Thursday, July 5, 2012

AP Art History Chapter 3 Study Guide

   Here is the answer key for the "Gardner's Art Through Ages" chapter 3 study guide. This will be a big, BIG help to review for the AP Art History exam. Pss, I got a 5 on the exam with the help of this study guide!

PHARAOHS AND THE AFTERLIFE
THE ART OF ANCIENT EGYPT
TEXT PAGES  44-74


1.  Briefly describe the role played by the Nile in the development of Egyptian civilization.

The Nile brings rich soil for agriculture and annual floods.

2. What is hieroglyphic writing and what was the significance of the Rosetta Stone?

An Egyptian pictographic language. The Rosetta Stone is a key to decipher the hieroglyphic writing.


PREDYNASTIC AND EARLY DYNASTIC 

Define or identify the following terms or names :

engaged column Columns that are attached to the wall

Horus son of Osiris and Isis, pharaoh = Horus

Imhotep first known name of an artist in recorded history

Isis sister and consort of Osiris

Ka life force

Necropolis large burial area

Osiris God of order and the king who brought civilization to Egypt. Killed by his brother Seth, god of chaos, and resurrected by Isis.

Re (or Ra) God of the Sun

2.   The Palette of Narmer , which was created about 3000 B.C, is extremely important in Egyp­tian history and art for several reasons.

      Politically, it documents:

      The unification of Upper and Lower Egypt

Culturally, it records two important facts:

a. about religion: stresses that Pharaoh is the divine ruler

b. about writing:

It marks the transition between pre-historical and historical artworks.

Artistically, it embodies conventions that will dominate Egyptian official art to the end of the New Kingdom, namely

a. figures in profile except for eyes and torso

b. theme of the god-king slaying enemy

      c.  Subdivided surface into registers in an orderly way with horizontal lines

      that act as the ground.


2. Draw a simple digram of a mastaba and describe its function


3. Stone columns appeared for the first time in the mortuary precinct of Djoser at Saqqara. How do the shape of these columns relate to the papyrus plants that were common in Egypt?

They resemble bundles of reeds or papyrus stalks. The capitals resemble papyrus blossoms.

THE OLD KINGDOM


1. In what way do the pyramids of Gizeh differ from King Djoser's pyramid at Saqqara?

The pyramids of Gizeh have three sides (east, west, and south). But the King Djoser’s pyramid at Saqqara has four sides.

2. What is ashlar masonry and how was it used in building the pyramids at Gezeh?

Temple on east side, offering were made for the deceased king.

3. What is thought to have been the function of the Great Sphinx of Gizeh?.

Lion with human heads-à act as guardians for protection purpose

4. What was the primary purpose of the statue of Khafre (FIG. 3‑12)?

To proclaim the godlike nature of Egyptian kingship and to last for eternity.

What does the hawk symbolize?

Pharaoh

List four stylistic characteristics of the statue.

a. Bilaterally symmetrical

b. Frontal pose

c. Idealized body and features

d. Compact and solid with few projecting parts

5. What is meant by the "canon of human proportions", and what technique did the Egyptians use to apply it to their figures? "

Each body part was a fixed number of squares. It drew a grid on the wall.

6. What features of the Seated Scribe would have been inappropriate for the statue of a pharaoh?

Signs of age à sagging chest muscles

7. What subjects were commonly depicted on the walls of Egyptian tombs  and what was their purpose?

The deceased, processes of agriculture and hunting, the Nile, scenes of daily life—but only timeless motifs, not anecdotal, time-bound motifs, were appropriate for eternal existence.

THE MIDDLE KINGDOM

1. The pyramid tombs so popular in the Old Kingdom were replaced by _____mountain_____ tombs in the Middle Kingdom.

2.    In what way does the portrait of Senusret III reflect the changed political conditions of the Middle Kingdom?

Its unprecedented realism in the feature

THE NEW KINGDOM AND THE LATE PERIOD

Define or identify the following individuals and terms :
Akhenaton Aton’s son and sole prophet

Amarna style more elongated and curved style

Amen‑Re walled temple at Karnak

Aton the universal and only god declared by Akhenaton

Book of the Dead Papyrus scrolls illustrated with a collection of spells and prayers. They show the ritual of the cult of Osiris, including the judgement of the deceased. These scrolls were essential equipment in the tombs of the well-to-do.

Hatshepsut wife of Pharaoh Thutmos II

Nefertiti Akhenaton’s queen

Ramses II Reigned from 1290-1224 BCE, created a huge rock-cut temple at Abu Simbel.

sunken relief reliefs that were cut into stones

Tutankhamen Akhenaton’s son by a minor wife

1. Briefly describe a typical pylon temple and make simple diagrams to illustrate it.

It has a simple and massive gateway with sloping walls. Bilaterally symmetrical along a single axis leading from an approaching avenue that runs through a colonnaded court to a dimly lit sanctuary.

2.      Do the same for the diagram of a Hypostyle Hall (also note the clerestory).

Columns support the roof, stone slabs carried on lintels, which rest on cubical blocks which in turn rest on giant capitals. Central rows of columns raised higher than those at the sides creates a clerestory, which allows sunlight through openings or grilles.

3. What was the major effect of the new Amarna style on figural representation?

Figures more effeminate.

4. What three features of Queen Tiye  reflect the relaxation of rules that is typical of the Amarna style?

Heavy lidded slanting eyes, elongated, and profile face.

5. Although Ramses II lived after Akhenaton, the pillar statues that were carved for the interior of his temple (FIG. 3‑23) ignore many of the stylistic features developed by the Amarna artists. Compare the figures from the Temple of Ramses II  with the pillar statue of Akhenaton (FIG. 3‑32); note particularly the differences in the proportions of the figures. What political factors might account for these differences?

The solid, geometric pillars show a return to the timelessness and eternal nature of the old gods, who were restored after Akhenaton’s reign.

Akhenaton                                                                             Ramses II

Small, narrow oval head                                                     Large, square head

Elongated, curving and effeminate                                   Broad, muscular, and

                                                                                                masculine

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