Keywords of art history terms PDF

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Keyword: Ziggurat The ziggurat is an extremely large religious structure, used by the Sumerians and other ancient civilizations. The Ziggurat is a pyramidal structure, made from layers upon layers of sun baked brick applied in sections, to form a general stepped sloping shape upwards. Most ziggurats had between two and seven tiers in height, but were always capped with a shrine or temple at the summit. The Ziggurat was a holy place, and was staffed solely by devoted priests, who held great power in the Sumerian political system. A prime example of the Ziggurat is the Anu Ziggurat and White Temple located in present day Warka, Iraq. Though in poor condition today, it is a testament to the majesty that the Ziggurat once was, in sheer size and staying power. While most of the finer details have been destroyed from weathering and erosion, the scale of the Ziggurat is conveyed. The size and height of the steps leading up to the summit conveys how large the structure originally was. A massive structure even in ruin, to have seen it in its glory and splendor would have been a marvelous treat.

Keyword: Low Relief A low relief refers to a type of sculpting technique where a panel of material is lightly carved away to create a sculpture. Low Relief generally emphasizes that the end result is smoother, physically stands out a low amount from the background, and gives a lower contrast. Low relief is generally used to create the background of a compound relief sculpture, where high

relief is used to establish subjects and foreground and low relief is used to establish background details. An example of low relief used without high relief to create a sculpture is the relief Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions (Nimrud, Iraq) created to honor the king’s hunting expedition. The relief was made from alabaster, a variant of gypsum prized for its color and ease of workability. The relief depicts a traditional Assyrian king figure hunting a rearing lion from a chariot with a bow and arrow, while soldiers behind the lion flush it out. The usage of low relief allows the subjects to be depicted with great detail. The armors or the soldiers, king, and horses have great levels of detail, and the lions have textured manes, giving their hair an illusion of depth and flow. In addition, that the horses are shown mid-gallop gives the relief a sense of urgency and excitement. With the level of detail captured, it isn’t hard to imagine yourself on the hunting plain, excitement welling in your chest as you hunt down your quarry....