Glossary 1035fleur-de-lis—A three-petaled iris flower; the royal
flower of France.
Floreale—See Art Nouveau.
florin—The denomination of gold coin ofRenais-
sanceFlorence that became an international cur-
rency for trade.
flute or fluting—Vertical channeling, roughly semi-
circular in cross-sectionand used principally on
columns and pilasters.
Fluxus—A group of American, European, and Japan-
ese artists of the 1960s who created Per formance
Art.Their performances, or Events, often focused
on single actions, such as turning a light on and
off or watching falling snow, and were more the-
atrical than Happenings.
flying buttress—See buttress.
folio—A page of a manuscript or book.
fons vitae—Latin,“fountain of life.” A symbolic foun-
tain of everlasting life.
foreshortening—The use ofperspective to represent
in art the apparent visual contraction of an object
that extends back in space at an angle to the per-
pendicular plane of sight.
form—In art, an object’s shape and structure, either in
two dimensions (for example, a figure painted on a
surface) or in three dimensions (such as a statue).
formal analysis—The visual analysis of artistic form.
formalism—Strict adherence to, or dependence on,
stylized shapes and methods ofcomposition.An
emphasis on an artwork’s visual elements rather
than its subject.
forum—The public square of an ancient Roman city.
Fourth Style mural—In Roman muralpainting, the
Fourth Style marks a return to architectural illu-
sionism,but the architectural vistas of the Fourth
Style are irrational fantasies.
freedmen, freedwomen—In ancient and medieval
society, men and women who had been freed from
servitude, as opposed to having been born free.
freestanding sculpture—See sculpture in the round.
fresco—Painting on lime plaster, either dry (dry
fresco, or fresco secco) or wet (true, or buon,
fresco). In the latter method, the pigments are
mixed with water and become chemically bound
to the freshly laid lime plaster. Also, a painting ex-
ecuted in either method.
fresco secco—See fresco.
Friday mosque—See congregational mosque.
frieze—The part of the entablature between the ar-
chitrave and the cornice;also, any sculptured or
painted band in a building. See register.
frigidarium—The cold-bath section of a Roman
bathing establishment.
frottage—A techniquein which the artist rubs a crayon
or another medium across a sheet of paper placed
over a surface having a strong textural pattern.
furta sacra—Latin, “holy theft.”
fusuma—Japanese painted sliding-door panels.
Futurism—An early-20th-century Italian art move-
ment that championed war as a cleansing agent
and that celebrated the speed and dynamism of
modern technology.
garbha griha—Hindi, “womb chamber.” In Hindu
temples, the cella,the holy inner sanctum often
housing the god’s image or symbol.
genius—Latin, “spirit.” In art, the personified spirit
of a person or place.
genre—A styleor category of art; also, a kind of
painting that realistically depicts scenes from
everyday life.Geometric—The styleof Greek art during the ninth
and eighth centuries BCE,characterized by abstract
geometric ornament and schematic figures.
German Expressionism—An early-20th-century
regional Expressionist movement.
gesso—Plaster mixed with a binding material, used
as the base coat for paintings on wood panels.
gestural abstraction—Also known as action paint-
ing.A kind ofabstractpainting in which the ges-
ture, or act of painting, is seen as the subject of
art. Its most renowned proponent was Jackson
Pollock. See also Abstract Expressionism.
giant order—See colossal order.
gigantomachy—In ancient Greek mythology, the
battle between gods and giants.
giornata (pl.giornate)—Italian,“day.” The section of
plaster that a frescopainter expects to complete in
one session.
gladiator—An ancient Roman professional fighter,
usually a slave, who competed in an amphitheater.
glaze—A vitreous coating applied to pottery to seal
and decorate the surface; it may be colored, trans-
parent,or opaque,and glossy or matte.In oil
painting,a thin,transparent,or semitransparent
layer applied over a colorto alter it slightly.
glazier—A glassworker.
Gobelin tapestry—A tapestryproduced on a verti-
cal loom using a weaving techniquein which no
weftthreads extend the full width of the fabric.
gold leaf—Gold beaten into tissue-paper-thin sheets
that then can be applied to surfaces.
gopis—South Asian herdswomen.
gopuras—The massive, ornamented entrance gate-
way towers of southern Indian temple compounds.
gorget—A neck pendant, usually made of shell.
gorgon—In ancient Greek mythology, a hideous fe-
male demon with snake hair. Medusa, the most fa-
mous gorgon, was capable of turning anyone who
gazed at her into stone.
Gospels—The four New Testament books that relate
the life and teachings of Jesus.
Gothic—Originally a derogatory term named after
the Goths, used to describe the history, culture,
and art of western Europe in the 12th to 14th cen-
turies. Typically divided into periods designated
Early (1140–1194), High (1194–1300), and Late
(1300–1500).
Grand Manner portraiture—A type of 18th-cen-
tury portrait painting designed to communicate a
person’s grace and class through certain standard-
ized conventions, such as the large scale of the fig-
ure relative to the canvas, the controlled pose, the
landscape setting, and the low horizon line.
granulation—A decorative technique in which tiny
metal balls (granules) are fused to a metal surface.
graver—An engravingtool. See also burin.
great mosque—See congregational mosque.
Greek cross—A cross with four arms of equal length.
griffin—A mythical animal that is part lion and part
bird.
grisaille—A monochrome painting done mainly in
neutral grays to simulate sculpture.
groin—The edge formed by the intersection of two
barrel vaults.
groin vault—See vault.
ground line—In paintings and reliefs,a painted or
carved baseline on which figures appear to stand.
guang—An ancient Chinese covered vessel, often in
animal form,holding wine,water,grain,or meat
for sacrificial rites.exemplum virtutis—Latin, “example or model of
virtue.”
Expressionism (adj.Expressionist)—Twentieth-
century art that is the result of the artist’s unique
inner or personal vision and that often has an
emotional dimension. Expressionism contrasts
with art focused on visually describing the empir-
ical world.
facade—Usually, the front of a building; also, the
other sides when they are emphasized architec-
turally.
faience—A low-fired opaque glasslike silicate.
fan vault—See vault.
fantasia—Italian, “imagination.” One of several
terms used in Italian Renaissanceliterature to
praise the originality and talent of artists.
fasces—A bundle of rods with an ax attached, repre-
senting an emblem of authority in ancient Rome.
fauces—Latin, “jaws.” In a Roman house, the narrow
foyer leading to the atrium.
Fauves—French, “wild beasts.” See Fauvism.
Fauvism—An early-20th-century art movement led
by Henri Matisse. For the Fauves, color became
the formal element most responsible for pictorial
coherence and the primary conveyor of meaning.
Favrile—A type of leaded stained glass patented by
Louis Comfort Tiffany in the late 19th century.
femmages—The name American artist Miriam
Schapiro gave to her sewn collages,assembled
from fabrics, quilts, buttons, sequins, lace trim,
and rickrack collected at antique shows and fairs.
femme fatale—French, “fatal woman.” A destructive
temptress of men.
femme savante—French, “learned woman.” The
term used to describe the cultured hostesses of
Rococosalons.
fenestra coeli—Latin, “window to Heaven.”
fenestrated—Having windows.
fenestration—The arrangement of the windows of a
building.
fête galante—French, “amorous festival.” A type of
Rococo painting depicting the outdoor amuse-
ments of French upper-class society.
feudalism—The medieval political, social, and eco-
nomic system held together by the relationship
between landholding liege lordsand the vassals
who were granted tenure of a portion of their land
and in turn swore allegiance to the liege lord.
fibula (pl.fibulae)—A decorative pin, usually used
to fasten garments.
fin-de-siècle—French, “end of the century.” A period
in Western cultural history from the end of the
19th century until just before World War I, when
decadence and indulgence masked anxiety about
an uncertain future.
findspot—Place where an artifact was found;
provenance.
finial—A crowning ornament.
First Style mural—The earliest style of Roman
muralpainting. Also called the Masonry Style, be-
cause the aim of the artist was to imitate, using
painted stucco relief,the appearance of costly
marble panels.
Flamboyant—A Late French Gothicstyle of architec-
ture superseding the Rayonnantstyle and named
for the flamelike appearance of its pointed bar
tracery.
flashing—In making stained-glasswindows, fusing
one layer of colored glass to another to produce a
greater range ofcolors.