AP Art History : Analyzing seventeenth- and eighteenth-century 2D art
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Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Analyzing Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century 2 D Art
Figure 3
Figure 4
In contrast to Figure 3, the King in Figure 4 is portrayed as __________.
a coward
an autocrat
an administrator
an outdoorsman
an outdoorsman
In Spanish, this 1633 portrait by Diego Velazquez is known as "Felipe IV Cazador," or "Philip IV the Hunter." This portrait is atypical for Velazquez' portraits of Philip, which are usually in his palace or against a simple background. This was done presumably to show a different side of Philip, that expressed his love of the outdoors, hunting, and adventurous pursuits.
Example Question #12 : Analyzing Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century 2 D Art
Figure 3
Figure 4
Each of these kings represented monarchs who believed in __________.
constitutional monarchy
oligarchy
absolute monarchy
representative democracy
absolute monarchy
The image on the left is one of Anthony van Dyck's portrayals of King Charles I of England, Scotland, and Ireland, while the image on the right is a Diego Velazquez portrait of King Philip IV of Spain. As seventeenth-century monarchs, both kings believed in the divine right of kings to rule in an absolute monarchy. This worked out differently for each, however, as Philip IV ruled Spain at a time when it was at the apex of its power, and Charles I was the King who incited England into civil war.
Example Question #13 : Analyzing Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century 2 D Art
Questions 7-12 are based on Figures 3 and 4.
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 3 most likely has three portraits because __________.
all of the other answers
it shows off the artist's skill
it is a study for a sculpture
it presents the King in different clothing
all of the other answers
As a practical purpose, this triple portrait of King Charles I, by Anthony van Dyck, was probably needed so that a bust could be made by a sculptor the King could not sit for. In executing it, however, van Dyck gets to show the King in multiple ways, showing his ability to capture different elements of the King. The King wears different robes, and his smile is ever so slightly different in each image.
Example Question #14 : Analyzing Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century 2 D Art
Figure 3
Figure 4
Each of these paintings is an example of __________.
Renaissance art
Baroque art
Rococco art
late Medieval art
Baroque art
Both Anthony van Dyck, who created the triple portrait of Charles I in Figure 3, and Diego Velazquez, who made the image of Philip IV in Figure 4, were leading lights of the Baroque era. Baroque painting featured stylized portraiture, high contrast between colors, and emotional approaches to its subjects. Each portrait demonstrates these characteristics quite well.
Example Question #15 : Analyzing Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century 2 D Art
Figure 3
Figure 4
The painting in Figure 3 was made by a painter originally from modern-day __________.
Italy
Holland
Belgium
Great Britain
Belgium
Anthony van Dyck, who created the image in Figure 3, Charles I in Three Positions, continued the English tradition of monarchs importing court painters. Anthony van Dyck was born in Antwerp, then in the Spanish Netherlands, but now in Belgium. Van Dyck had made a career in Italy in the 1620s, but was convinced by Charles to move to London to be the offical court painter there.
Example Question #16 : Analyzing Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century 2 D Art
The principal subject of the work shown here is _________________.
a royal couple
Biblical characters
historical figures
the artist and his wife
the artist and his wife
This work of art is known as Self-Portrait with Saskia. In the foreground is the artist, Rembrandt van Rijn, with his wife Saskia positioned slightly behind him. Rembrandt portrays them as ordinary people, rather than wealthy patrons or significant figures from history, a common theme of seventeenth century Dutch painting, but uncommon in other parts of Europe.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Self-portrait_with_Saskia.jpg
Example Question #541 : Ap Art History
For what reason did the artist include a wide range of servants and attendants in the work shown?
To illustrate the nasty attitude the royal family has towards their servants
To confuse the viewer about which person was a member of the royal family
To show the reality of the royal household, rather than an idealized version
To criticize the elevated status in which the royal family was held by commoners
To show the reality of the royal household, rather than an idealized version
Diego Velazquez' painting is named Las Meninas, literally "The Maids of Honor" in Spanish, but the center of the painting is still the Infanta, Margaret Theresa, the daughter of the King and Queen of Spain. By showing the Infanta's retinue, including the maids of honor, a chaperone, dwarves, and pets, as well as himself painting the work, Velazquez presents the reality of the royal household in a critical, if non-judgmental, manner. Adding to this effect is the presentation of the King and Queen in a mirror at the back of the room, putting the viewer in the position of the royal couple.
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 #17 : Analyzing Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century 2 D Art
The artist included a self-portrait in this work in order to show __________________.
his own disdain for the royal household
he placed himself on an equal level to the King and Queen
he was a significant part of the royal household
his superiority to the attendants and dwarves pictured
he was a significant part of the royal household
Las Meninas is, essentially, a portrait of the royal household, especially the retinue of people surrounding the Infanta Margaret Theresa. In the middle of this portrait Diego Velazquez has included an image of himself painting the scene. Velazquez official position was as the court painter to Philip IV, King of Spain, which meant he lived and worked in the Alcazar, the royal palace of the Spanish Monarchs.
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 #543 : Ap Art History
The style in which A Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery was painted was unusual in what way?
He depicts a woman at the lecture
The highly dramatic lighting and scale that the painting takes on was normally used for religious or historical painting
Wright painted this with tempera paint, but the dominant medium of the time was oil
This painting featured technology that did not exist yet, so the orrery was entirely imagined
The painting features real-life people who were not of noble birth, but paintings at the time were predominantly of the wealthy
The highly dramatic lighting and scale that the painting takes on was normally used for religious or historical painting
The style in which Wright painted A Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery was normally reserved for "history painting." These paintings would often be scenes with historical or religious figures, or of mythological heroes, and usually had a moral implication. Wright chose to paint a scientific scene in this way, which emphasized the importance of the Enlightenment at the time.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wright_of_Derby,_The_Orrery.jpg
Example Question #18 : Analyzing Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century 2 D Art
The positioning of the adults in the image was intentional and meant to represent a specific scientific theme -- which of the following does their positioning represent?
The phases of the moon
The seasons of the year
The life cycle
The rotation of the Earth
The planets in the solar system
The phases of the moon
The positioning of each adult in the photo is meant to represent the phases of the moon -- new moon, half moon, gibbous moon and full moon. Wright demonstrates this by his dramatic use of light and shadow. The shadows on their faces illustrate what the moon looks like when it rotates around the sun.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wright_of_Derby,_The_Orrery.jpg
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