AP History Course Outline

AP Art History Course Outline

Course Description

This course is designed to prepare students to take the AP Art History exam in May. The first semester will begin with an introduction to Art History and equipping students with the essential skills and vocabulary necessary for the study of art works. Students will begin with Paleolithic Art and work through to Early Medieval. The second semester will begin with Late Medieval and Baroque and conclude with a study of post-modernism and contemporary Art and Artists. Whilst the bulk of the investigations will be based in western cultures, students will spend at least 20% of the course looking at and discovering cultures outside of our usual experience. Such cultures will include Asia, Africa and Islam. The course will make connections across time and cultures, studying the reoccurring themes that link human creativity such as the Human Figure, Sacred Spaces and Mother and Child.

The fundamental “big idea”, which will form the basis of all study, is that art is essentially a mirror of society. No artist can work in total isolation, but rather is a sum of all influences, whether personal (through triumphs or tragedies,), spiritual, societal, cultural or historical. Whether conscious or not, we are all affected by the external forces around us and so too are artists. Therefore, if we nurture the curiosity and investigational tools necessary in any art historian, we will add another skill to the student’s intellectual toolkit.

Through the study of art students will:

Learn how art history is a field of study that makes connections among many other disciplines through its emphasis on social context.

Learn how to effectively analyze visual works of art by suspending personal judgments and developing critical thinking skills by gathering evidence based on the work’s intended use, audience and role in that particular society.

Understand works of art within their historical context by examining issues such as the politics, patronage and religious influences of the times.

Build a vocabulary of “visual literacy” which will enable them to analyze a wide variety of art works and make informed judgments based on both visual and contextual analysis.

Be able to identify characteristics of major art movements and be able to place works of art in their correct chronological place and time.

RESOURCES

Textbook

Gardner’s Art through The Ages 13th ed. (Thomson/Wadsworth) by Fred S. Kleiner and Christin J. Mamiya.

(Gateway to Art History used with Gardner text)

Art in Focus by Gene A. Mittler, Ph. D (Fourth Edition-2000)

Survival Guide for Art History Students by Maranci (2005)

SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES

Google Earth (For investigating worldwide sites and buildings)

A Short guide to Writing about Art by Slyvan Barnett

History of Art by H.W. Janson

The Story of Art by E.H.Gombrich

Extensive Reference materials available in school and local library system.

Columbus Museum of Art

Wexner Center for Contemporary Arts

Toledo, Cincinnati and Cleveland Art Museums for possible field trip study.

Distance Learning through the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Evaluation

Examination20%

Projects20%

Tests/quizzes30%

Notes10%

Essays20%

Semester 1

Tests/QuizzesWill comprise both short/long answer essay questions and slide based assessments.

Document Based Will be studied during each period/art movement using

Questions contemporary documents.

Projects Greek Temple design, Greek and Roman Architecture. Thematic based project.

Examination Will follow the AP format.

Semester 2

Tests/QuizzesWill comprise both short/long answer essay questions and slide based assessments.

Document Based Will be studied during each period/art movement using

Questions contemporary documents.

ProjectsTBA

Examination Will follow the AP format. Students who choose to take the AP exam can exempt the second semester exam.

Calendar

Semester 1

/ Content Indicator
Week 1 / Introduction: methods and terminology.
Student survey: cultural backgrounds and interest.
Learning skills in descriptive and analytical essay writing.
Learning to use contemporary sources as a resource for insight into society and or culture.
Learning to “read” a work of art.
Effective note taking strategies.
Asking the five essential questions of Art Historians– What (subject matter) Why (Did the artist create it?) Who (Did the artist create it for?) How (Does the work reflect the culture of the artist?) What (Impact did the art work have?) /

C2
Week 2 / The Birth of Art-
Africa, Europe and the Near East in Paleolithic and Neolithic times.
The first sculptures – study of Paleolithic figurines and the image of Woman (Willendorf figure)
The representation of the animal – cave painting and narrative.
Monumental structures - Megaliths, temples and Ziggurats.
Art used as part of ritual

Africa – art identifiespeople of importance. Since 15th century artworks shipped west and exhibited as “primitive”

But subsequent examination in context of African society has redefined it as art.
African furniture and the Art Deco style
Art and the spirit world.
Olowe of Ise door from Yoruba royal palace in Ikere. Compare with Ghiberti’s Baptistry door in Florence. / C1

Week 3 /

Ancient Egypt and the Aegean

Art in service of a culture that is focused on the afterlife.
Mummification and portraiture for eternity.
Strong distinctions between the powerful Pharoah and the lower classes (hierarchical proportion, idealization v. naturalism.
Monumental stone architecture – the pyramid. Compare with Ziggurat of Ancient Near East.
Reading from The Book Of the Dead.

Pre-Columbian

Rapidly developing large, complex cities with pyramid like temples-scene of ceremonial brutality (ritual human sacrifice)
Desire to link sacred sites to celestial bodies, expressing rhythms of religious calendar.
Cosmic imagery similar to other cultures. /

C2
C3
Week 4 / Ancient Greek 1 –
Archaic, early classical, classical.
Protogeometric, geometric and archaic Greek cultures.
Vocabulary includes learning Greek Vase shapes, temples types and terminology of architectural components.
Identify and define concepts of Greek idealism, beauty, and individualism.
Aesthetics based on mathematical proportions.
Reading from Plato and Aristotle, exploring the relationship between Artist and Society.
DBQ practice based on quotations from Plato /

Week 5 / Ancient Greek 2 – late classical, early Hellenistic, Hellenistic.
Compare and contrast with Egypt and Ancient Near East – specifically approach to nature and the landscape with architectural forms: palaces, tombs and temples. Relationship between Greek building and site.
Origins of the Greek city and plan (agora, stoa ,acropolis.) /

Week 6 / Ancient China and Southeast Asia.
Confucianism and its influence on landscape painting
Interest in meditative imagery inspired by Buddhism and Daoism.
Strong emphasis on tradition and skill – calligraphy.
Reading The Spirit of the Brush translated by Shio Sakanishi.

Ancient India

Also interested in meditative images through Buddhism.
Development of cosmic image (Mandela, axis mundi)
Rich, intricate designs illustrating the sensual, fertile abundance.
Gods represented as having differing temperaments, attributes. /

Week 7 / Etruscan – the Greek influence on the Etruscan temple and the development of the “true” arch.
Compare and contrast Greek and roman art. Identify characteristics of each for easy distinguishing.
Focus on Etruscan ideas of death and burial.

Ancient Rome1

The birth of the Republic.
The revolution in Roman Architecture and art in service of the state.
Pompeii and the preservation of a culture.
Wall painting and the Roman house.
Pax Romana and the glory of the Emperor.
The Frieze.
The Coloseum and gladiators in the world’s largest amphitheater.
Compare pan-Athenic frieze from the Parthenon with the Procession from Ara Pacis.
Reading Chapters on the History of Art by Pliny the Elder /

Week 8 /

Ancient Rome 2

Portraiture and commemorative sculpture.
Hadrian - the New Forum and the Pantheon
Compare and contrast – Warrior sculptures, roman figure styles changing with the Emperor.
Studio - Mosaic designs
Read from Livy The Early History of Rome. /

Week 9 /

Early Christian Art

Specific identification of Life of Jesus in Art.
Early Christian places of Worship and the effect of imperial sanction under Constantine. The influence of the Roman Basilica on early Christian Architects. (Old St. Peter’s in Rome) Mosaic decoration.
The Codex and the rise of the Illuminated Manuscript.
Slide based exam and DBQ essay questions for review and mid term test. / Review
Test
Week 10 / Byzantine Art and the division of Christianity.
Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.
Architectural Feature – Pendentives (the Dome)
Distinguishing features of Early Christian and Byzantine style. Compare.
Icons and Iconoclasm, monasteries in Egypt. The mosaic.
Highlight the differences in art of the Eastern and western realms as a reflection of the division of the roman empire.
The fall of Constantinople /

C2
Week 11 / Islam – The Dome of the Rock and the triumph of Islam in Jerusalem.
The hypostyle mosque as compared to the roman forum. (The Great Mosque, Cordoba, Spain.
Islamic decorative art – ceramic tile and calligraphy.
Use of aniconic (lacking in the figurative) imagery suggests spiritual paradise and avoids collection of idolatrous objects. Avoiding worldly materialism and sin.
The Art of the Koran and Islamic textiles. /

Week 12 / Early Medieval/European inc. Celtic, Viking, Hiberno-Saxon (Sutton Hoo), Carolingian and Ottoman.
Holy Roman Emperors – Charlemagne and Frederick Barbarossa. The desire to regain a Christian empire like that of the Romans. Uses stone to build and imperial iconography.
Illuminated manuscripts – The Lindisfarne Bible and The Book of Kells.
Beowolf.
William and the conquest of England.
Compare and contrast – The Bayeaux Tapestry and historic narratives of ancient Rome.
The Crusades and the Islamic connection.
DBQ Prep and Practice Essay based on On Painting and Sculpture by L.B. Alberti /

Week 13 /

Romanesque

Post Invasion French influences and the development of English Romanesque. (Durham Cathedral and the Romanesque stone vaults)
The revival of stone carving and sculpture beginning with reliefs.
The rise of towns and the changing role of the church.
Larger churches built to accommodate large numbers of worshippers.
Pilgrimages.
The Decorative Romanesque Portal attracting the lay audience – the Tympanum.
Art reflects the restlessness felt by society, the desire to go to crusades or pilgrimages.
Studio – Egg tempera /

Week 14 /

Gothic

Eleanor of Aquitaine and Bishop Suger – changes in “sacred Architecture-“The Gothic Ribbed Vault”. (Notre Dame and Flying Buttresses),
Abbot Suger and the building of the first great Gothic church – Abbot Suger on the Abbey Church of St. Denis and its Art Treasures.
The rise of the stained glass window – light, air and height. Saint-Chapelle.
In Depth Study of the Gothic Cathedral – important vocabulary.
French influence on English church architecture (Salisbury Cathedral)
Book illumination and the luxury Arts
DBQ – Giorgio Vasari and The Lives of the Artists. /

C2
Week 15 / Making Cross-Cultural Connections: Compare and Contrast – theme of Mother and Child Across Cultures and Time Periods. /

Week 16 /

Early Medieval Art in the West

Cult of “The Virgin” with medieval troubadours singing of courtly, romantic love. Gothic art reflecting a transition from “male” aesthetic towards “feminine”.
Evolution of distinct regional styles in France, England, Germany and Italy. Reflects sense of pride and national identity.
Studio – frescos and working in plaster.
Black Death.

Women Artists in History – a study, spanning the centuries, examining the question “Why have there been No Great Women Artists?” based on the essay by Linda Nochlin. Students will understand the role that women have played in the history of western art, and will discover the essential differences in training between men and women, and the impact this had on their cultural production.

C2
C2
Week 17 /

Early Renaissance

Renewed interest in classical subjects.
Rise of the merchant patron (Medici)
Increased competition between artists encouraged by the “marketplace of ideas”
Rising social status of the artist. (Appearance of self-portraits in a number of Renaissance paintings.)
Reading The Literary Works of Leonardo da Vinci by J.P.Richter. /

Review

Week 18 /

SEMESTER EXAMINATION

Includes slide portion, DBQ and short and long answer essays. /

SEMESTER 2

Week 1 / High Renaissance (Northern Europe)
Evolution of the “International Style” inspired by illuminated manuscripts. Style obsessed with realism and intricate detail Disguised realism..
Artist’s use of oil paints to render subjects more accurately.
Elevation of the artist to “genius” and increased competition between artists.
Art and architecture used by the Vatican to increase power and influence (See Julius II)
Desire for grandeur and monumental art.
Artists use realism to confront political, social and theological issues.
Fascination with “human condition” as shown in Holbein, Bruegal, Durer and Grunewald.
Rise of printmaking and its impact on artistic imagery and spread of ideas.
DBQ practice based on writings of Machiavelli’s The Prince /

C2
Week 2 /

Venetian Renaissance

Emphasis on wealth, pageantry, spectacle and beauty.
Venice as prosperous center of trade between east and west. (La Serenissima)
New experimentation with oils creating illusion of warm light
Rich color, soft flesh and vibrant landscapes. (Caused by Venetian climate – too humid and damp for frescoes)
Emphasis on mood reflects a culture unworried by problems that beset the rest of world.
Reading Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects by Giorgio Vasari /

C2
Week 3 /

Mannerist

Aristocratic patrons desiring art that distracted from the harsh realities of 16th century – reformation, the Inquisition, sack of Rome in1527, St. Bartholomew’s massacre in 1572.
Works of art often reflect a profound sense of detachment.
Use of discordant color and the elongation of the human figure illustrates an increasing dissatisfaction with the classical style predominant in the renaissance. /

C2
Week 4 /

Italian and Spanish Baroque

Fascination with space, time and motion as a result of exploration into the “New World”
Rise of the “Academic Artist” and the idea that art can be taught by following a set of carefully prescribed rules.
Artists use of light to represent the presence of truth emerging from a world of darkness.
Artists placing the viewer “in media res” (in the middle of the action) representing the struggle caused by the counter reformation.
OR artist “invading the space” of the viewer casing viewer to become a participant in the action (See Bernini’s David for example)
Renewed emphasis on The Virgin Mary as a reaction to widespread destruction of statues in the Protestant north.
Artists use of passion and emotion as an attempt to restore faith in those straying from the catholic church (Spanish scenes of torture)

India

3000 BCE first great civilization grew up at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. Fully developed cities including multi storey buildings and water supplies and sewage systems but no identifiable temples or palaces.
Little art, all found is small, mostly seals.
17oo BCE urban Indus period ended and little art survives for 1000 years but religious foundation laid. Vedas and Brahmins – sacrifice and ritual. Karma and samsara (rebirth)
Late BCE development of Hinduism and Buddhism – Buddhist Iconography and the Buddha in Art – pre 1st century CE Buddha does not appear as a human, artists used symbols. Post 1st Century CE Buddha increasingly viewed as a deity and appears in human form.
Buddhist Patronage and The Great Stupa at Sanchi (ancient burial mound)
Both religions coexist – Hindu Iconography and Hindu temples.
The arrival of Islam in 8th century and the spread of Islamic art and architecture. The Muslim Mughal emperors were lavish patrons of the Arts – most famous commission -The Taj Mahal – a mausoleum at Agra.
100 years rule of British when local traditions mixed with imported European styles. /

C2
Week 5 /

Flemish Baroque

Depiction of luxuriant world through rendition of flesh and texture by Rubens, van Dyck et al.
Catholic Flemish artists follow Italian and Spanish contemporaries in their use of dramatic movement, passionate emotions and strong light emerging from darkness. /

Week 6 /

Dutch Baroque

Rising Protestant middle class suspicious of owning idolatrous religious works demand secular themes (or genres) in painting.
Rise in popularity of Old Testament stories of the Isralites because of Dutch isolation as a small independent state surrounded by Catholic countries.
Use of genre scenes to comment on moral behavior (major concern of strict Calvinists) the transient nature of life and the need for order.
Interest in informality and intimacy in contrast to the “official” baroque style associated with papal grandeur
Of Catholic monarchies.

Artists need to please public crucial in an increasingly capitalistic Dutch Art market. Rembrandt and Hals suffering financial ruin in this climate.

French and English Baroque

Louis XIV and the concept of absolutism.
Descartes and the desire to impose order on nature influences artists.
Poussin and the return to classical, grand themes. Return to Grecian modes.
Hogarth – art with an obvious purpose. The Rakes Progress series
Reading – Fifteen Discourses, Delivered in the Royal Academy, by Sir Joshua Reynolds. /

C2
C1
C2
C2
Week 7 / Rococo
Decorative arts and ornamentation.
Pursuit of happiness and association with “ancien regime”(the old order) is shown as frivolity and playfulness in painting.
Idea that “taste” defined place in society.
Artists showing interest in depiction of children and placing “sitters” in nature echoing a feeling of freedom from the corruption of “unnatural” society, based on ideas of philosophers Jean-Jacques Rousseau and David Hume.
Paris as center of European society.
Enlightenment examines complex relationship between human intellect and morality. (Experiment of the Air Pump by Joseph Wright of Derby

Neo-Classicism