AP Art History : Identifying artists, works, or schools of twentieth- and twenty-first-century architecture

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Art History

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #361 : 3 D Art

Which of the following works incorporates a minimalist style in its execution?

Possible Answers:

The Chrysler Building 

Gaudi's Sagrada Familia 

The Palace of Versailles 

Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela 

Correct answer:

Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Explanation:

The Chrysler Building is most associated with Art Deco style. Minimalism is, like it sounds, associated with a simplicity that isn't often found in Early Modern works of architecture, particularly those that promoted power or faith. Thus, Versailles and the Cathedral aren't the right answer. Gaudi's Sagrada Familia is also famously elaborate. That leaves Lin's memorial, which is the best answer. 

Example Question #362 : 3 D Art

Which architectural movement from the twentieth century is characterized by rich, bold colors, simple geometric shapes, and lavish ornamentation?

Possible Answers:

Mannerist architecture

Art Nouveau

Art Deco

Baroque

Rococo

Correct answer:

Art Deco

Explanation:

Mannerism, Baroque, and Rococo are not from the twentieth century. Art Nouveau, the predecessor of Art Deco, is characterized by natural forms and structures with curved lines. There is often a nature motif in Art Nouveau works. Art Deco is known for its rich colors, bold geometry, and ornamentation.

Example Question #363 : 3 D Art

This architect is known for his prairie and organic styles. He was also the architect of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Possible Answers:

Alden B. Dow

Philip Johnson

Frank Gehry

Frank Lloyd Wright

Walter Gropius

Correct answer:

Frank Lloyd Wright

Explanation:

Though many of these architects are known for either their prairie or organic styles, Wright designed the Guggenheim.

Example Question #13 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Twentieth And Twenty First Century Architecture

Chrysler_Building_by_David_Shankbone_Retouched.jpg

The spire of the Chrysler Building (William Van Allen 1928-30) in New York city is a well-known example of which 20th-century artistic and architectural style?

Possible Answers:

Art Nouveau

Art Deco

Rococo

Neoclassicism

Gothic

Correct answer:

Art Deco

Explanation:

The Chrysler Building in New York City is a well-known example of the Art Deco artistic and architectural style. Art Deco is known for its bold, geometrical shapes, rather than the organic, flowing style of Art Nouveau, or the Greek-and-Roman-derivation of Neoclassicism. Art Deco was not intricate or natural. It embraced technology and the modern world, and reflected the glamour and luxury that modern technology provided. 

The Chrysler building is a good example of Art Deco architecture, as its spire is composed of symmetrical, bold, powerful geometrical shapes. It also makes sense that Art Deco, which represented glamour and luxury, would be used in that time period to build a skyscraper in New York, which in and of itself is a representation of the modern world.

Rococo and Gothic architecture are not from the 20th century.

Image accessed through Wikipedia Image Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chrysler_Building_by_David_Shankbone_Retouched.jpg

Example Question #51 : Renaissance To Contemporary Architecture

The modernist home in Pennsylvania known as Fallingwater was designed by ______________________.

Possible Answers:

Philip Johnson

I.M. Pei

Mies van der Rohe

Frank Lloyd Wright

Correct answer:

Frank Lloyd Wright

Explanation:

Frank Lloyd Wright built Fallingwater outside of Pittsburgh in 1935 for the owner of a Pittsburgh department store, Edgar Kauffman. Kauffman desired a specific, small plot of land to be used and wanted very specific elements. In order to build a large house in a tight space, Wright used a revolutionary cantilevered approach in his design, also incorporating natural elements like a waterfall, giving the building its name.

Example Question #52 : Renaissance To Contemporary Architecture

Which of the following can be accurately applied to the work of Frank Lloyd Wright?

Possible Answers:

His early works served as models for future 20th century skyscrapers

Each building showcases a blend of chrome and natural wood

He is known for his use of curves and rounded windows

He wanted his buildings to blend harmoniously with their settings

Correct answer:

He wanted his buildings to blend harmoniously with their settings

Explanation:

The long, low Robie House which Wright created to match its prairie setting is a good example of how he matched design to fit surroundings. He felt the building should make the area even more beautiful than before its construction. His "Fallingwater" house in PA is another example of architecture matching its setting.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors