AP Art History Course Outline

AP Art History Course Outline

Semester I

UsingArt Across Time as a primary text, the first semester will provide an introduction to the study of art history and will cover art from the Paleolithic era to the Proto-Renaissance. The art of ancient non-western cultures, including India, China, Japan, Korea, Africa, the and the Americas will be introduced through group presentations during the second quarter. There will be a special focus on the various forms of Sculpture during the first quarter while studying Prehistoric and Ancient Art, and on the purposes and styles of Architecture during the second quarter in the periods leading to the Renaissance. Students will also participate in an all-day field trip to The Getty Villa Museum in Malibu, which features art from pre-history through the art of the Romans under one roof.

First Quarter

Week 1: Introduction to Art History / Prehistoric Art

What Is Art, and What Is Not Art? “Discussion and description are more appropriate than definition”. Class discussion on the measures of quality applied to works of art, Aesthetics and the concept of beauty in Art, and the ever-changing definitions, classifications and fluctuating values in the history of Western art.

Why Is Art Made, and What Makes It Valuable?

Lecture and discussion on the varied functions of art and the ways that artists are sponsored and commissioned to do works of art by persons or institutions (patronage).

Introduction to art history:

A central aim of art history is to determine the original context of artworks. Art may be examined by determining its age, style, subject, who made it, who paid for it, and its unique formal characteristics.

Objectives:

• Identify key research questions art historians ask
• Define the terms of formal analysis
• Explain the role of formal analysis in art historical research
• Understand how art historians address different cultural perspectives

Class Activity: “Student Detectives” examine various slide examples of art, architecture, and sculpture to practice following the research steps of the art historian in identifying its origin.

*Homework Packets: Students are introduced to the primary tool they will

use as a study guide throughout the year: Onthe day of each assigned

reading, they receive a packet of the major images in the current chapter

with blank space by each image to write comments and notes. These packets

are checked by the teacher before the day’s lecture/slide presentation, and the

student will be expected to participate in class discussions about the previous

night’s reading by referring to these notes. Notes should include pertinent

facts about the subject’s time period, formal qualities, medium, artist, etc.

Chapter One: The Birth of Art: Africa, Europe and the Near East in the Stone Age

An overview of the prehistoric birth of art, from the Old Stone Age or Paleolithic period when humans began creating sculptures and cave paintings, to the Neolithic period when human beings began to settle in fixed abodes and changed from hunters to herders, to farmers and finally to townspeople. Students will make functional and stylistic comparisons between Neolithic and Paleolithic work. Students will view the first weaving, metalworking, and pottery, as well as the building of fortified towns, cities, and, in Western Europe, megaliths and cromlechs (henges). Discussion on the influences of geography, and the growth of agriculture and cities on the nature of art.

• Reading:Art Across Time Chapter One: The Art of Prehistory
• Homework Packet and Glossary List of Key Terms and Concepts
• Teacher Lecture/PowerPoint Presentation: Prehistoric Art
• Class discussion: Lack of documentation and subsequent “conjecture” about cave art and other prehistoric mysteries

Week 2: The Rise of Civilization: The Art of the Ancient Near East (2 Days)

Chapter Two: The Ancient Near East (A.N.E.)

Why was Mesopotamia considered the cradle of civilization? Discussion on the development of writing and the beginnings of recorded history that occurred here, along with the first monumental temples built by the Sumerians. Comparisons between their successors; the Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, and others, as they continued the tradition of monumental art and architecture, erecting ruler portraits, stelae recording victories and law codes, and great palaces decorated with painted narrative reliefs.

• Reading:Art Across Time Chapter Two: The Ancient Near East
• Homework Packets and Glossary List of Key Terms and Concepts
• Teacher Lectures/PowerPoint Presentations: The Ancient Near East
• TheFirst Essay Assignment: “Looking At Art: What’s a Person to Say?

Description: Students write their first art history essay by selecting a postcard image from an art museum. They write one paragraph describing the artwork by looking carefully at its internal clues (the medium and technique the artist used, and its formal qualities, such as elements of color and texture, or principles of composition such as emphasis and balance). They then write a second paragraph after reading about the artwork, the artist and its relationship to the time period in which it was made, discussing its particular style and other factors that may have contributed to its creation, (External clues) so that the artwork has been examined contextually. The students end by citing where they found the external information.

Week 3: Egypt: Pharoahs and the Afterlife (2 Days)

Chapter Three: Pharoahs and the Afterlife: The Art of Ancient Egypt

The study of Ancient Egyptian civilization and culture introduces spectacular monuments, tombs, and solemn and ageless art created using a “divine” order that remained almost unchanged for thousands of years. Discussions on the canon for sculpture and wall-paintings, Egyptian mythology; identifying traditional styles of the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms, Akhenaton’s radical naturalism, and “Egyptology”; the Egyptian pursuit of “permanence” and immortality for their rulers.

• Masterpiece of the Morning: Students identify a slide from the previous night’s reading.

• Reading:Art Across Time Chapter Three: Ancient Egypt
• Homework Packet with Key Images for Identification

• Teacher Lectures/ PowerPoint Presentations: Egyptian Art and Architecture
• Glossary List and Key Concepts

• Review Chapters 1-3
• Test I: Chapters 1-3

Test over Prehistoric, ANE, and Egyptian Art;comparison between Egypt and the Near East (geography, materials, civilization, nature of royal figures and divinities, funerary and temple structures), with 20 multiple choice questions (mostly slide-related), identification of specific vocabulary words and terms used to describe art, Two Short Essay questions on the context of the law code (Hammurabi) and the iconography of the Palette of Narmer (unification of ancient Egypt).

Week 4: Aegean Art and Intro to Art Beyond Europe (3 Days)

Chapter Four: Minos and the Heroes of Homer: The Art of the Prehistoric Aegean

Introduces the prehistory of Greece in the Bronze Age, a shadowy and mythical time for scholars until archeology uncovered the remains of that heroic era. Students focus attention on Cycladic marble sculptures, Minoan mural paintings of palace life, and Mycenaean fortified citadels for times of war that reveal primitive but effective Aegean artistic styles and building techniques.

• Homework Packet with images to identify for Chapter 4
• Glossary of Key Terms and Concepts

• Teacher Lecture/PowerPoint Presentation: Aegean Art

• Reading:Art Across TimeChapter Four: The Aegean
• Ancient Art Beyond Europe Group Presentations Assigned

Corresponding Chapters in Gardner’scovered:

Chapter 6: Ancient India: Paths to Enlightenment

Chapter 7: The Silk Road (China and Korea)

Chapter 8: Early Japan

Chapter 14: Native Arts of the Americas

Chapter 15: South of the Sahara (African Art)

Preparation: Each group reads and does research on their particular area and its culture. They select 6-8 representative images with at least one example of a “common theme”. Each group writes a detailed lecture outline, a bibliography, three multiple choice questions plus one short-essay question with answers, and a one-page front/back class handout that includes a timeline, overview of the period, slide caption sheet and information about the common themes.

Week 5 and 6: Ancient Greece (4 Days)

Chapter Five: Gods, Heroes, and Athletes: The Art of Ancient Greece

Greek culture and its ideal of humanistic education and life is explored through its art and architecture from the eighth century BCE when the human figure returned to Greek art. This unit features a focus on the art form of Sculpture: in Ancient Greece, “the quest for ideal form” involved changes in the representation of the human figure. Why did these styles change from the Geometric and Orientalizing Periods, The Archaic Period, to the Early and High Classical Periods, and finally, the Hellenistic Period? Students begin to define and identify the concepts of Greek idealism, beauty and individuality. The development of the styles of Greek Architecture will be traced with an emphasis on how these styles affected later architecture. The influence of Greek heroes and gods in narrative art will be seen and discussed in vase paintings and mosaics.

• Reading:Art Across Time Chapter Five: The Art of Ancient Greece
• Focus on Sculpture: Lecture, notes and discussion on the three-dimensional art of sculpture; the four major traditional sculpture techniques of relief, carving, modeling and casting, with examples of additive, reductive, assembled, freestanding and attached sculpture.
• Homework Packets with images to identify for Chapter Five
• Glossary of Key terms and Concepts: Ancient Greek Art and Architectural components
• Teacher Lectures/PowerPoint Presentations: Ancient Greece
• In-Class Essay: Compare and contrast the emerging shape of the human figure in art from the Sumerian votive figures to the Greek Kore and kouros figures.

Week 7 and 8: Etruscan and Roman Art (4 Days)

Chapter Six: Italy Before the Romans: The Art of the Etruscans

During the Archaic Period in ancient Greece, the Etruscans dominated the Italian peninsula. There will be a discussion on the importance and originality of Etruscan art, which was deeply influenced by, yet different from, Greek art. Etruscan ideas of death and burial, the Etruscan temple, origins of the true arch, and elements of canopic urn portraiture are discussed. How did Etruscan sculpture, painting, and architecture provide the models for early Roman art and architecture?

• Reading:Art Across Time Chapter Six: The Art of the Etruscans
• Homework packet with images to identify for Chapter Six
• Glossary of Key Terms and Concepts of Etruscan art and architecture
• Teacher Lecture/PowerPoint Presentation: Etruscan Art

Chapter Seven: From Seven Hills to Three Continents: The Art of Ancient Rome

Discussion on why Roman monuments of art and architecture are the most conspicuous and numerous of all the remains of ancient western civilization, and how many are still used as part of the fabric of modern life. Special attention is given to the far-reaching influence of Roman society, their architectural revolution using concrete vault construction, Pompeii’s unearthed treasure houses of painted frescoes, role playing in Roman portraiture, Roman city planning, the building of great aqueducts throughout Europe, the construction of the Colosseum, arches and columns celebrating the victories of the emperors, the Pantheon’s great dome, and the triumph of Constantine as the first Christian emperor.

• Reading:Art Across TimeChapter Seven: Ancient Rome
• Homework Packet with images to identify for Chapter Seven
• Glossary of Key Terms and Concepts on Ancient Rome
• Teacher Lecture/PowerPoint Presentations: The Art of Ancient Rome

Week 9: Review of Ancient Greece and Rome/ Test Preparation

In-Class discussions of Aegean/Greek and Etruscan/Roman Art (2 days)

• Test II:The Art of Ancient Greece and Rome: Chapters 4,5,6,7

This test is given in two sections:

Part I. The first section is over chapters 4 and 5 (Aegean and Ancient Greek art). It contains multiple choice questions based on the readings, slide identification, vocabulary and terms, and a compare/contrast essay question using images from two separate time periods in ancient Greece: “Compare and contrast these works; how are they significant and how are they different? What does each reveal about ancient Greek society?”

Part II. The second section tests the students understanding of Etruscan and Roman art (chapters 6 and 7). It is similar in organization as Part I, with the addition of a slide-based short answer question at the end:

“ How does the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius convey the power of the emperor?”

• Class Activity: In-Class Research for Ancient Art Beyond Europe Group Presentations. Assigned groups do research online and using the classroom art library for information to be used in their presentations.

End of First Quarter

Week 10: The Art of Antiquity/ Art Beyond Europe Group Presentations/ (2 Days)

Chapter 8: Pagans, Christians and Jews: The Art of Late Antiquity

Lectures and PowerPoint slides address the Jewish and Christian art produced under Roman rule. Popular themes and iconography in Early Christian art, the effects of classicism, and the changing attributes in the way the figure of Christ was represented (from Good Shepherd to Judge) will be observed and discussed. Read excerpts from Augustine’s City of God to understand his influence on the early Christian church. How did these Late Antique sculptures, paintings, mosaics, and buildings form the foundation for the art and architecture of the Middle Ages?

• Reading:Art Across Time Chapter Eight: Early Christian and Byzantine Art
• Homework packet with images to identify for Chapter Eight
• Teacher Lecture/PowerPoint Presentation: The Art of Antiquity
• Glossary of Key terms and Concepts

Group Presentations: Ancient ABE Projects (2 days)

Description: Each group leads a 20 minute discussion that is organized, accurate, and thorough. The slides are shown and handout given. This is followed by class discussion and a question and answer session.

• Ancient A.B.E. Test: A slide-based test based on the questions written by group members and including key images from Gardner’s chapters on “Ancient Art Beyond Europe”. Both multiple choice and short essay questions concerning the subject matter (human figures, landscapes, sacred spaces and objects), contextual issues like patronage, the origins of the various religions, gods and goddesses, and architectural styles will be included.

Week 11: Byzantine Art / Early Medieval Art (3 Days)

Chapter 12 (Gardner’s): Rome in the East: The Art of Byzantium

Become familiar with the historical events following the foundation of Constantinople (Byzantium) in 330, and the resulting changes in art and architecture as the Christian world became divided into the Latin West, centered in Rome, and the Greek Orthodox East, with its capital at Constantinople. Discuss how Justinian mosaicists carried on the formal, hieratic style of late antiquity and Justinian’s architects pioneered the distinctive form of Byzantine churches. These centrally planned, dome-covered structures will be viewed and contrasted to the longitudinal basilicas of the West. What distinguishes the Early Christian and Byzantine styles?

Chapter 9: Europe After the Fall of Rome: Early Medieval Art in the West

Introduce early medieval civilization as reflected in the art and architecture of the thousand year period between 400 and 1400 in western Europe; a representation of a fusion of Christianity, the Greco-Roman heritage, and the cultures of the non-Roman peoples north of the Alps. This “Northern”art includes the art of the Celts, Vikings, Hiberno-Saxon art, illuminated manuscripts, Mozarabic art, Carolingian”Renaissance” art and architecture and Ottonian art and sculpture. Focus is given to the transformations of the architectural support systems from the Carolingian to the Ottonian church. Discuss importance of manuscript illumination and its iconography.

• Reading:Art Across Time Chapter 9
• Homework packets with images to identify for Chapters Twelve and Nine
• Glossary of Key Terms and Concepts for Chapters Twelve and Nine
• Teacher Lectures/PowerPoint Presentations: Byzantine Art and Early Medieval Art

Week 12: Romanesque Art (2 Days)

Chapter 10: The Age of Pilgrimages: Romanesque Art

“Romanesque” broadly designates the history and culture of Western Europe between about 1050 and 1200. Reference will be made to medieval society, its structure and its effect on art and architecture. The development of architectural elements of this period, based on and resembling those of ancient Roman architecture, including the groin and barrel vaults and the round arch, along with regional and stylistic differences in structure and design will be analyzed. Pilgrimages to monasteries and churches which housed relics of venerated saints are discussed as the primary economic and conceptual catalyst for the art and architecture of the Romanesque period. Students compare Romanesque images of power and authority with those of earlier cultures and learn the importance of “telling stories in stone” through narrative relief sculptures, such as scenes of the Last Judgment and other biblical stories and images used to instruct the faithful.