All AP Art History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Analyzing Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
Pictured above is the Boxer at Rest. It is a public domain image and can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_at_Rest
The standard for an athletic figure like this originated in the upright and rigid figures from ____________.
Ka statues from Ancient Egypt
the Visigoth artistic tradition
Archaic Greek tradition
ancient Sumerian cultures of the Near East
Ka statues from Ancient Egypt
The archaic tradition in Greece was the first time Greeks expressed interest in the human form and its musculature; however, those statues originated not in Greece but in Egypt, where the Ka statues represented the dead and were the first recorded instances of upright human figures that were almost anatomically correct.
Example Question #12 : Analyzing Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
Pictured above is the Boxer at Rest. It is a public domain image and can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_at_Rest
The work reflects an interest in ___________.
the idealized male form and the emotional anguish of a felled boxer
hyperrealism and the use of new and different materials
stoicism and the unattainable perfection the male form
correct proportions and the sultriness of an athlete
the idealized male form and the emotional anguish of a felled boxer
First take note of the form and composition of the piece. The boxer has correct proportions- he is idealized and athletic. All of the answers allude to this. Take special note, though, of his emotional appearance. He is not stoic, and certainly not sultry. And since the use of bronze is not novel for Hellenistic Greece, the answer must be that he is in anguish, though perfectly moulded.
Example Question #13 : Analyzing Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
Pictured above is the Boxer at Rest. It is a public domain image and can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_at_Rest
All of the following are true except ___________.
the piece is likely carved from a hard stone like marble
the boxer's face and hair would have been traditional for the time
the level of detail extends to cauliflower ears and a broken nose
the boxer appears to have just been defeated
the piece is likely carved from a hard stone like marble
The boxer is not carved from stone; he is not carved at all. The sculptor used the lost wax process wherein the piece is made from bronze. Note the green tinge, indication of the oxidation of the metal. This is standard for all Greek pieces (it was the Romans who coped classical works using marble instead of metal).
Example Question #14 : Analyzing Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
Based on stylistic evidence, this marble portrait can be attributed to which period?
Greek Hellenistic
Roman Republican
Roman Early Imperial
Greek Classical
Roman Late Imperial
Roman Early Imperial
The development of deep drillwork, which made the "corkscrew" curls of this portrait possible, occurred during the Flavian dynasty (Roman Early Imperial.)
Image: Portrait bust of a young Flavian woman, potentially Julia, daughter of Titus. Marble. c. 80-90 BCE. See page for author [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: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matronalivia2.jpg.
Example Question #15 : Analyzing Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
The Augustus of Prima Porta is posed in a manner known as __________________.
figura serpentinata
chiaroscuro
contrapposto
trompe-l'œil
contrapposto
Contrapposto was the signature pose used in Greek and, through Grecian influence, Roman statuary. Literally the Italian for “counter-pose,” The sculpture of The Augustus of Prima Porta follows contrapposto perfectly. Augustus has one foot in front of the other, with his shoulders turned to face the viewer, creating tension and movement in the overall pose of the figure but a relaxed posture in the subject.
Example Question #16 : Analyzing Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
The work shown here was made from ________________.
gold
bronze
marble
stone
marble
Greek and Roman sculpture, especially large-scale monumental works, was usually made out of marble. Needing fine skill and technical ability, marble was also imposing and costly, demonstrating the value of the work carved from the material. While generally perceived as finished when viewed as plain white marble, Roman sculptors finished their works with a brightly colored layer of paint to give fine detail to the sculpture.
Image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statue-Augustus.jpg
Example Question #17 : Analyzing Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
Based on style and composition, the work of art shown here was created in __________________.
the Egyptian Civilization
the Greek Civilization
the Persian Civilization
the Etruscan civilization
the Etruscan civilization
The Etruscan civilization flourished between about 800 and 200 BCE in the northern Italian peninsula. As represented by this work, the Sarcophagus of the Spouses, Etruscans created large scale sculptures in terra cotta that were remarkable images of human figures, especially in funerary monuments such as this piece. Etruscan art was highly influential on Roman art, particularly after the Roman Empire generally overtook the Etruscan lands in Northern Italy.
Image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Louvre-Lens_-_Les_Étrusques_et_la_Méditerranée_-_191_-_Paris,_musée_du_Louvre,_DAGER,_Cp_5194_(Sarcophage_des_Époux)_(A).JPG
Example Question #11 : Analyzing Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
In The Sarcophagus of the Spouses, the two figures are posed to show ___________________.
their affection and devotion to one another
the qualities about the couple that the viewer should worship
the royal status of the couple
the elevated societal status of the male figure
their affection and devotion to one another
The Etruscan sculpture The Sarcophagus of the Spouses presents a married couple, lounging in an embrace at a dinner or a party. As this is a funerary monument, this pose is supposed to represent the lasting image of the couple, which indicates that this couple and Etruscan society in general greatly valued genuine affection between married couples. This kind of pose stands in stark contrast to Greek and Roman sculpture which often presented subjects in stern poses and also tended to separate men and women.
Image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Louvre-Lens_-_Les_Étrusques_et_la_Méditerranée_-_191_-_Paris,_musée_du_Louvre,_DAGER,_Cp_5194_(Sarcophage_des_Époux)_(A).JPG
Example Question #19 : Analyzing Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
The evolution of the Greek figure can best be described as an aesthetic change from ___________________.
realistic to stylized
human to anthropomorphized
stylized to naturalistic
contrapossto to rigid
stylized to naturalistic
Greek sculpture evolved as the people did, going from a stylized figure with Eastern tendencies and aesthetic qualities to a more natural, highly realistic sculpted figure. Though answers three of the answers have vocabulary related to the Greek aesthetic, they represent a de-evolution of Greek figure studies. The correct answer choice is the only one whose chronology is correct. This question tests a student's ability to recognize large patterns within aesthetic traditions while associating important words with the culture: contrapossto, anthropomorphized, and stylized are all features of Greek sculpture a student needs to recognize. The trick in this question is for the student to frame this vocabulary, and the movements they represent, within the histories they are a part of in a chronologically accurate way.
Example Question #20 : Analyzing Ancient Grecian And Roman Sculpture
The increasing realism depicted in Greek sculpture can most likely be attributed to a heightened concern for the way a figure ________________.
moves
functions internally
feels
looks
moves
Concern with the way the figure moves is the best answer. Greek sculptures evolved to look like a living, breathing figure. The contrapossto style, while looking more natural, also makes the figure appear to be in motion, or capable of movement. By focusing on how the figure moves, artists more accurately depicted how it is. The emphasis is on external function, not internal, evolving to focus on not only how the figure moves through space, but also through time, as late Greek statues focused on the process of aging. Either way, an increasing realism across the chronology of Greek sculpture directly correlates to a heightened concern with movement.
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