AP Art History : Sculpture

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Art History

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : African Sculpture

Polytheism is a basic consistency in Egyptian art and architecture. What Egyptian pharaoh changed the official state religion to a monotheistic one, spawning a 17 year anomaly of art dedicated to Aten, the sole deity in ancient Egypt?

Possible Answers:

Khnumnakht

Amenhotep/Akhenaton

Memisabu

Tutankhamun

Correct answer:

Amenhotep/Akhenaton

Explanation:

During his 17 year reign, Amenhotep IV forbade the worship of any god with the exception of Aten, the power light embodied by the sun disk. This brief period represents a radical departure from what typically comprised Egyptian religion, which was a consistent cornerstone of ancient Egyptian art. An example of this is "Akhenaton Presenting a Duck to Aten."

Example Question #1 : Sculpture Of The Americas

The Olmec were the first major civilization of Mesoamerica and the Pre-Columbian era, flourishing from about 1500 BCE to 400 BCE. 

The Olmec are perhaps most famous for which unique style of sculpture, made from volcanic rock?

Possible Answers:

Colossal heads

Sacrificial altars

They were not sculptors.

Small statuettes

Bowls and plates

Correct answer:

Colossal heads

Explanation:

Very little is left from the Olmec civilization, and historians know very little about them as a whole, aside from pieces of evidence that point to certain advancements or characteristics such as being the first civilization in the Western Hemisphere to develop a writing system. The Olmec are recognized for their giant sculptures of heads made from volcanic rock, called the Olmec Heads. These heads have different characteristics and have been found all around the region where the Olmec lived. It can only be speculated how they moved such huge pieces of volcanic rock. Although the Olmec made other types of sculptures, relatively few of them have been found.

Example Question #2 : Sculpture Of The Americas

Large, elongated stone slabs covered in intricate carvings are typical of the Classic Period of Mesoamerican art. These sculptures, popularized by the Ancient Mayans, are known as __________.

Possible Answers:

zoomorphs

stelas

altars

stucco

lintels

Correct answer:

stelas

Explanation:

Large, elongated Mayan stone slabs covered in intricate carvings are known as "stelas." They often depicted the ruler of the city they were located in, sometimes disguised as a god. Very few have been preserved.

Example Question #3 : Sculpture Of The Americas

__________ are large Mayan sculptures that consist of one large stone carved into the shape of animals or living creatures and covered in intricate relief sculpture.

Possible Answers:

Zoomorphs

Stucco

Lintels

Stelas

None of the other answers is correct.

Correct answer:

Zoomorphs

Explanation:

Zoomorphs are large stones carved to resemble animals by the Mayans. They were often covered in relief sculptures. Zoomorphs may have been used as altars.

Example Question #11 : Sculpture Beyond European Artistic Traditions

The most well known type of Olmec art is __________.

Possible Answers:

intricate silver jewelry fashioned in complex shapes with gemstones

bas-relief sculptures illustrating the ritualistic Mesoamerican ballgame

large-scale fresco murals depicting massive battle scenes

colossal basalt sculptures that only depict the head of their subjects

Correct answer:

colossal basalt sculptures that only depict the head of their subjects

Explanation:

The Olmec civilization dominated what is now Southern Mexico from roughly 1500 BCE to 400 BCE, laying the groundwork for the later civilizations of the Maya and Aztec. The most familiar and most impressive part of their civilization that has survived are basalt sculptures of heads that weigh between 6 and 50 tons, and which took extraordinary coordination to have the stones moved and sculpted into their proper forms.

Example Question #4 : Sculpture Of The Americas

Arguably the most recognizable piece of artwork from Mesoamerica is the Aztec __________.  This stone was carved in the mid-fifteenth century and presents different worlds of the sun according to Aztec mythology.  This stone was once a part of the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan.

Possible Answers:

Altar

None of the other answers is correct.

Throne

Sun Stone

Stucco

Correct answer:

Sun Stone

Explanation:

The Aztec Sun Stone (also known as the Aztec Calendar Stone) is an elaborately carved stone disk that represents a link between humanity and the divine through the current ruler of the Aztec Empire at the time of its carving. It is not a working calendar. It may also have at some point been anointed with blood sacrifices to please the gods the Aztecs believed in.

Example Question #1 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Sculpture Of The Americas

Telamones tula

These stone monuments left behind by the Toltec civilization, which occupied what is now Hidalgo, Mexico, are an example of which type of monument frequently found in Pre-Columbian architecture and sculpture?

Possible Answers:

Warior Totems

Atlantean figures

Zapotec Guardians

Aztec Warriors

Toltec Guardians

Correct answer:

Atlantean figures

Explanation:

Atlantean figures have been found in various different areas of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, most notably in Hidalgo, Mexico, which was previously occupied by the Toltecs. Their purpose is generally as support pillars. Atlantean refers to the Titan god Atlas, from Ancient Greek mythology, who was doomed to hold up the heavens for all eternity. They are generally carved to represent fierce, bellicose men. When the Aztecs found these pillars after the Toltecs abandoned their city, they imagined that the pillars represented their own gods, and considered the city divine.

Image accessed at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Telamones_Tula.jpg

Photograph by Luidger

Example Question #12 : Sculpture Beyond European Artistic Traditions

Pre-Columbian art refers to the artistic endeavors of the indigenous populations of which areas prior to the mid-sixteenth century?

Possible Answers:

China

North, South and Central America and the Caribbean

Southeast Asia

Eastern Europe

Russia

Correct answer:

North, South and Central America and the Caribbean

Explanation:

The term "Pre-Columbian" refers to a time before European colonization of the Americas. The term can be deconstructed as "Before Columbus," as Christopher Columbus' arrival to the Americas is seen as the beginning of European influence in what was then known as the "new world."

Example Question #6 : Sculpture Of The Americas

Art and architecture from which Mesoamerican civilization is arguably the most well known and studied, its creators having inhabited Mexico during the late postclassic period of the Pre-Columbian era, when the European colonization of the Americas began?

Possible Answers:

The Olmec

The Aztecs

The Mayans

The Inca

The Toltec

Correct answer:

The Aztecs

Explanation:

The Aztecs occupied a large portion of central Mexico and Mesoamerica from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century. They were the last surviving major civilization of the Mesoamerica by the time that Spanish sailors invaded the area. Much is known about their art and culture, as they were (historically-speaking) very recently conquered by Spain. Although Spain did destroy a very large amount of their artwork and culture as part of their takeover of Latin America, much remains, and was later studied.

Example Question #1 : Analyzing Asian Sculpture

Which is NOT true of the Shiva Nataraja bronze sculptures from the Chola Dynasty?

Possible Answers:

Shiva makes the "fear not" mudra.

Shiva is surrounded by a ring of fire.

Shiva stomps on apasmara (symbol of illusion).

Shiva has four arms and two legs.

Shiva is depicted symmetrically.

Correct answer:

Shiva is depicted symmetrically.

Explanation:

Shiva is depicted asymmetrically. Three hands gesture to his right while one hand gestures to his left. In addition, his left leg is raised to his right while his other leg is rooted firmly to the ground. Shiva's front left hand, which points to his raised left foot, signifies refuge for the troubled soul.

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