DK Travel : Athens : Top 10 Artistic Terms

Athens : Top 10 Artistic Terms

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1. Kouros/Kore

The first monumental sculptures in Greek art: a kouros was a youth, a kore a maiden. The plural is koroi .
2. Capital

The top of a column. There are three main Greek forms: Doric, a simple slab; Ionic, a carved scroll; and Corinthian, an acanthus-leaf pattern.
3. Caryatids

Sculptures of women that acted as columns. The most famous are at the Erechtheion at the Acropolis.
4. Pediment

The triangular gable on the façade of a temple where relief sculptures are often carved.
5. Frieze

The horizontal band running below the pediment of a temple, carved with floral, geometric or other decorative motifs.
6. Krater

A large ceramic or bronze bowl for mixing wine and water, often beautifully decorated.
7. Black-Figure

The earliest type of Greek vase-painting: black figures are etched into red ceramic glaze, creating a somewhat stiff, formal image.
8. Red-Figure

A revolutionary method of Classical vase-painting: the outlines of figures are painted on with red glaze, creating flowing, active images.
9. Fresco

A painting made directly into wet plaster, creating art that is one with walls.
10. Icon

Byzantine and Christian images of saints, believed to be imbued with holy power, often painted with gold.