Art Terms Trivia

1. Decorative metal discs called 'tsuba' can be found attached to what martial item related to the Japanese samurai knights?

From Quiz 'T'remendous Asian Art Terms

Answer: Swords

Beautifully crafted tsuba were a must for any samurai warrior with wealth. The tsuba served as a handguard on samurai swords, to be found between the blade and the tang (the part of the sword that inserts into the handle).

From Quiz 'T'errific Art Terms

Answer: Tessera

The tesserae used to create the beautiful mosaics of the Byzantine period (and indeed other periods as well) were typically made from stone, glass, marble or other natural elements. The name tessera comes from the Greek 'tessares', meaning 'four'. This refers to the typically square shape of tesserae. Some of the most amazing mosaics in history can be found in various churches in Ravenna, Italy, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.

From Quiz 'S'upreme Asian Art Terms

Answer: Sushi

Typically, one would not think of sushi when one thinks of art, but indeed the creation of sushi is an artform requiring the most delicate of skill. Maki sushi is the typical form you see in restaurants, wherein rice and raw (or cooked) seafood is rolled in a seaweed wrap. Nigiri sushi is also rather common. It simply entails a piece of fish pressed against a small ball of rice. Both types can be dipped in a mixture of soy sauce and wasabi. My mouth is already watering!

From Quiz 'S'uperb Art Terms

Answer: Silhouette

Forgive me for forcing you to spell such an unreasonable word, but I couldn't imagine any other way to present this question! The term silhouette comes from the name of one Etienne de Silhouette (1706-67), an individual known more for his reputation as a tightwad than for his aesthetic talents. The practice of creating silhouettes involves cutting out black paper figures resembling people and/or scenes, and placing said cutouts on a white background. Photography essentially killed off the silhouette, but it's still a wonderful hobby for children.

From Quiz An Art Terms 'Q'uickie!

Answer: Quadratura

Quadratura was practiced by ancient Roman painters and was revived by Renaissance painters such as Masaccio and Mantegna, in their early experiments with new scientific techniques involving perspective. The greatest of the quadraturisti, as the specialists with this technique were called, was the Italian Baroque artist Andrea Pozzo, who mostly worked ceilings.

From Quiz 'P'recious Asian Art Terms

Answer: Peach

The peach (taozi) tree is a very popular motif in painting, as is the peach blossom. Some famed works of literature that include the name peach include the 'Peach Blossom Spring' and the 'Peach Blossom Fan'. Traditionally, it is also thought that the peach blossom could ward off evil spirits, but I don't think it has ever been proven effective in this regard. As for its qualities of extending longevity, we'll have to wait and see what experimentation confirms!

From Quiz 'P'rovocative Art Terms

Answer: Plinth

An interesting side note to this word, which has one of the most ancient etymologies of any art term. The original Greek term 'plinthos' is derived from the ancient Minoan language, as are any other words that end with the suffix -inthos. Words that we still use with the same suffix include: hyacinth, Corinth(ian) and labyrinth. As you probably know, the labyrinth was located under the palace of King Minos of Crete, where Minoan civilization was centered.

From Quiz 'O'rnate Asian Art Terms

Answer: obi

The famous obi sash is fastened around the waste of a kimono for a woman, and around the hips for a man.

From Quiz 'O'h! Look at the Lovely Art Terms

Answer: Obelisk

The most famous modern obelisk (from the Greek "obelos") is the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. An obelisk is defined as a pillar topped by a four-sided pyramid. Usually obelisks were found at the entrance of various ancient Egyptian temples; several examples of these may be seen now in western cities such as London and New York, having been pilfered from Egypt!

From Quiz 'N'ew Asian Art Terms

Answer: Nandi

Shiva's vahana (vehicle) Nandi can be found depicted in sculpture near the many temples dedicated to Shiva throughout South Asia. Each Hindu god has his or her own vahana, for example the eagle-like Garuda is the vehicle of Vishnu. Why are cows so sacred in India? Well...think about Nandi...now you know!

From Quiz 'N'otable Art Terms

Answer: Necropolis & Necropoleis & Nekropolis

The term 'necropolis' comes from the ancient Greek (nekropolis) and literally translates as 'city of the dead'. Well-preserved examples of necropoli are to be found throughout the Meditteranean, and particularly in Egypt, Greece and Turkey. By the way, another interesting note...necropolis is one of the few words that when singular ends in -s, but when plural has the -s dropped.

From Quiz 'M'ajestic Asian Art Terms

Answer: Makemono

The vertical version is called Kakemono. In Chinese, a scroll is called a 'juan'. Most paintings created in both Japan and China are painted upon these scrolls which make transport much easier. We have a lovely scroll from the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, the landscape painting upon it is wonderful to contemplate.

From Quiz More 'M'agical Art Terms

Answer: Mannerism

The term 'Mannerism' derives from the Italian 'Maniera', meaning 'style'. Vasari was the first to widely employ the term in reference to the decline from the period of the High Renaissance in which artists, reacting against the High Renaissance art, showed signs of exaggeration and artificiality in their works. Parmigianino's 'Madonna with the Long Neck' is an excellent example, as we can see the Virgin's extended neck and a disproportionate Child in her arms.

From Quiz 'L'uxurious Asian Art Terms

Answer: Lao Zi

Lao Zi (also spelled Lao Tzu) is also traditionally accepted to be the author of the Book of Changes (Dao de Jing), a book that has many interpretations...I can't figure it out!

From Quiz 'M'agnificent Art Terms

Answer: Megalith & Megaliths & Monolith & Monoliths

In the Welsh language, Stonehenge could be termed a 'cromlech' (concave stone), which describes any circle of oversized, vertical stones. Megalithic architecture is fairly common throughout the world of ancient times, but the most famous examples are to be found on the British Isles and on Easter Island, where megalithic heads were carved in abundance.

From Quiz Painting terms

Answer: Egg tempera

One of the most permanent media available, this was also the most common until the introduction of oil paint in the 15th century.

From Quiz Asian Art Terms You Must 'K'now!

Answer: Kago

There are many different styles of kago (for example 'hana-kago' are flower baskets), and several mediums employed for their creation, for example bamboo, grass, wood and steel.

From Quiz 'L'ovely Art Terms

Answer: Lyrical

No one really understands exactly what 'Lyrical Abstraction' means, the term has purposefully been left vague. It is believed that the term was first coined the French painter Georges Mathiew who described art as 'Abstraction Lyrique'. It has been used to describe the art of several movements including Art Informel, Minimal Art and Pop Art, and has sometimes been presented in a similar light with Fauvism...for its ample use of color.

From Quiz Asian Art - 'K'iller Terms!

Answer: Men

Kabuki, a form of Japanese theater which developed in the 17th century, emphasizes formalized techniques and movements, always accompanied by music. Men who play the roles of women in these plays are called 'onnagata'.

From Quiz Art Terms - 'J' and 'K'

Answer: Art Nouveau

L'Art Nouveau is known by several names, Jugendstil in Germany, Modernista in Spain and Modern Style in Britain. The name L'Art Nouveau is taken from a gallery opened by Siegfried Bing in 1895 in Paris, one of the movement's leading advocates.

From Quiz Asian Art Terms - 'I'ntellectual 'J'ewels

Answer: Ideogram

There are hundreds of characters that can be classified as ideograms, perhaps the most recognizable would be the characters representing the sun 'ri' (a rectangular box with a line through the middle), the mouth 'kou' (a square box), a person 'ren' (two lines, approximately perpendicular with one another but one slightly longer, representing a torso with two legs walking) and several archaic characters that resemble pictures of bowls or jugs, representing the many ancient bronze containers of ancient China. The Hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt also may be classified as ideograms.

From Quiz 'H'ighly 'I'nfluential Art Terms

Answer: Happenings

Kaprow viewed the Happenings movement as a combination of assemblage and environment art. Related to performance art and theater, the artist frequently interacted with his or her own art piece and sometimes played a part within it. Other adherents included Jim Dine, Claes Oldenburg and the composer John Cage.

From Quiz Asian 'H' Art Terms

Answer: Haboku

Also translated as 'broken ink' or 'flung ink', it is characterized by only a few rough brush marks on an otherwise empty scroll. The empty areas of the painting suggest a misty atmosphere upon which the subject (usually plants) are juxtaposed.

From Quiz 'G'reat Asian Art Terms

Answer: Dry

'Ganbi' means 'dry brush', a marvelous technique wherein paint is applied very sparingly, hence creating a very 'dry' work!

From Quiz 'F'abulous Art Terms

Answer: Futurism

Important adherents of the Futurist movement included Boccioni, Balla and Severini. The goal of the Futurists, surprise surprise, was to break from the past! After Boccioni's death during WWI, the Futurist movement kind of petered out...

From Quiz 'E'gads, More Art Terms!

Answer: Earth Art

Earth Art, also known as Land Art or Earthworks, involves the actual manipulation of rocks, soil and other geological materials to form pieces of art work. Generally Earthworks are very large in scale, with Smithson's 'Spiral Jetty', built on the Great Salt Lake in 1970, as a prime example. Earth Art should not be confused with Environment Art, which employs manmade objects in its craft.

From Quiz 'D'elightful Art Terms

Answer: Dome & Domes

All of these individuals were responsible for the design and construction of very recognizable domes. Fuller is probably most well known for his 'geodesic dome', a hemispheric structure made up of triangular components. Brunelleschi designed the most well recognized dome of the renaissance, the one found on the cathedral in Florence. Probably the most well recognized dome of the modern era was created by Thomas U. Walter...it sits on the U.S. capital building. Finally, perhaps a slightly less well-known dome-like ceiling, designed by Grow, can be found on the Morman Tabernacle Building, under which the famous choir sings!

From Quiz Must 'C' Asian Art

Answer: Cloisonné

Cloisonné was probably first developed in China during the 12th or 13th centuries, when the Mongols ruled, having been imported from the West via Muslim traders. The Chinese have perfected the art to such a level that Chinese cloisonné pieces are now desired all over the world. Cloisonné can take many forms, including jewelry, vases, boxes, etc.

From Quiz 'B' the Asian Art Terms!

Answer: Batik

The Indonesian style sarongs that are so commonly warn by the inhabitants of that country are often produced using the batik process. For a multi-colored design, the process must be repeated with the wax covering the fabric several times.

From Quiz Asian 'A' Art Terms

Answer: Arhat

Luohan is the Chinese term, while arhat is he Sanskrit term for these enlightened individuals whose next step will be into nirvana. In Chinese art you usually see 16 to 18 arhats depicted together.

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Last Updated Oct 26 2024 5:45 AM

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