I will be adding information to this page that pertains to the final exam. Being that exams have not been the staple for assessment thus far in this course (due to the small class size and fact that I know we have all worked very hard to wrap our minds around the material), I do encourage you to use this forum and process as a means for learning.
In so doing, you will recognize the wealth of material you have learned and will hopefully recognize that it is impossible to know it ALL in the depth it is presented to you. This truly is a content-rich course and, in recognizing that, my desire is that you take a moment to simply breathe, relax... Now, remember why you took this course. And, hopefully - your answer has something to do with the fact that this information will enrich your life - your future experiences.... whether as an historian, artist, patron, architect, or simply a culturally-literate citizen and appreciator of this enigmatic thing humans have referred to throughout our entire existence as "beauty".
Therein lies the secret to this experience -- this opportunity that each and every one of you have chosen to take upon yourself -- one that we will never share together as a group again, but one that will live through our own pursuits of learning more about humankind's curious and incessant need to make marks on surfaces.
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TOPICS:
• Palace of Darius
What was the political context for this building?
What civilization constructed this building?
Describe the unusual shape of this building's capitals (located atop the columns).
• Palette of Narmer
What is the subject, style, significance of this work of art?
• Queen Hapshetsut
Why is she special?
Explain the nature of her rule - before, during, after...
• How did sculpture from the Egyptian Middle Kingdom differ from the others?
• Palace of Knossos - how would you classify / describe a column from this palace? (material, color, shape)
• Capital orders - Doric, Ionic, Corinthian
• What is the name of this building (below)? What special event occurred here?
Discus Thrower (Myron)
• Why do we study the nature of Greek sculpture through Roman copies? How does this version differ than the original bronze from Greece?
• Nike of Samothrace
She comes to us from a greater time. What men, what gods, what heroes...
One can visit her today in the Louvre, but where was such a sculpture originally meant to be placed?
How would you explain this sculpture in relation to the idea of "classicism" found in earlier work, such as Spear Bearer?
• Roman aqueducts (such as the one pictured below) are made from the ashlar masonry construction technique. Describe what distinguishes this type of stone masonry from others.
• Column of Trajan
• How was the Roman Tetrarchy represented?
• Hagia Sophia
Where is this building located?
Describe the patronage of this building?
What was the original purpose of the construction?
What was the key architectural feature first developed in Hagia Sophia?
Had the original purpose of Hagia Sophia changed during the course of history?
The interior of Hagia Sophia has changed drastically throughout history. Describe the original appearance of the interior.
What type(s) of church plan was used in this structure?
• What is the function of an iconostasis?
• What would a plan of a monestary look like?
• The Lorsch Gatehouse
It resembles which famous structure that preceded it?
What feature would deem it as non-classical?
• In the Middle Ages, what did many female artists specialize in?
• Animal forms and interlace patterns can be seen in what form of art?
• This Romanesque frieze by Wiligelmo draws inspiration from what source?
• Royal Portals of Chartres Cathedral
Why are the Royal Portals of Chartres given this title?
What is the significance of these figures?
• Gothic architecture is defined according to different stylistic periods. What is the name of the style that classifies the almost-excessive ornate tracery found in the late period?
• The Very Sumptuous Book of Hours
What is the nature / theme / concept of the book from which this illustration is contained?
This painting is an example of which style or period?
Who was the patron of this book?
In what century were the illustrations of the book painted?
• Pottery that has strirup-shaped handles comes from which continent?
hint: look at the Moche pottery...
• The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is built upon an important site. Describe why this site is significant and what happened here.
• Giotto's fresco cycles in the Arena Chapel depict narratives from what subject? Specify.
• Oil painting
Which region first employed the medium to a great extent?
When did this occur?
The above is a detail of Jan van Eyck's work - one of the first examples of oil painting used to its greatest potential...
-The figures are the extremes are...
-The interior figures (Saints John the Baptist and Evangelist) are gray-scale paintings meant to emulate sculpture... what do we call this technique?
-What is the name of the larger work of art?
• Who was Hans Holbein's patron in England?
• Why is Leonardo's Last Supper in such rough shape today?
• Where was Michelangelo's David originally meant to be placed?
• How does Michelangelo's Creation of Adam express the Renaissance interpretation of humanism?
• A painting of the High Renaissance is noted for which kind of compositional structure?
• San Giorgio Maggiore is a form of Mannerist architecture.
Why is such a structure considered Mannerist?
• Il Gesu - this is the mother church of what religious sect?
• Golden Age of Dutch Art - The 17th Century
In the wake of the Counter Reformation that swept throughout Europe in the Seventeenth Century, The northern Dutch region maintained religious freedom from which Catholic entity?
What manifestations did this have on the art of this region, considering the fact that thee major religious practice was Calvinism?
• Rembrandt - master of light and shadow
Question: How does Rembrandt's use of oil painting differ from, say, van Eyck?
Look at the general characteristics of Rembrandt's work...
• Velazquez
-Stylistic period (including region) within which he exists.
-Where did Velazquez spend his career as a painter?
• Which artist was deeply affected by the Protestant Reformation and the ideals of Luther? Hint: he painted his self-portraits in the manner of Christ.
• Name some reasons as to why a figure like Caravaggio would have been considered "controversial".
• Women were not given many opportunities to succeed in the realm of the fine arts, due to societal structures, conceptions and the complications associated with the "artist apprenticeship" system. How then, can we explain why the great Artemisia Gentileschi produced a great number of high quality works of art during the Italian Baroque period?
• Peter Paul Rubens created a narrative cycle, containing 21 huge allegorical paintings celebrating the life of an important individual. Who was she?
• Guido Reni - look at his fresco of Apollo Bringing up the Dawn.
• Quadro riportato means "carried picture". Reni's Apollo was done in this style... explain what that means...
• Death of Marat
Who was Marat?
Explain the scene taking place and the significance of such a work.
The following two paintings are paintings of men of a dignified status. Compare and contrast the two.
King Louis XIV...
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| Louis XIV |
Where did Louis XIV reside? Did he have a nick-name?
-Do you think that the figures depicted intended on these pieces being viewed by others or do you think that they were designed for private consumption? Explain.
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| Charles I (Anthony VanDyck) |
• This is a painting (above) by the artist Goya...
-From what source is the subject of this painting?
-What is the title?
-To what was the time period does it belong?
• Academies
Where was the original Academy founded?
What purpose / role did they play in the lives of artists?
• Salons
What is a salon?
• The Realist movement
-Who were the Realists?
-How were they different in their artistic approaches than those that preceded them?
-How were they received?
-Explain the philosophical theory of positive and how it relates to the art of the Realists.
• Burial at Ornans (Gustave Courbet)
-Explain why this work fits into the style of "Realism"...
-What is taking place here?
-Why was it considered controversial?
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| Gustave Courbet - Burial at Ornans |
• The Gleaners (Millet)
To what period of art would one classify this painting?
How did Millet organize the composition?
What significance does this organization play in the message?
 |
| Millet - The Gleaners |
Both Millet and Courbet's incessant desire to record the "real" world around them was echoed in the work of Daumier. His Third Class Carriage (below) is a work expressing such sentiment. How would you further explain "why"?
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| Daumier - Third Class Carriage |
• Luncheon on the Grass (Edouard Manet)
What year was this painted?
What is the style?
How was this painting received by the public? Describe.
• What is a daguerreotype?
• Impressionism
Why were the Impressionists called "the Impressionists"?
-How were they received by the public?
*Did they find favor in the eyes of the French Academy?
-What are the developments that made this style possible?
-What were these artists interested in achieving through this style of art?
• Post-Impressionism
How were the Post-Impressionists different from Impressionists?
Name 5 artists from this period.
• Which Post-Impressionist elevated still-life painting to an epic level (something of noble status)?
• Who was the Post-Impressionist who, for a period of time, shared a residence with Vincent van Gogh, and was influenced by art objects from Oceania (Tahiti)?
• The artist mentioned above... What did he have to say about the Baroque artist Poussin? Explain how the significance of this statement reflects in his work?
• Cubism
Who invented this style of art?
When?
Why?
The art of collage was invented during cubism... what is the specific "type" or sub-style of cubism would this art form fit into?
• For which venue was Picasso's Guernica was painted?
• Futurism
Describe this style of art?
• Surrealism
What is the style of Surrealism all about?
What role did literature play in this?
• Meret Oppenheim - work entitled Object
This work is an example of what style of art?
Why is this work of art unique?
Question: What do the following sculptural works have in common?
-Marcus Aurelius
-Gattamelata
• Georgia O'Keeffe specialized in paintings of what object(s)?
• Question: How does Daumier's Third Class Carriage find a parallel in Dorothy Lange's photography?
• Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty is an example of what type of art?
• Harlem Renaissance - what was it all about?
• Print-making processes
-How does an etching differ from an engraving?
-What is the term used to describe both of these processes?
-What is the major difference between these prints and those made from wood blocks?
• Where would one find a giant rock-cut Buddha?
• Islamic art: calligraphy, carpets and tapestries
• His series of paintings Migration of the Negro (below) chronicle an important event. Who was the artist and what was the significance of the event?
• What would you say is the common thread uniting the three works presented below?
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| Henri Fuseli - The Nightmare |
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| Goya - When Reason Sleeps |
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| Henri Rousseau (The Gypsy) |
• In what area of the world would we find many rock-cut temples? (Spain, Russia, Japan, India)
• What is the complex (below) called? Hint: look at Bath, England...
What is the function of the complex?
Traditional Chinese painting formats include all of the following formats except for...
-handscrolls
-hanging scrolls
-fans
-woodblock prints
Cindy Sherman - what is the essence of her work and why would it be difficult to show and/or discuss in school?
Frank Lloyd Wright is a famous architect - this we know... what do art historians call his early buildings, such as the Robie House?
What are some types of works that would be considered "Post-Modern" art by such a label's standards?
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