All AP Art History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Answering Other Questions About 2 D Art Of The Americas
The ______________ was a system of racial classification and hierarchy used by the Spanish elites of New Spain during the 17th and 18th centuries. This system inspired a series of artwork to be used as a reference, due to its complexity.
Mestizaje
Casta
Auto-de-fes
Criollo
Inquisition
Casta
The Casta was a system of racial hierarchy used in New Spain and also in the Philippines during and after the Inquisition, based on perceived blood purity. It was determined by birth. Those with darker features had fewer opportunities, as did their children after them.
Example Question #1 : Answering Other Questions About 2 D Art Of The Americas
This painting is from the late 18th century in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. Its purpose is ________________________.
to explain to the illiterate the extra taxes that would be levied on any mixed race couple
to discourage racial mixing in the Spanish colonies of the Americas
to illustrate the result of a certain racial mix under the Casta system of racial hierarchy
to promote racial mixing in the colonies as a way to unite the two cultures
None of these
to illustrate the result of a certain racial mix under the Casta system of racial hierarchy
The Casta system of the Spanish colonies of the Americas neither encouraged nor discouraged the mixing of races, it was simply a hierarchy of races, in which white Europeans had more opportunities and rights than their dark-skinned, indigenous counterparts. This system was the subject of much colonial artwork, as many artists were commissioned to illustrate the different races and the classification of their offspring. The title of the painting, De español y mulata, morisca, translates to English as, "From Spanish and mulatto, comes morisco." This means that the child of pure Spanish blood and mulatto blood (mixed race), would be classified as a morisco.
Image from Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mestizo._Mestiza._Mestiza.jpg
Example Question #2 : Answering Other Questions About 2 D Art Of The Americas
What was one of the purposes of hide paintings produced by Native Americans, such as Cotsiogo or Cadzi Cody?
To be given away as honored gifts
To record history
To be used as blankets
None of these
To be used as money in transactions of services
To record history
Hide paintings and oral stories were used by indigenous Native Americans to record their history, as they did not have access to the printing press until after the arrival of European invaders.
Example Question #1 : Answering Other Questions About 2 D Art Of The Americas
What myth does The Coyolxauhqui Stone explain?
The attempted murder of Coatlicue by her children
None of these
The birth of Huitzilopochtli, a Mexica patron deity
All of these
The death of Coyolxauhqui, Huitzilopochtli's sister
All of these
The answer is all of the above. The stone tells the story of Coyolxauhqui and her brothers attempting to kill their mother, Coatlicue, when they find out she is pregnant. Instead, Huitzilopochtli (the child she was pregnant with) emerges from Coatlicue's womb fully grown and defeats Coyolxauhqui. The stone depicts the exact moment Coyolxauhqui's body is broken after her beheaded body is thrown down the mountain.
Example Question #11 : 2 D Art Beyond European Artistic Traditions
Which of the following is NOT a key symbol in Buddhist iconography?
Trees
The Wheel
The Lion
Lotus
Trees
The Lion symbolizes Buddha's royal status. The Wheel denotes Buddha's law. The Lotus is a symbol of Buddha's natural origins. Trees are not a key symbol in the iconographic scheme of Buddhist art.
Example Question #1 : Asian 2 D Art
Fan Kuan's Travellers Among Mountains and Streams exemplifies Northern Song painting in its use of which of the following?
Hanging scroll format
Composite or multiple perspectives
Shading
Ink and color on silk
Varied brushstrokes
Composite or multiple perspectives
Monumental landscapes during the Northern Song dynasty are characterized by their use of three distinct perspectives in the composition: high distance, level distance, and deep distance.
Example Question #1 : Asian 2 D Art
White and Red Plum Blossoms, by Ogata Kōrin, is notable among Japanese art for its use of _________________.
watercolor
gold leaf
gemstones
oil paint
gold leaf
Instead of painting in golden hued paint on the screen in his White and Red Plum Blossoms, Ogata Kōrin inlays actual gold leaf onto his work of art, having the gold dominate the work of art. This use of non-paint or ink materials in creating screens was a signature element of the Rinpa school, who also utilized items such as mother of pearl, although gold leaf was by far the most frequent material included in Rinpa school work.
Artwork from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ogata_Korin_-_RED_AND_WHITE_PLUM_BLOSSOMS_(National_Treasure)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Example Question #2 : Asian 2 D Art
The work shown here is an example of a Japanese _____________.
handscroll
woodblock print
hanging scroll
folding screen
folding screen
Folding screens are a central part of Japanese art due to their use in Japanese domestic architecture as dividers between different spaces. This meant that screens such as White and Red Plum Blossoms by Ogata Kōrin were central decorative objects in houses during the Edo Period of Japanese history. Ogata Kōrin's work was one of the key developments of folding screens as an art form.
Artwork from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ogata_Korin_-_RED_AND_WHITE_PLUM_BLOSSOMS_(National_Treasure)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Example Question #1 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Asian 2 D Art
"Ukiyo-e" is a Japanese term for a piece of art produced through the use of __________.
calligraphy pens
embroidery
screen printing
woodblock prints
woodblock prints
Ukiyo-e was the dominant form of Japanese art in the Edo period (1603-1867), and was aimed largely at the newly dominant upper middle classes by featuring images of geishas, sumo wrestlers, and kabuki actors. Ukiyo-e works were made from woodblock prints that allowed the artist to imprint a similar image on many different pieces of paper after creating just one block. Its handmade nature, however, allowed the pieces to be hand colored and shifted each time a new one was made.
Example Question #4 : Asian 2 D Art
Chinese paintings made before 1900 were usually displayed on __________
wooden panels
bare walls
wood-framed canvas
hanging scrolls
hanging scrolls
Chinese paintings, whether fashionable court paintings or more individualistic works from the literati, were traditionally presented on hanging silk scrolls. These scrolls were both easily portable and impressive in their scope, as they could be quite large. The manufacture of the scrolls themselves was considered an art form.
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