AP Art History flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Venus of Willendorf

Paleolithic female figurine (c. 24,000 BCE) with exaggerated reproductive features, carved from limestone and originally painted with red ochre; likely used in fertility rituals.

Lascaux cave paintings

Paleolithic cave art (c. 17,000 BCE) in France, featuring large animals in profile, created with mineral pigments and often overlapping, suggesting ritual or symbolic purpose.

Stonehenge

Neolithic megalithic monument (c. 2500 BCE) in England, consisting of a circle of standing stones with lintels, aligned to the summer solstice, indicating astronomical and ceremonial functions.

Ziggurat

Mesopotamian stepped temple platform (e.g., Ur, c. 2100 BCE) made of mud brick, serving as a shrine and administrative center, symbolizing a connection between earth and gods.

Egyptian canon of proportions

Standardized grid system used in ancient Egyptian art to depict the human figure consistently, with composite view (profile head, frontal shoulders, profile legs) and ideal proportions.

Kouros

Archaic Greek standing male nude statue (c. 600 BCE), with rigid posture, clenched fists, and archaic smile, influenced by Egyptian sculpture but representing Greek ideals of youth and athleticism.

Contrapposto

Classical Greek sculptural pose in which the weight rests on one leg, causing counterbalance in hips and shoulders, creating a naturalistic, dynamic stance (e.g., Doryphoros).

Hagia Sophia

Byzantine church (532–537 CE) in Constantinople, featuring a massive central dome, pendentives, and mosaics; later converted to a mosque, symbolizing religious and political power.

Gothic architecture

Medieval style (12th–16th centuries) characterized by pointed arches, rib vaults, flying buttresses, and stained glass, enabling taller, lighter churches with large windows (e.g., Chartres Cathedral).

Linear perspective

Renaissance painting technique using a vanishing point and orthogonals to create illusion of depth on a flat surface, codified by Alberti and used by Masaccio and others.

Baroque chiaroscuro

Dramatic contrast between light and dark in Baroque art (e.g., Caravaggio) to enhance emotional intensity and theatricality, often with a single light source.

Neoclassicism

Late 18th–early 19th century art movement reviving classical Greek and Roman forms, emphasizing order, rationality, and moral virtue, in reaction to Rococo frivolity (e.g., David's Oath of the Horatii).

Impressionism

19th-century French movement (Monet, Renoir) focused on capturing fleeting effects of light and atmosphere with loose brushwork and unblended colors, often painting outdoors.

Cubism

Early 20th-century movement (Picasso, Braque) that fragmented subjects into geometric planes and multiple viewpoints, challenging traditional perspective and representation.

Abstract Expressionism

Post-WWII American movement (Pollock, Rothko) emphasizing spontaneous, gestural brushwork or color fields to express emotion and subconscious, marking New York as art capital.

Pop Art

Mid-20th-century movement (Warhol, Lichtenstein) that appropriated imagery from mass culture (comics, ads) and used commercial techniques (silkscreen) to blur high and low art.

Olmec colossal heads

Pre-Columbian basalt sculptures (c. 900 BCE) of rulers with helmet-like headgear, found in Mesoamerica; demonstrate Olmec skill and hierarchical society.

Maya stelae

Tall stone monuments (c. 250–900 CE) carved with portraits of rulers and hieroglyphic texts, recording historical events and reinforcing divine kingship.

Inca masonry

Pre-Columbian Andean construction technique using precisely fitted, mortarless stones (e.g., Sacsayhuamán), demonstrating advanced engineering and aesthetic mastery.

Benin plaques

Brass relief plaques (16th–17th centuries) from the Kingdom of Benin (Nigeria), depicting court life, rituals, and history; now in museums worldwide, subject of repatriation debates.

Nkisi nkondi

Kongo power figure (minkisi) carved from wood and embedded with nails and blades, used in rituals to seal agreements, heal, or seek justice; activated by a ritual specialist.

Great Zimbabwe

Stone city (c. 1100–1450 CE) in southern Africa, built with dry-stone walls and featuring a large conical tower; center of trade and political power, now a symbol of African heritage.

Djenné mosque

Sudano-Sahelian mud-brick mosque (Mali) with toron (buttresses) and a annual replastering festival; largest mud-brick building, reflecting Islamic and local architectural traditions.

Arabesque

Islamic ornamental design featuring intricate, repeating geometric and vegetal patterns, avoiding figural imagery; used in architecture, textiles, and manuscripts to symbolize infinity.

Iwan

Vaulted portal or hall in Islamic architecture, often opening onto a courtyard; a key feature of mosques and madrasas (e.g., Isfahan's Shah Mosque).

Taj Mahal

Mughal mausoleum (1632–1648) in Agra, India, built by Shah Jahan for Mumtaz Mahal; white marble with pietra dura inlay, symmetrical gardens, and a central dome, symbolizing love and paradise.

Borobudur

9th-century Buddhist monument in Java, Indonesia, built as a mandala with stupas and narrative reliefs; largest Buddhist temple, pilgrimage site reflecting syncretic beliefs.

Ukiyo-e

Japanese woodblock prints (17th–19th centuries) depicting urban life, landscapes, and actors; characterized by flat colors, strong outlines, and commercial production (e.g., Hokusai's Great Wave).

Moai

Monolithic stone statues (c. 1250–1500 CE) on Easter Island (Rapa Nui), representing ancestors; carved from volcanic tuff and transported to platforms (ahu), reflecting Polynesian religious and social systems.

Malagan masks

Elaborate wooden masks from New Ireland (Papua New Guinea) used in funerary rituals; carved with complex designs and painted, representing ancestors and spirits.

Ai Weiwei

Contemporary Chinese artist (b. 1957) known for political critique and conceptual works (e.g., 'Sunflower Seeds' at Tate Modern), addressing human rights, censorship, and cultural heritage.

Kara Walker

Contemporary American artist (b. 1967) known for large-scale silhouettes addressing race, gender, and history of slavery in the American South, using antebellum stereotypes to critique power.