AP Art History : 2D Art
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Art History
All AP Art History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Answering Other Questions About Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century 2 D Art
Which of the following is true about Peter Paul Rubens’ Allegory of the Outbreak of War?
It reflects Peter Paul Rubens’ limited travel experience and his insular focus on Flanders’ point of view in military conflicts
It was commissioned by Ferdinando II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, to celebrate his bravado in war
It expresses Rubens’ negative attitude towards war and was painted in protest of the Thirty Years War and other conflicts
Venus is represented as a fury of war
It was painted to protest the Netherlands’ wars of independence from Spain
It expresses Rubens’ negative attitude towards war and was painted in protest of the Thirty Years War and other conflicts
Rubens derived great insight into European politics from his diplomatic missions, and never ceased to promote peace. He used Allegory of the Outbreak of War to express his horror at the Thirty Years War and promote his message of peace.
Example Question #11 : Answering Other Questions About Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century 2 D Art
Jean-Baptiste Greuze’s The Village Wife is demonstrative of which of the following?
The influence of the Enlightenment and its elevated spirit of rationality and scientific thought
The newfound popularity of moral narratives through satire
The Neoclassical fascination with Italy and the popularity of the Grand Tour
The influence of Rousseau and the popularity of sentimental narratives in art, which idealized the peasant’s simple, natural, and honest life as the height of humanity
Greuze’s tendency to paint controversial scenes that polarized his audiences
The influence of Rousseau and the popularity of sentimental narratives in art, which idealized the peasant’s simple, natural, and honest life as the height of humanity
Greuze's Village Wife echoes Rousseau's writings, which placed emotions above reason as the most natural of human expressions. The painting's sentimental tone is characterized by the simplicity seen in the peasant's rustic, unadorned dwelling and its depiction of this happy climax to a rural romance. It promotes a moral message that happiness is the reward of natural virtue.
Example Question #12 : Answering Other Questions About Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century 2 D Art
The inclusion of a mirror on the back wall of the painting recalls which Early Netherlandish work of art?
The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck
The Descent from the Cross by Roger van der Weiden
Adam and Eve by Albrecht Durer
Annunciation Triptych by the Workshop of Robert Campin
The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck
One of the most curious elements of Diego Velazquez' Las Meninas is the inclusion of a small mirror in the middle of the painting, on the back wall of the room, showing the King and Queen of Spain. This directly references a similar object in the Arnolfini Wedding Portrait, painted over two hundred years before Velazquez' creation of Las Meninas.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Las_Meninas,_by_Diego_Velázquez,_from_Prado_in_Google_Earth.jpg
Example Question #13 : Answering Other Questions About Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century 2 D Art
The work shown here allowed the artist to ____________________.
practice techniques important to paintings he would later create
keep images of himself
show a domestic scene
make quick money through a cheaper medium
practice techniques important to paintings he would later create
Etching such as this one, Self-Portrait with Saskia, served two functions for an artist like Rembrandt. While some would be sold at a much lower cost than large-scale paintings, they also allowed Rembrandt to practice techniques he utilized in paintings. Rembrandt made a large number of self-portraits throughout his career, each of which had different poses, but all showed his hallmarks such as heightened contrast of light and dark elements and a revealing view of his subject, each of which are showed in this etching.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Self-portrait_with_Saskia.jpg
Example Question #14 : Answering Other Questions About Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century 2 D Art
Jacques-Louis David's The Oath of the Horatii, shown here, depicts a scene from _____________________.
everyday aspects of rural life
an important moment in Christian scriptures
a well-known story of Roman history
then-contemporary military campaigns
a well-known story of Roman history
The Oath of the Horatii presents three brother from the Horatius clan making an oath to their father that they will fight three brothers from the rival city of Alba Longa. This story, in which only one brother survived, but the brothers' task of defeating their rivals was ultimately achieved, was quite popular as a Roman lesson about honor and patriotism. During the late eighteenth century, many intellectuals throughout Europe looked back to Classical sources for guidance, resulting in the philosophical movement known as the Enlightenment and the artistic style known as Neoclassicism.
Artwork from Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jacques-Louis_David,_Le_Serment_des_Horaces.jpg
Certified Tutor
Certified Tutor
All AP Art History Resources
