AP Art History : AP Art History

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Art History

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Twentieth And Twenty First Century Sculpture

Unique forms of continuity in space 1913.jpg large

This sculpture is an example of what artistic movement?

Possible Answers:

Surrealism

Cubism

Abstract Expressionism

Fauvism

Futurism

Correct answer:

Futurism

Explanation:

While it may bear some similar principles to movements like Surrealism and Cubism, the sculpture's emphasis on the energy of a body in motion is a prime example of Futurism, of which Boccioni was a leading artist. Fauvism is not applicable to sculpture, dealing instead with the color palette of paintings, and Abstract Expressionism largely did away with representational figures, even somewhat abstracted ones like the sculpture in question.

Image is in the public domain:  http://www.wikiart.org/en/umberto-boccioni/unique-forms-of-continuity-in-space-1913

Example Question #2 : Twentieth And Twenty First Century Sculpture

Unique forms of continuity in space 1913.jpg large

In his Technical Manifesto of Futurist Sculpture, Boccioni proclaimed the abolition of __________________.

Possible Answers:

the palpable extension of objects in space

round shapes

striding figures

spiraling momentum

definite lines

Correct answer:

definite lines

Explanation:

The answer is "defining lines," of which there are none in this sculpture. All of the other answers are key features of both Futurism and this sculpture.

Image is in the public domain:  http://www.wikiart.org/en/umberto-boccioni/unique-forms-of-continuity-in-space-1913

Example Question #3 : Twentieth And Twenty First Century Sculpture

Unique forms of continuity in space 1913.jpg large

All of the following are qualities of the figure except _______________.

Possible Answers:

impetuosity

speed

momentum

muscularity

weight

Correct answer:

weight

Explanation:

The figure demonstrates momentum and speed in the way Boccioni has conveyed his forward movement. Impetuosity is an emotional quality we can infer from the speed and momentum. Though it lacks defined muscles in a naturalistic way, the sculpture also conveys a sense of muscularity through the unique rendering of his body parts. Of all these qualities, and in spite of this being a bronze sculpture, weight is not a fitting description for a figure that has muscularity but also a significant lightness to it.

Image is in the public domain:  http://www.wikiart.org/en/umberto-boccioni/unique-forms-of-continuity-in-space-1913

Example Question #31 : Renaissance To Contemporary Sculpture

An American architect closely associated with the Prairie School was __________.

Possible Answers:

Philip Johnson

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Gehry

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Correct answer:

Frank Lloyd Wright

Explanation:

The Prairie School was an architectural movement that grew around the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century in the American midwest. The Prairie School architects wished for a uniquely American form of architecture that could fit in with the natural landscape of America. Among the leading figures of the Prairie School was the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, whose early houses were all largely in the Prairie style.

Example Question #1 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Twentieth And Twenty First Century Sculpture

Three-dimensional art produced from pre-made objects, including things like household items, commercial products, or even trash is known as __________.

Possible Answers:

performance art

found object art

modern art

collage

Correct answer:

found object art

Explanation:

"Found object" can be considered an umbrella term, as it can apply to sculpture, installations, and many other media. The main concept behind "found object" art is that any object can be presented as or included in fine art. The first use of such art was by Marcel Duchamp with his "readymades," which were literally just regular objects Duchamp gave titles to and placed in galleries. The earliest form of the movement was seen as a subset of Dadaism.

Example Question #1 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Twentieth And Twenty First Century Sculpture

Found object art ___________.

Possible Answers:

challenges the viewer to consider what makes something "art" and, like Pop Art, can put everyday items in a new light as a result

can frequently be found in the most popular creations of Renaissance masters like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo

created a widely-accepted art movement--Illusionism--that forced viewers to reconcile the seen with the unseen 

was, like Futurism, a brief artistic movement that thrived in the years between the First and Second World Wars

None of the answers are correct.

Correct answer:

challenges the viewer to consider what makes something "art" and, like Pop Art, can put everyday items in a new light as a result

Explanation:

Found object art, or art that incorporates already made materials, is a form of art that often elicits controversy over what "art" really is--while it began as a conscious technique early in the twentieth century, it continues on today. 

Example Question #32 : Renaissance To Contemporary Sculpture

Marcel Duchamp's coined the term "readymade" to describe sculptures made using ________________.

Possible Answers:

None of these

objects from other countries

objects created by a team of artists working in an assembly line

stolen objects

ordinary manufactured objects

Correct answer:

ordinary manufactured objects

Explanation:

Readymades were everyday objects that were chosen and then adjusted by the artist before being put on display. Examples include Duchamp's own provocative "Fountain," which was simply a urinal. He saw this as a response to so-called "retinal art," or art that only affected its viewers through sight.

Example Question #8 : Twentieth And Twenty First Century Sculpture

The American sculptor known for making large, stainless steel figures with a mirror finish, usually of kitsch and pop culture subjects, is named __________.

Possible Answers:

Jeff Koons

Damien Hirst

George Segal

Mike Leavitt

Correct answer:

Jeff Koons

Explanation:

Jeff Koons is a controversial modern sculptor, as he has often turned his eye to pop culture subjects considered outside the realm of high art. Notably, he has a series called "Banality," and has constructed immense metallic sculptures of balloons twisted into animal shapes. While his subjects tend to be "lighter" compared to his contemporaries, like George Segal, Koons' skill with steel and his non-traditional subjects have been highly influential on younger generations of artists, including Damien Hirst and Mike Leavitt.

Example Question #1 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Twentieth And Twenty First Century Sculpture

Which twentieth-century artist is responsible for the 1917 sculpture Fountain, which features a urinal?

Possible Answers:

Francis Picabia

Marcel Duchamp

Man Ray

Reginald Mutt

Pablo Picasso

Correct answer:

Marcel Duchamp

Explanation:

Duchamp is responsible for this three-dimensional art piece. The piece was signed "R. Mutt," but the origin of this signature is still debated, though it is said to stand for Richard Mutt.

Example Question #731 : Ap Art History

Where was Christo and Jeanne-Claude's installation art piece The Gates located when installed?


800px gates a

Possible Answers:

London's Hyde Park

New York's Union Square Park

Chicago's Millenium Park

Los Angeles's Griffith Park

New York's Central Park

Correct answer:

New York's Central Park

Explanation:

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's installation art piece The Gates was set up in 2005.

Image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gates#/media/File:Gates_a.jpg

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