Ionic column is the ornamental scrollwork projecting from the capital.
- IONIC FRIEZE
- The Ionic frieze of the Parthenon was an upper-level band of low-relief sculpture on the exterior walls of the NAOS/TREASURY. It is known as the "inner frieze" because it is inside the colonnade on the exterior of the building. The band was continuous and the theme centered on the Panathenic Procession. A good reference on the Ionic frieze is Ian Jenkins' The Parthenon Frieze.
- back to top
- LAPITH
- A pre-Hellenic race seen on the Parthenon METOPES fighting CENTAURS.
- LUMINISM
- 1. In the work of the HUSDON RIVER SCHOOL, the fascination with atmospheric perspective and the effects of light, especially on water. 2. The light-saturated effect of many IMPRESSIONIST and neo-impressionist paintings.
- back to top
- MEDUSA
- A fearful Gorgon monster in Greek mythology. Her attributes include snakes for hair and the ability to turn people to stone if they looked at her.
- METOPES
- The square panels within the DORIC FRIEZE decorated with high-relief sculpture.
- back to top
- NAOS
- The sanctuary in a CLASSICAL temple, housing the image of a deity.
- NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN
- Located in New York City and begun in the early 19th century, this honorary society of American painters, sculptors, graphic artists and architects is still in existence. It requires artists to submit artwork for admission into the organization for full and associate membership. Most of the artists in the Cowan Collection were members of the National Academy of Design.
- NEO-CLASSICAL
- Painting, decoration and architecture based on Ancient Greek and Roman examples.
- back to top
- PARTHENON
- The largest and most prominent of nine structures atop the ACROPOLIS. The temple was created for the goddess ATHENA, patron goddess of Athens. Work was completed around 438 B.C. The word Parthenon can be interpreted as "compartment of the maiden."
- PARTHENON PATRONS
- The non-profit friends organization supporting the Parthenon Museum in Nashville. Everyone is invited to join.
- PEDIMENT
- The triangular area at the ends of a building with a pitched roof. The pediments of the Parthenon face east and west and sit just between the top of the colonnade and the roofline.
- PEPLOS
- A traditional ancient Greek robe for women worn cinched and bloused over at the waist. ATHENA wears peplos in the statue in the Parthenon.
- PERICLES
- A 5th century Athenian statesman and general who oversaw Athens' classical building boom, including the Parthenon.
- PERISTYLE
- A continuous covered colonnade. The colonnade of the Parthenon is an example.
- PERSEUS
- Mythological hero responsible for slaying the Gorgon MEDUSA.
- PHEIDIAS
- The best-known sculptor of ancient Greece. His most famous creation was ATHENA in the Parthenon. He is also credited with carving and directing other sculptors in carving the outside of the Parthenon. Pheidias is also credited with carving a statue of Zeus at Olympia, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
- PLEIN AIR
- French for "open air" in painting terms refers to the practice of painting out of doors, a practice that became popular in IMPRESSIONIST painting.
- POSEIDON
- God of the sea, horses and earthquakes. Brother of ZEUS.
- back to top
- ROMANTICISM
- A movement in the 18th century in visual arts, literature and music, that reacted against NEO-CLASSICISM. It emphasized the imagination and emotions.
- back to top
- SPHINX
- Half-woman, half-lion beast in mythology. The sphinx adorns ATHENA'S helmet.
- STYLOBATE
- The top step of the temple base.
- back to top
- THE EIGHT
- A small group of American artists who came together in 1907, in revolt against ACADEMIC ART and with the determination to bring painting back into contact with ordinary life. Members were Arthur Davies, Maurice Prendergrast, Ernest Lawson, Robert Henri, George Luks, William J. Glackens, John Sloan and Everett Shinn.
- TONALISM
- A stylistic trend in painting from the 1880's to 1910's that developed out of the BARBIZON SCHOOL of painting and was related to American IMPRESSIONISM. Tonalists tried to capture the mood of nature as well as their own mood affected by nature.
- TREASURY ROOM
- The Parthenon served as the treasury of Athens. The smaller room behind ATHENA historically stored gold and gifts to the goddess.
- TRIGLYPH
- A slightly projecting rectangular element of the DORIC FRIEZE characterized by two or three vertical cuttings.
- back to top
- ZEUS
- King of
the Olympian gods.
Sources:
Lucie-Smith, Edward. The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Art Terms.
London, 1984.
Hornblower, Simon and Antony Spawforth, eds. The Oxford Companion to
Classical Civilization. New York, 1998.