AP Art History : Answering other questions about fourteenth- through sixteenth-century 2D art

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Art History

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Example Questions

Example Question #161 : Ap Art History

Renaissance painting was different from medieval painting for all of the following reasons EXCEPT __________.

Possible Answers:

increased use of perspective

preference of classical over religious themes

wider contrast between dark and light elements

increased use of Christian imagery

Correct answer:

increased use of Christian imagery

Explanation:

The Renaissance saw an explosion in new forms of art, which explicitly sought a break from Medieval tradition. One of the chief features thematically was a revival in Classical subjects from ancient Greece and Rome. Renaissance artists also used new techniques and methods to create wider use of perspective and contrast in colors and light elements.

Example Question #92 : Renaissance To Contemporary 2 D Art

Oil Paint only became widespread in European art in the __________.

Possible Answers:

early fourteenth century

early fifteenth century

late fifteenth century

late fourteenth century

Correct answer:

late fifteenth century

Explanation:

Oil paint, created by blending paint pigments with flaxseed or linseed oil, allows for deeper and richer colors, which can also be blended more easily into different colors. Oil painting replaced tempera paint, which was mixed with egg yolk, in Europe around the late fifteenth century, initially in the work of Early Netherlandish painters, like Jan van Eyck. Van Eyck's influence on the Italian Renaissance made oil painting the standard in European art by 1500.

Example Question #93 : Renaissance To Contemporary 2 D Art

The sixteenth-century German artist who wrote an influential work on human proportion was __________.

Possible Answers:

Albrecht Dürer

Lucas Cranach the Younger

Matthias Grünewald

Hans Holbein the Younger

Correct answer:

Albrecht Dürer

Explanation:

Albrecht Dürer was the most well-respected and influential German artist of the Early Renaissance period. A large portion of this influence stems from his impressive paintings and engravings; however, he also wrote two books of art theory, Four Books of Measurement and Four Books of Proportion, which were widely read by generations of artists.

Example Question #161 : Ap Art History

Southern European nations are more likely to possess pre-Renaissance religious art because __________.

Possible Answers:

the religious art made in Southern Europe was more likely to find favor with the Catholic Church

the weather in Southern Europe was more likely to preserve art over the centuries

more Northern European nations became Protestant and therefore were more likely to destroy images of saints

more religious art was made in Southern Europe before the Renaissance

Correct answer:

more Northern European nations became Protestant and therefore were more likely to destroy images of saints

Explanation:

In Europe, the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation occurred essentially simultaneously, with a revolution in art taking place at the same time as an upheaval in religion. The religious turmoil often affected art made before the time period, however, because many Protestants were iconoclasts who sought to destroy all religious imagery, especially those of saints and other intermediaries.

Example Question #95 : 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 medium of the work is __________.

Possible Answers:

fresco

acrylic

tempera

oil 

Correct answer:

oil 

Explanation:

As is common in the Northern Renaissance tradition, Van Eyck takes advantage of the slow drying time of oil to get the level of detail he achieves.

Example Question #96 : 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 image depicts a __________.

Possible Answers:

husband and wife

father and daughter

brother and sister

duke and dutchess

Correct answer:

husband and wife

Explanation:

The figures are arranged in a standard pose of a newly-married couple, and the poses of each as well as the adornment on the woman's head suggest they are wed.

Example Question #97 : 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 house in which the couple resides is located in __________.

Possible Answers:

England

France

Finland

The Netherlands

Correct answer:

The Netherlands

Explanation:

The painting is of Netherlandish Renaissance style and was painted by Jan van Eyck, who is from the Netherlands.

Example Question #98 : 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 work depicts all of the following except __________.

Possible Answers:

the subservience of women in the fourteenth-century Netherlands

the power of the Christian church

the importance of status and tradition

the signature of the artist

Correct answer:

the power of the Christian church

Explanation:

Jan van Eyck signed his painting above the mirror. As well, the placement of the wife near the bed suggests submission to the power of the man, while the stiff pose and dress is tradition for the time. There is nothing religious, though, about the painting.

Example Question #99 : 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 painting reflects van Eyck's interest in __________.

Possible Answers:

the value of a clean and tidy household

tradition and ceremony in his community

the authority of the church

the dominance of women in European society

Correct answer:

tradition and ceremony in his community

Explanation:

This painting represents a tradition of Netherlandish weddings, and it reflects the traditions of that society.

Example Question #100 : 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 painting's audience was likely __________.

Possible Answers:

the artist

the Christian church

the Arnolfini family

the local community

Correct answer:

the Arnolfini family

Explanation:

The painting was commissioned by Giovanni Arnolfini for the purpose of private viewing in his house.

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