All AP Art History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #641 : Ap Art History
Image from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AACMA_679_Kore_1.JPG. See page for author [CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons.
From which ancient civilization does this stone sculpture originate?
Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
The Toltec Civilization
Mesopotamia
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Greece
This sculpture is called Peplos Kore, and has been dated back to 530 BCE, during the Archaic period of Ancient Greek sculpture. The sculpture showcases one of the archetypal figures of Archaic sculpture: the standing draped woman. The subject also showcases what is known as the "Archaic smile," a bland, smiling facial expression born by nearly all Archaic Greek sculptures after 575 BCE.
Example Question #642 : Ap Art History
Photo by I, Sailko [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
This sculpture dates back to which of the three Ancient Greek sculpture periods?
The Hellenistic period
The Classical period
The Archaic period
The Byzantine period
None of the other answers is correct.
The Hellenistic period
This sculpture, called Laocoön and His Sons, is a clear example of late Hellenistic Greek sculpture. It is less focused on symmetry and beauty, and is more focused on the emotion and movement of the scene it is illustrating. The facial expressions and panicked and angry, as opposed to serene or neutral, as seen in Archaic and Classical sculpture. Also, this sculpture features children, which are not often found in Classical and Archaic Greek Sculpture.
The Byzantine period was not a period of Ancient Greek sculpture.
Example Question #643 : Ap Art History
Exekias [Public domain, CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Given its stylistic and formal elements, to what period can this amphora be attributed?
Greek Hellenistic
Roman Imperial
Greek Archaic
Roman Republican
Greek Classical
Greek Archaic
Black-figure vases such as this one by Exekias depicting Ajax and Achilles playing dice are emblematic of Athenian ceramic production during the Greek Archaic period (c. 600–480 BCE).
Image: Ajax and Achilles Playing a Game, by Exekias (potter and painter), c. 540-530 BCE. Black-figure painting on a ceramic amphora.
Exekias [Public domain, CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Example Question #5 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
The Discobolus of Myron depicts what kind of person?
An oracle
An athlete
A soldier
An elder
A sailor
An athlete
The Discobolus of Myron depicts a nude male discus thrower poised in the act of hurling the discus. With his head bent down, his knees bent, and his throwing arm extended behind him, the figure is frozen in a dynamic, athletic posture. Unlike later Greek art, Early Classical sculpture was concerned with portraying ideal human form, and the youthful male nude was considered the most beautiful of all the human forms.
Example Question #47 : 3 D Art
The Discobolus of Myron is made of which material?
Beaten gold
Iron
Bronze
Marble
Cement
Bronze
Like many Early Classical sculptures, the Discobolus of Myron was made of bronze. While sometimes more difficult to work with than marble, this medium is generally lighter than stone and allowed for more innovative, dynamic postures.
Example Question #6 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
The Winged Victory of Samothrace depicts which goddess?
Ares
Nike
Demeter
Athena
Apollo
Nike
Also known as the Nike of Samothrace, this famous sculpture depicts the Greek deity Nike, goddess of victory. Nike is traditionally depicted with wings, although the sculpture in question is missing not only its right wing but also its head. The sculpture dates to the 2nd century BCE and is currently housed at the Louvre in Paris.
Example Question #644 : Ap Art History
The Winged Victory of Samothrace dates to which period?
Severe
Phoenician
Archaic
Hellenistic
Barbaric
Hellenistic
Like the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace (c. 190 BCE) is a work that came at the pinnacle of the Hellenistic era. As was customary in this era, the statue depicts a female goddess designed to be visually pleasing regardless of what angle it was viewed from (shown in the round). The Winged Victory of Samothrace also exhibits an elaborate draping of clothing (another hallmark of Hellenistic sculpture); in this case, the clothing looks as if it is being blown by a strong breeze.
Example Question #11 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
Of what material is the Winged Victory of Samothrace made?
Bronze
Marble
Iron
Tin
Ivory
Marble
Like many Hellenistic statues, the Winged Victory of Samothrace is sculpted from marble. Specifically, its body is made of white marble from Paros, Greece, and its base is made of gray marble from Rhodes, Greece. Iron, tin, and ivory were not common materials for ancient Greece sculpture.
Example Question #12 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
The Siren Vase depicts a scene in an epic by which author?
Virgil
Milton
Homer
Keats
Dante
Homer
The Siren Vase is a type of vessel known as stamnos and is decorated with red and black images. One of the most famous examples of ancient Greek pottery, the Siren Vase (c. 475 BCE) depicts the hero Odysseus battling sirens, enchanting female creatures who lured sailors to their deaths with hypnotic songs. This hero appears in the Homeric epics The Odyssey and The Iliad; none of the other authors were ancient Greek writers.
Example Question #13 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
The Siren Vase is an example of which type of pottery?
Terracotta
Black-figure pottery
Mycenaean funerary urn
Phoenician drinking ware
Attic red-figure pottery
Attic red-figure pottery
One of the most famous examples of ancient Greek pottery, the Siren Vase (c. 475 BCE) is a major example of Attic red-figure pottery. This type of work became common in the mid-500s BCE and is characterized by red figures on a black background (as opposed to black-figure pottery, which depicts black figures on a red or yellow background). Terracotta pottery is similarly red-colored but typically unpainted.