Identifying artists, works, or schools of twentieth- and twenty-first-century architecture

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

Questions 1 - 10
1

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?

Art Deco

Art Nouveau

Rococo

Neoclassicism

Gothic

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

2

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

He wanted his buildings to blend harmoniously with their settings

He is known for his use of curves and rounded windows

Each building showcases a blend of chrome and natural wood

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

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.

3

The architectural school founded in Weimar Germany that focused on the synthesis between various art forms was __________.

the Bauhaus

the École des Beaux-Arts

Postmodernism

the Prairie School

Explanation

The Bauhaus was a revolutionary art school, which sought to unite various forms of art under one roof and one set of guidelines based around clean lines, modern techniques, and functionality. The Bauhaus was most influential in the world of architecture, where its modern and simple style inspired achitects around the world. Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party banned the Bauhaus, and forced its teachers and leaders to find refuge in other nations, which furthered their influence internationally.

4

The unfinished Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona was designed by whom?

Antoni Gaudí

Salvador Dalí

Enrique Nieto

Pablo Picasso

Joan Miró

Explanation

La Sagrada Familia was planned as a massive church in Barcelona that would rival its Cathedral in size. After breaking ground in 1882, the church is still not totally finished. Importantly, its architect Antoni Gaudí was killed in a 1926 tram accident, and the work had to continue on under architects with different design aesthetics than its singular original designer.

5

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

Frank Lloyd Wright

Mies van der Rohe

Philip Johnson

I.M. Pei

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.

6

The style of artwork developed in Eastern Europe in the twentieth century, which glorified the working class and revolution was __________.

Socialist Realism

Idealism

Regionalism

Expressionism

Explanation

Socialist realism was an artistic movement that grew up hand in hand with communist governments, and particularly Joseph Stalin's rule in the Soviet Union. While called "realism," the artistic style was dedicated to glorifying the working classes and promoting revolution. The "realism" was done in the simplicity of the figures, both in painting and sculpture, as well as in the utility of its architecture.

7

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

Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Gaudi's Sagrada Familia

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

The Palace of Versailles

The Chrysler Building

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.

8

The architectural movement of the early twentieth century that focused on modernism, simplicity, and a complete artistic cohesion among disciplines was __________.

Bauhaus

De Stijl

Beaux-Arts

Socialist Realism

Expressionism

Explanation

The "Bauhaus," German for House of Construction, was a school of arts and architecture in the Weimar Period between the two World Wars. The school was so influential that it gave its name to an entire movement, focusing on modern design, efficiency, and a cohesive approach to art between architecture, design, and crafts.

9

The architect Frank Gehry is famous for designing the building for which art museum?

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

The Museum of Modern Art in New York

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles

The Musee D'Orsay in Paris

The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago

Explanation

Gehry, a modernist architect well known for flowing lines and unusual shapes, has built concert halls, museums, and government buildings around the world. Among his most notable works is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, constructed out of titanium and glass, in shapes that are meant to evoke the countryside of Bilbao's Basque region.

10

The architecture guide and manifesto known as Cinq Points de l’Architecture Modern (The Five Points of Modern Architecture) was written by __________.

Le Corbusier

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Philip Johnson

I.M. Pei

Explanation

Le Corbusier was one of the most influential modernist architects, not only for the buildings he designed but also for his influential writings on architecture. Le Corbusier's sparse, clean, and functional style was outlined in his manifesto known as The Five Points of Architecture. First published in L'Esprit Nouveau, and found in his longer book Vers un architecture, the points are best expressed in his 1931 building Villa Savoye.

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