AP Art History : Understanding terminology that describes nineteenth-century 2D art

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Art History

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Analyzing The Form Of Nineteenth Century 2 D Visual Art

Still-life-with-skull-1898.jpg_blog

The composition above is a painting in the genre of __________.

Possible Answers:

history painting

portrait

nude

landscape

still life

Correct answer:

still life

Explanation:

The painter of this work, Paul Cézanne, was particularly noted for his still lifes. The one in this question, "Still Life with Skull," was painted in 1898 and is particularly notable for the inclusion of a skull, a notable feature of Cezanne's later work from the 1890s on. Cézanne's use of broad brushstrokes, layered color, and different perspectives helped create a bridge from impressionism to modern art movements like cubism.

Example Question #231 : 2 D Art

Pictured above is a work entitled Impression, Sunrise.

Which of the following techniques is most common among works like this one?

Possible Answers:

Chairoscuro

Impasto

Fresco-secco

Wash

Correct answer:

Impasto

Explanation:

Impasto is the technique of using thick layers of paint on the canvas, often mixing colors directly on the work, and allowing the glob to dry. This creates depth and changes the way the light hits the painted surface; it is a favored technique of Impressionists.

Example Question #232 : 2 D Art

Pictured above is a work entitled Impression, Sunrise.

The artist of this work most dominately paints in the city of __________.

Possible Answers:

Sicily

Paris

Naples

Rome

Correct answer:

Paris

Explanation:

Monet was one of the leading rebels of the Salon de Paris. Most of his work comes from Paris and the surrounding countryside.

Example Question #233 : 2 D Art

Which painting technique of the nineteenth century, developed by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, consists of many small, distinct dots of color to form one image?

Possible Answers:

Pointilism

Cubism

Rococo

Mannerism

Impressionism

Correct answer:

Pointilism

Explanation:

The name Pointilism itself refers to the act of using small points. Mannerism and Rococo are artistic movements stemming from different centuries than Pointilism, and cubism is a very geometrical artistic style created by Pablo Picasso.

Example Question #241 : Ap Art History

Romantic paintings began to spring up as early as the 1760s. What type of paintings dominated the movement during its infancy?

Possible Answers:

Historical paintings

Murals

Landscapes

Portraits

None of these answers

Correct answer:

Landscapes

Explanation:

The first Romantic paintings were landscapes. Artists such as J. M. W. Turner and John Constable captures scenes of storms, as well as Gothic architecture, which is itself highly expressive and emotional in nature. Human subjects were included heavily in Romantic paintings later on.

Example Question #11 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Nineteenth Century 2 D Art

Claude monet 004

"En plein air" refers to what technique used by the artist of the work shown?

Possible Answers:

Capturing the motion of the painting's subject

Painting outdoors

Using visible brushstrokes

Mixing paints on the canvas

Correct answer:

Painting outdoors

Explanation:

"En plein air" was a technique favored by Impressionists such as Claude Monet. In this painting from 1877, The Saint Lazare Station, Monet's choice of painting outdoors allowed him to capture the steam coming off of the trains and the general haze that surrounded the station. Painting outdoors was so common that many Impressionists would create works which showed their fellow artists working "en plein air."

Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Claude_Monet_004.jpg

Example Question #243 : Ap Art History

Slave ship

The overlapping colors and mixed brushstrokes indicate that the artist utilized _____________________.

Possible Answers:

a camera obscura

en plein air painting

a fast working speed

collage work

Correct answer:

a fast working speed

Explanation:

In order to achieve the visible, overlapping brushstrokes that give The Slave Ship its sense of movement and action, JMW Turner worked extremely quickly. Turner was able both to apply wet paint on wet paint, building up a texture, and create actual motion with his paint application. For these reasons, Turner always worked fast in an attempt to capture what he considered the "sublime" aspect of nature.

Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Slave-ship.jpg

Example Question #54 : Nineteenth Century 2 D Art

Jacques-louis-david-napoleon-crossing-the-alps4          Sir_arthur_wellesley__1st_duke_of_wellington

                              Figure 3                                                                       Figure 4

The painting shown in Figure 3 is highly indebted to __________.

Possible Answers:

impressionism

neo-classicalism

expressionism

romanticism

Correct answer:

neo-classicalism

Explanation:

Jacques-Louis David, before becoming Napoleon's official painter during the Empire, was noted as a painter of history works, which usually focused on stories from Ancient Greece and Rome. In creating these works in the late eighteenth century, David was the preeminent neo-classicist in France, using the clean lines and bright colors notable of the genre. These aspects are present as well in his Napoleon Crossing the Alps, especially the Roman tablet crushed in the bottom left corner of the painting.

Figure 3: Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jaques-Louis David (1801)

Figure 4: Portrait of Sir Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1814)

Example Question #244 : Ap Art History

Cassatt coiffure

The Coiffure, by Mary Cassatt, was created in the medium of ___________________.

Possible Answers:

tintype with filter

carving in wood

oil on canvas

drypoint and aquatint

Correct answer:

drypoint and aquatint

Explanation:

Drypoint is highly related to etching, in that to create art with the medium, an artist must carve the desired image into a piece of metal that is then printed onto a piece of paper by a printing press. Mary Cassatt made The Coiffure a color print by adding aquatint, a chemical ink that could both attach to the metal print, but also leave a lasting image. This very European style of printing was favored by Cassatt because of its resulting images similarity to Japanese woodblock printing.

Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mary_Cassatt_-_The_Coiffure_-_NGC_29882.jpg

Example Question #245 : Ap Art History

Which of these schools was an off-shoot of Impressionism?

Possible Answers:

Symbolism

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood

Divisionism

Pictorialism

Realism

Correct answer:

Divisionism

Explanation:

Divisionism, also associated with Pointillism, creates a larger image from many smaller dots of color, dots that the eye mixes when standing at a distance from the painting. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood sought to emulate works from the Renaissance. Realism was a mid-19th century movement in which painters rejected Romanticism; symbolism drew on mythology and dreams as its defining feature; and pictorialism was a movement in photography emphasizing beauty rather than reality.

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