AP Art History : Understanding terminology that describes seventeenth- and eighteenth-century architecture

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Art History

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century Architecture

Stretchers, headers, and soldiers are terms used to describe __________.

Possible Answers:

brickwork

stucco patterns

steel beams

architectural painting

Correct answer:

brickwork

Explanation:

In brickwork, particularly when used in the construction of large buildings; different terms are used to describe how bricks are laid out and how they relate to each other. A stretcher is a brick laid lengthwise, facing out on its larger face, a header is a brick laid with its shorter end facing out on the wall, and a soldier is a brick laid on its small end with its long side facing out.

Example Question #1 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century Architecture

300px-ingo_jones_plan_for_a_new_palace_at_whitehall_1638

This design plan is highly representative of the style known as __________.

Possible Answers:

Baroque

Gothic

Neoclassicism

Rococo

Correct answer:

Neoclassicism

Explanation:

Inigo Jones, who drafted this plan for a new Palace at Whitehall, was the first notable English architect, working in the seventeenth century. His greatest contribution to English architecture was to bring Italian ideals of neoclassicism to the British Isles. Neoclassicism's use of perfect symmetry and Greco-Roman aesthetics was a sharp departure from the overly wrought palaces and red brick houses of Tudor England.

Image: Plan for A New Palace at Whitehall by Inigo Jones (1638). <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ingo_Jones_plan_for_a_new_palace_at_Whitehall_1638.jpg>

Example Question #2 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Seventeenth And Eighteenth Century Architecture

Monticello_2010-10-29.jpg

The "cupola" on the building shown here describes the _______________.

Possible Answers:

columned front entryway

gardens surrounding the building

combination of brick and concrete as building materials

dome over the building

Correct answer:

dome over the building

Explanation:

The pride of Jefferson regarding Monticello was the cupola, or dome, over the top of the building. The building of the cupola was a massive architectural problem, needing intense calculations and measurements just to keep the dome upright. Jefferson placed his own study in the cupola, as it also provided the best light and airflow of any room.

Image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons. Author: YF12. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monticello_2010-10-29.jpg

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