AP Art History : Renaissance to Contemporary 2D Art

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Art History

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Example Questions

Example Question #141 : 2 D Art

Who was the early Renaissance painter who created the triptych known as The Garden of Earthly Delights?

Possible Answers:

Lucas Cranach the Younger

Hans Holbein the Younger

Jan van Eyck

Lucas Cranach the Elder

Hieronymus Bosch

Correct answer:

Hieronymus Bosch

Explanation:

The Garden of Earthly Delights, painted between 1490 and 1510, is a highly idiosyncratic and complicated triptych of the Garden of Eden, earthly pleasures, and their subsequent punishment in a hell-like atmosphere. The religious overtones and multi-faceted story are features of most paintings by Hieronymus Bosch, who was an early Netherlandish painter during the Renaissance. Bosch's painting, now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, was highly influential for its depiction of human forms, its allegorical tales, and its peculiar form of storytelling.

Example Question #71 : Renaissance To Contemporary 2 D Art

Van Eyck - Arnolfini Portrait.jpg

Pictured above is the Arnolfini Portrait, and can be found at the Website of National Gallery, London.

The artist of this work is also responsible for which other famous Northern European work?

Possible Answers:

Portrait of a Woman in a Winged Turban

Portrait of a Man in a Turban

The Braque Triptych

The Descent from the Cross

The Dream of Pope Sergius

Correct answer:

Portrait of a Man in a Turban

Explanation:

The painter of the Arnolfini Portrait is Jan van Eyck, who is famous for his other works in the Netherlandish style, including Portrait of a Man in a Turban.

Example Question #72 : Renaissance To Contemporary 2 D Art

Which early Baroque Italian painter was is known for his dramatic use of chiaroscuro and darkly expressive biblical scenes, as well as frequently portraying young boys? 

Possible Answers:

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

Carlo Saraceni

Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Correct answer:

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

Explanation:

Michelangelo Caravaggio's paintings showed a striking use of the high contrast between dark and light known as chiaroscuro, pushing the technique further than any artist had previously. He used it to give drama to many of his psychologically charged paintings of religious scenes. He also often painted boys, sometimes incorporated into these scenes and sometimes in a non-religious or Classical context.

Example Question #73 : Renaissance To Contemporary 2 D Art

Which sixteenth-century artist worked primarily in Spain and painted The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, incorporating his own face into the scene?

Possible Answers:

Ludovico Buti

Francisco Venegas

Juan Fernández Navarrete

El Greco (Domenikos Theotopoulos)

Correct answer:

El Greco (Domenikos Theotopoulos)

Explanation:

El Greco, born Domenikos Theotopoulos (1541–1614) was a Mannerist painter and sculptor. He born in Crete and worked in Rome and Spain. His well-known work The Burial of the Count of Orgaz was commissioned in 1586 by the parish priest of Santo Tomé.

Example Question #74 : Renaissance To Contemporary 2 D Art

This artistic style flourished in Europe during the mid-to-late sixteenth century, and tended to be expressive and dynamic rather than serene and idealized.

Possible Answers:

Humanism

High Renaissance 

Mannerism

Cinquecento

Correct answer:

Mannerism

Explanation:

Mannerism departed from the High Renaissance style that emphasized symmetry, balance, and perfection. Instead, Mannerist artists allowed the imperfections, emotions, and disproportions of their subjects to show through, sometimes even enhancing them.

Example Question #21 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art

The Merode Alterpiece Triptych (ca. 1427–32) consists of three panels depicting __________.

Possible Answers:

a set of three devotional portraits of Mary, Joseph, and John the Baptist

the Virgin Mary being visited by the angel Gabriel, her falling to the ground in terror, and Gabriel informing her that the baby she is carrying will be Jesus Christ

the baptism and blessing of the infant Jesus Christ

the Annunciation, or when the Virgin Mary is visited by the Holy Spirit and impregnated with Jesus Christ

Correct answer:

the Annunciation, or when the Virgin Mary is visited by the Holy Spirit and impregnated with Jesus Christ

Explanation:

The three panels of the Merode Annunciation triptych show (from left to right) two friends of Mary and Joseph arriving to pay their respects, Mary sitting and reading calmly with the angel Gabriel and the tiny flying figure of the Holy Spirit, and Joseph at a wood-working bench. 

Example Question #22 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art

This early-to-mid sixteenth-century Flemish artist was known for his realistic, everyday scenes of peasants and commoners in his native Netherlands, such as Hunters In The Snow (1565).

Possible Answers:

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Hieronymus Bosch

Johannes Vermeer

Jan Van Eyck

Correct answer:

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Explanation:

Pieter Bruegel the Elder was known to many at the time of his work as "peasant Bruegels" because he often used commoners and everyday scenes as his subject matter.

Example Question #23 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art

Beginning in the late 16th century in Italy and later spreading to most of Europe, this artistic style uses tension, exaggerated movement, and a high contrast of light and dark to convey intense emotion.

What artistic style is the above paragraph describing?

Possible Answers:

Baroque

Romanticism

Mannerism

Rococo

The Renaissance

Correct answer:

Baroque

Explanation:

Baroque art, popular in Europe from the late sixteenth century through the early eighteenth century, featured intense emotions, exaggerated movement of its subjects, and a high-contrast style of use of light and dark colors. It was often used to represent the emotional depths of the Catholic church, as well as to glorify the church and the monarchy. Caravaggio is a famous painter from this time period who painted in the Baroque style.

Example Question #24 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art

790px michelangelo merisi  called caravaggio   the crowning with thorns   google art project

This painting from the early seventeenth century is a clear example of the unique style of Baroque art. Its Italian painter is arguably the most famous artist of the Baroque period. Artists who followed in his footsteps came to be known as "shadowists," among other names.

Which Baroque artist is responsible for the painting picture above?

Possible Answers:

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

Bernini Cornaro

Heinrich Wölfflin

Annibale Carracci

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

Correct answer:

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

Explanation:

Caravaggio is arguably the most famous Baroque painter.  His paintings are often displayed as quintessential examples of the pure Baroque style, and they are very recognizably painted by Caravaggio.

Image: The Crowning with Thorns by Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi) (c. 1602–1604). File from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Michelangelo_Merisi%2C_called_Caravaggio_-_The_Crowning_with_Thorns_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg.

Example Question #24 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Century 2 D Art

__________ is commonly known as the beginning of the modern world and marks the end of the Middle Ages. During this period, artists studied light, shadow, perspective, and the human form. One of the most famous artists from this period is Leonardo da Vinci.

Possible Answers:

Baroque

The Gothic period

Rococo

Mannerism

None of the other answers

Correct answer:

None of the other answers

Explanation:

None of these answers is correct; the correct answer is the Renaissance. The Renaissance was a cultural and intellectual awakening for Europe. The paintings from the Renaissance tend more toward realism than paintings and artworks before it. Therefore, artists dedicated themselves to studying different aspects of real, three-dimensional spaces, like perspective and shadows. The human form was deeply studied by Leonardo da Vinci and other artists.

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